When can you expect sunrises and sunsets?
Find out about which time zones each country is located in and the kind of daylight hours you can expect.
What time zones are the Scandinavian countries in?
Sweden, Denmark and Norway are all in Central European Time (CET). CET is 1 hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (or GMT+1).
Finland and Estonia are in Eastern European Time, 2 hours ahead of GMT (or GMT+2).
It’s good to be aware that all these countries observe daylight saving time, or “summer time”. In spring, the clock shifts forward by 1 hour and in the autumn it moves back 1 hour.
- Learn more about Scandinavia on our travel guide.
When does the sun rise and set in the Scandinavian and Baltic countries?
Thanks to their northerly latitudes, our destinations all experience a big difference in seasonal daylight.
In all capital cities, you can expect around 17-19 hours of daylight in summer. This is ideal for sightseeing to your heart’s content. But in winter the days are short and darkness sets in after 6-7 hours only.
At that time of year, you’ll want to warm up with a drink as you walk along decorated streets. Or keep an eye out for the northern lights if you’re in the countryside.
Finland, Sweden and Norway also have a big gap of daylight between north and south. That’s because the northern parts of these countries stretch inside the Arctic Circle.
On a combination tour of the Scandinavian countries, you could sail up into the Arctic and visit spots like Tromsø. Up there, daylight is extreme. In summer, you’ll experience the midnight sun, which is when the sun doesn’t set at all.
Then in the depths of winter, it’s the opposite - the sun does not rise, a phenomenon called “polar night”.
- Contact our travel consultants if you want to know more about travelling in Scandinavia.
