Morning in New York usually lines up with afternoon in London, Paris, and Berlin.
Pre-loaded with New York, London, and Paris on standard 9 AM–5 PM schedules. Adjust for your actual working hours.
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Best US-Europe meeting window
9 AM-12 PM New York / 2-5 PM London
This is the clearest overlap for normal US-East and UK working hours. Use the live tool below when Paris, Berlin, Los Angeles, or custom working hours are involved.
Find your exact meeting windowLos Angeles often needs early morning calls to keep Europe inside business hours.
US and European clock changes happen on different dates, shifting the gap by one hour.
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Best Meeting Times Between the US and Europe
The United States and Europe share a workable time zone gap—far more manageable than US–Asia scheduling. New York (ET) is typically 5 hours behind London (GMT) and 6 hours behind Paris or Berlin (CET). This creates a genuine afternoon overlap that both sides can attend during normal working hours. Use the calculator above to find the exact window for your specific cities and working hours, or read the section-by-section breakdown below.
New York to London: the sweet spot
When both teams work 9 AM to 5 PM local time, New York and London share roughly 9 AM–12 PM New York / 2–5 PM London. This is the most common window for transatlantic calls. It lets New York start meetings first thing in the morning while London finishes the afternoon. Many companies use a 10 AM ET / 3 PM GMT weekly sync as their standard slot. For a direct pair calculator, see the New York to London meeting time tool.
Adding Paris or Berlin shifts the window
Paris and Berlin are one hour ahead of London (CET = UTC+1 in winter, CEST = UTC+2 in summer). If you add a Paris or Berlin participant, the overlap shrinks slightly—roughly 9 AM–11 AM New York / 3–5 PM Paris. It remains workable, but the window tightens. Try the London to Paris calculator or the Berlin to New York calculator if you need those specific pairs.
Los Angeles to Europe: a harder gap
West Coast US teams face a steeper challenge. Los Angeles is 8 hours behind London and 9 hours behind Paris. The overlap on standard hours is narrow—9 AM LA is already 5 PM London. Most LA–Europe teams schedule calls at 8 AM LA / 4 PM London, or 9 AM LA / 6 PM Paris (asking Paris to stay slightly late). See the Los Angeles to London tool for the live overlap window.
Daylight saving time misalignment
The US and Europe switch clocks on different dates, which creates a brief window each spring and autumn where the standard offset shifts by one hour. In 2026 specifically:
- US springs forward: Sunday, 8 March 2026 (ET becomes UTC−4)
- EU springs forward: Sunday, 29 March 2026 (CET becomes UTC+2 / BST begins)
- Gap window (March 8–29): NY is temporarily 1 hour closer to London than usual—4 hours instead of 5
- EU falls back: Sunday, 25 October 2026
- US falls back: Sunday, 1 November 2026
- Gap window (Oct 25–Nov 1): London reverts to GMT while NY is still on EDT—offset widens to 5 hours temporarily
Always verify the current offset before booking; this tool calculates it automatically using today’s date.
US–Europe Time Zone Quick Reference
The table below shows standard overlap windows for the most common US–Europe city pairs, assuming 9 AM–5 PM working hours on both sides. All times are in local time for each city. Offsets are for standard time; check the DST section above for transition periods.
| US City | European City | Offset (standard) | Overlap window | Best fixed slot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York (ET) | London (GMT) | +5 h | 9 AM–12 PM ET / 2–5 PM GMT | 10 AM ET / 3 PM GMT |
| New York (ET) | Paris / Berlin (CET) | +6 h | 9–11 AM ET / 3–5 PM CET | 9:30 AM ET / 3:30 PM CET |
| New York (ET) | Amsterdam / Zurich | +6 h | 9–11 AM ET / 3–5 PM CET | 10 AM ET / 4 PM CET |
| Chicago (CT) | London (GMT) | +6 h | 9–11 AM CT / 3–5 PM GMT | 9 AM CT / 3 PM GMT |
| Los Angeles (PT) | London (GMT) | +8 h | 8–9 AM PT / 4–5 PM GMT | 8 AM PT / 4 PM GMT |
| Los Angeles (PT) | Paris / Berlin (CET) | +9 h | 8–8 AM PT / 5 PM CET (tight) | 8 AM PT / 5 PM CET |
Tips for Recurring US–Europe Calls
A single ad-hoc call is easy to schedule. The harder problem is a weekly or bi-weekly recurring slot that works across DST transitions and team holidays. Here are practices that consistently work for transatlantic teams:
- Pick a fixed US-side time, not a fixed EU time. If you anchor to “every Tuesday at 10 AM New York,” the European time shifts by 1 hour twice a year (not the other way around), which is easier for the smaller adjustment to fall on one side.
- Block the calendar invite in both local times. Tools like Google Calendar show both zones, but send the raw invite in UTC or the organizer’s local time. Confirm both parties see the correct local time before the first call.
- Avoid the last Friday of October and first Sunday of November. These are the windows when clock changes happen, and it’s common for one party to show up an hour early or late.
- For three-city calls (US + two European cities), use the three time zones scheduler to find a window that works for all three simultaneously.
- Consider async for anything that doesn’t need a live discussion. A 20-minute Loom video or a shared document eliminates the scheduling burden entirely for status updates.
FAQ
What is the best time for a New York to London meeting?
9 AM–12 PM Eastern Time / 2–5 PM Greenwich Mean Time is the standard overlap window. Most teams pick a fixed slot like 10 AM ET / 3 PM GMT and keep it consistent week to week. For a live calculation, use the New York–London overlap tool.
How many hours ahead is London compared to New York?
London is 5 hours ahead of New York during Eastern Standard Time (EST, UTC−5). During US daylight saving, the gap narrows to 4 hours when both are on summer time, or stays at 5 hours during the brief transition period when only one has switched. See the DST table above for the exact 2026 dates.
What about Los Angeles to Europe?
Los Angeles (PT) is 8–9 hours behind London and 9–10 hours behind Paris, depending on whether both are on standard or summer time. The overlap is tight—typically 8–9 AM LA / 4–5 PM London. Many West Coast US teams start calls before 9 AM to accommodate European partners. Use the Los Angeles to London calculator for the current window.
When do US and European clocks change in 2026?
The US springs forward on 8 March 2026 and falls back on 1 November 2026. The EU springs forward on 29 March 2026 and falls back on 25 October 2026. During the gaps (March 8–29 and October 25–November 1), the US–Europe offset is one hour different from the norm—plan accordingly or let this tool calculate the current offset automatically.
Related Tools
Looking for a specific city pair or a different scheduling scenario?
- New York ↔ London meeting time — direct pair with live overlap
- Los Angeles ↔ London meeting time — West Coast to UK
- London ↔ Paris meeting time — intra-Europe scheduling
- Three time zones scheduler — when US + two European cities need to meet
- Asia-Pacific ↔ Americas — the harder scheduling challenge
- Freelancer time zone calculator — individual client scheduling