Time and daylight

When it comes to daylight, Sweden can take some time to adjust to. Although winters seem cold and dark, the long summer days are well worth the wait. As far south as Malmö, summer daylight outlasts the average person’s waking hours. And in the far north, the sun never sets for weeks at a time.

Time zone
Sweden is located in the Central European Time zone (CET). Like in other European countries, daylight saving time is also observed here. This means that the clock is set forward one hour, from the last weekend in March to the last weekend in October, in order to gain more daylight.

Endless summer days
For most people in Sweden, summer is the most memorable time of year. This has as much to do with daylight as with the weather itself. Up north, people enjoy the midnight sun. In Stockholm, they’re awoken by chirping birds at 3 AM. In most of the country, people stay outdoors well into the night, chatting in parks and outdoor cafés as the sun barely dips below the horizon.

Cozy winter nights
Winter, as you might expect, is dark and cold across most of the country. In midwinter around the Arctic Circle, rather than daylight you’re more likely to see the sky lit up in ribbons by the northern lights. Though the rest of Sweden will have at least a few daylight hours, and even more as you go further south, this is the time of year when people either stay indoors or gear up for winter sports. Family and friends come over for dinner, living rooms are lit by candlelight and most people look forward to holidays like Lucia, Christmas and winter breaks with their children. Above all, it’s a time to reload for the long, sunny days to come.