Sofia
What time is it in Bulgaria
About Sofia
Sofia operates at UTC+3 (EEST) through summer, falling back to UTC+2 on 25 October 2026. New York is 7 hours behind all year. The Sofia Metro runs from 05:30; office buildings near the National Palace of Culture typically open at 09:00, and the working day wraps by 18:00.
Other Cities
Frequently Asked Questions
What time is it in Sofia right now?+
Sofia follows Eastern European Time (EET), which is UTC+2 in winter and UTC+3 (EEST) during daylight saving time in summer. You can check the exact current local time in Sofia at the top of this page, updated in real time.
What time zone is Sofia in?+
Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, is in the Europe/Sofia time zone. It observes Eastern European Time (EET, UTC+2) and switches to Eastern European Summer Time (EEST, UTC+3) from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October.
What is the time difference between Sofia and London?+
Sofia is 2 hours ahead of London during winter (EET vs GMT) and 2 hours ahead during summer as well (EEST vs BST), since both cities shift their clocks on the same schedule. So the gap stays constant at +2 hours year-round.
What is the time difference between Sofia and New York?+
Sofia is typically 7 hours ahead of New York (EST) in winter and 6 hours ahead during parts of the year when daylight saving transitions don't align perfectly. For example, when it is 12:00 noon in New York, it is 19:00 in Sofia.
Does Sofia observe daylight saving time?+
Yes. Sofia, like all of Bulgaria, observes daylight saving time. Clocks move forward one hour on the last Sunday in March (to UTC+3) and back one hour on the last Sunday in October (returning to UTC+2).
What UTC offset does Sofia use?+
Sofia uses UTC+2 during standard time (Eastern European Time) and UTC+3 during daylight saving time (Eastern European Summer Time). The UTC+3 offset is in effect roughly from late March through late October.
How many hours ahead or behind is Sofia compared to Istanbul?+
Sofia and Istanbul are in the same UTC offset during most of the year — both at UTC+3 during summer. However, Turkey does not observe daylight saving time, so in winter Sofia is at UTC+2 while Istanbul remains at UTC+3, making Istanbul 1 hour ahead of Sofia during that period.