We finally made it: this weekend (Sunday 29 March 2026) the clocks will change as the UK enters British Summer Time. Longer spring days and lighter evenings are much-welcome after months of dreary mid-afternoon sunsets – but the time change can have a surprising impact on our travel plans. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the change.
When do the clocks change?
The clocks change on Sunday 29 March 2026 at 1am.
Are the clocks going forward or backwards?
The clocks are ‘springing’ forward (get it?) – which means at 1am on Sunday, it becomes 2am. We lose an hour of sleep to make up for the change, but on Sunday evening in London, the sun will set at around 7.30pm vs 6.30pm on Saturday evening.
How does the time change impact travel?
Essentially, the hour between 1am and 2am on Sunday disappears. That means that overnight bus, coach and train schedules might be impacted and a coach that normally leaves at 1.30am may be rescheduled or skipped, since that hour doesn’t exist when the clocks change.
On a more basic level, the clocks changing results in an hour less sleep – meaning you might be groggier and more likely to miss early morning transport. It’s also important to make sure manual clocks (like radio clocks in hotel rooms or watches) are adjusted before you go to sleep on Saturday night, if you’re relying on these to wake you up for something important on Sunday morning. Phone clocks will change automatically, so that’s one less thing to think about.
How does the time change work on flights?
Here’s where it feels extra confusing – when the clocks change while you’re already crossing time zones. To add a little extra spice: not all countries change their clocks at the same time, or at all.
- Popular tourist destinations like India, Japan, South Africa, Brazil and Turkey don’t observe Daylight Saving Time, so their clocks remain the same year-round.
- The USA changes to DST on the second Sunday in March, two weeks ahead of the UK, which changes on the last Sunday in March.
- Most European countries change at the same time as the UK.
So if you’re flying overnight on Saturday evening/Sunday morning, for example, to India, the flight will seem an hour shorter. Of course, you’re in the air for the same amount of time, but the time difference has become one hour less; you may feel like you’ve landed earlier than expected, because the time difference has shrunk by an hour, even though the flight duration hasn’t changed.
Airlines always display departure and arrival times in local time, so your ticket will be correct. Our advice? Change your watch to local time for your arrival destination when you board, so you don’t have to think about the clocks changing at all. This helps with jet lag too.
