It's that time of the year again: this weekend (Sunday 25 October 2026) the clocks will change as the UK returns to Greenwich Mean Time. Long and light summer evenings have made way to cosy and dark evenings and afternoons as winter looms ever near. The time change can also 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 25 October at 1am.
Are the clocks going forward or backwards?
The clocks are ‘falling’ back – which means at 2am on Sunday, it becomes 1am again. We gain an hour of sleep to make up for the change. So on Sunday evening in London, the sun will set at around 4.50 pm vs 6.30pm on Saturday evening.
How does the time change impact travel?
Essentially, 2am becomes 1am again. That means that overnight bus, coach and train schedules might be impacted, with many services choosing to run twice during the hours that clocks go back. For example, a coach that normally leaves at 1.30am BST could also provide an additional service that leaves at 1.30am GMT an hour later.
On a more basic level, the clocks changing results in an hour more sleep – meaning you might be more spritely and ready for that early morning transport. It's also important to make sure manual clocks (like alarm clocks 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 back from Daylight Savings Time a week after the UK, so this year that'll be Sunday 1 November.
- 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 longer. 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.