Time difference between São Paulo and Paris

The gap is not the same all year

Every converter gives one number for this pair. That number is right for most of the year and wrong for part of it, because São Paulo does not change its clocks and Paris goes forward on the last Sunday in March and back on the last Sunday in October.

São Paulo stays put all year while Paris moves, so the gap changes twice a year from Paris's side alone. A recurring meeting set in São Paulo's calendar will drift by an hour without anyone touching it.

About São Paulo and Paris

Brazil ended daylight saving in 2019, so São Paulo is UTC−3 all year. Before that the gap to Europe changed four times a year rather than twice, because the two hemispheres moved in opposite directions.

France is on Central European Time and geographically should not be — Paris sits almost on the Greenwich meridian. It has been an hour ahead of the sun since the occupation in 1940 and never went back, which is why sunset in Paris is so much later than in London for the same latitude.

What 5 hours actually costs you

The window is 3 hours wide and that is all there is. 9:00 AM–12:00 PM in São Paulo is 2:00 PM–5:00 PM in Paris, and anything outside it puts somebody at their desk when they are not meant to be. A pair this tight is worth putting in a calendar rather than agreeing each time.

When they can both be at their desks

Nine-to-five in both cities overlaps for 3 hours — 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM in São Paulo, the same moment as 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM in Paris.

São Paulo

Paris

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How far apart São Paulo and Paris are

The shortest path over the Earth's surface between the two is 9,402 km (5,842 miles). Flown along that line, an airliner at cruising speed takes roughly 11 hours 50 minutes in the air — actual routings add to it, and whether a nonstop service exists depends on the airlines rather than the distance.

Over that distance you cross 5 hours of clock, which is where jet lag comes from: the body shifts by about an hour a day, so 5 hours takes most people 5 days or so to absorb. Flying east to Paris is the harder direction — you lose the hours and have to fall asleep earlier than your body wants.

São Paulo to Paris, hour by hour

On the usual gap of 5 hours.

Frequently asked questions