What Time Is It in Marrakech? GMT All Year Since 2026
Marrakech is on GMT (UTC+0) all year. Morocco left its old GMT+1 regime at 02:00 on Sunday 20 September 2026, when clocks went back one hour, and there are no more clock changes, not even for Ramadan. In winter Marrakech has the same time as London and Dublin and is one hour behind Paris. From 28 March 2027, when the UK moves to British Summer Time, Marrakech is one hour behind London and two behind Paris.
In short
- Decree 2.26.530, published in Morocco’s Bulletin officiel no. 7521 on 29 June 2026, put the country back on GMT from 20 September 2026.
- Winter 2026–27: same time as the UK and Ireland, 1 hour behind Paris, Amsterdam and Berlin, 5 hours ahead of New York, 4 hours behind Dubai.
- From 28 March 2027: 1 hour behind London, 2 hours behind Paris, 4 hours ahead of New York.
- No clock change for Ramadan 2027 (expected around 8 February to 9 March; the dates are provisional).
- The earliest sunsets, at about 17:28, come in late November and early December. Many websites and older guides still give them an hour too late.
What changed on 20 September 2026
From October 2018 until September 2026, Morocco kept its clocks one hour ahead of GMT all year. The only exception was Ramadan, when the country went back to GMT for about a month and then moved forward again. Each year that meant two clock changes on dates that depended on the moon, which caught out airlines, travellers and websites alike.
On 25 June 2026 the government council adopted decree 2.26.530 on legal time. It was published in the Bulletin officiel no. 7521 on 29 June 2026, and it repeals decree 2.18.855 of 26 October 2018, which had added the permanent extra hour. During the night of 19 to 20 September 2026, at 02:00, clocks went back to 01:00. (Hespress, on the decree’s publication.) Unlike the Ramadan returns to GMT of earlier years, this one is permanent.
The IANA time-zone database is the file that phones, laptops and airline systems use to set their clocks. Its release 2026c of 8 July 2026 records that “Morocco plans to move back to permanent UTC, without daylight saving time transitions, on 2026-09-20 at 02:00” (IANA tz NEWS). Western Sahara follows the same rule. Any phone that updates automatically shows the right time in Marrakech.
- 26 Oct 2018
Permanent GMT+1
Decree 2.18.855 keeps Morocco an hour ahead of GMT, except during Ramadan.
- 25 Jun 2026
Decree 2.26.530 adopted
The government council approves the return to GMT.
- 29 Jun 2026
Published
The decree appears in the Bulletin officiel no. 7521.
- 8 Jul 2026
Time-zone database updated
IANA release 2026c sets Africa/Casablanca to permanent UTC from 20 September.
- 20 Sep 2026
Clocks go back for the last time
At 02:00 Morocco moves to GMT, with no further clock changes planned.
Time difference by period, September 2026 to November 2027
Morocco no longer changes its clocks, but the UK, the EU and the United States still do, and on different dates. The UK and the EU change on the last Sunday of March and October (gov.uk lists 25 October 2026, 28 March 2027 and 31 October 2027). The US changes on the second Sunday of March and the first Sunday of November. Dubai and Doha do not change. That gives seven periods over the next year:
| Period | London, Dublin | Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin | New York | Dubai | Doha |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Sep to 24 Oct 2026 | 1 h behind | 2 h behind | 4 h ahead | 4 h behind | 3 h behind |
| 25 Oct to 31 Oct 2026 | Same time | 1 h behind | 4 h ahead | 4 h behind | 3 h behind |
| 1 Nov 2026 to 13 Mar 2027 | Same time | 1 h behind | 5 h ahead | 4 h behind | 3 h behind |
| 14 Mar to 27 Mar 2027 | Same time | 1 h behind | 4 h ahead | 4 h behind | 3 h behind |
| 28 Mar to 30 Oct 2027 | 1 h behind | 2 h behind | 4 h ahead | 4 h behind | 3 h behind |
| 31 Oct to 6 Nov 2027 | Same time | 1 h behind | 4 h ahead | 4 h behind | 3 h behind |
| From 7 Nov 2027 | Same time | 1 h behind | 5 h ahead | 4 h behind | 3 h behind |
Read the table as “Marrakech is … London”. For example, at noon in Marrakech on 15 January 2027 it is noon in London, 13:00 in Paris, 07:00 in New York, 16:00 in Dubai and 15:00 in Doha. We worked out every row from the IANA database (release 2026c, which includes the Moroccan change) and checked the European dates on gov.uk.
The UK and the EU put their clocks forward on 28 March 2027, which is Easter Sunday. Families who fly out on Easter weekend leave in winter time and come home in summer time. On the way home, Marrakech is then an hour behind London, so a flight lands in London an hour later on the clock than the same flight did the week before. See our half-term and Easter villa guide.
No more Ramadan clock change
Until 2026, visitors arriving just before or after Ramadan had to check whether Morocco had moved its clocks that weekend. The 2018 decree provided for a temporary return to GMT during the holy month, and decree 2.26.530 repeals it. Morocco now stays on GMT the whole time. The IANA database confirms this: it no longer has any Moroccan clock change from 2027 onwards.
Ramadan 2027 is expected to run from around 8 February to around 9 March, with Eid al-Fitr on about 9 or 10 March. These dates are provisional, because each month begins when the new moon is sighted. Iftar, the meal that breaks the fast, is served at the sunset prayer. Our calculation puts sunset in Marrakech at about 18:13 on 8 February 2027 and about 18:36 on 9 March. Under the old rules Morocco was already on GMT during Ramadan, so iftar times are the same as before. What has gone is the hour’s jump on the weekends either side. For opening hours, restaurants and what changes for guests, read our Ramadan visitors’ guide and the Morocco public holidays guide.
Sites that still get it wrong
The clocks themselves are mostly right, because they read the time-zone database. The text around them is often out of date. Here is what we found on 14 October 2026:
- Worldometers: its Marrakesh page correctly shows UTC+0 and says daylight saving ended on 20 September 2026. Its FAQ still answers “Yes” to “Does Marrakesh observe Daylight Saving Time?” and says clocks go forward in March and back “on the third Sunday in February”.
- Time-zone news pages that reported the decree in June describe the old Ramadan switch and do not say what happens to it under the new rule.
- Older travel articles, many written around the 2018 switch, still describe “GMT+1, back to GMT for Ramadan”, or Marrakech being an hour ahead of the UK.
- Sunrise and sunset times copied from guides written in the GMT+1 years are an hour late. On the old GMT+1 clock, sunset on 15 January would have been at 18:51. On GMT it is at 17:51.
The rule of thumb is simple. If a page says Marrakech is ahead of London, or gives a winter sunset after 18:30, it was written for the old system.
What it means for your trip
Flights and arrival
Airline timetables always show local time at departure and arrival. Between 25 October 2026 and 27 March 2027, London and Marrakech are on the same time, so the arrival time is simply the departure time plus the flight time. From Paris or Amsterdam you gain an hour on the way out and lose it on the way back. From 28 March 2027 the UK is an hour ahead again: a flight from London leaving at 10:00 and timetabled at 3 h 30 min lands at 12:30 local time.
If you booked before September with a schedule printed in the GMT+1 era, check the latest itinerary in the airline’s app before you set a pickup time. For routes, airlines and the airport, see direct flights to Marrakech, the Menara airport guide and airport transfers.
Check-in and arriving in daylight
In late November and December the sun sets at about 17:30, and it is dark soon after 18:00. If you land at 16:00 and spend an hour on passport control, bags and the drive, you will reach a villa in the Palmeraie or on the Route de l’Ourika at dusk. That matters if you want to see the garden and the Atlas on your first evening. Check-in and late-arrival arrangements are set for each villa, so ask us about yours, and tell us your flight number so the welcome is ready when you arrive.
Dinner bookings and evenings out
Restaurants have kept their clock times, but the sky has moved. A 20:00 table in December is now two and a half hours after sunset rather than one and a half under the old clock, so there is time for drinks by the fire first. A sunset drink on a rooftop has to be booked earlier too: in winter, aim to sit down by 17:00. In June 2027 the sun sets at about 19:40, so evenings start later. For where to go, see the best sunset spots and Marrakech rooftops.
Calls and remote work
In winter, someone working from the villa keeps UK hours exactly and starts an hour later than Paris colleagues. A 15:00 call in Marrakech in January is 10:00 in New York, and a 09:00 call is 13:00 in Dubai. From 28 March 2027, a 09:00 London meeting is at 08:00 in Marrakech.
Sunrise and sunset on GMT, month by month
We calculated these times for Marrakech (31.63° N, 8.01° W) with the NOAA solar algorithm, which is accurate to within a minute or two. We checked them against sunrise-sunset.org; for example, it gives 07:28 and 17:36 for 25 December 2026. All times are local GMT.
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Oct 2026 | 06:35 | 18:00 | 11 h 25 |
| 15 Nov 2026 | 07:00 | 17:33 | 10 h 33 |
| 1 Dec 2026 | 07:14 | 17:28 | 10 h 14 |
| 25 Dec 2026 | 07:29 | 17:35 | 10 h 05 |
| 15 Jan 2027 | 07:32 | 17:51 | 10 h 19 |
| 15 Feb 2027 | 07:14 | 18:18 | 11 h 04 |
| 28 Mar 2027 | 06:26 | 18:48 | 12 h 23 |
| 15 Apr 2027 | 06:04 | 19:01 | 12 h 57 |
| 15 May 2027 | 05:36 | 19:21 | 13 h 46 |
| 21 Jun 2027 | 05:27 | 19:40 | 14 h 13 |
| 15 Aug 2027 | 05:57 | 19:16 | 13 h 19 |
| 15 Sep 2027 | 06:16 | 18:39 | 12 h 23 |
Two things follow. Winter mornings start late: the sun rises after 07:00 from mid-November to late February, so a 07:00 departure for the Atlas leaves in the dark. And the earliest sunsets, at about 17:28, come in late November and early December, not on the shortest day. For temperatures and rain to go with these times, see Marrakech weather month by month. For the festive weeks, see Christmas in a private villa and New Year’s Eve in Marrakech: at midnight on 31 December, Marrakech and London ring in 2027 together, an hour after Paris.
Villas for watching the sun go down
An earlier sunset makes the hour around it the best of the day. Four of our houses are built for it, going by their listings. Palais Mauresque (11 bedrooms, Ouled Hassoune) has a Rooftop Sunset Lounge for “cocktails and music facing the sunset”. At Villa Dar Tillili (4 bedrooms, Sidi Abdellah Ghiat), the rooftop terrace has a view of the Atlas and a barbecue area, and the listing describes the mountains changing colour at sunrise and sunset. At Villa Venus (5 bedrooms, Amelkis golf), three bedrooms open onto private terraces with views of the Atlas. Villa Deluxe Almaaden (3 bedrooms, Al Maaden golf) has a rooftop terrace with a solarium, a bar and a kitchen.
Palais MauresqueFrom €3,600 a night
Villa Dar TilliliFrom €800 a night
Villa VenusFrom €900 a night
Villa Deluxe AlmaadenFrom €450 a nightPrices start at €450 a night for Villa Deluxe Almaaden, €800 for Villa Dar Tillili, €900 for Villa Venus and €3,600 for Palais Mauresque (rates “from”, checked October 2026). For a house with a view of the mountains, see also our Villa Venus listing and the full villa collection.
Tell us your flight, we will plan the first evening
Send us your dates, flight times and how many you are. We reply with the villas that are free, and we plan your arrival around the light.
Frequently asked questions
What time zone is Marrakech in?
Marrakech, like the rest of Morocco, is on GMT (UTC+0) all year. Decree 2.26.530 ended the GMT+1 regime at 02:00 on 20 September 2026, when clocks went back one hour. There is no daylight saving time and no Ramadan clock change any more. Phones that update automatically from the network show the correct time.
Is Marrakech ahead of or behind the UK?
Neither in winter: from 25 October 2026 to 27 March 2027, Marrakech and London have the same time. From 28 March 2027, when the UK moves to British Summer Time, Marrakech is one hour behind London until 31 October 2027. Marrakech is never ahead of the UK under the new rule, so older pages saying it is one hour ahead are out of date.
What is the time difference between Marrakech and Paris?
Marrakech is one hour behind Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels and Berlin in winter (from 25 October 2026 to 27 March 2027) and two hours behind in summer (from 28 March to 30 October 2027). Before 20 September 2026 the two cities were often on the same time, so French and Dutch travellers now gain an hour flying south.
Does Morocco change its clocks for Ramadan in 2027?
No. The old rule moved clocks back for Ramadan and forward again after Eid, but decree 2.26.530 repealed it, and Morocco now stays on GMT all year. Ramadan 2027 is expected from around 8 February to around 9 March (the dates are provisional and depend on the moon). Iftar follows sunset, at about 18:13 to 18:36 by the clock.
What time is sunset in Marrakech in winter?
On GMT, the sun sets at about 17:28 to 17:33 from mid-November to mid-December, at 17:35 on Christmas Day, 17:51 in mid-January and 18:18 in mid-February. Sunrise is after 07:00 from mid-November to late February. Many guides written before September 2026 give these times an hour later, so check the date of the source.
What is the time difference between Marrakech and New York or Dubai?
Marrakech is five hours ahead of New York from 1 November 2026 to 13 March 2027 and four hours ahead the rest of the year. It is four hours behind Dubai and three hours behind Doha all year, because neither Gulf city changes its clocks. The New York difference moves only because the US switches to and from daylight saving time.
A permanent GMT clock makes Marrakech simpler to plan: in winter there is no jet lag from London or Dublin, the time difference stays the same all through Ramadan, and the light ends early enough to have aperitifs by the pool before dark. Tell us your flights and your dates, and we will suggest the villas that suit your arrival.
