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Sunrise and sunset / United Kingdom / London

Sunrise and sunset times in London, United Kingdom

Updated for Wednesday, May 27, 2026. This page combines a live solar snapshot, the next 7 and 30 days of trend data, seasonal context, and city-specific planning notes for commuter rail, riverside walks, and long summer evenings.

Lat 51.51Lng -0.13Europe/London9.0M residents

What makes this London page useful

Most sunrise tools stop after printing a sunrise minute, a sunset minute, and maybe a golden-hour badge. That is not enough if you are actually making a decision. In London, the useful question is how daylight behaves around a real city rhythm: commuter rail, riverside walks, and long summer evenings. Today the city gets 16h 9m of daylight, and compared with 30 days ago it is gaining about 92 minutes. That single trend matters more than a generic explanation because it changes when commuters leave home, when runners choose safe light, and when photographers can rely on warm directional sun.

London sits in the Southeast England and experiences a marine west coast pattern, so daylight interacts with weather, heat, haze, and local routines in a very specific way. A resident planning rooftop solar, a traveler building a dinner itinerary, and a portrait photographer looking for a stable evening slot all need different framing around the same solar data. That is why this page includes tables, a trend chart, and interpretation instead of raw output.

Seasonal contrast is especially important here. The gap between the June and December solstice daylight totals is roughly 8h 49m. That means the useful version of “best time for sunset” changes across the year. In periods with longer daylight, the opportunity window broadens and twilight remains usable for longer. In shorter-light periods, the planning margin tightens, so the next 7-day table becomes the better tool for real decisions.

Next 7 days in London

DateSunriseSunsetSolar noonDaylight
May 274:59 AM9:08 PM1:03 PM16h 9m
May 284:58 AM9:09 PM1:03 PM16h 11m
May 294:57 AM9:10 PM1:03 PM16h 13m
May 304:55 AM9:11 PM1:03 PM16h 15m
May 314:54 AM9:11 PM1:03 PM16h 17m
Jun 14:53 AM9:12 PM1:03 PM16h 19m
Jun 24:52 AM9:13 PM1:03 PM16h 21m

London daylight duration trend

The line below shows how usable daylight changes across the next 30 days.

Shortest: 16h 9mLongest: 16h 38m

30-day sunrise and sunset table

This 30-day table is the planning layer most API-only pages skip. It helps users spot trend direction, not just today’s number.

DateSunriseSunsetDaylightChange from today
May 274:59 AM9:08 PM16h 9mBaseline
May 284:58 AM9:09 PM16h 11m+2 min
May 294:57 AM9:10 PM16h 13m+4 min
May 304:55 AM9:11 PM16h 15m+6 min
May 314:54 AM9:11 PM16h 17m+8 min
Jun 14:53 AM9:12 PM16h 19m+10 min
Jun 24:52 AM9:13 PM16h 21m+12 min
Jun 34:51 AM9:14 PM16h 23m+14 min
Jun 44:50 AM9:14 PM16h 24m+16 min
Jun 54:49 AM9:15 PM16h 26m+17 min
Jun 64:48 AM9:16 PM16h 27m+19 min
Jun 74:47 AM9:16 PM16h 29m+20 min
Jun 84:46 AM9:16 PM16h 30m+21 min
Jun 94:46 AM9:17 PM16h 31m+23 min
Jun 104:45 AM9:17 PM16h 32m+24 min
Jun 114:44 AM9:18 PM16h 33m+25 min
Jun 124:43 AM9:18 PM16h 34m+26 min
Jun 134:43 AM9:18 PM16h 35m+26 min
Jun 144:42 AM9:18 PM16h 36m+27 min
Jun 154:42 AM9:18 PM16h 37m+28 min
Jun 164:41 AM9:18 PM16h 37m+28 min
Jun 174:41 AM9:18 PM16h 38m+29 min
Jun 184:40 AM9:18 PM16h 38m+29 min
Jun 194:40 AM9:18 PM16h 38m+29 min
Jun 204:40 AM9:18 PM16h 38m+30 min
Jun 214:40 AM9:18 PM16h 38m+30 min
Jun 224:39 AM9:18 PM16h 38m+29 min
Jun 234:39 AM9:17 PM16h 38m+29 min
Jun 244:39 AM9:17 PM16h 38m+29 min
Jun 254:39 AM9:17 PM16h 37m+29 min

Seasonal comparison for London

A city page should help users understand whether today is early, late, bright, or compressed relative to the rest of the year. In London, today’s daylight total is 16h 9m. Thirty days ago, the city had 14h 37m. Six months ago, the pattern looked very different at 8h 22m. That tells you how quickly the local light environment is moving, which is exactly what matters for habit planning.

The two annual anchors are the June and December solstice pages. Around June 21, London reaches about 16h 38m of daylight. Around December 21, it drops to about 7h 50m. The wider that spread, the less useful a one-size-fits-all routine becomes. Users need context, not a widget.

Planning around local daylight

For photography, London is most predictable when you combine the daily timing with the direction of change. If sunsets are moving later, you can safely schedule after-work shoots with less risk of missing the best light. If the city is losing daylight, the better strategy is to plan tighter and arrive earlier. The page works the same way for solar installers checking midday windows, commuters trying to keep outdoor exercise in daylight, and families comparing weekday and weekend routines.

Because London is shaped by commuter rail, riverside walks, and long summer evenings, local interpretation matters. A raw solar API cannot tell users whether the city rewards early starts, late dinners, rooftop views, waterfront timing, or heat-aware scheduling. An authoritative page should bridge that gap, which is why this section exists at all.

Frequently asked questions

What time is sunrise in London today?

Today's sunrise in London is 4:59 AM local time, with civil dawn starting at 4:15 AM.

What time is sunset in London today?

Today's sunset in London is 9:08 PM local time, and evening golden hour starts at 8:08 PM.

How much daylight does London get right now?

London gets about 16h 9m of daylight today, and that is gaining about 92 minutes compared with 30 days ago.

Why does the daylight pattern change so much in London?

London sits in the Northern Hemisphere at latitude 51.51, so Earth’s axial tilt changes both sunrise timing and total daylight throughout the year.