Sunrise & sunset times in Cologne
Sunrise in Cologne today is at 05:53 and sunset is at 21:22, giving 15h 29m of daylight (times for Wednesday, 29 July 2026, in Cologne's local time zone). Evening golden hour runs 20:34 to 21:22. The moon is a full moon at 100% illumination.
Live sunrise, sunset, solar noon, day length, golden hour, blue hour and moon times for Cologne, Germany. Pick any date to see the light for that day in local time.
On the 2026 June solstice the sun rises at 05:17 and sets at 21:50 in Cologne (16h 32m of daylight). On the December solstice it rises at 08:32 and sets at 16:27 (7h 55m).
| Event | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 06:35 | 18:45 | 12h 10m |
| June solstice | 05:17 | 21:50 | 16h 32m |
| September equinox | 07:18 | 19:30 | 12h 12m |
| December solstice | 08:32 | 16:27 | 7h 55m |
Full sun timeline for Cologne
Civil dawn, when the sky starts to brighten before sunrise.
The moment the top edge of the sun appears on the horizon.
End of the soft, warm morning light photographers love.
The sun reaches its highest point in the sky for the day.
Start of the warm, low evening light before sunset.
The moment the sun dips fully below the horizon.
Civil dusk, when the last usable daylight fades.
Golden hour and blue hour in Cologne
The best windows for warm and cool natural light on this date.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 08:28 | 16:54 | 8h 26m |
| February | 07:45 | 17:47 | 10h 3m |
| March | 06:46 | 18:36 | 11h 50m |
| April | 06:38 | 20:27 | 13h 49m |
| May | 05:43 | 21:14 | 15h 32m |
| June | 05:17 | 21:47 | 16h 30m |
| July | 05:35 | 21:40 | 16h 5m |
| August | 06:19 | 20:53 | 14h 34m |
| September | 07:07 | 19:46 | 12h 39m |
| October | 07:55 | 18:39 | 10h 45m |
| November | 07:48 | 16:44 | 8h 57m |
| December | 08:28 | 16:25 | 7h 58m |
Sun and moon in Cologne
For photographers, gardeners, runners and anyone chasing good light, the daily sun and moon schedule for Cologne is easy to check here. This page shows live sunrise, sunset, solar noon, day length, morning and evening golden hour, blue hour, dawn and dusk, plus the current moon phase and the moonrise and moonset times for Cologne. Every value is calculated in the browser for the date you pick and shown in the local time of Cologne, Germany. Cologne sits at roughly 50.94 degrees north, in the northern hemisphere, so it sees a wide seasonal swing between long summer days and short winter afternoons, so sunrise and sunset move dramatically across the year. Because the length of the day changes with the seasons, the exact sunrise and sunset in Cologne shift from week to week. Pick any date with the date picker to see how the light will fall on a specific day, which is handy for planning a shoot, an event, a wedding, a flight or simply the best moment to catch the last warm light of the evening. Golden hour, that soft warm window near sunrise and sunset, is the favourite of photographers in Cologne. Blue hour, the cooler stretch just before sunrise and just after sunset, is ideal for cityscapes and long exposures. Combined with the moon phase and moon times, this gives you a complete picture of natural light over Cologne, Germany for any day of the year.
Frequently asked questions about Cologne
What time is sunrise in Cologne today?
The sunrise time in Cologne, Germany is shown at the top of this page for today's date and updates automatically. Use the date picker to check sunrise for any other day. All times are given in the local time zone of Cologne.
When is golden hour in Cologne?
Cologne has two golden hours each day: one just after sunrise in the morning and one just before sunset in the evening. Both windows are listed above with their exact start and end times for the date you select, so you can plan a photo session down to the minute.
Why do sunrise and sunset change through the year in Cologne?
Because Cologne lies in the northern hemisphere, its days are longest around June and shortest around December. In Cologne the longer solstice day runs about 16h 32m and the shorter one about 7h 55m, as shown in the table above. As Earth orbits the Sun, the point on the horizon where the Sun rises and sets moves, which lengthens or shortens the day and shifts sunrise and sunset times.
Are the times for Cologne accurate?
Yes. Times are computed with the well established SunCalc astronomy library using the coordinates of Cologne and shown in its local time zone. They are accurate to about a minute for a clear, flat horizon. Hills, tall buildings and atmospheric conditions can shift the moment you actually see the Sun by a few minutes.
Does this page show the moon phase for Cologne?
Yes. The current moon phase, the percentage of the Moon that is lit, and the moonrise and moonset times for Cologne are all shown for the selected date, so you can plan around a full moon or a dark new moon sky.
Data and methodology: every time on this page is computed from Cologne's coordinates with SunCalc, an open source astronomy library, not estimated or looked up from a table.
Nearby cities
Sun and moon times for places close to Cologne. Sunrise and sunset shift as you move east, west, north or south.
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Understand the light
Plain-English guides to the moments that shape the day in Cologne and everywhere else.
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Subscribe to a live feed of Cologne's sunrise and sunset in your own calendar app, so today's light is always a glance away. It updates by itself, with no account.