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Current Time in Houston, United States
United States · CST/CDT · UTC-6:00 / UTC-5:00 (DST)
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America/Chicago
Houston Timezone Details
| Timezone | CST/CDT |
| UTC Offset (standard) | UTC-6:00 |
| UTC Offset (summer/DST) | UTC-5:00 |
| Daylight Saving Time | Yes (observed) |
| IANA Timezone ID | America/Chicago |
| Country |  United States |
| Population | 2.3 million |
Live Time Comparison — Houston
All times update every second
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📅 Public Holidays in United States (2026)
Upcoming public holidays for United States. Dates marked (est.) are approximate and subject to official confirmation.
Jan 1
New Year's Day
Jan 19
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Feb 16
Presidents' Day
May 25
Memorial Day
Jun 19
Juneteenth
Jul 4
Independence Day
Sep 7
Labor Day
Oct 12
Columbus Day
Nov 11
Veterans Day
Nov 26
Thanksgiving Day
Dec 25
Christmas Day
Business hours may be affected on these dates. Check local schedules before planning calls or visits.
📞 Best Time to Call Houston
Find the best hours for a call between Houston (CST/CDT, UTC-6:00) and another city.
✈ Houston Airport & Flight Time Calculator
✈ IAH
George Bush Intercont.
🚇 Getting Around Houston
🚊
METRORail (38 stations)
⏰ 4:30–00:30 · 3 lines
💡 Connects downtown, Museum District, Texas Medical Center and NRG Stadium (for events).
🚌
METRO Bus
100+ lines
💡 Covers most of Houston. MetroRapid lines are faster on main corridors.
🚗
Uber / Lyft
💡 Houston is a car city — rideshare is how most people get around. Budget $20–40 for cross-town trips.
🎫 Tickets & Passes
Single: $1.25 (bus) / $1.25 (rail)
Day cap: $3.00 (day pass)
Weekly: $12.50 (weekly pass)
✈ Airport link: METRO Bus 102 from IAH: $1.25 to downtown (60+ min) / Rideshare from IAH: $30–45 (25 min)
💡 Houston is very spread out — a rental car or rideshare is recommended for most visitors.
📱 Recommended app: METRO Q app or Google Maps
🏛 Top Attractions in Houston
Highlights, entry prices & insider tips
NASA Johnson Space Center
$35
Museum
💡 Mission Control, real Saturn V rocket and astronaut training facilities. Allow 4–5 hours. 45 min from downtown.
Museum of Fine Arts Houston
$23
Museum
💡 One of the largest art museums in the US. Free on Thursdays.
Houston Museum of Natural Science
$25
Museum
💡 Excellent permanent collection plus world-class travelling exhibitions. Great for families.
Hermann Park & Houston Zoo
$24 (zoo)
Park/Zoo
💡 Beautiful park in the Museum District. Paddle boats on the lake. Zoo is excellent.
Buffalo Bayou Park
Free
Park
💡 The best green space in Houston — kayaking, jogging paths, art installations and the Cistern underground gallery.
Galveston Island
Free
Beach
💡 50 miles south of Houston. Historic Strand district, beaches and Pleasure Pier. Great day trip.
Midtown & Montrose
Free
Neighbourhood
💡 Houston's most walkable, diverse neighbourhoods. Best restaurant and bar scene in the city.
The Galleria
Free
Shopping
💡 One of the largest malls in the US with an indoor ice rink. Luxury shopping and dining.
🎟 Money-saving tip: Houston is very spread out with no real walkable core — plan your days by area. The Museum District, Midtown and Hermann Park are the most visitor-friendly clusters.
🍽 Where to Eat in Houston
Local favourites & must-try dishes
Brennan's of Houston
£££
Creole-American
·
Midtown
💡 New Orleans-meets-Texas fine dining since 1967. Turtle soup and bananas Foster are classics.
Pappas Bros. Steakhouse
££££
Steakhouse
·
Upper Kirby
💡 Consistently voted the best steakhouse in Texas. Dry-aged beef and extraordinary wine list.
Ninfa's on Navigation
££
Tex-Mex
·
East End
💡 The original Mama Ninfa's — inventor of fajitas (1973). The tacos al carbon are legendary.
Hugo's
£££
Mexican Regional
·
Montrose
💡 Hugo Ortega's sophisticated Mexican regional cuisine. Moles and cochinita pibil are outstanding.
Underbelly Hospitality (Better Luck Tomorrow)
££
Cocktail Bar/Food
·
Montrose
💡 Chris Shepherd's casual spot. Best cocktail bar in Houston with excellent food.
Viet-Cajun crawfish (Crawfish & Noodles)
££
Viet-Cajun
·
Chinatown
💡 Houston's unique Vietnamese-Cajun crawfish is one of the great American food fusions. Seasonal (spring).
£ = under $20 · ££ = $20–60 · £££ = $60–120 · ££££ = $120+
💡 Local tip: Houston has the most diverse restaurant scene in the US — over 70 ethnic cuisines represented. Chinatown (Bellaire Blvd) and Midtown are the best dining areas.
🏨 Where to Stay in Houston
Best hotels for every budget
Hotel Alessandra
$180–350/night
★★★★★
·
Downtown
💡 Beautiful Italian-inspired luxury hotel in Discovery Green area. The best in downtown Houston.
Hotel ZaZa Houston
$150–300/night
★★★★★
·
Museum District
💡 Boutique luxury hotel steps from Hermann Park and the art museums. Great pool.
Hyatt Regency Galleria
$130–250/night
★★★★
·
Galleria
💡 Connected to the Galleria shopping mall. Great for business. Pool and good amenities.
Marriott Marquis Houston
$150–280/night
★★★★
·
Downtown
💡 Lazy River pool shaped like Texas. Steps from the George R. Brown Convention Center.
Magnolia Hotel Houston
$100–200/night
★★★★
·
Downtown
💡 Historic 1926 building. Rooftop pool with city views. Milk & Cookies turndown service.
💡 Area tip: Stay downtown or in the Museum District for the best access to Houston's attractions. The Galleria area is better for business. Houston hotels are generally good value compared to coastal cities.
🎭 Entertainment & Nightlife in Houston
Theatres, clubs, live music & local events
Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo
Festival
💡 March — world's largest rodeo at NRG Stadium. 20 nights of rodeo + live music. Travis Scott and Luke Bryan have performed. Book ahead.
Houston Grand Opera
Opera
💡 Internationally acclaimed opera company at the Wortham Theater Center. Outstanding productions.
Houston Astros (MLB)
Sports
💡 Minute Maid Park downtown — beautiful ballpark. World Series winners 2017 and 2022. Great atmosphere.
White Oak Music Hall
Concerts
💡 Best music venue in Houston — outdoor meadow, mid-size indoor and rooftop stages. Great indie and alt-country.
Houston Ballet
Ballet
💡 One of the top five ballet companies in the US. Performs at Wortham Theater Center.
Midtown bar scene
Bars
💡 The best bar neighbourhood in Houston. Axelrad beer garden and Flying Saucer are outdoor favourites.
Houston Space Center events
Culture
💡 The Space Center hosts special evening events, speaker series and NASA milestones worth attending.
Toyota Center (Rockets)
Sports
💡 Houston Rockets NBA games. Downtown arena with easy light rail access.
🌙 Nightlife tip: Houston has a world-class performing arts scene that most visitors overlook. The Theatre District downtown has 12,000+ seats across multiple venues — second only to New York City.
💡 Travel Tips for Houston
Practical info for a smooth trip
🪙
Currency
US Dollar (USD $). Cards accepted everywhere.
🌡️
Weather
Hot and humid. Summers extreme (35–40°C with humidity). Winters mild (10–18°C). Hurricanes rare in the city but possible June–November.
📱
SIM / Data
AT&T has excellent Houston coverage (local carrier). T-Mobile and Verizon also reliable.
🔌
Plugs
Type A/B (120V). Adapters needed for European devices.
🧾
Tipping
18–20% at restaurants. Standard US tipping applies throughout.
🚗
Transport
Houston is the most car-dependent major city in the US. A rental car is strongly recommended. Uber is the practical alternative for shorter trips.
🚨
Emergency
Call 911 for all emergencies.
🛡️
Safety
Midtown, Museum District and the Galleria area are safe. Some downtown areas can be deserted at night. Texas laws allow open carry of firearms.
📅 Best time to visit
March–April and October–November for comfortable temperatures (20–28°C). Houston Rodeo (March) is the most exciting event. Avoid July–August (oppressive heat and humidity).
🛂 Visa information
ESTA required for VWP countries. Canadian citizens need no visa.
About Houston Time Zone (CST/CDT)
Houston, Texas's largest city and the energy capital of the world, uses Central Standard Time (CST, UTC−6) in winter and CDT (UTC−5) in summer. Home to NASA's Johnson Space Center.
Key fact: Houston is in the same timezone as Dallas and Chicago.
Use the live clock at the top of this page to see the exact current time in Houston with seconds. The clock updates every second and uses your browser's timezone database for accuracy.
💡
Did You Know?
📜
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Source: Wikipedia
Frequently Asked Questions — Houston Time
What time is it in Houston right now? +
The current time in Houston, United States is displayed by the live clock at the top of this page. Houston is in the CST/CDT timezone (UTC-6:00 in winter, UTC-5:00 in summer).
What timezone is Houston in? +
Houston is in the CST/CDT timezone. The IANA timezone identifier is
America/Chicago. The UTC offset is -6:00 in winter and -5:00 in summer.Does Houston observe Daylight Saving Time? +
Yes, Houston observes Daylight Saving Time (DST). Clocks are set forward in spring and back in autumn. In winter, the UTC offset is -6:00; in summer it is -5:00.
What is the UTC offset for Houston? +
Houston's UTC offset is UTC-6:00 in winter and UTC-5:00 in summer. UTC offset means how many hours ahead of or behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) the local time is.
What is the time difference between Houston and London? +
Houston (CST/CDT) is UTC-6:00. London (GMT/BST) is UTC+0 in winter and UTC+1 in summer. Houston is in the same timezone as Dallas and Chicago.
How do I convert Houston time to UTC? +
To convert Houston time to UTC, subtract UTC-6:00 from the local time. For example, if it is 15:00 in Houston and the UTC offset is UTC-6:00, you calculate backward to find the UTC equivalent. Use the conversion table on this page for real-time values.
What continent is Houston in? +
Houston is located in North America. It is the 2.3 million population city in United States.
What is the IANA timezone name for Houston? +
The IANA (Internet Assigned Numbers Authority) timezone database identifier for Houston is
America/Chicago. This is the official timezone name used in programming languages and operating systems.What time is sunrise in Houston today? +
Today's sunrise and sunset times for Houston are displayed live in the weather panel at the top of this page. The exact times update daily based on Houston's latitude and the current date. Sunrise typically varies between approximately 5:00–8:00 AM depending on the season, with the earliest sunrises around the summer solstice (June) and the latest around the winter solstice (December).
What time does it get dark in Houston? +
Sunset times in Houston are shown live at the top of this page. Sunset varies by season: in summer, the sun may set as late as 8:00–9:00 PM, while in winter, sunset can occur as early as 4:00–5:00 PM. Check the live display for today's exact sunset time.
How long is a flight from Houston? +
Use the flight time calculator on this page to estimate flight times from George Bush Intercont. (IAH) to any of 150+ airports worldwide. The calculator uses the Haversine formula for great-circle distance at 850 km/h cruise speed plus 45 minutes ground time. Popular searches: flight time from Houston to London, Houston to New York, Houston to Dubai, Houston to Tokyo.
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