Madrid to Shanghai: time difference and best times to meet
Shanghai is 6 hours ahead of Madrid. Their working days overlap for 3 hours, from 9am to 12pm in Madrid (3pm–6pm in Shanghai). The best time to schedule is 9am Madrid time, which is 3pm in Shanghai.
Europe/Madrid
Asia/Shanghai
Hour-by-hour overlap
Each row is one hour of the Madrid day and the matching hour in Shanghai. Adjust the working hours to match how your team actually works.
| Madrid | Shanghai | Suitable? |
|---|---|---|
| 3am | 9am | Working hours in Shanghai only |
| 4am | 10am | Working hours in Shanghai only |
| 5am | 11am | Working hours in Shanghai only |
| 6am | 12pm | Working hours in Shanghai only |
| 7am | 1pm | Working hours in Shanghai only |
| 8am | 2pm | Working hours in Shanghai only |
| 9am | 3pm | Both cities at work |
| 10am | 4pm | Both cities at work |
| 11am | 5pm | Both cities at work |
| 12pm | 6pm | Working hours in Madrid only |
| 1pm | 7pm | Working hours in Madrid only |
| 2pm | 8pm | Working hours in Madrid only |
| 3pm | 9pm | Working hours in Madrid only |
| 4pm | 10pm | Working hours in Madrid only |
| 5pm | 11pm | Working hours in Madrid only |
Best times to propose
- 1. 9am in Madrid · 3pm in Shanghai — Right at the edge of someone's day
- 2. 10am in Madrid · 4pm in Shanghai — Comfortable mid-day slot on both sides
- 3. 11am in Madrid · 5pm in Shanghai — Right at the edge of someone's day
Avoid 3am Madrid time and 4am Madrid time — only the other city is at work.
When the gap changes in the next twelve months
- Sunday, October 25, 2026 — Shanghai goes from 6 hours ahead of to 7 hours ahead of Madrid.
- Sunday, March 28, 2027 — Shanghai goes from 7 hours ahead of to 6 hours ahead of Madrid.
Recurring meetings set as a fixed clock time in one city will move by an hour for the other on these dates.
Public holidays to avoid
Dates where one side is off work while the other is not are the most common cause of no-shows on this route.
- Friday, September 25, 2026 — Mid-Autumn Festival — Shanghai is off, Madrid is working.
- Thursday, October 1, 2026 — National Day — Shanghai is off, Madrid is working.
- Friday, October 9, 2026 — Day of the Valencian Community — Madrid is off, Shanghai is working.
- Monday, October 12, 2026 — National Day of Spain — Madrid is off, Shanghai is working.
- Sunday, November 1, 2026 — All Saints Day — Madrid is off, Shanghai is working.
- Sunday, December 6, 2026 — Constitution Day — Madrid is off, Shanghai is working.
- Tuesday, December 8, 2026 — Immaculate Conception — Madrid is off, Shanghai is working.
- Friday, December 25, 2026 — Christmas Day — Madrid is off, Shanghai is working.
- Saturday, December 26, 2026 — St. Stephen's Day — Madrid is off, Shanghai is working.
With 3 shared working hours, Madrid and Shanghai can run standing meetings without anyone giving up an evening — as long as the slot sits inside that window on both sides of the next clock change.
Sending a booking link avoids the arithmetic entirely: each side picks a time in their own zone and both calendars get the correct local time, including after a daylight-saving change. See how LemCall handles cross-timezone bookings.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the time difference between Madrid and Shanghai?
- Shanghai is currently 6 hours ahead of Madrid. That changes to 7 hours ahead of on Sunday, October 25, 2026, when one side shifts for daylight saving.
- When is the best time to schedule a meeting between Madrid and Shanghai?
- 9am in Madrid, which is 3pm in Shanghai. Right at the edge of someone's day.
- How many hours do Madrid and Shanghai overlap?
- 3 hours, from 9am to 12pm Madrid time (3pm–6pm in Shanghai).
- Does daylight saving change the Madrid–Shanghai gap?
- Yes. Over the next twelve months the difference changes 2 times: Sunday, October 25, 2026 (6 hours ahead of becomes 7 hours ahead of); Sunday, March 28, 2027 (7 hours ahead of becomes 6 hours ahead of).
- Are there public holidays that affect Madrid–Shanghai meetings?
- Yes. The next is Friday, September 25, 2026 — a public holiday where Shanghai is, but a normal working day in Madrid.
Nearby pairs
Other meeting-time pages for Madrid
Sources
- 1.IANA. Time Zone Database
- 2.Nager.Date. Public holidays API · Retrieved