Free tool
When is golden hour today? Morning and evening times for your shoot
Free golden hour calculator: golden hour, blue hour, sunrise and sunset for any city or your own location, on any date. Plan portrait and wedding shoots.
Facts and prices checked on 2026-11-06.
Pick a city or use your location, choose the date, and get the morning and evening golden hour and blue hour, with sunrise and sunset, in the local time of that place. The calculation runs in your browser; your location is never sent anywhere.
Morning
Evening
Times in Europe/Zurich. Solar noon 12:11. Your location is used on this page only and never sent.
How the times are defined
- Golden hour: the sun is between 6° above and 4° below the horizon. The light is warm, soft and low, and shadows are long.
- Blue hour: the sun is between 4° and 6° below the horizon. The sky turns deep blue and city lights balance with it.
- Sunrise and sunset: the top edge of the sun touches a flat horizon, with the usual allowance for atmospheric refraction.
Sources and apps draw these lines slightly differently, so treat the times as a plan, not a stopwatch. Golden hour lasts longer the further you are from the equator, and it is shortest around the March and September equinoxes.
Mountains and buildings come first
The calculation assumes a flat horizon. In a valley, behind a ridge or between tall buildings, the sun disappears before the sunset shown here and the golden light ends early. Check the direction of the sun at your location before the day of the shoot.
Book the session at the right hour: Galerly’s scheduler lets clients pick a slot you offer.
See the schedulerFrequently asked questions
Is golden hour really an hour long?
Rarely exactly. It is shorter near the equator and can last well over an hour in northern Europe in summer. The calculator shows the real span for your place and date.
Is my location stored?
No. The browser gives the page your position only if you allow it, the calculation runs locally, and nothing is sent to Galerly.
Does weather change the times?
The times stay the same; the light does not. Thick cloud can remove the golden colour entirely, while broken cloud often makes the best skies just after sunset.
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