Does the day of entry and exit count in Schengen?

Yes. In the Schengen Area both the day you enter and the day you leave count as full days of presence, even if you were only in the country for a few hours.

Why partial days count in full

The rule counts days of presence, not hours. Arriving late at night still uses up that whole day, and leaving early in the morning uses up that day too. There is no proportional or half-day counting.

What this means for short trips

A weekend trip from Friday to Sunday is three days, not two. Frequent short trips add up faster than people expect, so track every one of them.

Days that do not count

• Time spent purely in airside international transit, without passing passport control, may not count — but this is officer discretion, so do not rely on it.
• Days entirely outside the Schengen Area never count.

When in doubt, count both endpoint days. It is the safe assumption and matches how borders calculate.