Motorways are designated by the letter ‘E' followed by two digits, main roads by two digits on a yellow background and minor roads by three digits on a white background. The speed limit is 130kph (80mph) or 110kph (68mph) on motorways (see signs), 80kph (50mph) on main roads and 50kph (31mph) in urban areas. Drivers must keep their headlights switched on at all times during the day. The use of fitted seat belts is compulsory for persons over the age of three. The maximum legal alcohol to blood ratio is 0.05%.

An International Driving Permit is not required but may be preferable if the national driving licence is not in English. Although not necessary, Green Card insurance is recommended. The legal driving age in Denmark is 18 years.

The Danish Road Directorate operates a Traffic Information Centre (tel: 1888) offering traffic information 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There are emergency phones along all Danish motorways at intervals of 2km (1.2 miles).

Emergency breakdown service: Dansk Autohjælp A/S (tel: 7010 8090).

Routes to the city: Highway E20 (with a connection to E45) crosses Denmark from west to east and intersects with E47 and E55 to the southwest of Copenhagen. The E47 runs south to Rødbyhavn, with ferry connections to Germany. There is a toll bridge across the Store Bælt between Sjælland and Fyn. The construction of the Øresund 16km (10-mile) bridge and tunnel complex, between Sjælland in Denmark and Scania in Sweden, was completed in 2000. Odense is located in Fyn, on the E20, connecting with the E45 highway in Jylland, which travels north to Århus and Aalborg.

Approximate driving times to Copenhagen: From Odense - 1 hour 30 minutes; Århus - 3 hours; Aalborg - 3 hours 40 minutes; Malmö - 40 minutes.

Coach services: There is no one main coach station in Copenhagen, and the several companies that provide coach services to and from the city call at different places in the city. One coach station is located in front of the Sofitel Plaza Hotel, Bernstorffgade. Eurolines Scandinavia (tel: 7010 0030; website: www.eurolines.dk) operates bus services with connections to more than 500 towns and cities in Europe, among them big cities like Berlin, Frankfurt, Vienna, Hamburg, Paris, Munich and London.

Bus company Abildskou A/S (tel: 7021 0888; website: www.abildskou.dk) runs services from Aalborg and Århus to Copenhagen and also a number of services linking the capital with various other destinations in Jutland.