Home › Travel Guides › Europe Travel Guide › Denmark › Copenhagen › Getting around Copenhagen

Getting around Copenhagen

Public transport: 

There is an integrated bus and urban train network in Copenhagen, known as S-tog (tel: 7013 1415; www.dsb.dk).

Buses and trains run daily 0500-0030 and there are additional night buses from City Hall Square (Rådhuspladsen) to the suburbs. There is a year-round, harbour bus service (buses 901 and 902) connecting the Royal Library on Christians Brygge with Nordre Toldbod, with stops along the waterfront, offering four departures per hour.

Copenhagen's Metro (tel: 7015 1615; www.m.dk) runs from 0500-2400 on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday and all night between Thursday and Saturday. The Metro connects 22 stations, and is still expanding.

Fares for the Metro, buses and trains are calculated on a zone structure indicated on coloured maps at stations and bus stops. Ticket prices depend on the number of zones travelled and are available from the bus driver, at ticket offices or vending machines at stations and at the bus terminus at City Hall Square (Rådhuspladsen). Ticket tariffs are doubled between 0100 and 0500.

Discount cards (klippekort) are available for 10 journeys offering savings of 40%, and 24-hour tickets are available at stations, the bus terminus or tourist information office. The Copenhagen Card entitles the holder to free, unlimited travel on buses and trains in the metropolitan area, as well as discounts on car hire and selected tours.

Taxis: 

Major taxi companies in the city include Taxa 4 x 35 (tel: 3535 3535 ), DanTaxi (tel: 7025 2525) and Hovedstadens Taxi (tel: 3877 7777). All taxis can be booked by telephone or hailed in the street. If you want to pay by credit card, inform the driver at the start of your journey. It is not customary to tip the driver (a service charge is included in the fare), but to round up the final amount instead.

There are also cheaper cycle taxis, including rickshaws from Copenhagen Rickshaw (tel: 3543 0122). Cycle taxis can be ordered by telephone, hailed in the street or found at dedicated ranks in the centre, such as Tivoli and City Hall Square (Rådhuspladsen).

Driving: 

Copenhagen is refreshingly free of traffic; many residents prefer to cycle, walk or rollerblade.

Parking meters are in operation in the Old City contained within parking zones: the Red Zone (the most expensive), the Green Zone and the Blue Zone (the cheapest). Tickets are available from coin-operated parking meters, which are colour coded to indicate the zone. Multi-storey car parks in the city are open 0600/0800-2000/0000. Some are closed Saturday afternoon and Sunday.

Car hire: 

To hire a car in Copenhagen, drivers must be over 21, hold a valid driving licence and an international credit card. Individual car companies may impose their own age restrictions. Main operators in Copenhagen include Avis (tel: 3251 2299; www.avis.dk), Hertz (tel: 3250 9300; www.hertzdk.dk) and Europcar (tel: 3355 9900 or 7011 3355; www.europcar.dk). Copenhagen Limousine Service (tel: 7026 0601; www.cphlimo.com) offers luxury car hire.

Bicycle hire: 

There are cycle routes throughout Copenhagen. Between April and September, the city provides free bicycles to get around. There are 110 City Bike Parks (tel: 3616 4233; www.bycyklen.dk), where deposits are paid for collection and refunded upon return.

Several companies hire bicycles for trips outside the city, including Københavns Cykelbørs, Gothersgade 157 (tel: 3314 0717; http://cykelboersen.dk), and Københavns Cykler, Central Station (tel: 3333 8613; www.rentabike.dk). ID and a deposit are required.

Travel Deals

Recommended Sites:

Protect yourself from malaria
Before you travel, find out if your holiday destination is in a malaria zone.
(An educational initiative organised and funded by GlaxoSmithKline Travel Health. UK/MARK/0173/10 September 2010)
Travel insurance
For residents of over 150 countries. High levels of medical, evacuation, emergency & most adventure activities covered.