Bicycle

Copenhagen vies with Amsterdam as the world’s most bike-friendly city. Most streets have cycle lanes and, more importantly, motorists tend to respect them. The city has a superb city-wide rental system: Bycyklen has high-tech ‘Smart Bikes’ featuring touchscreen tablets with GPS, multispeed electric motors, puncture-resistant tyres and locks. The bikes must be paid for by credit card via the website or the bike’s touchscreen. Visit the Bycyklen website for more information.

Bikes can be carried free on S-trains, but are forbidden at Nørreport station on weekdays between 7am and 9am and between 3.30pm and 5.30pm. Enter train carriages with the large white bicycle graphic on the windows. Keep your bike behind the line in the designated bicycle area. Stay with the bike at all times.

Bikes can be carried on the metro (except from 7am to 9am and from 3.30pm to 5.30pm on weekdays from September to May). Bike tickets (13kr) are required on metro and city bus services: purchase these at metro and S-train stations (they are not sold on buses).

Boat

Movia operates the city’s yellow commuter ferries, known as Harbour Buses. Routes 991 and 992 are virtually the same: 991 ferries run south, 992 ferries run north. There are nine stops each way, including Det Kongelige Bibliotek (Royal Library), Nyhavn and Operaen (Opera House). Route 993 serves as a shuttle service between Nyhavn and Operaen before and after performances at the Opera House. The rechargeable Rejsekort travel card is valid on Harbour Buses; remember to tap on when boarding and tap off when disembarking.

Bus

City buses are frequent, convenient and run by Movia. Single tickets can be purchased on board, though it usually makes more sense to purchase a rechargeable Rejsekort (available at train and metro stations). If using a Rejsekort, tap on when boarding the bus and then tap off when exiting. Primary bus routes have an ‘A’ after their route number (eg: 1A, 2A). These ‘A-buses’ run 24 hours a day, every three to seven minutes in peak times (7am to 9am and 3.30pm to 5.30pm) and around every 10 minutes at other times.

S-buses (buses with an ‘S’ after their route number) run every five to 10 minutes in peak times and around every 20 minutes at other times. S-buses have fewer stops than A-buses and usually run between 6pm and 1am.

Night buses (marked with an ‘N’ after their route number) run between 1am and 5am.

The free Copenhagen city maps that are distributed by the tourist office show bus routes (with numbers) and are very useful for finding your way around the city.

Car & Motorcycle

Except for the weekday-morning rush hour, when traffic can bottleneck coming into the city (and vice versa around 5pm), traffic in Copenhagen is generally manageable. Getting around by car is not problematic, except for the usual challenge of finding an empty parking space in the most popular places.

Rental

The following car-rental companies have rental offices at Copenhagen Airport. These are located in the P1 car park, in front of the old Terminal 1. Free shuttle buses run every 10 minutes from outside Terminal 2/3 to the P1 car park.

Each of the rental companies also has an office in central Copenhagen.

Avis

Budget

Europcar

Hertz

Metro

Currently consists of two lines (M1 and M2). The M3 (Cityringen, or City Circle) and M4 lines are due for completion in mid-2019. Metro trains run around the clock, with a frequency of two to four minutes in peak times, three to six minutes during the day and on weekends, and seven to 20 minutes at night. Both lines M1 and M2 connect Nørreport with Kongens Nytorv and Christianshavn. From mid-2019, passengers will be able to interchange between lines M1/M2 and the new M3 and M4 lines at Kongens Nytorv. Passengers will also be able to interchange between M1/M2 and M3 services at Frederiksberg station.

Train

Known locally as S-tog, Copenhagen’s suburban train network runs seven lines through Central Station (København H). The S-train runs between Copenhagen Airport and Central Station.

Popular tourist towns outside Copenhagen covered by the network include Helsingør and Køge.

Services run every four to 20 minutes from approximately 5am to 12.30am. All-night services run hourly on Friday and Saturday (half-hourly on line F).

The rechargeable Rejsekort travel card is valid on S-train services; remember to tap on and tap off at stations.

On Foot

We can’t stress enough that by far the best way to see Copenhagen is on foot. There are few main sights or shopping quarters more than a 20-minute walk from the city centre.

Taxi

Taxis can be flagged on the street and there are ranks at various points around the city centre. If the yellow taxa (taxi) sign is lit, the taxi is available for hire. Fares vary between companies, although most charge higher rates between 6pm and 6am on weeknights and all day on weekends and public holidays. Tariffs are listed on each taxi company’s website. Most taxis accept major credit cards. Three of the main companies are DanTaxi, Taxa 4×35 and 4×27.