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TRANSPORT

EXPLAINED: How to use Copenhagen’s public transport network

Copenhagen's public transport system includes buses, trains, metros and even harbour buses. The efficient and comprehensive network can feel overwhelming to newcomers and tourists in the capital. Here's the best way to navigate it.

Published: 6 May 2019 18:10 CEST
Updated: 25 May 2024 13:13 CEST
Copenhagen train
Dybbølsbro train station in Vesterbro, Copenhagen. Photo: Martin Sylvest/Ritzau Scanpix

Many visitors to the Danish capital may find themselves scrutinising Google maps or trying to interpret timetables at bus stops in order to get around.

But there is a resource that links it altogether, called Din Offentlige Transport (DOT).

The DOT website and app was launched in 2019 and it is a must if you’re moving to, or visiting Copenhagen. 

There is a special DOT tourist website, which includes ticketing and transport information in English, as well as tips for tourists, gathering everything in one place.

One of the aims of the resource was to draw more visitors to attractions outside of central Copenhagen and through the website you can find out the fastest and cheapest way to do that.

READ ALSO: Sporarbejde? The words that will help you navigate public transport in Denmark

How to get public transport tickets

Rejsekort

Many Danish residents use the Rejsekort pre-pay card, which can be used across all types of transport. You can pick one of these up as a tourist at rail or some Metro stations, but there’s a deposit and minimum balance requirement on the cards that might not make them worthwhile for a short visit.

Ticket machines (not for buses)

There are ticket machines at train and metro stations, as well as Copenhagen airport. However this doesn’t cover bus tickets. For buses, you need either a Rejsekort, or to pay the driver in cash when you get on the bus. Bank cards are not accepted.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: Is it better for tourists to use cash or card in Denmark?

DOT app

You can buy tickets on the DOT app, which is accepted on all forms of public transport, including harbour buses. The harbour bus runs in both directions from Teglholm in the south to Refshaleøen in the north.

The app will tell you which zones your journey covers and which ticket to buy. Once you’ve added your payment card, you can buy tickets with just the tap of your phone.

After you’ve bought your ticket, a timer will tell you how long your ticket is valid for. This depends on the ticket type, and the number of zones it covers. 

Longer journeys

With the journey planner on the DOT website, you can find out which trains take you to places further afield, which platform the train departs from and the best ticket to get for this.

For example, a train from Copenhagen central station to Helsingør takes 48 minutes and a single ticket or city pass ticket option will get you there.

The DOT tourist website also answers questions about ticket fines, taking bikes on public transport and what to do if you’ve lost an item on public transport.

READ MORE: How to spend 24 hours in Copenhagen

Member comments

  1. It would be great to have a guide on commuter passes, etc. – I am moving into CPH soon and am still not sure what is the cheapest/most convenient option to use

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TRANSPORT

King Frederik opens section of Denmark-Germany tunnel

The first of some 89 different elements of an 18-kilometre tunnel linking Denmark with Germany was inaugurated by King Frederik on Monday.

Published: 17 June 2024 17:20 CEST
King Frederik opens section of Denmark-Germany tunnel

The King cut a red ribbon at a ceremony marking progress at the Femern Tunnel, which is being constructed after excavation was completed earlier this year.

The ceremony took place at the harbour at Rødby on the Danish side of the tunnel, broadcaster DR reported.

The element inaugurated on Monday comprises the first 217 metres of the tunnel and will be sunk later this year.

That represents a significant milestone according to Morten Kramer Nielsen, head of communication at the Femern A/S company which is directing the project.

“We are incredibly glad he [the King, ed.] is here. It’s the culmination of 3-4years’ work and we are marking it with the King,” he said.

It took three years to excavate the tunnel before the construction phase began, the company said in April.

“This is by far the largest excavation in Denmark’s history, and it has been a difficult task,” Pedro da Silva Jørgensen, the project’s Technical Deputy Director said at the time.

The subsoil between Denmark and Germany is a complex mixture of different soil types, with the excavators meeting huge blocks of granite left over from the Ice Age, the largest of which weighed 70 tons. 

“This has given rise to some exciting challenges along the way, which we have managed to solve in collaboration with our contractors. That is why we are happy and proud that we have now reached the goal,” Jørgensen said. 

The tunnel is 18 kilometers long, and 15 million cubic meters of sand, stone and earth have been excavated from the seabed, creating approximately 300 hectares of new land off the coast at Rødbyhavn, which will in the long term become beaches and hiking trails.

 

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