Most visitors get around Copenhagen on foot, by bike and on the metro, and every public mode in the city runs on one zone-based ticket. Buy single tickets or use the Rejsekort app if you only ride a few times, a City Pass Small if you ride several times a day, and the Copenhagen Card only when your days are full of paid sights. The airport is a three-zone ride of about 15 minutes by metro or train, so nobody needs a taxi to get in.
The sections below take the airport journey first, then give each mode a line on when to use it. After that come the ticket table, the arithmetic that decides whether the Card pays, and the apps and child rules worth knowing before your first ride.
Where These Fares Come From
This page helps you choose how to move around Copenhagen, how to get in from the airport and which ticket or pass to buy, using fares from the transport authority, the Card operator and the city tourism office. It is not a timetable, a full fare list, a trip budget, or a guide to day trips or neighbourhoods.
These fares and ticket rules were checked against the sources below by Alex Perrut, working in tourism since 2015, for the Tripstou editorial team. The page was written with AI assistance; our editorial process sets out who does what.
Official sources consulted: DOT, Copenhagen Card, Visit Copenhagen, Copenhagen Metro.
How Copenhagen’s One-Ticket Zone System Works
Every public mode in Copenhagen — metro, S-train, bus, harbour bus and regional train — runs on the same ticket, priced by how many zones you cross. The centre sits mostly in zones 1 and 2, and the airport is in zone 4, so most visitor journeys need a two- or three-zone ticket. Fares start from DKK 24 for two zones.
Count zones, not distance or mode. A two-zone ticket bought for a metro ride stays valid if you change to a bus and then hop on the harbour bus, as long as you stay inside its zones and its time window. You never buy a separate “metro ticket” or “bus ticket”; you buy a journey across a number of zones.
Station machines show a zone map with your starting zone marked, and the apps work out the count for you once you enter a destination. Form one habit early. Buy before you board, on your phone or at a machine, and do not plan on paying the bus driver.
Copenhagen Airport to the City Centre: Metro, Train or Taxi?
Take the M2 metro from Terminal 3 for most of the centre: about 15 minutes to Nørreport, trains every few minutes by day, and service all night. If you are heading to København H (Central Station), take the DSB regional train from the same terminal instead. Both use the same three-zone ticket at about DKK 30. A taxi costs roughly ten times that and saves no time for a central address.
The metro is the default for Nørreport, Kongens Nytorv and the hotels around them, and its daytime frequency of every 4–6 minutes means you rarely wait. The train suits anyone whose hotel is near Central Station or on the Vesterbro side of it. If you are buying a City Pass Small or a Copenhagen Card anyway, buy it before the airport ride: both cover it, so the first journey is already paid for.
| Option | Time to centre | Ticket or fare | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| M2 metro | About 15 min to Nørreport | Three-zone ticket, about DKK 30 | Most central hotels, any hour |
| DSB regional train | About 15 min to København H | Three-zone ticket, about DKK 30 | Stays near Central Station |
| Taxi | Depends on traffic | Approx. DKK 230–290 | Groups with heavy luggage |
A taxi earns its fare in two cases. One is a group splitting the cost with bags too heavy for the walk from the station. The other is a late arrival whose hotel sits well away from any metro stop. For everyone else, the metro running through the night removes the usual late-landing argument for a cab.
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Walking and the Metro Cover the Centre; a Bike Covers the Rest
The historic centre is compact enough to walk, the metro reaches the harbour, the airport and the outer districts around the clock, and a bike is how locals cross the gaps between them. S-trains, buses and the harbour bus fill in specific journeys. If you are still deciding how many days to spend and where to start, the guide to planning a first trip to Copenhagen sets that frame; this page handles the moving.
- Walking: the way to cover the old centre, from Nyhavn up to Rosenborg. It costs nothing, though longer cross-town days wear you out.
- Bike: right for anything 10–30 minutes out and for the harbour bridges. Fast, but you share lanes with commuters who ride quicker than you.
- Metro: four lines (M1–M4), 24 hours, linking the airport, Frederiksberg and Nordhavn. It is the backbone, if not the most scenic way to see the city.
- S-train: for the suburbs and northbound rail trips. Unlike the metro, it stops overnight.
- Bus: for the streets the metro does not reach, on the same ticket. Slower in traffic, but it goes door to door.
- Harbour bus: a cheap, scenic crossing of the water on a normal ticket. Better as a ride than as a commute.
Taxis are poor value against the metro for central trips, and you do not need a car in the city.
Getting around Copenhagen by bike
Renting a bike is easy: many hotels lend or rent them, rental shops sit around the centre, and the city runs a bike-share scheme. Pick whichever is closest to your base and compare prices on the day.
The etiquette matters more than the rental. Keep to the right of the bike lane so faster riders can pass. Raise a hand before you stop or turn. Never stop in the lane itself; pull fully to the side. Locals ride fast and expect visitors to follow the same rules.
Bikes can go on the metro with a bike ticket, but not at weekday peak hours (the FAQ below gives the times).
Single Ticket, Rejsekort App, City Pass or Card: Which to Buy
A few rides over the whole stay call for single tickets or the Rejsekort app, which is cheaper than paper and takes 20% off outside peak hours. Several rides a day inside the city call for a City Pass Small, which covers zones 1–4 and the airport. Days that reach Roskilde, Helsingør or Louisiana on the same pass call for a City Pass Large (zones 1–99). The Copenhagen Card makes sense only when paid sights, not rides, drive your spending.
| Ticket | Zones | Duration | From | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single ticket | 2 to 8 | One journey | DKK 24 (2 zones) | A handful of rides |
| Rejsekort app | Pay per trip | Pay as you go | DKK 22 (2 zones) | Off-peak riders on longer stays |
| City Pass Small | 1–4, airport included | 24 h to 120 h | DKK 100 (24 h); DKK 240 (72 h) | Several city rides a day |
| City Pass Large | 1–99 | 24 h to 120 h | DKK 200 (24 h); DKK 480 (72 h) | Day trips on the pass |
| Copenhagen Card | 1–99, plus attractions | 24 h to 120 h | DKK 589 (24 h) | Sight-heavy days |
City Pass Large costs about double the Small and pays only when day trips are part of the plan. Its zones 1–99 reach Roskilde, Helsingør, Humlebæk and Hillerød; which of those to choose is covered in day trips from Copenhagen. With just one day trip, a Small for the city days plus a separate ticket for the trip day usually works out better, because the Large charges its premium on every day of its validity.
The 72 h duration fits a three-day stay neatly, and a three-day Copenhagen itinerary shows the kind of route that uses it fully. Children pay roughly half on single tickets and the City Pass, though two under-12s ride free with a ticketed adult (see the rules section below).
Is the Copenhagen Card Worth It?
The Copenhagen Card is worth it only on sight-heavy days. The 72 h Card costs DKK 1,039 against DKK 240 for a 72 h City Pass Small, so it has to replace roughly DKK 800 of entry fees over three days (about DKK 270 a day) before it beats paying for transport and sights separately. Two or three paid attractions a day gets you there; a museum-light trip does not.
The one-day case works the same way. A 24 h Card at DKK 589 against a 24 h City Pass Small at DKK 100 leaves close to DKK 490 to recover in entries within a single day. That is a full day of paid sights, not a relaxed one. Do the sum against the attractions you would actually visit. The Card lists 80+, but you will see a fraction of them.
On transport, the Card covers all public transport in zones 1–99 while it is active, the airport included. The hop-on hop-off bus is not part of it: Card HOP is a separate product for those sightseeing buses, not a public transport ticket. To see how the Card sits in the whole trip budget, check what a trip to Denmark costs.
Families face the sharpest version of this choice. Juniors aged 12–15 have their own Card price, and children aged 3–11 need a kids card (DKK 180 for 72 h), while two under-12s already ride public transport free with a ticketed adult. For a young family, the kids card is paying for entries, never for rides. Buy the Card if your days are built around paid museums and attractions; skip it if you mainly want to walk, cycle and see the city from the harbour.
Rejsebillet, Rejsekort and Rejseplanen: Apps and Rules Before You Ride
Three apps cover everything: Rejsebillet for single tickets and passes, the Rejsekort app for pay-as-you-go with the off-peak discount, and Rejseplanen for planning journeys. Tickets are also sold at station machines, including the airport, and at DSB 7-Eleven kiosks. Two children under 12 travel free with an adult holding a valid ticket.
- Rejsebillet: the simplest buy for a short visit, covering single tickets and the City Pass.
- Rejsekort app: worth setting up for a multi-day stay of irregular rides, since off-peak trips cost less.
- Rejseplanen: for everyone, whatever ticket you hold, to find the route and the zone count.
The child rule is the one most families miss. Two under-12s ride free with one ticketed adult on every public mode, so a family on public transport alone pays only for the adults. The Copenhagen Card does not extend that rule: a child on the Card needs a kids card of their own.
When the phone fails, the machines at metro and train stations sell the same tickets, and so do DSB 7-Eleven kiosks. Buy before you board in every case.
Decide These Before You Land
- From the airport, take the M2 metro to Nørreport or the DSB train to København H: both take about 15 minutes on a three-zone ticket, and a taxi saves no time for a central address.
- Walking, a bike and the 24-hour metro cover almost every visitor journey, and you do not need a car in the city.
- Buy single tickets or use the Rejsekort app for a few rides, a City Pass Small for several rides a day, and a City Pass Large only when day trips go on the same pass.
- The 72 h Copenhagen Card has to replace roughly DKK 800 of entry fees to beat a 72 h City Pass Small, which takes two or three paid attractions a day.
- Two children under 12 ride public transport free with a ticketed adult, but a child aged 3–11 on the Copenhagen Card needs a kids card of their own.
- Set up Rejsebillet for tickets and passes, the Rejsekort app for off-peak pay-as-you-go, and Rejseplanen for routes and zone counts.
Copenhagen Transport Questions
Does the Copenhagen metro run 24 hours?
Yes. All four metro lines (M1–M4) run around the clock, with trains every 4–6 minutes by day and a thinner service overnight. S-trains do not run all night, so the metro is the line to rely on for a late arrival or a late return.
Can one ticket cover the metro, bus and train in Copenhagen?
Yes. A single zone-based ticket covers the metro, S-train, bus, harbour bus and regional train, and you can change between them on the same journey as long as you stay within its zones and its time window. The ride from the airport to the centre counts as three zones.
Can you take a bike on the Copenhagen metro?
Yes, with a bike ticket, except on weekdays between 07:00 and 09:00 and between 15:30 and 17:30. Outside those windows, buy the bike ticket alongside your own before you board.
Where to Go Next in Copenhagen
- Copenhagen guide: first-trip planning, from how many days to when to go and where to base yourself.
- Three-day Copenhagen itinerary: the route a 72 h pass fits.
- Day trips from Copenhagen: which zone 1–99 trip to take with a City Pass Large or the Card.
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