Public transport

Photo: Daniel Rasmussen

Copenhagen's public transport is reliable, and the Metro, s-trains and busses (including waterbuses) can all be accessed with the same ticket. All you need to know is how many zones you will pass on your journey.

About the Metro, buses and S-trains

Understand Copenhagen's public transport system and learn which means of transport to use and when.

Take the train or the metro. The ride takes appromixately 12 minutes. Tickets can be purchased at the platform or the metro station. Both are located in the airport. Learn more.

All three metro lines are in service 24/7. There are 2-4 minutes between each train during rush hour, and 3-6 minutes outside rush hour and during the weekends. Friday and Saturday night (after 01:00) trains arrive with a 7-15 minutes interval and a 20 minutes interval after midnight on weekdays (Sunday through Thursday).

When using public transportation in Copenhagen, all members of the family must have a valid ticket. You can read more about the various ticket types and their prices here. There is ongoing ticket control, and both Copenhageners and tourists are responsible for having the correct tickets. If you and your family are travelling without a valid ticket or with an insufficient number of tickets, you can all be individually fined. If you find that you have wrongfully been given a fare evasion ticket, you can file an online complaint to Metro’s customer service. Sometimes, they are willing to cancel or reduce some or all fare evasion tickets issued to tourist families.

On 29 September 2019, 17 brand new stations were added to the metro. Known as line M3, “The City Circle Line (or “Cityringen” in Danish) the new line connects the neighbourhoods of Vesterbro, Frederiksberg, Nørrebro, Østerbro and the city centre.

Please note that maintenance of the rails may occur during the night, which can result in a slightly longer journey. The maintenance is between 01:00-01:25 and again between 04:15-04:45.

The A-buses are the primary buses in central Copenhagen. They drive every 3-7 minutes during rush hour (which is between 07:00-09:00 in the morning and 15:30-17:30 in the afternoon) and usually about every 10 minutes before and after rush hour. The A-buses serve at all hours.

The S-buses drive every 5-10 minutes during rush hour and every 20 minutes outside of rush hour. The S-buses are faster than the A-busses due to fewer stops. They usually serve between 06:00 in the morning and 01:00 at night.

Night buses are in service between 01:00 and 05:00 in the night. You can recognise the bus stops by the grey colour of the bus stop signs. The night buses are all N buses, for an example 85N. 

The S-trains are a hybrid urban-suburban rail serving the Copenhagen urban area, except Amager.

The S-trains run between 05:00 in the morning and 00:30 at night. Line F runs every 4-5 minutes, line A, B, C and E run every 10 minutes, and line H and Bx run every 20 minutes.

On Friday and Saturday the trains run once an hour between 01:00 and 05:00. However, line F runs every half hour during these hours.

Other types of trains not part of the S-train network include "Kystbanen" ("The Coastal Line") - a regional railway line between Copenhagen and Elsinore on the north coast of Zealand.

To learn more about trains in Copenhagen, visit DSB which is the largest Danish train operating company.

The yellow harbour buses take you up and down the harbour on a regular bus ticket. 

The harbour bus route has 9 stops located on each side of the water, as the yellow ferries zig-zag between places like The Royal Library, Islands Brygge, Refshaleøen and other places where you can get off and explore.

Please note that the harbour buses have two different route numbers: 

  • Havnebus 991 - direction: Teglholmen (south)
  • Havnebus 992 - direction: Orientkajen (north)

With a Copenhagen Card in hand you don’t have to worry about zones and ticket prices, as you get unlimited transportation in the entire Capital Region (including to/from Copenhagen Airport). Learn more.

How to plan your trip with journeyplanner.dk

Find out the best way to get from A to B with a few, easy clicks at Journey Planner. You simple type in your point of departure (address, station or bus stop) together with your destination and time of departure. Easy.

Related content about public transport

These articles will help you if you have other questions about trains, Metro or buses.

s-tog og zoner
Zones
Copenhagen Central Station
Tickets & prices
Metro station in Copenhagen
How to get around in Copenhagen
The Metro
The Metro