Denmark offers excellent options for traveling with public transportation, and the public transportation system is generally well-developed, with trains and buses leaving on time according to the scheduled time. On this page, you will find some of the main modes of public transport, their features and also worthful information about other getting around locally and nationally.
Regarding public transportation, we want to pay your attention to these two apps, which we encourage you to download on your mobile before arrival:
Warning: There are not ticket controllers on all trains, but many, and if you are caught without a ticket, you will receive a ticket of 1.000 DKK (135€), and they don’t accept any excuses. Therefore we encourage you to read the following pages carefully to understand how public transport works instead of “learning by doing… or maybe we should say by paying..
Bonus info: All public transportation options for trains and buses, including booking and paying, can be done via the apps “Rejseplanen” and “DSB”. We encourage you to download them before arrival.
Trains: Denmark has an extensive railway network that connects major cities and towns throughout the country. DSB (Danish State Railways) operates train services in the country. The trains are modern and comfortable and provide international connections to other European countries.
From most stations, there is at least one departure per hour between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. Prices are generally high, but with long-term planning and some flexibility, cheaper “orange tickets” can be found when booking 1-2 weeks ahead on departures with a limited number of passengers. For an extra fee, you can bring your bike along.
Departures, bookings, and prices can be found via the apps Rejseplanen and DSB (see below).
Payment: Train tickets cannot be bought on the train but must always be bought in advance at:
- the ticket boxes at the train station
- the apps “DSB” or “Rejseplanen” (see more info below under the part about “buses”)
- by using Rejsekort (Travel card 🇬🇧) (see more info below under the part about “buses”)
Busses: There are several options for taking a bus in Denmark, and the most common are city buses, regional buses, and fast long-distance buses.
City buses: Larger and medium-sized cities have an extensive network of buses connecting different parts of the city. These buses usually operate on fixed routes and schedules. You can bring your bike on the bus in many towns for an extra fee outside rush hours.
Time schedules and stops can be found via the apps: Rejseplanen and DSB; in some cases, a local bus app is also available.
Payment: Tickets can be bought on the bus with coins,
- or via the apps from DSB and Rejseplanen (with credit card)
- or by using Rejsekort
Regional buses: These buses connect cities and towns across regions and provide transportation between different parts of the country. These buses typically serve larger and smaller towns and operate on fixed routes and schedules.
Payment: Tickets can be bought on the bus with coins,
- or via the apps from DSB and Rejseplanen (with a credit card)
- or by using Rejsekort
Long-distance buses: There are also options for taking long-distance buses that connect major cities in Denmark and connect with other European cities. These buses are generally cheap and have minimal stops between departure and arrival stations, if any. Most offer free WiFi and specific seat reservation in connection with the booking. It makes transportation fast and comfortable.
You find the link for the apps below.
Tip: These buses can only be found, booked, and paid for via the company apps and web pages. They do not appear on the public apps DSB or Rejseplanen and do not have ticket boxes at the bus- or train stations.
Examples of Long-distance buses working in Denmark
Biking
You cannot speak about local transportation in Denmark without mentioning Biking. Most Danes have a bike and uses it regularly for transportation to work, education, sport, or visiting friends. The country is generally flat, so it is easy to get around, and there are a lot of biking paths, not only in the towns but also along many main roads.
Using the bike as a regular sport is also trendy, and road -and mountain biking clubs are found in most towns. The flat landscape is perfect for road biking, and in most woods, there are established special roads for mountain bikers.
Biking helmet: It is not legally required to ride with a bicycle helmet on bicycles and electric bicycles (25 km/h). But the Council for Safe Trafic strongly recommends using a bicycle helmet, as it reduces the risk of severe head and brain injuries. Make it a habit to use the bicycle helmet on short and long trips.
Travel by car
It is easy and safe to drive in Denmark by car.
The roads are good and maintained, with long stretches of motorway across the country and wide main roads connecting all towns, cities, and villages. The signage is clear enough to find around, even without GPS.
Probably due to relatively many speed controls, including a high ticket level for speed and other traffic violations, they are generally caring and patient drivers.
Road tax: It is free to drive on Danish roads and highways. There are only two payment roads/ bridges to be aware of; it is at “Storebælt” (the bridge between Funen and Sealand), and the bridge between Copenhagen and Malmø Sweden).
Age of driving: The age level for driving is 18 yrs, which also applies to students from countries where it is allowed from 16 to 17 yrs. If you are between 17 and 18 years old and have a valid driver's license, you can drive together with parents or other adults with a minimum of 10 years of driving experience.
Foreigners Driving license: EU citizens with temporary residence can use the driving license from their home country without changing it or combining it with an international driver's license. You can drive identical vehicles in Denmark that you have the right to drive at home.
Bringing your car: If you consider bringing your car, please notice that after 185 days, it must go back to your home country, or you must “upgrade” it to Danish number plates by paying a registration tax to the Danish government. If not, you risk a high ticket and payment of the registration tax to the Danish government.
Speed limits
The current general speed limits in Denmark are distributed as follows:
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50 km/h in denser built-up areas.
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80 km/h outside denser built-up areas.
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130 km/h on the motorway.
The fine level is relatively high and starts at DKK 1,200 (160 €) for minor speeding offenses. Danes also get a cut on their driving license for speeding offenses of more than 30% of the permitted speed. In the 3rd clip, they lose their driving license and must re-acquire it and possibly lose the right to drive for up to 6 months (the first time it happens). Foreigners are sent fines, but the Danish legal system does not have the authority to issue "cuts" to foreigners' driving licenses, but foreigners can get banned from driving in Denmark.
In addition, fines are awarded for a wide range of offenses; among the most common but unexpected are:
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driving without carrying your driver's license
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use of a mobile phone while driving, including waiting time at, for example, traffic lights
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driving without the use of a seat belt or passengers under the age of 18 who do not use a seat belt
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General traffic rules must be kept, and violence results in fines.
Fines start from 125 €.
Driving and alcohol: however, we don’t recommend you to drink and drive; it is permitted with up to 0,5 alcohol per thousand, which is around 1 beer for a grown-up person. Subsequently, the penalty for drink-driving is revocation of the driver's license.
Parking
Generally, there are a lot of parking places around in smaller and
bigger towns, and compared with many other countries,
there is a fair chance to find a place to park.
You can generally park on public streets if nothing else is written. Often there are signs showing limited periods where you can park for free. We encourage you to set the parking disc correctly to avoid a parking ticket. In general, there are a lot of parking attendants, and the risk of getting a parking ticket is high.
Other parking palaces are private and only allow people with specific reasons and allowance to park there. It can be schools, companies etc. If you go there is a guest, you can usually park there, but don’t forget to register your car in their office or via the informed app.
Other public parking places are payment, where you can download an app to register your parking or check in the car at the payment box. On the payment box, you can see the price per hour, available apps, and ID number for the actual area.
The fee for illegal parking is between 70 - 140 € per 24 hours, depending on the parking. The car will only be removed if it is a nuisance to other road users.
Uber is, unfortunately, not an option in Denmark. It worked for a few years, but the company was ordered closed in 2017, as the Danish government considered the model illegal.
GO! More
GoMore is Denmark's largest private car rental, leasing, and carpooling site organizing transportation between private people. Via this page, you can get a ride at a fair price or rent a car from a private person who does not need his “today”. It is a modern and safe alternative to hitchhiking or sharing a car occasionally.
The carpooling part is easy and safe to use, as users are all registered in the system. On the webpage, you ask for a ride at a specific time from A to B, or you can check available offers.
App: GO! More
Installment requires MitID
Taxi’s are the expensive choice, and prices are calculated via start-up fee, number of driven kilometers and used minutes.
The fees vary, but DanTaxi is running a cooperation between more than 1.800 inform that they work according to the following prices for a standard 4-person car (upd. May, 2023)
Working days between 5 am and 7 pm:
Start-up fee: 39.00 DKK (5.23 €)
Kilometer fee: 11,30 DKK (1.52 €)
Minut fee: 6,67 DK (0.90 €)
Weekend, national holidays and evening/night betw. 7 pm and 5 am:
Start-up fee: 49.00 DKK (6.59 €)
Kilometer fee: 14.74 DKK (1.98 €)
Minut fee: 7.50 DKK (1.01 €)
Due to the high prices, Danes only take taxis in limited content, and it can make it challenging to find one on the street when you need it.
We recommend you check your living area for local taxi companies or to note the number +45 48 48 48 48 in your phone or download the app from Dantaxi.
You can read more about their services here:
Ordering a taxi by phone or the app is safer than just catching one on the street, as the combination of driver and passenger will always be registered in the system. “Black” taxi drivers are very limited in Denmark, but the option can never be 100% guaranteed.
Airports in DK
Following airports offer international flights:
Denmark
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Københavns Lufthavn Kastrup (CPH)
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Billund Lufthavn (BLL)
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Aalborg Lufthavn (AAL)
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Aarhus Lufthavn Tirstrup (AAR)
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Sønderborg (SGD)
Germany
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Hamborg Lufthavn (HAM)
Flights can be found via the flight scanner: Momondo.dk