Commuting: A Part of Your European Experience
DIS Copenhagen is located in the heart of the city center and is walking distance from many of the city’s great attractions. However, you will still need to commute to your housing, when on Field Studies, to the airport…and to explore the city’s many dynamic neighborhoods!
For almost all locals in Copenhagen, commuting is a part of daily life. While studying at DIS, no matter where you live, you will use Copenhagen’s well-networked public transportation to get around.
Whether you are traveling on the DIS provided Commuter Card or on a single ticket, you can travel by metro, train, bus, and harbor bus (ferry) anywhere within the zones you have purchased within the allotted time frame.
Taking the Metro
In September 2019, a major extension project to open Cityringen (also known as M3) was completed, bringing an additional 17 lines to the metro. With advanced technology, the trains are driverless and therefore the metro system runs 24 hours a day!
Metro stations are scattered around the city, and can be spotted with a big red “M.” During the day the metro runs frequently and often on time, with trains coming around every four minutes, and during late night hours, every 15-20 minutes.
The metro conveniently connects the airport to Copenhagen’s city center with a roughly 20-minute journey.
Taking the Train and S-Tog
City and Regional Trains: Trains connect many main city stations, as well as the Copenhagen Airport. They even connect Copenhagen to other large Danish cities such as Roskilde and Århus, and you can even travel internationally on trains to Sweden and the mainland of Europe!
Regional Train Tickets: You can ride the train within the city zones with a Commuter Card or a single use ticket. If you have a Commuter Card and plan to travel beyond the zones you are given, you will need to purchase a ticket. Read more about zones and buying your ticket
S-Tog (S-Train): The S-Tog (S-Train) is a commuter train that connects the suburbs to the city center, and can be recognized by large white and red hexagon ‘S’ signs. These trains run regularly from 5:00 am to midnight. During normal commuting hours, roughly 6:00 am – 18:00, they run every 10 minutes. In the off hours, they run every 20 minutes. There may not be train service from midnight to 5:00 am on certain lines.
Taking the Bus
While commuting through Copenhagen, buses are most useful in connecting areas not reached by the metro or trains. Bus stops are marked by a yellow post with the stop name, and various bus lines usually stop in the same spot. On this post, there are timetables showing the bus schedule on this post. Buses run typically from 6:00 am to midnight. Note that some buses have a visual display notifying you of the next stop. We recommend you write down your stop’s name, and if necessary, politely ask the bus driver to notify you when your stop is approaching.
Taking the Harbor Bus (Ferry)
The Copenhagen harbor runs right through the city, separating most of the inner city from Christianshavn and Amager. The clean harbor is not just a beautiful view, but a body of water where many Copenhageners love to swim, kayak, and boat through! You can boat up and down the harbor using the harbor buses, lines 901 and 902. There are six stops, and the total round trip takes about an hour.
Taking a Taxi
While taxis are generally easy to access in the city, they are expensive. Copenhagen taxis start at a baseline price of 55 DKK and the price increases quickly. Note the following tips for taking a taxi in Copenhagen:
- Taxis are often available on Vestergade (where DIS is located), by Gammel Torv (The Old Square) and by Hovedbanegård, Copenhagen’s Central Train Station
- Various apps allow you to book and pay for a taxi on your smartphone. We recommend you download before you think you will need them:
- Most taxis accept major credit cards. If you plan to pay with a card, let the driver know before beginning the trip
- You do not need to tip taxi drivers in Copenhagen!
- Taxi Safety: Only use officially marked taxis. Note that ride-sharing services Uber and Lyft do not operate in Denmark.
Transportation Route Planning: Recommended Online Resources
Journey Planner (known to Danes as Rejseplanen)
This website and app is commonly used by Copenhageners, as it is designed to show you the easiest route for you to get from A to B using all forms of public transportation. Available in English, you can view the price of your planned journey, the zones you will need to travel through, the CO2 emissions produced by your transport, and you even have the option to have the details sent to your phone via text message.
Google Maps
Copenhagen is thoroughly documented on Google Maps, which makes finding directions there very accessible. Along with the traditional route planners for walking, driving, or public transportation, there is even a bicycle option which shows users the most bicycle friendly route to take.
Citymapper
This real-time transit website and app helps you get from A to B. It contains all private and public transport modes in Greater Copenhagen – including walking routes and City Bike locations. The app uses all the local data from Danish transport agencies and is available in English.
There are several other European cities on the app (Rome, Paris, Brussels, Berlin, Stockholm, to name a few!), making it a good resource while on certain DIS Study Tours and independent travels.