Transport and the shape of the city in Copenhagen

Zones, tickets and the right app

Zealand, Lolland, Falster and Møn form one fare area divided into 211 numbered zones covering buses, trains, metro and light rail, and every journey is priced for at least two zones. A two-zone single is DKK 24 and valid for an hour and a quarter, rising to DKK 60 for eight zones valid two and three quarter hours, and you travel freely inside the chosen zones for that time. Children up to fifteen pay half price, and an adult takes two children under twelve free. Buy through the Rejsebillet app, which replaced the DOT Billetter app that some city pages still name; the DOT SMS ticket was withdrawn on 30 April 2026.

• A three-zone single is DKK 30 and a seven-zone DKK 54. DOT's Danish and English pages currently disagree on the four-, five- and six-zone fares, so take those from the app or the zone table rather than from us.
• The inspection fee for travelling without a valid ticket is DKK 1,000 in Movia buses and on Lokaltog, and DKK 750 on DSB trains, the metro and the light rail.
• DOT answers ticket, zone and commuter questions on +45 7015 7000, and runs a Pendlertjek that compares your options on price, time and CO2.

What to buy if you commute

DOT reckons the Commuter Card pays for itself from about 26 return trips a month: DKK 530 per 30 days for two zones, DKK 710 for three, DKK 865 for four, DKK 1,020 for five and up to DKK 1,410 for eight. You choose a period of 30 to 60 days, there is no checking in or out, and two children under twelve travel with you free. The metro extension costs DKK 70 per 30 days and can be added or dropped at each renewal. If you travel in only two or three days a week, Commute20 is cheaper: 20 travel days to use within 60 consecutive days, each activated by you in the app.

The airport, and the metro at night

Copenhagen Airport sits in zone 4 and is the terminus of metro line M2, which runs to Vanløse over sixteen stations in all. M2 crosses zones 1 to 4, but the ring-zone rule caps the fare at three zones, so the airport run is a DKK 30 single rather than an airport fare. M2 comes about every two minutes in the rush, roughly every three minutes off-peak and at weekends, and keeps running overnight at about every eight minutes after Friday and Saturday and every twenty minutes after Sunday to Thursday. The network is four lines: M1 to Vestamager, M2 to the airport, M3 the Cityring and M4 between Orientkaj and København Syd.

• City Pass Small covers zones 1 to 4 including the airport, at DKK 100 for 24 hours up to DKK 340 for 120 hours.
• City Pass Large covers zones 1 to 99, at DKK 200 for 24 hours up to DKK 680 for 120 hours.

Cycling, and the rules that are enforced

Always use the bike lane, and signal with your hand: arm up before stopping, arm out before turning. A direct left turn at a junction is illegal, so you cross in two stages, and you give way to pedestrians at junctions, at lights and at bus stops. A white front light and a red rear light are required after dark and you will be fined without them, though the city does not publish the amount.

• Bicycles are barred from the metro on weekdays 07:00–09:00 and 15:30–17:30; outside those hours they need a metro bike ticket, DKK 15, valid an hour and a half.
• Bikes travel free on S-trains and on most Movia buses, and need a DKK 20 reserved-space ticket on DSB regional and intercity trains.
• Larger and unusual cycles are restricted differently on each operator, so check DOT's travel rules before you count on taking one.

Parking, and the Frederiksberg line

Frederiksberg is a separate municipality sitting entirely inside Copenhagen, with its own parking rules, so a Copenhagen permit or app set-up does not carry across the boundary. Central Copenhagen has four paid zones — red, green, blue and yellow — alongside time-restricted zones, and residents of a paid zone can apply for a beboerlicens. In 2026 the daytime hourly rate runs from DKK 17 in the yellow zone to DKK 45 in the red and green; evenings are DKK 18 and nights DKK 6 across the board, and the city publishes the current table on kk.dk. Holders of a disability badge park free in public parking spaces, though the badge does not permit parking where stopping is prohibited.