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Getting There
Air
Copenhagen Airport ( a.k.a. Bastrop International Airport ) ( CPH ) ( +45 3231 3231 / http://www.cph.dk/ ) is perched along the waterfront six miles southeast of the city center, and has to rank among the top when it comes to flattest airports. There is not so much as a hump in the skyline, which usually means scenic smooth landings. Three passenger terminals ( one domestic, two international ) see more than 50,000 travelers tromp through the facilities on a daily basis. A free shuttle bus darts from terminal to terminal. Numerous shops and restaurants keep the masses happy during delays and layovers, and currency exchanges, ATMs, info booths, business facilities, Internet access, and a children's play area add to the convenience factor. Parking lots surround each terminal. Airlines serving the airport include:
Air Canada ( +1 888 247 2267 / http://www.aircanada.ca/ )
Air France ( +1 800 237 2747 / http://www.airfrance.com/ )
British Airways ( +1 800 217 9297 / http://www.ba.com/ )
Easy Jet ( +871 244 2366 / http://www.easyjet.com/ )
Finnair ( +1 800 950 5000 / http://www.finnair.com/ )
KLM ( +1800 447 4747 / http://www.klm.com/ )
Lufthansa ( +1 800 803 5838 / http://cms.lufthansa.com/ )
SAS ( +1 800 221 2350 / http://www.scandinavian.net/ )
Sky Europe ( +421 2 4850 1111/ http://www.skyeurope.com/in.php/ )
Smart Wings ( +420 255 700 827 / http://www.smartwings.net/ )
Virgin Express ( +32 70 35 36 37 / http://www.virgin-express.com/ )
From the Airport
Car Rental & Taxi:
Taxi ranks are located outside Terminal 1 and Terminal 3. Onsite car rental companies are:
Avis ( +45 32 512099 / http://www.avis.com/ )
Budget ( +1 800 472 3325 / https://rent.drivebudget.com/ )
Europcar ( +45 ( 0 )32 503090 / http://www.europcar.com/ )
Hertz ( +1 800 654 3001 / http://www.hertz.com/ )
Once you pick up the car, just hop on the E20 for a straight shot into the city center, or head east over the Øresund Bridge ( +45 33 41 60 00 / http://www.oeresundsbron.com ) into Malmö, Sweden.
Bus:
Public city buses ( +45 36 13 14 15 / http://trafikinfo.hur.dk/ ) 2A, 12 and 250S venture from the international terminals into the nucleus of the city and points beyond. The 500S pauses at both the domestic terminal and the international terminal before skirting the southern edge of downtown. Buses usually run until midnight. After that you can catch the 96N night bus. Abildskou ( +45 70 210 888 / http://www.abildskou.dk/ ) has cross country service on luxury buses between the airport and Aalborg, with a stop in Copenhagen. Gråhundbus number 999 goes from the airport to the central Rådhuspladsen station. You can also hop catch Swebus Express 820 bus ( +46 8 50 30 94 00 / http://www.swebusexpress.se/ ) at the end of its journey from Oslo as it makes a stop at the airport before ending its route in Copenhagen. Or take it the other way if the penultimate destination is in Sweden and Norway.
Train:
A rail station resides beneath Terminal 3 and is managed by Danish State Railways ( DSB ) ( +45 70 131 415 / http://www.dsb.dk/ ). Trains for Copenhagen depart and arrive at a pace of every 20 minutes. Other destinations, including jaunts to Roskilde and Malmö, Sweden also depart from the station. Tickets can be purchased from the DSB office in Terminal 3 or from ticket machines in the station.
Bus
Eurolines ( +45 70 10 00 30 / http://www.eurolines.dk/ ) and Gråhundbus ( +44 68 44 00 / http://www.grahundbus.dk/ ) operate routes between Copenhagen and various cities across Europe. Swebus Express 820 bus ( +46 ( 0 )8 50 30 94 00 / http://www.swebusexpress.se/ ) journeys between Copenhagen and Oslo, via stops in Sweden.
Car
Considering the Danish are obsessed with monitoring all facets of traffic for environmental and cultural impacts, it is no surprise that the country is rather pleasant to roam about. Plus, bridge-happy types will have a field day with the numerous crossings, especially if driving to Copenhagen from Sweden over the 10-mile ( complete with massive artificial island and tunnel ) Oresund Bridge. The E20 east/west, the E47 north/south and the E55 flow into Copenhagen and its surrounding environs. Check with the Danish Road Directorate ( +45 33 15 64 44 / http://www.trafikken.dk/ ) for toll fees, traffic updates and general driving matters.
Rail
Besides providing numerous daily service between Copenhagen and other cities in Denmark, Danish State Railways ( DSB ) ( +45 70 13 14 15 / http://www.dsb.dk/ ) has a slew of trains chugging across the borders to Scandinavian neighbors Sweden and Norway, and into Austria and Germany, where connecting trains spread out across the European continent. Trains arrive and depart from Copenhagen's Hovedbanegården ( Grand Central Station ) ( +45 33 14 04 00 ).
Water
From May to September various cruise lines call on Copenhagen's massive port ( +45 33 47 99 99 / http://www.cphport.dk/ ). Passenger ferries also tote travelers and their cars to various destinations around the Baltic. Companies include: DFDS Seaways ( +45 33 42 30 00 / http://www.dfdsseaways.co.uk/ ) with service between Copenhagen and Oslo, Norway and Copenhagen and Gdansk, Poland via Trelleborg, Sweden. Polferries ( +48 ( 0 )94 35 52 102 / http://www.polferries.pl ) with service between Copenhagen and Swinoujscie, Poland. Bornholms Trafikken ( +45 56 95 18 66 / http://www.bornholmstrafikken.dk/ ), with seasonal service between Copenhagen and Bornholm, Denmark. Although the new Oresund Bridge offers an overland route between Denmark and Sweden, the high cost to cross ( DNK400+ ) the mass of steel and concrete leads many to keep using the multitude of ferries that still slog across the channel.
Getting Around
Public Transport
Copenhagen is a city undergoing a renaissance of public transportation. Nowhere does this hold truer than the noble plans to build a modern subway from scratch. Two of the metro lines ( M1 and M2 ) ( +45 33 11 17 00 / http://www.m.dk/ ), recently opened for business and continued expansion will carry on until 2010. The two new lines pass through 11 stations and link the western and southern suburbs with the city center. Trains run every 3 to 6 minutes from 5a-1a Sun-Thu and 24 hours Fri-Sat.
Besides the metro the city has a widespread bus system ( +45 36 13 14 15 / http://www.hur.dk/ ) and commuter trains ( known as the S-Tog ) ( +45 33 14 17 04 / http://www.dsb.dk/stog/ ).
Tickets for the metro, all public buses and commuter trains are one in the same and fees are based on a system of zone travel. 24 hour and multi-day passes are also available.
Car
Like most European cites, Copenhagen has a compact and historic center that is not necessary to travel around by car. The city actually encourages people to avoid using automobiles and locals seem to prefer walking or biking on one of the city's numerous paths. Plus, the parking system can be rather confusing. It is separated into two zones: the inner city zone is an automatic pay area and is divided into yet another three zones ( red, green, blue ) with fees being determined by the distance of the lot or space in conjunction with the city center. The second zone offers two hour free parking but is outside the city.
Taxi & Bike Taxi
Taxis are abundant and easily hailed from the street. Make sure the word "FRI" ( free ) is lighted on top of the cab when you attempt to flag one down otherwise the driver has a fare. Most drivers can speak some English and German. Taxi companies include:
Autolux ( +45 3311 2221 )
Københavns Taxa ( +45 35 35 35 35 )
Amager/Øbro Taxi ( +45 32 51 51 51 )
Hovedstadens Taxi ( +45 38 77 77 77 )
Codan Taxi ( +45 7025 2525 )
A couple of companies, Quickshaw ( +45 70 20 13 75 / http://www.quickshaw.biz/ ) and Cykeltaxi ( +45 70 26 00 55 / http://www.cykeltaxi.com/ ) have bike taxis ( some motor assisted ) pedaling round the center of town, which can also be hailed from the street or procured at an assigned rank outside various downtown areas like the Tivoli, Town Hall Square or the train stations.
Bike
If you would like to explore the city on bike and actually look like a local, the City Bike( +45 35 43 01 10 / http://www.bycyklen.dk/ ) program puts more than 2000 free bicycles, many sponsored by local companies for advertising purposes, onto the streets at bike racks from May to December.
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