The airport is among the most modern and efficient in the world and is located eight kilometres (five miles), just 15-20 minutes, from the city centre. It is the main hub serving Scandinavia and the Baltic and is the principal airport for Scandinavian Airlines (SAS). International flights use terminals two and three. Terminal one handles domestic services to destinations on Jutland and Funen. Flight information is available from Scandinavian Airlines System (tel: (32) 320 000), Novia (tel: (32) 474 747) and ServisAir (tel: (32) 314 055).

Major airlines: SAS (Scandinavian Airlines; tel: (70) 102 000; website: www.sas.se) is the major airline for Denmark, Sweden and Norway. There are 60 other airlines operating to and from 112 cities worldwide, including Aer Lingus, Air Canada, Air France, British Airways, Iberia, Lufthansa, KLM – Royal Dutch Airlines, Swissair and Thai Airways International.

Approximate flight times to Copenhagen: From London is 1 hour 55 minutes; from New York is 8 hours 45 minutes; from Chicago is 9 hours 10 minutes; from Vancouver is 12 hours and from Sydney is 20 hours 55 minutes (plus stopover).

Airport facilities: Branches of Danske Bank (terminals one and two) and Unibank (terminals two and three) offer exchange services daily 0630-2200. Danske Bank has ATMs in terminals one and three. Other services include tourist information and hotel reservations (tel: (32) 312 448) in the international arrivals hall, travel agencies, duty-free shops, restaurants, childcare facilities, 24-hour first aid and left-luggage lockers, plus a post office, saunas (Dkk95 for two hours), showers (Dkk80) and solarium (Dkk10 for five minutes). There is a transfer hotel in terminal two. Avis, Budget, Europcar-InterRent, Hertz and Sixt-Mudan are all based at the airport. A free transit bus connects the domestic and international terminals.

Business facilities: Scandinavian Airlines, ServisAir and Novia each have executive lounges for their passengers. The SAS Gold Card Lounge has conference rooms, four computers with Internet access, telephones, fax and photocopying services. The Novia Lounge has Internet access, fax and photocopying facilities as well as newspapers, refreshments and airline information. Facilities in the ServisAir Executive Lounge include a meeting room with audiovisual equipment, payphone and fax services. There is a brand new business centre in terminal three including 14 meeting rooms and one VIP room (tel: (32) 483 000; fax: (32) 483 001; e-mail: cph.business@ssp.dk).

Arrival/departure tax: None.

Transport to the city: There are three direct S-train services hourly (at 15, 35 and 55 minutes past the hour) to Central Station (Dkk19.50 – from the ticket office in terminal three) and to Hellerup, Østerport, Nørreport, Glostrup and Høje Tåstrup stations Monday to Friday 0455-0035, Saturday 0535-0015 and Sunday 0635-0015. Bus 9, 58, 250S and 500S run from the airport to the city centre (Dkk16.50) and beyond until midnight daily. Night bus 96N runs 0037-0400 from terminal three to Rådhuspladsen. A taxi to the city centre costs Dkk160.

By Water
Københavns Havn (Port of Copenhagen), Nordre Toldbod 24 (tel: (33) 479 999; fax: (33) 479 954; website: www.cphport.dk), is Denmark’s largest port and the most important cruise destination in Northern Europe. Most cruise ships dock along Langelinie pier.

Catamaran, cruise and ferry services: High-speed catamarans to Malmö in Sweden are run by Pilen (tel: (33) 321 260; fax: (33) 322 794) and depart from Havnegade 28 on the hour Monday to Friday 0900-2300 (journey time – 45 minutes), with additional sailings on Friday and Saturday at 0900 and 0100. A one-way adult ticket costs Dkk35 Monday to Thursday and Dkk45 Friday to Sunday. Although the ferry is marketed as a commuter service, many Danes and Swedes seem to use it as a booze-cruise.

An alternative service is run by Scandlines (tel: (33) 128 088; website: www.scandlines.dk) – holders of the Copenhagen Card (see Public Transport in the Getting Around section) are entitled to a discount on this service. There are also services to Oslo (journey time –16 hours) run by DFDS Seaways (tel: (33) 423 342; fax: (33) 423 159; website: www.dfdsseaways.com) and services to Swinoujscie, Poland (journey time – 10 hours) run by Polferries (tel: (40) 121 700; fax: (40) 970 370).

Bornholmstrafikken (tel: (56) 951 866; fax: (56) 910 766; website: www.bornholmstrafikken.dk) runs daily ferry services between Copenhagen and Ronne on the island of Bornholm in the Baltic (journey time – 7 hours).

The cruise season starts on 11 May and ends on 19 September. Most cruise ships that dock in Copenhagen are heading for the Norwegian fjords or the Baltic.

Transport to the city: The port is a few minutes’ walk from the centre of Copenhagen, four kilometres (2.5 miles) from Central Station and 15km (nine miles) from the airport. Bus route 26E passes along Havnegade past the ferry terminal and taxis are readily available.

By Rail

Danish State Railways (DSB) (tel: (70) 131 415, national or international reservations; website: www.dsb.dk) operates punctual, clean and well-equipped trains. Intercity trains are fitted with sockets for radios and computers and mobile phones are available for hire in first class. Fax facilities are also provided.

All international trains arrive in and depart from Hovedbanegården (Central Station; tel: (33) 148 800), located on Bernstorffsgade near the Tivoli. Facilities include currency exchange (Danske Bank and Forex), a post office, shops, fast-food outlets and a supermarket.

Rail services: Direct trains run from Copenhagen to various European destinations including Stockholm, Oslo and Hamburg; all require seat reservations.

Intercity Lyn Express offers a direct connection between Copenhagen and other major Danish centres, such as Odense (journey time – 1 hour 15 minutes), Fredericia, Århus (journey time – 3 hours 30 minutes), Esbjerg and Aalberg. There are also frequent regional train departures to cities in the surrounding area, including three trains an hour to Helsingør (Elsinore).

Transport to the city centre: The Central Station is on the southwestern edge of the old city. From here, there are S-train connections to Vesterport, Nørreport and Østerport and other stations in the metropolitan area. Numerous bus routes pass the station and taxis are readily available.

By Road

Motorways are designated by the letter ‘E’ followed by two digits; main roads by two digits on a yellow background and minor roads by three digits on a white background. The speed limits are 110kph (68mph) on motorways, 80kph (50mph) on main roads and 50kph (31mph) in urban areas. Drivers must keep their headlights switched on at all times during the day.

Drivers and front-seat passengers must wear seatbelts. The maximum legal alcohol to blood ratio is 0.05%. The Danish Road Directorate runs a Traffic Information Service (tel: (33) 156 444 or (80) 202 060, toll free in Denmark). An International Driving Permit is not required but may be preferable if the national driving licence is not in English. Although not necessary, Green Card insurance is recommended.

Emergency breakdown service:
AA (45) 880 025

Routes to the city: Highway E20 (with a connection to E45) crosses Denmark from west to east and intersects with E47 and E55 to the southwest of Copenhagen. The E47 runs south to Rodby with ferry connections to Germany. The toll bridge across the Store Bælt between Sjælland and Fyn charges Dkk210 for cars. The construction of the Øresund 16km (ten-mile) bridge and tunnel complex between Sjælland in Denmark and Scania in Sweden was completed in 2000.

Driving times to Copenhagen: From Odense – 1 hour 50 minutes; Århus – 3 hours 20 minutes; Aalborg – 4 hours 30 minutes.

Coach services: The coach station is located in front of the Sofitel Plaza Hotel, on Bernstorffgade. Only a few companies are operating from Copenhagen with permanent international bus services to and from Sweden (Gothenburg, Halmstad, Malmö, Lund and Ystad) and the Czech Republic (Prague). During the year, however, several operators offer bus tours to Copenhagen. Further information is provided by Eurolines Scandinavia, Reventlowsgade 8 (tel: (99) 344 488; website: www.eurolines.dk), who also operates bus services to Berlin, Frankfurt, Vienna, Hamburg, Paris, Munich, London and other destinations in Europe, or Gullivers (tel: (80) 4855 4837, toll free in Denmark).

Abildskous Rutebilder (tel: (86) 784 888) runs services between Århus and Copenhagen terminating at Valby. Fjerritslev-København (tel: (98) 211 275) links the capital with various destinations in Jutland. Aalborg buses run by Thinggaard Rutebilder (tel: (98) 116 600) terminate at Ryparken. Bus tickets often include the price of ferry crossings, where applicable.

Getting Around

Public Transport
The Metropolitan Transport Company (HT) (tel: (36) 131 415; website: www.ht.dk) runs the urban transport system. Information on trains can also be obtained from the Danish State Railways (see Getting There By Rail). There is an integrated bus and urban train network, known as ‘S-tog’ (S-train; tel: (33) 141 701; website: www.s-tog.dk). Tickets are valid for both forms of transport with free transfers.

Buses and trains run daily 0500-0030 and there are additional night buses from the Rådhuspladsen to the suburbs. Fares are calculated on a seven-zone structure indicated on coloured maps at stations and bus stops. The price of a ticket depends on the number of zones travelled through (minimum two zones). Tickets can be purchased from the bus driver, at ticket offices or vending machines at stations and at the bus terminus (Rådhuspladsen). Tickets and discount cards must be held throughout the journey and are subject to inspection.

Discount cards (klippekort) for ten journeys and 24-hour tickets are available at stations, at the bus terminus or from Wonderful Copenhagen Tourist Information. It is cheaper per journey to use a discount clipcard than to buy a ticket. The Københavnkortet (Copenhagen Card) entitles the holder to free, unlimited travel on buses and trains in the metropolitan area and discounts on car hire (20%), canal and harbour tours (20%) and express ferries to Sweden (25-50%).

The first phase of Copenhagen’s new traffic system – the Metro – opened in 2002. The first part starts at Nørreport and ends up at Lergravsparken (Amager) or Ørestad, both via Christianshavn. There is no train conductor, as they are fully automatic. There is, however, a metro steward on every train, whose job it is to check the tickets, provide information and help the passengers. The link to the airport is due for completion by 2003.

Taxis
There are four major taxi firms in the city: Københavns Taxa (tel: (35) 353 535), Amager Taxi (tel: (32) 515 151), Hovedstadens Taxi (tel: (38) 777 777) and Taxamotor (tel: (38) 101 010). All taxis are licensed and can be booked by telephone or hailed on the street. The flat rate is Dkk22, then Dkk10 per kilometre between 0600-1500; Dkk11 between 1500-0600; Dkk13 Friday-Saturday 1100-0600; Dkk11 Sunday and national holidays. Most taxis will accept credit cards and can provide a receipt on request. It is not customary to tip the driver but to round up the final amount.

Minibuses
There are two companies from whom minibuses may be hired: Minibuses/handicap (tel: (35) 393 535) and Dams (tel: (32) 952 221).

Limousines
Limousine services are provided by Copenhagen Limousine Service (tel: (70) 260 601; fax: (70) 260 605; e-mail: limo@cph-limo.dk; website: www.cph-limo.dk); a first-class car costs Dkk430 per hour. Dankse Limousine Service (tel: (44) 444 412; fax: (38) 798 014; e-mail: order@limousine-service.dk; website: www.limousine-service.dk) charges Dkk40 per hour for a sedan.

Driving in the City
Copenhagen is remarkably and refreshingly free of traffic. Environmental awareness and the compact nature of the city means that many of the residents prefer to cycle, walk or rollerblade.

Parking tickets are obligatory in the four central parking zones Monday to Friday 0800-1800 (yellow, blue and green zones) and Saturday 0800-2000 (red zone) and 0800-1400 (red and yellow zones). Tickets (Dkk5-20) are available from coin-operated parking meters. Kerbside parking is restricted to one hour only Monday to Friday 0900-1700 and Saturday 0900-1300. A parking disc must be shown unless there is a parking meter. Multi-storey car parks in the city are open 0600/0800-2000/0000. Some are closed Saturday afternoon and Sundays.

Car Hire
Self-drive cars are rented only to persons over 21 years of age who hold a valid driving licence and an international credit card. Individual car firms may impose their own age restrictions. The prices given below, which reduce significantly for multi-day hire, include unlimited mileage, tax and insurance, although customers should check details of insurance cover. Avis (tel: (33) 152 299; fax: (33) 734 090; website: www.avis.com) hires a small car for Dkk682 per day. Budget (tel: (33) 557 000 or 913 910; website: www.budget.com) hires its smallest cars for Dkk630 per day. Danecars (tel: (39) 632 375; website: www.danecars.dk) hires cars from Dkk510 per day. Europcar/InterRent (tel: (33) 559 900; fax: (33) 559 933; website: www.europcar.dk) charges Dkk690 per day. Hertz (tel: (33) 179 020; fax: (33) 179 029; website: www.hertz.com) charges Dkk759 per day; drivers must be 25 years of age or over.

Bicycle and Scooter Hire
Cycling is the preferred method of transport for many of Copenhagen’s residents and there are cycle routes along all the major streets through some of the city’s most scenic areas. Between April and September the city actually provides its visitors with free bicycles to get around. There are 125 City Bike Parks (website: www.bycyklen.dk) around the city where bikes can be collected for a Dkk20 deposit. Several companies hire bicycles for trips outside the city including: Københavns Cykelbørs, Gothersgade 157 (tel: (33) 140 717), for Dkk40 per day with a deposit of Dkk200; Københavns Cykler, Reventlowsgade 11, Central Station (tel: (33) 338 613), for Dkk50 per day, with a deposit of Dkk300; and Østerport Cykeludlejning, Oslo Plads 9, Østerport Station (tel: (33) 338 513), for Dkk50 per day, with a deposit of Dkk300. ID is required.

Scooters can be hired from Peugeot Scooter Hire (tel: (38) 334 004).