Copenhagen airport to city centre: metro, train

Copenhagen Airport (Kastrup) lies on the island of Amager, only about 8 km south-east of the city centre. Both the metro and the train leave right at Terminal 3, a few steps from arrivals. The short answer: take the metro M2 if your hotel is near Kongens Nytorv, Nyhavn, Christianshavn or Nørreport – it runs around the clock. Take the train if you are staying near Copenhagen Central Station (København H), Tivoli or Vesterbro. A taxi is quick, but considerably more expensive than public transport.

Copenhagen airport to the city centre: the options

Times: metro to Nørreport and train to Central Station according to Visit Copenhagen, the city's tourism organisation; taxi as pure driving time to the City Hall Square based on OpenStreetMap, without traffic; taxi fare as estimated by Visit Copenhagen (as of October 2026).

Metro M2: around the clock into the centre

The metro station Københavns Lufthavn is at the end of Terminal 3. Line M2 runs from there across Amager to Christianshavn, Kongens Nytorv (for Nyhavn and Strøget), Nørreport and on to Frederiksberg and Vanløse. According to Visit Copenhagen, the ride to Nørreport takes about 15 minutes; the metro operator speaks of 14 minutes to the centre.

• Frequency: according to Metroselskabet, about every 2 minutes at rush hour and every 3 minutes during the day, in the evening and at weekends. Between 1:00 and 7:00 trains run about every 20 minutes on weeknights and every 8 minutes on Friday and Saturday nights.
• Changes: at Kongens Nytorv to the city circle lines M3 and M4, at Nørreport to the S-trains.
• Luggage: the metro is driverless and has step-free access. In October 2026, the metro operator reported the lift at Kongens Nytorv out of service – with heavy bags, Nørreport may be the easier stop.

The train: to Central Station

Trains leave from Terminal 3, tracks 1 and 2, and reach Copenhagen Central Station in about 15 minutes, according to Visit Copenhagen. Make sure you board a train towards Copenhagen: trains in the other direction go across the Øresund Bridge to Malmö in Sweden. Central Station is right next to Tivoli and the City Hall Square, and the city circle metro M3 stops there too.

Tickets: one ticket for metro, train and bus

Metro, trains and buses in Copenhagen share one zone system, so the same ticket works on all of them. According to Visit Copenhagen, a single ticket between the airport and the city centre costs DKK 30 (as of October 2026).

• Buying: in the Rejsebillet app, at the ticket machines in Terminal 3 and in metro stations, or at the DSB ticket office in Terminal 3.
• Copenhagen Card: the Copenhagen Card Discover includes the trip between the airport and the city by metro, train and bus; the Copenhagen Card HOP does not.
• Check-in: there are no ticket barriers, but inspectors check tickets regularly. Buy your ticket before you board.

Taxi and transfer

Taxis wait directly outside Terminal 3. Without traffic the ride to the City Hall Square takes about 13 minutes (9 km). Visit Copenhagen estimates the fare at roughly DKK 250 to 400; some companies charge an extra fee from the airport. Tips are included, and you can usually pay by card.

Because the metro is so fast, a pre-booked transfer rarely pays off in Copenhagen – except with small children who need car seats, a lot of luggage or a group arriving late. Airport transfers^* can be booked with Kiwitaxi, with the price fixed in advance. Our article on when an airport transfer pays off compares the options for ten airports.

Which option suits whom?

• Hotel near Nyhavn, Kongens Nytorv, Christianshavn or Nørreport: the metro M2.
• Hotel near Central Station, Tivoli or Vesterbro: the train to København H.
• Night arrival: the metro, which runs around the clock.
• Small children, lots of luggage, group: a taxi or a pre-booked transfer.

If you come from outside the EU, for example from the UK, set up mobile data before you land so you can buy the ticket in the app straight away – a travel eSIM for Denmark^* (Airalo) is usually cheaper than roaming; our eSIM price index compares the prices per gigabyte.

On the day you leave

The metro M2 runs to the airport from Nørreport, Kongens Nytorv and Christianshavn around the clock; trains leave from Central Station. Because the ride is so short, the airport is easy to reach even after a last morning in town. If you have already checked out, you can use luggage storage in the centre^* (Radical Storage).

How long to stay and what to see is in our article how many days in Copenhagen.

Copenhagen trip planDay by day, with map and tips

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