# Getting from Copenhagen airport into the city

The M2 metro is the way into Copenhagen: a train every few minutes from the station beside Terminal 3, 12 to 15 minutes to Kongens Nytorv, by Nyhavn, and it runs all night. One DKK 30 ticket covers the ride, and the same ticket works on the train to Central Station.

- Web page: https://copenhagenlayover.com/getting-to-the-city/
- Guide: [Copenhagen Layover](https://copenhagenlayover.com/), an independent layover guide to Copenhagen Airport (CPH), part of City Layover
- Updated 10 November 2026; facts checked 8 November 2026

## What's the best way from Copenhagen airport into the city?

For most layovers, take the M2 metro from Terminal 3 towards Vanløse: a train every few minutes, 12 to 15 minutes to Kongens Nytorv, and it runs all night. Buy a 3-zone single, DKK 30, at the machine before you board, and another for the way back. Allow about an hour from landing to the metro, and leave town 2 hours before your flight.

## At a glance

- **Metro M2**: 12 to 15 min to Kongens Nytorv, DKK 30
- **DSB train**: About 15 min to Central Station, same ticket
- **Taxi**: About DKK 250 to 400, about 20 to 25 min
- **Ticket**: 3-zone single, DKK 30, valid 90 minutes
- **Last ride back**: None needed: the metro runs all night
- **Left luggage**: Lockers by the metro, up to DKK 100 a day

## Getting through the border

Before the metro, you clear passport control if you've flown in from outside the Schengen area; from a Schengen country you walk straight out. Copenhagen Airport (CPH) doesn't publish queue times, so plan on about an hour from landing to sitting on the metro.

- **The kiosk, then the desk.** Visitors from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland now register at a self-service kiosk before passport control, entering details such as the purpose of their visit and where they're staying, then see an officer. It's new and can slow the queue.
- **EU, EEA and Swiss citizens** aged 18 or over with an electronic passport can use the self-service passport gates.
- **Bags.** On one ticket they go through to your next flight. On separate tickets you collect them after passport control; the lockers by the metro are below.
- **A long wait** shortens your time in town but never your margin for the flight: you still leave town at the same time.
- **A short walk.** From the baggage hall to the metro or the train is only 150 to 250 metres, all step-free.

Who needs a visa to leave: [visa and transit rules](https://copenhagenlayover.com/visa-and-transit/).

## The options at a glance

| | Metro M2 | DSB train | Taxi |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| To | Christianshavn, Kongens Nytorv, Nørreport | Central Station (København H) | Anywhere |
| Time | 12 to 15 minutes | About 15 minutes | About 20 to 25 minutes |
| Single fare | DKK 30 | DKK 30, the same ticket | About DKK 250 to 400 |
| Pay with | Card or coins at the machine, or the Rejsebillet app | The same | Usually a card |

The taxi's time is our estimate.

## Metro M2: the best option for most layovers

- **Finding it.** The metro station adjoins Terminal 3: follow the signs from arrivals. Take the yellow M2 line towards Vanløse. The airport is the end of the line, so every train from it goes into town.
- **The ride.** 12 to 15 minutes to **Christianshavn**, **Kongens Nytorv** and **Nørreport**, the stops for every plan on our [itineraries](https://copenhagenlayover.com/itineraries/) but one. Nyhavn is a short walk from Kongens Nytorv.
- **How often.** About every 3 minutes by day and in the evening, and every 2 minutes at the rush hours, 7am to 9am and 2pm to 6pm. From 1am to 7am, about every 8 minutes on Friday and Saturday nights and every 20 minutes on other nights.
- **Tickets.** Don't worry about zones: the ticket you want is the 3-zone single, DKK 30, which covers the ride between the airport and the centre and is valid for 90 minutes on the metro, trains and buses. Buy it before you board, at the machines in the metro station, which take cards and coins but not notes, at the DSB ticket office in Terminal 3, or in the Rejsebillet app. There are no barriers, but inspectors check. Buy a second single for the way back: a 1-day City Pass Small costs DKK 100, so it pays only if you'll make four or more trips.
- **No last train.** The metro runs around the clock, every day of the year, so there's no first train to wait for and no last train to catch. The exception is planned engineering works, which sometimes put buses in place of trains between the airport and Vanløse for a night, from about midnight to 5:30am. If you'll be heading back late, check the metro's status page or Rejseplanen, the journey planner, on the day, and allow longer if the buses are running.

## DSB train: straight to Central Station

Trains to Copenhagen Central Station (København H) leave from tracks 1 and 2 at Terminal 3 and take about 15 minutes. The station is next to Tivoli Gardens and a short walk from the Glyptotek, so the train is the better ride for those two, and for our [Glyptotek plan](https://copenhagenlayover.com/itineraries/).

- **Tickets.** The same DKK 30 ticket as the metro, from the same machines, the DSB ticket office or the app. You can't buy one on board, and riding without one risks a fine.
- **How often.** Less often than the metro, though trains run through the night too. Check the departure screens in Terminal 3 or Rejseplanen for the next one, and allow about 10 minutes more than the metro on the way back.
- **Everywhere else**, the metro is quicker and more frequent, so take it.

## Taxis and pre-booked cars

- **Taxis** wait directly outside Terminal 3. The fare includes the tip, you can usually pay by card, and some taxi companies add a fee for trips from the airport. Expect about DKK 250 to 400 to the centre, and about 20 to 25 minutes on our estimate, more in traffic.
- **Pre-booked transfers** give you a fixed price and a driver waiting in arrivals.
- **When a car is worth it.** With heavy bags, young children or a group splitting the fare. Otherwise the metro is quicker into the centre, never stops for the night and costs DKK 30.

## Storing bags

- **At the airport.** Self-service lockers on the first floor of car park P7A, beneath the Clarion Hotel and next to the metro and Terminal 3, and on the ground floor of car park P4, in the Kiss & Fly area opposite the Terminal 2 entrance. They're open 24 hours, you pay by card at the terminal or by scanning the locker's QR code, and you can't book ahead. Prices, seen November 2026:

| Locker | Size (cm) | Per hour | Most for a day |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Small | 28 x 50.5 x 60.2 | DKK 50 | DKK 100 |
| Large | 43 x 50.5 x 60.2 | DKK 80 | DKK 150 |
| Checked-bag size | 34 x 55 x 83.7 | DKK 100 | DKK 200 |

- **At Central Station.** DSB's baggage centre is open Monday to Saturday 5:30am to 1am, and Sundays and holidays 6am to 1am. Lockers cost DKK 70 small or DKK 90 large, and staffed storage DKK 75 or DKK 95, for each 24 hours or part of it.
- **Rosenborg Castle** lets in no backpacks or suitcases, so leave them at the airport for that plan.

## Timing your return

Be back at Copenhagen Airport 90 minutes before departure, with your onward boarding pass. On a connection you're normally checked in already and your bag has gone ahead, so the 90 minutes only has to cover security, the walk to the gate and, for a flight outside Schengen, passport control near the C gates. Copenhagen's own advice of 3 hours before such a flight is meant for passengers who still have to check in; if that's you, come back earlier.

So the time that matters in town is when you step onto the platform: 2 hours before your flight at Kongens Nytorv, Nørreport or Christianshavn, or 2 hours 10 minutes before at Central Station.

| Layover | Time in town |
| --- | --- |
| 4.5 hours | About 1 hour |
| 5 hours | About 1.5 hours |
| 6 hours | About 2.5 hours |
| 8 hours | About 4.5 hours |
| 10 hours | About 6.5 hours |
| 12 hours | About 8.5 hours |

These times assume about an hour from landing to the metro, 25 minutes into Kongens Nytorv with the wait for a train, 30 minutes back to the terminal and 90 minutes at the airport, as in [the itineraries](https://copenhagenlayover.com/itineraries/).

## Questions people ask

### Metro or train from Copenhagen airport: which is better?

The metro, for most layovers. Both take about 15 minutes and use the same DKK 30 ticket, but the metro comes every few minutes, runs all night and stops at Christianshavn, Kongens Nytorv and Nørreport, close to Nyhavn and the old centre. Take the train only for Central Station, Tivoli or the Glyptotek.

### How long does it take to get out of Copenhagen airport after landing?

Allow about an hour from landing to the metro if you've flown in from outside the Schengen area. The airport doesn't publish queue times, and visitors from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland register at a self-service kiosk before the passport desk. From a Schengen country you walk straight out. The metro is only 150 to 250 metres from the baggage hall.

### How do I pay for the metro from Copenhagen airport?

Buy a 3-zone single, DKK 30, at the machines in the metro station before you board: they take cards and coins, but not notes. You can also buy it in the Rejsebillet app or at the DSB ticket office in Terminal 3. There are no barriers, but inspectors check. The ticket is valid for 90 minutes on the metro, trains and buses.

### How much is a taxi from Copenhagen airport to the city?

About DKK 250 to 400, and about 20 to 25 minutes on our estimate, depending on traffic. Taxis wait directly outside Terminal 3, the fare includes the tip, and you can usually pay by card. On your own, the metro is quicker to the centre and costs DKK 30.

### How early should I be back at Copenhagen airport?

90 minutes before departure, with your onward boarding pass. Leave Kongens Nytorv, Nørreport or Christianshavn 2 hours before your flight, or Central Station 2 hours 10 minutes before. The airport's advice to arrive 3 hours before a flight outside Schengen is for passengers checking in; if you have a bag to drop, allow longer.

## Sources (checked 8 November 2026)

- [Copenhagen Airport: passport control (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.cph.dk/en/practical/passport-control)
- [Copenhagen Airport: new EU border rules for non-Schengen passengers, EES (news, October 2025)](https://www.cph.dk/en/about-cph/press/news/2025/10/new%20eu%20rules%20change%20border%20control%20for%20non-schengen%20passengers)
- [Metroselskabet: Metro and train from the airport, 24-hour service and tickets (checked 10 Nov 2026)](https://m.dk/en/travel-with-the-metro/city-express-the-easiest-ways-to-travel/)
- [Metroselskabet: M2 Vanløse to Copenhagen Airport, frequency and zones (checked 10 Nov 2026)](https://m.dk/en/routes-and-timetables/vanloese-koebenhavns-lufthavn/)
- [Metroselskabet: planned changes and works (checked 10 Nov 2026)](https://m.dk/en/operation-and-service/status-and-planned-changes/)
- [Copenhagen Airport: the Metro (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.cph.dk/en/parking-transport/bus-train-metro-taxi/metro)
- [Copenhagen Airport: the train (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.cph.dk/en/parking-transport/bus-train-metro-taxi/train)
- [DSB: 2026 timetable, Zealand regional trains (PDF, 14 Dec 2025 to 12 Dec 2026, checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.dsb.dk/globalassets/pdf/koereplaner/regionaltog/k26/dsb-k26--sjaelland-.pdf)
- [Visit Copenhagen: Copenhagen Airport to the city centre (checked 9 Nov 2026)](https://www.visitcopenhagen.com/copenhagen/planning/transportation/travel-to-and-from-copenhagen-airport)
- [Din Offentlige Transport: 2026 fares, single tickets and City Pass (PDF, checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://dinoffentligetransport.dk/media/wlfdfnbo/dot-takstblad-2026-a.pdf)
- [Din Offentlige Transport: single tickets, 2 to 8 zones (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://dinoffentligetransport.dk/en/find-tickets/single-tickets/single-tickets-2-8-zones)
- [Din Offentlige Transport: City Pass (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://dinoffentligetransport.dk/en/find-tickets/day-tickets/city-pass)
- [Copenhagen Airport: taxis (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.cph.dk/en/parking-transport/bus-train-metro-taxi/taxi)
- [DSB: baggage centre at Copenhagen Central Station (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.dsb.dk/find-produkter-og-services/bagagecenter/)
- [Copenhagen Airport: baggage deposit and lockers (checked 9 Nov 2026)](https://www.cph.dk/en/practical/baggage/baggage-deposit)
- [Copenhagen Airport: gate information and boarding (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.cph.dk/en/practical/gate-information-and-boarding)