# Copenhagen layover guide Copenhagen's metro runs from Terminal 3 to the city centre in 12 to 15 minutes, all day and all night, so 4.5 hours is enough for an hour by Nyhavn's harbour, and 8 hours leaves time for a museum or a castle. US, UK, EU, Canadian and Australian passports need no visa to leave. There are no rooms past security, but you can stay in the terminal overnight with your boarding pass. - Web page: https://copenhagenlayover.com/ - 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 ## Can you leave Copenhagen airport on a layover? Yes, if your passport lets you into Denmark and you have about 4.5 hours. US, UK, EU, Canadian and Australian passports need no visa; Indian passports need a Schengen visa. The metro takes 12 to 15 minutes to Kongens Nytorv, by Nyhavn, and runs all night, so 4.5 hours gives you about an hour in town and 8 hours about 4.5. Be back at the airport 90 minutes before departure. ## Every layover length - **Under 4.5 hours** (Stay at the airport): Stay at the airport: you'd have less than an hour in town. The terminals stay open all night for anyone with an onward boarding pass, and the paid lounges cost DKK 229 to 349. - **4.5 to 5.5 hours** (Possible but tight): About 1 to 2 hours in town: enough for Nyhavn's harbour and Strøget, a short walk from the metro. With 5 hours, add a climb up the Round Tower or the Church of Our Saviour's tower. - **5.5 to 8 hours** (Go into Copenhagen): About 2 to 4.5 hours in town: time for a museum or Rosenborg Castle as well as a walk. Most museums are closed on Mondays, when the towers and the food halls are the plan. - **8 to 24 hours** (Go into Copenhagen): 4.5 hours or more in town: a museum and the harbour in one trip. Landing late at night? Rest at the airport and be up the Church of Our Saviour's tower when it opens at 9am, from about 13 hours. - **Over 24 hours** (Go into Copenhagen): Time for a night in the city and a full day of sightseeing. SAS doesn't advertise a stopover deal or free hotel here, so book your own room, in town or beside Terminal 3. **Landing late at night:** The M2 metro runs all night. If you’d reach Copenhagen between midnight and 5am, the verdict is to sleep near the airport. ## Time in town Worked out with this guide’s allowances: about an hour from landing to a metro, the ride each way, and back at Copenhagen 90 minutes before departure. | Layover | In town, about | On the plan | | --- | --- | --- | | 4.5 hours | 1 hour | Nyhavn and Strøget | | 5 hours | 1.5 hours | Nyhavn and Strøget | | 6 hours | 2.5 hours | Nyhavn and Strøget | | 8 hours | 4.5 hours | Nyhavn and Strøget | | 10 hours | 6.5 hours | Nyhavn and Strøget | | 12 hours | 8.5 hours | Nyhavn and Strøget | ## Layover plans Every plan on the overview, in the order it lists them. On the web page each plan's route is timed from your layover length and landing time. ### Nyhavn and Strøget - **Hint**: Free sights, open every day - **Layover**: 4.5 hours or more - **Cost**: € - **Ride**: M2, about 25 minutes there; leave town 2 hours before your flight 1. **Nyhavn** 2. **Strøget, towards Højbro Plads** 3. **Kongens Nytorv metro station** ### Christianshavn and the Church of Our Saviour tower - **Hint**: Best view, tower open 9am to 8pm - **Layover**: 5 hours or more - **Cost**: € - **Ride**: M2, about 25 minutes there; leave town 2 hours before your flight 1. **Church of Our Saviour tower, Christianshavn**: The tower shuts in rain, snow or strong wind, and all of January. 2. **Christianshavn metro station** ### Torvehallerne and the Round Tower - **Hint**: Food stop, open every day from 10am - **Layover**: 5 hours or more - **Cost**: € - **Ride**: M2, about 25 minutes there; leave town 2 hours before your flight 1. **Torvehallerne, the food halls** 2. **The Round Tower**: On Monday and Tuesday evenings until March, from 6pm to 9pm, you can look through the observatory's telescope if the sky is clear. 3. **Kongens Nytorv metro station** ### The Design Museum and Amalienborg - **Hint**: Design, open Tuesday to Sunday - **Layover**: 5.5 hours or more · Tue to Sun - **Cost**: €€ - **Ride**: M2, about 25 minutes there; leave town 2 hours before your flight 1. **Designmuseum Danmark** 2. **Amalienborg Palace square** 3. **Kongens Nytorv metro station** ### The Glyptotek, by train - **Hint**: Indoors, open late on Thursdays - **Layover**: 5.5 hours or more · Tue to Sun - **Cost**: €€ - **Ride**: DSB train, about 25 minutes there; leave town 2 hours 10 minutes before your flight 1. **Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek** 2. **København H station** ### Christiansborg's tower and the National Museum - **Hint**: Free tower, museum free for under-18s - **Layover**: 6 hours or more · Tue to Sun - **Cost**: €€ - **Ride**: M2, about 25 minutes there; leave town 2 hours before your flight 1. **Christiansborg tower** 2. **National Museum of Denmark** 3. **Kongens Nytorv metro station** ### Rosenborg Castle and the Round Tower - **Hint**: A castle, open Tuesday to Sunday to 4pm - **Layover**: 6 hours or more · Tue to Sun - **Cost**: €€ - **Ride**: M2, about 25 minutes there; leave town 2 hours before your flight 1. **Rosenborg Castle**: No suitcases or backpacks inside. Tickets are for timed slots: DKK 140 online, DKK 150 at the door. 2. **The Round Tower** 3. **Nørreport metro station** ### The Church of Our Saviour tower at opening - **Hint**: For night arrivals, tower from 9am - **Layover**: 13 hours or more · overnight - **Cost**: € - **Night**: rest near the airport, then head in for the morning - **Ride**: M2, about 25 minutes there; leave town 2 hours before your flight 1. **Church of Our Saviour tower, Christianshavn** 2. **Christianshavn metro station** ### Stay in the terminal overnight - **Hint**: Free, open 24 hours with a boarding pass - **Where**: Landside · needs Denmark entry - **Terminals 2 and 3, open 24 hours** ### Lounges you can pay for - **Hint**: From DKK 229, all closed at night - **Where**: Landside · needs Denmark entry · 5am to 10:30pm - **Cost**: €€ - **SAS Lounge (SAS and SkyTeam flights)** - **Aspire Lounge** - **Pearl Lounge (flights outside Schengen)** - **Carlsberg Aviator Lounge** - **Danske Bank Aviator Business Lounge** ### Hotels at Terminal 3 - **Hint**: Landside rooms beside the metro - **Where**: Landside · needs Denmark entry - **Clarion Hotel Copenhagen Airport, steps from Terminal 3** - **Comfort Hotel Copenhagen Airport, near Terminal 3 and the metro** ## At a glance - **Airport**: Copenhagen Airport (CPH), Kastrup - **Metro M2 to Kongens Nytorv**: 12 to 15 min, DKK 30 - **Last ride back**: None needed: the metro runs all night - **Minimum to leave**: About 4.5 hours - **Be back**: 90 minutes before departure, boarding pass in hand - **Sleep at the airport**: In the terminal with a boarding pass, or a Terminal 3 hotel - **Currency**: Danish krone (DKK), not the euro - **Don't forget**: Buy a ticket before you board; museums shut Mondays ## Arrivals A Copenhagen layover is worth leaving the airport for from about 4.5 hours, because the city centre is only 12 to 15 minutes away by metro. Copenhagen Airport (CPH) is at Kastrup, about 8 kilometres from the city centre, and the metro and the train both leave from Terminal 3, a short walk from the baggage hall. - **Bags.** On one ticket, checked bags normally go straight through to your next flight, so you carry only your hand luggage. On separate tickets you collect them after passport control. Self-service lockers on the first floor of car park P7A, under the Clarion Hotel and next to the metro, cost DKK 50 an hour for a small bag, up to DKK 100 a day, and open around the clock. Rosenborg Castle lets in no suitcases or backpacks, so leave them there. - **Tickets.** Buy one before you board: there are no ticket barriers, but inspectors check, and riding without one means a fine. The ticket you want is a 3-zone single, DKK 30, valid for 90 minutes on the metro, the train and buses alike. The machines at the metro station take cards and coins but not notes, or buy in the Rejsebillet app. Buy another for the ride back. - **Money.** Denmark uses the Danish krone (DKK), not the euro, and cards are taken almost everywhere, from cafés to the ticket machines. Tipping is optional. - **Phone.** The airport's Wi-Fi is free, with no password, before and after security. A Denmark eSIM set up before you fly keeps maps working in town. Left luggage, lounges and rooms: [at the airport](https://copenhagenlayover.com/airport/). ## Border Whether you can leave depends on your passport, and you'll meet passport control if you've flown in from outside Europe's Schengen area. - **Where you've flown from.** Denmark belongs to Schengen, the group of European countries with no border checks between them. Arriving from London, New York or Dubai, you queue for passport control at Copenhagen. Arriving from Oslo, Paris or Berlin, you walk out like a domestic passenger, and meet passport control only on your way back, if your next flight leaves Schengen. - **Visa-free passports.** US, UK, Canadian and Australian passports need no visa for a short stay, and EU, EEA and Swiss citizens need only their passport or ID card. Your passport must be valid for 3 months after you leave the Schengen area and have been issued within the last 10 years. - **India and other visa passports.** You need a Schengen short-stay visa to leave the airport, applied for before you fly. - **Changing planes without leaving.** Plan on meeting passport control at Copenhagen. The airport sends passengers flying from or to outside Schengen through it and doesn't describe a way round it for connections, so if your passport needs a visa for Denmark, ask your airline whether your connection needs one too. Nationals of 13 countries, including Pakistan and Nigeria, need an airport transit visa even to change planes. - **Time.** Allow about an hour from landing to the metro. Visitors from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland now register at a self-service kiosk before the passport desk, entering details such as the purpose of their visit, which can slow the queue. If it's slow, you lose sightseeing time, not your flight, because your leave-by time in town doesn't move. Who needs which visa: [visa and transit rules](https://copenhagenlayover.com/visa-and-transit/). ## Into Copenhagen The M2 metro is the way in: a train every few minutes from Terminal 3, 12 to 15 minutes to the centre, all day and all night. | Ride | Into town | Fare | | --- | --- | --- | | Metro M2 to Kongens Nytorv, the best for most | 12 to 15 minutes | DKK 30 | | DSB train to Central Station (København H) | About 15 minutes | DKK 30, the same ticket | | Taxi | About 20 to 25 minutes | About DKK 250 to 400 | Follow the signs to the metro station, which adjoins Terminal 3, and take the yellow M2 line towards Vanløse. Christianshavn, Kongens Nytorv and Nørreport, the three stops for every plan except one, are all 12 to 15 minutes away. The metro runs all night, every night, so there's no first train to wait for and no last train to catch. Tickets, the train and taxis: [getting into the city](https://copenhagenlayover.com/getting-to-the-city/). ## What to do Start at Kongens Nytorv: Nyhavn's harbour is a short walk away, and Strøget, the Round Tower and Rosenborg Castle are all near the metro. ### The fastest plan for a short layover 1. Take the M2 towards Vanløse to **Kongens Nytorv**, 12 to 15 minutes from the airport. 2. Walk a few minutes to **Nyhavn**, the canal harbour lined with coloured townhouses and old wooden boats. It's outdoors and open at all hours. 3. Walk back across Kongens Nytorv onto **Strøget**, the long pedestrian shopping street, towards Højbro Plads. 4. Leave Kongens Nytorv 2 hours before your flight. Would you rather have a guide? Tours of Copenhagen start in town, not at the airport, so check where yours begins and add about 3.5 hours to its length for getting out of the airport, the metro both ways and your 90 minutes before the flight. GetYourGuide and Viator list walking, bike and canal tours. ### Watch the calendar - **Mondays.** The National Museum, the Glyptotek, the Design Museum and Rosenborg Castle are all closed. Nyhavn, Strøget, the Round Tower, the Church of Our Saviour's tower and the Torvehallerne food halls stay open. - **Sundays.** Shops on Strøget open later and close early, most often from noon to 4pm. The museums and towers keep their usual hours. - **Christmas season.** Tivoli Gardens, next to Central Station, holds its Christmas season from 13 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, and the Christmas market on Højbro Plads, at the end of Strøget, runs from 14 November to 20 December. Tivoli's ticket prices and each day's hours are on its own website. - **Christmas and New Year.** On 24 and 25 December most sights close, including Rosenborg, Christiansborg, the National Museum, the Round Tower, Torvehallerne and the Church of Our Saviour's tower; Torvehallerne stays shut on the 26th, and the Glyptotek from 23 to 26 December. On 1 January the Round Tower, Torvehallerne and the Glyptotek close again. The Design Museum opens on all these holidays. The metro runs every day of the year. - **January and bad weather.** The Church of Our Saviour's tower is closed all of January, and it shuts on days of rain, snow or strong wind. On a wet day, pick a museum. Timed plans from 4.5 to 24 hours, including museums, a castle and a plan for night arrivals: [itineraries](https://copenhagenlayover.com/itineraries/). ## Head back Be back at Copenhagen Airport 90 minutes before departure, with your onward boarding pass. - **Time.** Leave Kongens Nytorv, Nørreport or Christianshavn 2 hours before your flight: that covers the wait for a train, the 12 to 15-minute ride, the walk through Terminal 3 and 90 minutes at the airport. From Central Station by train, leave 2 hours 10 minutes before. That makes **4.5 hours** the realistic minimum: about an hour in town, and 8 hours gives about 4.5. - **Why 90 minutes is enough.** With your boarding pass already issued and no bag to drop, you need only security and, if your flight leaves Schengen, passport control on the way to the gate, the main one near the C gates. The airport's advice to arrive 3 hours before a flight outside Schengen is for passengers who are checking in. If you still need to check in or drop a bag, allow longer. - **Late at night.** You don't need to watch the clock for a last train: the metro runs all night, about every 8 minutes on Friday and Saturday nights and every 20 minutes on other nights between 1am and 7am. Engineering works sometimes put buses in place of trains overnight, which adds time, so check the metro's website on the day if you'll be out late. A taxi from the centre costs about DKK 250 to 400. Time in town at each layover length: [how much time you'll have](https://copenhagenlayover.com/getting-to-the-city/#timing-your-return). ## Departures Staying at the airport instead: the terminals stay open all night, but there are no rooms past security. - **The terminal.** Terminals 2 and 3 are open 24 hours, and you may stay overnight as long as you can show a valid boarding pass if staff check. It's free. - **Lounges.** Five lounges sell entry, from DKK 229 for up to 3 hours at the Carlsberg Aviator Lounge to DKK 349 at the SAS Lounge, which has showers. The latest closes at about 10:30pm, so none is a place to spend the night. - **Hotels.** The Clarion Hotel and the Comfort Hotel stand beside Terminal 3 and the metro, before passport control, so you need to be able to enter Denmark to use them. Neither publishes a daytime rate, so for a few hours' rest ask the hotel, or book the night. - **No airline hotel.** SAS, the main airline here, doesn't advertise a free transit hotel or stopover deal at Copenhagen. Rooms, lounges, showers and left luggage: [at the airport](https://copenhagenlayover.com/airport/). ## Questions people ask ### Can I leave Copenhagen airport during a layover? Yes, if your passport lets you into Denmark and you have about 4.5 hours. US, UK, EU, Canadian and Australian passports need no visa; Indian passports need a Schengen visa, arranged before you fly. Keep your onward boarding pass with you, and be back at the airport 90 minutes before departure. ### How long a layover do I need to see Copenhagen? About 4.5 hours. Allow an hour to get off the plane, through passport control and onto the metro, about 25 minutes into town with the wait for a train, 30 minutes back and 90 minutes at the airport before your flight. That leaves about an hour for Nyhavn and Strøget. An 8-hour layover gives you about 4.5 hours in town. ### Is the Copenhagen metro open all night? Yes. The M2 runs between the airport and the city all day and all night, every day of the year, so there's no last train to catch. Between 1am and 7am trains come about every 8 minutes on Friday and Saturday nights and every 20 minutes on other nights. Engineering works sometimes put buses in place of trains at night, so check the metro's website on the day if you'll be out late. ### Can I sleep at Copenhagen airport? Yes. Terminals 2 and 3 are open all night, and the airport lets you stay overnight as long as you can show a valid boarding pass if staff ask. There are no hotel rooms or sleeping pods past security, and the paid lounges all close by 10:30pm. For a bed, the Clarion and Comfort hotels are beside Terminal 3, before passport control. ### Is there a free hotel or transit tour at Copenhagen airport? No. SAS, the main airline at Copenhagen, doesn't advertise a free transit hotel, stopover deal or transit tour here. With the metro 12 to 15 minutes from the centre, the city is easy to see on your own, and most guided tours of Copenhagen start in town. ### Do Indian passport holders need a visa to leave Copenhagen airport? Yes, a Schengen short-stay visa, applied for before you fly. India isn't on Denmark's list of nationalities that need an airport transit visa, but the airport sends passengers flying to or from outside Schengen through passport control, so ask your airline whether your connection needs a visa even if you stay in the airport. ## Sources (checked 8 November 2026) - [Copenhagen Airport: transfers, passport control and staying overnight (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.cph.dk/en/flight-information/transfer) - [Copenhagen Airport: passport control (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.cph.dk/en/practical/passport-control) - [Copenhagen Airport: gate information and boarding (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.cph.dk/en/practical/gate-information-and-boarding) - [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) - [Danish Immigration Service: overview of travel documents and visa requirements (PDF, checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://nyidanmark.dk/-/media/Files/US/Visum/Diverse-filer/Overview-of-travel-documents-visa-requirements-and-border-crossing-points180625.pdf) - [Danish Immigration Service: visa-free visits, 90 days in 180 and passport validity (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.nyidanmark.dk/pl-PL/You-want-to-apply/Short-stay-visa/Visa-free-visits) - [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) - [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) - [Copenhagen Airport customer service: when the airport is open (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.customerservice.cph.dk/s/article/Hvorn%C3%A5r-%C3%A5bner-lufthavnen) - [Copenhagen Airport: baggage deposit and lockers (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.cph.dk/en/practical/baggage/baggage-deposit) - [Copenhagen Airport: hotels (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.cph.dk/en/hotels) - [Copenhagen Airport: lounges and workspaces (checked 9 Nov 2026)](https://www.cph.dk/en/practical/workspaces-and-lounges) - [Copenhagen Airport: SAS Lounge (checked 9 Nov 2026)](https://www.cph.dk/en/practical/workspaces-and-lounges/sas-lounge) - [Copenhagen Airport: Carlsberg Aviator Lounge (checked 9 Nov 2026)](https://www.cph.dk/en/practical/workspaces-and-lounges/carlsberg-aviator-lounge) - [Copenhagen Airport: free Wi-Fi (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.cph.dk/en/wi-fi) - [Copenhagen Airport: taxis (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.cph.dk/en/parking-transport/bus-train-metro-taxi/taxi) - [SAS: connecting flights (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.flysas.com/en/travel-info/at-the-airport/connecting-flights) - [Visit Copenhagen: need-to-know information, currency and opening hours (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.visitcopenhagen.com/copenhagen/planning/travel-info/basic-need-to-know-information) - [National Museum of Denmark: opening hours (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://nationalmuseet.dk/en/page/opening-hours) - [Designmuseum Danmark: opening hours and admission (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://designmuseum.dk/en/besog-os/opening-hours-admission-2/) - [Tivoli Gardens: opening hours and seasons, Christmas season (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.tivoli.dk/en/opening-hours-and-seasons) - [Visit Copenhagen: Christmas market on Højbro Plads (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.visitcopenhagen.com/copenhagen/planning/christmas-market-on-hojbro-plads-gdk714628) - [Danmarks Nationalbank: bank holidays (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.nationalbanken.dk/en/what-we-do/stable-prices-monetary-policy-and-the-danish-economy/bank-holidays) - [Visit Copenhagen: travel to and from Copenhagen Airport (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.visitcopenhagen.com/copenhagen/planning/transportation/travel-to-and-from-copenhagen-airport) - [The Royal Danish Collection: plan your visit to Rosenborg Castle, prices and bag rules (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://denkongeligesamling.dk/en/rosenborg-castle/plan-your-visit/) - [Church of Our Saviour: the tower, hours and prices (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.vorfrelserskirke.dk/english/) - [The Round Tower: opening hours and prices (checked 10 Nov 2026)](https://www.rundetaarn.dk/en/visit-us/)