BUG - Backpackers Guide to budget travel in Copenhagen, Denmark

Hovedbanegård (also called København H) - Copenhagen's central station - handles all international trains as well as regional services and local S-Trains. It is a modern well equipped station with an InterRail Centre in the basement. If you're travelling with an Interrail pass you can use the InterRail Centre's facilities which include showers, cooking facilities and travel information.

BUS

Copenhagen is well served by buses with good connections to destinations throughout Denmark with a number of competing companies offering a cheaper alternative to train travel.

Eurolines (operated by Thinggaard Rejser) operate the most extensive schedule although other companies such as Expresruten, Sally Bussen and Benns Rejser also offer bus services to other major European cities.

Most buses depart from Bernstorffsgade outside the central train station.

FERRY

Copenhagen is well connected by ferry boat lines to other Danish islands as well as international routes to Germany, Poland, Norway and Sweden.

Malmö in Sweden is only a 40 minute hydrofoil ride away with many competing companies operating this route from Havengade south of Nyhavn. An alternative route is the Dragør-Limhamn ferry which is used by bus 999 which departs from the central station for Lund via Malmö.

An alternate route to Sweden departs from Helsingør (north of Copenhagen) to Helsinborg.

There is an overnight ferry to Oslo departing daily at 5pm from Kvæsthusbroen, north of Nyhavn. You can get tickets and information from the DFDS office at 30 Sankt Annæ Plads (tel 33 42 30 00).

Ferries to Puttgarden in Germany depart from Rødbyhavn in Lolland, south of Copenhagen. Rødbyhavn is easily accessible by train with international rail services to Germany including the one-hour ferry journey in the price of the rail ticket.

The ten-hour journey to Swinoujscie in Poland runs five times a week. Tickets are available from Vindrose Passagerkontor, 12A Nordre Toldbod.

AIR

Kastrup Airport (website www.cph.dk) is situated 10km south of the centre with frequent bus and rail connections to both the city centre and Malmö, Sweden.

The cheapest options are the train to Hovedbanegården or local bus 250S to Rådhospladsen. The train takes 15 minutes while the bus, which runs every ten minutes, takes between 40 and 50 minutes.

Some flights operate from Malmö airport in Sweden. As Malmö is almost a suburb there are frequent buses and ferries between the two cities, there are buses from Malmö to Malmö airport.

HITCHHIKING

In comparision to neighbouring countries such as Germany or Poland, hitching can be a slow way to travel in Denmark.

It is illegal to hitch on motorways although there is no problem hitching from service areas or motorway entrances as long as you hitch before the on-ramp.

If you're heading north, take bus 1 from Rådhospladsen to Vibenshus Runddel and try your luck on Lyngbyvej.

If you want a lift to Funen or Germany, take the S-Train to Ellebjerg station to the south-west of the city. Note that it's illegal to hitch on this stretch of road between 3.30am and 6am.

BUG Ride (website http://europe.bugride.com) is our own web-based ride sharing service, it allows travellers to both offer lifts and search for rides throughout Europe. This is a free service which links travellers to drivers - you contact the driver by email when you have found the ride you want.