Two rail options from the same airport station
Copenhagen Airport's train and metro station sits beneath the terminal, giving you two distinct rail options without needing a bus at all. The Metro's M2 line runs into central Copenhagen with a number of intermediate stops, serving the city center directly. Separately, DSB (Danish State Railways) and Öresundståg regional/InterCity trains also call at the airport, generally running fewer stops and covering longer distances, including onward travel into Sweden. Which one suits you better depends on your exact destination: the Metro is usually the better choice for a stop within central Copenhagen itself, while the regional train can be faster if you're heading somewhere it serves more directly, or if you're continuing beyond the city.
This guide could not confirm current journey times or departure frequency for either service from an official schedule source at time of writing, so check DOT's fares and journey information or DSB's own journey planner for exact timing on the day.
Both services depart from platforms reached directly from the arrivals area by a short, clearly signed walk, so there's no need to leave the terminal building or find a separate shuttle stop outside — a genuine convenience compared to airports where the rail or metro station sits some distance from the gates.
Paying: Rejsekort, apps, and cards
Rejsekort is the standard electronic travel card across Danish public transport, working on a tap-in, tap-out basis that calculates your fare by distance traveled rather than a flat per-zone charge. Per DOT's own fare page, single tickets bought through the Rejsebillet app or at a machine run from DKK 24 (2 zones) up to DKK 60 (8 zones), and a Rejsekort pay-as-you-go fare starts at DKK 22 for 2 zones, with a 20% discount available off-peak. It is one option among several rather than a strict requirement — mobile ticketing apps are also widely used, and this guide could not confirm current contactless bank card acceptance across every relevant service, so check the specific requirements for the Metro versus the regional train before you travel, since ticketing systems for the two can differ in practice even though both are coordinated under the same regional transport framework.
Bus and taxi
A bus network also connects the airport to parts of Copenhagen not directly served by the Metro or rail stop, and a taxi rank operates outside the terminal for a door-to-door option. This guide could not confirm current specific bus route numbers, fares, or typical taxi costs from an official source, so check Copenhagen Airport's own transport information or a licensed taxi operator's current rates directly rather than relying on an unverified figure here.
Compare by what matters to you
| Option | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Metro (M2) | Destinations in central Copenhagen, frequent service | More stops than the regional train for longer trips |
| Regional/InterCity train | Longer distances, continuing toward Malmö | Fewer stops within the city itself |
| Bus | Destinations away from Metro or rail stops | Journey time depends on road traffic |
| Taxi | Heavy luggage, groups, door-to-door | Highest cost of the options here |
The Øresund crossing to Malmö
The Øresund Bridge and tunnel crossing connects Denmark and Sweden by both road and rail, and the regional Öresundståg trains that call at Copenhagen Airport are part of the same cross-border network that continues to Malmö and other southern Swedish cities. For a visitor, this means a day trip to Malmö from Copenhagen — or from the airport directly, without first going into the city — is realistically a single-train journey on many services rather than a multi-leg trip requiring a change at the border.
Ticketing for a cross-border journey works differently from a purely domestic Danish trip, since it crosses into Skånetrafiken's Swedish regional transport area at the other end. Confirm current cross-border fares and ticket types directly with DOT, DSB or Skånetrafiken, since a Danish Rejsekort and a Swedish regional ticket are not automatically the same product, and this guide could not verify current interoperability details from an official source.
Before you leave the arrivals hall
Decide whether your destination is better served by the Metro or the regional train before heading down to the platforms, since both depart from the same underground station but serve different stopping patterns. This guide does not cover Copenhagen Airport's separate long-haul international connections, ferry links from Denmark to Norway or Germany, or detailed current Rejsekort pricing tables, all of which are worth checking directly with the relevant operator closer to your travel date.