The Copenhagen Metro Is Good and the S-Tog Is Complicated and the Bus Is Underrated

Three years in and I understand the Copenhagen transit system well enough to explain it to new arrivals, which I do regularly because Swedes keep moving here and asking me.

The Metro: four lines (M1–M4), clean, frequent (every two to four minutes at peak), and runs 24 hours. This last point matters — there is no last train in Copenhagen. The Metro runs all night. You can go out without planning your return around transit. This is significant.

The S-tog: the commuter rail network covering the greater Copenhagen region. More complex, less frequent than the Metro, but essential for Helsingør, Roskilde, or anywhere beyond the Metro ring. The DSB app (dsb.dk) covers journey planning in English.

The bus: underused by people who have the Metro option, but Nørrebro, Frederiksberg, and several other areas that the Metro doesn’t quite reach are well-served by bus. The 5C and 6A lines cover most of the city between them. The Rejsekort works on buses at the same rate as Metro.

One card covers all of it. The zones matter — the fare depends on how many you cross. For trips entirely within the city, you will rarely leave zone 1 and 2. Check the Rejsekort website (rejsekort.dk) for the current zone map.