3.4.1 Denmark: Getting there and getting around
Description
This article is from the Nordic countries FAQ, by Antti Lahelma and Johan Olofsson, with numerous contributions by others.
3.4.1 Denmark: Getting there and getting around
<by Jens Chr. Madsen, except for the part on Copenhagen>
Copenhagen Airport has a large number of connections to destinations
within the Nordic Countries and the rest of the world. Numerous
ferries connect Denmark to Britain, Norway, Sweden, Poland, and
Germany; and of course there is also a "land connection" from Germany.
There are several daily direct trains to Denmark from Germany and
Sweden. Due to the country's modest size and general topography it is
easy to get around in Denmark, be it by bicycle, car, or public
transportation.
Denmark is an almost ideal country for cyclists: Relatively short
distances, practically no steep roads, and a dense network of bike
paths and small country roads. Even large cities are bicycle-friendly
(compared to many other countries at least) with bike paths on most
major streets. The reason for this, of course, is that a significant
number of Danes from all groups of society commute by bicycle.
There is not much to be said about traveling by car in Denmark, except
that you should be aware of the large number of bicycles, as mentioned
above. *Please* be careful and look for bicycles, especially when you
make a right turn. Apart from that, the most special thing about
driving a car in Denmark is that you will have to get on a ferry if
you intend to travel between the western (Jutland, Funen) and eastern
(Sealand, Lolland, Falster) parts of the country. The shortest and
busiest crossing is between Halsskov on Sealand and Knudshoved on
Funen. That crossing will be replaced by a bridge-tunnel system in a
few years (train connection to open in 1996). There are also a number
of ferries between Sealand and Jutland - Ebeltoft-Odden is the
shortest and most frequent.
Traveling by air in Denmark is also possible of course; all domestic
flights go to/from Copenhagen and none of them is longer than 45
minutes. You do save some time, but often at a rather high price.
However, there are often some good offers during the summer holiday
period, so especially if you are going to Bornholm, Billund or Ålborg
from Copenhagen, flying there might be worth considering.
Otherwise, public long-distance traveling is done by train (there are,
however, a few coach lines from Copenhagen to Århus, Ålborg, and
Fjerritslev; 2-3 departures per day and prices approximately as for
the train). There is an hourly intercity train service connecting
cities on "the main line" from Copenhagen via Odense and Århus to
Ålborg. Intercity services to other larger cities in Jutland normally
run every two hours. (The intercity trains are transferred on the
ferry between Sealand and Funen. The concept of putting a passenger
train on a ferry is possibly unique to Denmark; international trains
from Copenhagen to Sweden or Germany also travel on board ferries.) In
addition to the intercity, there are regional trains every hour on
most lines. Short distance travelling is mostly done by bus.
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