The airport chaos begins
Landing in Copenhagen Kastrup Airport Terminal 3, I grabbed my bag and walked out into the arrivals hall. Immediate sensory overload, right? Bright lights, people rushing everywhere, signs pointing a dozen directions. My mission felt simple: get to central Copenhagen without spending a fortune or getting totally lost. Easier said than done.
First thing I saw? A bunch of taxi stands outside. Looked tempting, especially with bags, but I remembered the crazy prices people talked about. Figured I’d check the cost later. Walked further and spotted ticket machines plastered with metro signs. Hovered there a minute, watching other confused souls tap screens. Too many buttons, too early after that flight.
Choosing my weapon: Train vs Metro
Saw signs for “Trains to City” and followed them downstairs. Pretty straightforward walk, actually. Found myself on a clean platform underground. Electronic boards clearly showed trains heading towards the city center – stuff like Østerport, Nørreport, and Central Station. Prices were listed too: 36 DKK for a ticket into town. Okay, reasonable. I almost bought a ticket right there.
But wait… something caught my eye. Literally right across from the train platforms? The freakin’ Metro tracks. Like, you could throw a rock and hit a metro train from the train platform. Crazy convenient placement. Signs showed the Metro M2 line going straight to Nørreport Station, smack in the middle of Copenhagen. Same price: 36 DKK. Big difference? Trains leave every 10-20 minutes, the Metro showed departures every 4-6 minutes. That sealed it.
The metro hustle
Walked back up a ramp to the ticket machines near the Metro entrance. Machines took cards easily (good, didn’t have Danish cash yet). Selected English language, chose “Single Ticket – 2 zones”, tapped my card. Machine spat out a small yellow ticket. Easy. Went down another set of stairs to the Metro platform.
- Platform was dead simple: One track for city-bound trains (M2 towards Vanløse).
- No confusion which side. Felt idiot-proof.
- Checked the screen: Next train in 3 minutes. Sweet.
Train rolled in almost silently. Hopped on. Plenty of seats and space for luggage. Smooth ride out of the airport tunnel. Less than 2 minutes later we were above ground, gliding past fields then suburbs. Watching the view was actually pretty cool. Kept checking the display inside: København Lufthavn (CPH)… Ørestad… Islands Brygge… Christianshavn… Then finally, Nørreport.
Total ride time? Honestly, blinked and it was over. Felt like 15 minutes max. Doors opened, stepped out right into the heart of the city. Couldn’t believe how easy that was.
Thoughts on the way back
Coming back later was even smoother. From Nørreport station, just followed the giant signs saying “Lufthavn” (Airport). Hopped on the M2 Metro going the opposite way (towards Lufthavn). Exact same price, exact same easy ride, ended up inside Terminal 3 again. Didn’t even need to go outside. Total no-brainer compared to messing with traffic or expensive cabs.
So yeah, unless you’ve mountains of luggage or someone else is paying for the taxi, the Metro is the king for getting into Copenhagen from T3. Cheap, stupidly frequent, drops you downtown fast, and dead simple to figure out. Won’t bother looking at other options next time. Done and dusted.
