Focus Copenhagen - How to get there

Now that Copenhagen has been confirmed as the host city for the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest, we know many people will be planning trips to see the event. Here is some advice about how to get to the city in May:

Plane

Copenhagen Airport

Copenhagen Airport Kastrup is the largest in the Nordic region with direct connections to the far flung corners of the planet. Located on the island of Amager, it is a stone's throw away from the centre of Copenhagen and the B&W-Hallerne where the Eurovision Song Contest will take place. 

There are flights to Copenhagen from almost every major European city and from long haul destinations such as New York, San Francisco, Bangkok, Singapore and Tokyo to name just a few. The airport is a hub for airlines like SAS Scandinavian Airlines and Norwegian Air Shuttle. A number of low cost airlines also have a major presence here including Easyjet.

Getting from the airport to the City Centre couldn't be easier - All you need to do is jump on the Metro, which will take you to Kongens Nytorv or Nørreport right in the heart of Copenhagen in approximately 20 minutes. Another option, depending on where you are going, is to take the train from under Terminal 3 to Copenhagen Central Station, which takes about 15 minutes. This will bring you out close to Rådhuspladsen and the bustling area of Vesterbro.

There are also plenty of buses and taxis outside the Terminals.

Malmö Airport

If you are on a tight budget then one option is to fly to Malmö Airport, located just over the Øresund Bridge in Sweden. Ryanair flies here as do a number of other low cost airlines including Wizzair. In order to get to Copenhagen you can take the direct Gråhundbus route 737, however these departures are limited. Another option is to take the regular airport bus to Malmö Central Station from where you can take one of the many trains to Copenhagen Central Station in just 25 minutes.

Train

Copenhagen Central Station is the terminus for many train services, both domestic and international. As mentioned above there is a very frequent train service to Southern Sweden including Malmö, Helsingborg, Gothenburg and Kalmar. In addition Swedish Railways (SJ) operates a high-speed train service between Stockholm and Copenhagen a few times day.

Danish State Railways (DSB) in conjunction with German Railways (Deutsche Bahn) operates train services to both Hamburg and Berlin using ICE train sets. In addition, a night train operates daily from Basel in Switzerland, Amsterdam in the Netherlands and Munich in Germany, stopping at major cities on the way.

DSB also operates many domestic train services from all over Denmark including Aalborg, Århus, Odense via the Storebælt Bridge.

Road

If you are thinking of driving to Copenhagen, the city is very well connected with a number of major motorways passing the city. Denmark boasts over 1000 km of motorway in total so it shouldn't take you long to get you where you want to go.

The E20 road runs between Sweden and Denmark and connects to other major roads on its way. The E47 connects Copenhagen with Germany via Rødbyhavn and Puttgarden and the E45 cross the Danish border in Jutland from Germany where it goes on to intersect with the E20.

Bus

Eurolines and a number of other bus companies operate regular services to Copenhagen, which can be a cheaper alternative. There are direct routes from many countries as well as domestically in Denmark and from neighbouring Sweden.

Boat

Copenhagen has a daily ferry service connecting it with the Norwegian capital, Oslo, operated by DFDS. This is an alternative to driving through Sweden and offers a slightly more relaxing start to your trip. There are also regular ferries from Malmö to Travemünde in Germany and from the Swedish city of Trelleborg to Northern Germany and Poland. From the UK it is possible to take the ferry from Harwich to Esbjerg after which you can either take a train to Copenhagen or drive.

Next time we will look at how to get around Copenhagen once you are there.

The 2014 Eurovision Song contest will take place at the B&W-Hallerne on Refshaleøen in Copenhagen on the 6th, 8th and 10th of May.