Getting quickly from CPH to Copenhagen

Take the Metro

Line M2 of The Copenhagen Metro leaves from the Metro Station in connection with Terminal 3, and the trip from CPH to Kongens Nytorv takes 15 minutes. There are only 4-6 minutes between departures, around the clock. The trip between CPH and central Copenhagen covers 3 zones, and costs DKK34.50. There are ticket automats at the metro station, which take coins or notes. If you need to pay using credit cards, make a stop at the ticket counter in Terminal 3 first - the same ticket can be used for all available kinds of public transport.

Take a taxi

When you get out from the arrival and customs area, turn right almost immediately and go through the rotating door, then you're at the taxi pickup area. A trip from CPH to the center of Copenhagen costs about DKK 220, wich is about €30 or $37. Be aware that there are 2 different routes from the airport to downtown Copenhagen - one by highway E20, which is a bit faster, a bit longer and a bit more expensive, and one by the coastal road Amager Strandvej Northnorthwest along the beach park. See the two routes on Google Maps here. The exact travel time is very different, depending on the time of day. The necessary time increases sharply during rush hours, especially in the afternoon between 15.00 and 18.00, or 3PM and 6PM. At those times it is usually faster to go by metro or train.

Take the train

When you exit the arrival and customs area, continue straight ahead until you are about to walk into a ticket sales counter. Buy your train tickets there. Afterwards you find the access to the train platform to the left, just behind the ticket counter. Make sure you go down to the platform with trains going in direction Copenhagen, not the ones in direction Malmö or Malmoe in Sweden. The cost depends on the kind of ticket you buy, but there are 3 zones between CPH and Copenhagen Central Station (Hovedbanegården or København H) and it costs DKK34.50 (app. €4) for a regular ticket. If you buy the CopenhagenCard you can use that as fare. It takes about 30 minutes to go from CPH to Copenhagen Central Station, and the train leaves every 20 minutes - 04, 24, 44 (4 minutes past the hour, 24 minutes past the hour and 44 minutes past the hour).

Rent a car

If you rent a car then you need to make a sharp left immediately after leaving the arrival and customs area. The rental agency stalls are in the passage leading to Terminal 2. If you're going to stay in a hotel in downtown Copenhagen then you might want to avoid renting a car, as it is very difficult to find parking spaces in most of Copenhagen City, and if you actually find a parking space then you pay between DKK15 and DKK25 per hour for the space. You cannot always pay for the parking tickets by credit card, only by using coins and you can only pay a maximum of DKK70 at each parking ticket purchase, and where will you find eg. 3 DKK20 and 1 DKK10 coins upon arrival at CPH, just to pay for the overnight parking until next morning? You can try asking at the rental office, but they will probably not be able to help.

Getting picked up?

When you exit the arrival and customs area, turn left after a few meters and go out the rotating door, then you get straight to the parking spaces and private pickup area. The first 15 minutes parking is free, but it's rarely possible to be that precise in predicting the exact landing time of your plane, how long it takes for the luggage to arrive and how quick you get through customs and out to the parking area. Bring a mobile and sms/text or call the one meeting you to tell them about your progress and let them figure out the timing. And bring the free CPH sms/text service to their attention if they do not know of it already.

Your suggestions?

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