Rail Travel in Denmark

Below is a detailed map of the railways of Denmark. You can zoom in by using the +/- buttons or by using the wheel on your mouse whilst hovering over the map.

This map has been extracted from the Railway Map of Europe with kind permission of the publishers.
You can purchase copies of the full map, as well as rail timetables, from The European Railway Timetable website

DENMARK

Denmark, the most southerly of the Scandinavian countries, consists of the peninsula of Jutland, five larger islands (Zealand, Funen, Lolland, Falster and Bornholm) plus many smaller ones. Farming and fishing have always been major parts of the economy but recently modern industries have also grown – such as windfarms.

Nowadays four of the larger islands have rail connections via bridges or in one case a bridge and a tunnel opened in 1998 under the Great Belt. Even Bornholm, the most easterly island, can be reached by train to the Swedish port of Ystad and then by ferry. This has been possible since the opening in 2000 of the Öresund Link – a bridge and tunnel combination between Denmark and Sweden including the longest road/rail bridge in Europe.

Trains in Denmark are mainly run by DSB (see link below), the state operator; but specially built Öresund trains run from Copenhagen to destinations in Sweden, for instance Göthenburg via Malmo . After competitive tender there are also some regional passenger services run by Arriva and some local lines operated directly from the regions.

Most visitors to Denmark will head to the capital, a city of great character, whose attractions range from the Tivoli amusement park to the Little Mermaid at the harbour’s edge. (Remember Hans Christian Andersen, who was in fact from Funen). The city has a good public transport network, including frequent s-tog (suburban trains) and a metro. From Copenhagen many excursions are possible, such as by train to Helsingor, better known to English speakers as Elsinore, in whose imposing castle Shakespeare set his “Hamlet”.

If you have to fly to Copenhagen, you will find that the airport has its own station served by Öresund trains and Swedish services to Kalmar and Karlskrona. Denmark has also been linked again to the rest of Europe by night trains; and work is in progress on the Fehmarn link – a tunnel under the sea between Puttgarden in Germany and Rodby on Lolland, replacing a former train ferry.

At the moment, the international trains all run north from Hamburg into Jutland – they then turn east over the Little Belt Bridge (opened in 1935) to Funen and then on the Storebaelt(great Belt) bridge & tunnel onto Zealand. In addition there are some Danish Inter City trains from Hamburg to Denmark’s second city, Aarhus, which is also well worth a visit, including for its new light rail system, opened in 2017 and still expanding. The city also has a major university, some electric buses, a mediaeval cathedral and a rejuvenated docklands area.

Trains and buses are well integrated in Denmark and it is possible to buy a Rejsekort (stored value travel card) for the public transport network. Foreign visitors need to ask for “Rejsekortet Anonymt”. Reservations on Inter City trains are recommended but not compulsory. When a booking office is not available, the 7/11 and other newsagents will provide at least some tickets.

TG January 2022