Copenhagen main station: Location map
Copenhagen has one main central station, shown variously as plain Copenhagen or København H or Koebenhavn H, where the H stands for Hovedbanegård which means main station in Danish. It may help to know that Copenhagen in Swedish is Köpenhamn. The station is located next to the Tivoli Gardens close to the city centre. There's been a station here since 1847, but the current magnificent station building dates from 1911.
Copenhagen station. The building & main entrance are at street level, with the tracks below.
Main hall. The main hall is at street level, directly above the tracks, with stairs, escalators and (if you hunt for it) a lift down to each pair of platforms. This photo shows the view as you walk in through the entrance hall. Note the DSB ticket machines, selling train tickets for all Danish destinations. The steps & escalators down to each pair of platforms are on the far side of the hall. Take a moment to admire the beautiful wooden roof.
Another view of the main hall, this time looking across it, with the steps & escalators down to the platforms on the left.
Tickets & information
The ticket office sells domestic & international tickets & reservations. It's on the platform 12 side of the main hall, head to your right after walking into the main station entrance. Or turn left after coming up the stairs or escalator from the platform. The 1st class lounge is on the first floor above the ticket office, the entrance to the lounge is just out of shot to the left. You can also buy tickets to anywhere in Denmark using the many self-service ticket machines which have touch-screens and an English-language facility. There is no ticket office for SJ's trains to Stockholm, you need to buy online.
Which platform?
Copenhagen station has 12 platforms (6 island platforms with a track each side) and one additional platform, the dreaded platform 26.
Platforms 1-12
The main platforms are numbered 1-12 from left to right as you face south after walking in through the main entrance. These are below street level, reached down stairs, escalators or lift from the main station hall. The platforms are grouped in pairs as 1/2, 3/4, 5/6, 7/8, 9/10 & 11/12. The photo below is taken on platform 2, looking back towards the steps & escalators up to the main hall.
Platform 26
Platform 26 is located 250m south of the main building and often used by the X2000 trains to Stockholm, so allow time for the short walk. To reach platform 26, walk along platform 3/4 or 5/6, up the stairs at the end of the platforms onto the road bridge, cross the road (Tietgensgade street) then go down the stairs again onto platform 26, see walking map. The signs in the main hall say '15 minutes' to walk to platform 26, but it really only takes 5 or 6 minutes.
3. Then go down these steps on the far side of the road bridge onto platform 26.
Tunnel between platforms & metro
If you're changing trains in Copenhagen, you don't have to go up to the main hall, it can be quicker to go down the steps or lift from the platform into the pedestrian tunnel linking platforms 1-12. The tunnel also provides a quick way into the Copenhagen metro.
Luggage lockers, ATMs, toilets
The main hall has toilets & baby changing facilities with showers available for a fee. These are located to the left of the main exit as you head out, or if you walk in through the main entrance, turn immediately right.
The luggage lockers are well hidden, see the left luggage lockers page for opening hours & prices. After arriving on a train and going up the escalators into the main hall, turn immediately left and head for the corner near the stairs to platforms 11 & 12. Look for the anonymous-looking stairs shown in the photo below left. At the bottom of those stairs, turn left down the stairway marked Bagagecenter shown in the photo below right.
DSB 1st class lounge
There is a first class lounge with complimentary tea, coffee, water, chocolate & free WiFi in the main hall, open Mondays-Fridays 06:00-19:00, closed at weekends.
You can use the lounge if you have a 1st class ticket for a Danish domestic journey, an international journey to Germany or Sweden or a 1st class Eurail or Interrail pass. The lounge is on the platform 12 side of the concourse, the entrance is to the left of the DSB ticket office, with stairs & a lift up to the lounge on the 1st floor.
Somewhere to eat, drink or stock up
There are plenty of food outlets in the main hall, including two small 7-11 minimarkets, a McDonald's, Dunkin Donuts, a sushi outlet, Starbucks, Max Burgers and so on. If you find a decent sit-down restaurant near the station, let me know!
Jernbane Cafeen: For a coffee, beer or light meal, try the Jernbane Cafeen (railway cafe, jernbanecafeen.dk) in Reventlowgade, directly across the road from the Reventlowgade exit on the southwest (platform 12) side of the main hall, see location map.
Grand Joanne: The restaurant at the Hotel Grand Joanne (grandjoanne.dk) on the corner of Reventlowgade and Vesterbrogade has been recommended as a good place for a meal. It's just 220m from the station, see walking map.
Metro, taxis, walking
Copenhagen station is just 5 minutes walk from the main city centre shopping area.
Metro: København H is on metro lines M3 & M4, see intl.m.dk for a metro map & info.
To find the metro from the platforms, go down the steps into the tunnel under the tracks and follow the signs marked 'M', the metro station is at the west end of that tunnel with escalators down to the metro platforms.
To find the metro from the main hall, follow the signs marked Exit Reventlowgade with the 'M' metro logo, go down these steps, past the left luggage lockers and out of the side exit into Reventlowgade, the street that runs along the west side of the station. Turn left along Reventlowgade, crossing the road at the zebra crossing to the other side. You'll find steps down into the metro station a little way along Reventlowgade.
Taxis: The taxi rank is out of the east side exit from the main station hall, on the platform 1 side. Taxi fare calculator for Copenhagen
tourist information: The Copenhagen tourist information website is www.visitcopenhagen.com, and there's a tourist office just across the road from the station.
How to reach the Tivoli Gardens
Copenhagen H is right next to the famous Tivoli Gardens (www.tivoli.dk). Walk out of the side exit from the northeast (platform 1) side of the main hall and the entrance to the gardens is directly across the road.
How to reach the Little Mermaid
It's a brisk 44-minute walk from Copenhagen station to the Little Mermaid as it's on the far side of the city centre from the station. If you don't fancy the walk, take metro line M3 two stops from Kobenhavn H to Østerport, from where it's a much shorter 13-minute walk. Alternatively, take a DSB suburban train from Kobenhavn H to Østerport, these run every 10 minutes or so. See Little Mermaid map.
How to reach the DFDS ferry terminal for Oslo
It's a 50-minute 4 km walk from Copenhagen station to the DFDS ferry terminal through Copenhagen city centre, or you can take a taxi, see taxi fare calculator. To get there by public transport, take a DSB suburban train from Kobenhavn H to Nordhavn, these run every 10 minutes or so taking just 8 minutes. It's then a 10-minute walk from Nordhavn station to the ferry terminal. You can buy a ticket from the many self-service ticket machines. DFDS also run a shuttle bus from Norreport suburban station in the city centre. See map of Copenhagen showing DFDS ferry terminal.
Hotels near the station
Hotels in Copenhagen near the station with good reviews include the Nimb Hotel (5-star luxe), Radisson Blu Royal Hotel (5-star), Axel Guldsmeden (4-star), Andersen Boutique Hotel, First Hotel Mayfair (3-star), Hotel Ansgar (3-star), City Hotel Nebo (2-star). But consider the Hotel Astoria...
Hotel Astoria: The most interesting (and convenient) hotel for an overnight stop is the Hotel Astoria, right outside Copenhagen station's main exit and to the left. It was designed as a station hotel for the Danish State Railways (DSB) by Ole Falkentorp, who started his career in DSB's design office before forming his own practice. The hotel was built in 1934-1935 as the first luxury hotel in Copenhagen, see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotel_Astoria_(Copenhagen). It retains many 1930s features including the revolving doors, the first such doors in Denmark. The building also used to house a DSB travel agency, which is why there is a huge DSB winged railway wheel on the roof at the far end. It may no longer be cutting edge boutique hotel design, but it's comfortable, has friendly staff and is a great place for an overnight stop.
The Hotel Astoria, seen from the main exit from Copenhagen station.
