Copenhagen Metro
- seagullyna
- Apr 3
- 3 min read
Last year I visited Copenhagen. It was not my first visit to the city - I was there in 2015 - but it was the first time I tried out its metro.
I was staying in Odense, Denmark’s third largest city, but it was pouring rain there, and since it was a public holiday, all museums, galleries etc. were closed. Of course I could stay in and read a book but I figured - why not hop on the train and go to Copenhagen? Even if it was raining there too, at least I could explore their metro, and rainy weather is perfect for such kind of trip.
The last-minute train tickets were expensive but I went anyway - and got lucky. All trains were delayed that day, so I could board any of them, and I ended up getting a 75% refund thanks to Denmark’s very customer-friendly refund policies.
In the end, I got to explore the Copenhagen Metro, saw a bit of the city, and even saved on travel costs - in Denmark, where everything is super expensive, it is certainly worth it.
Background info
The Copenhagen Metro was opened in October 2002. It is completely driverless and currently operates 4 lines (M1, M2, M3 and M4) with 44 stations, 30 of which are underground. The fifth line, M5, is in the planning stages with an expected opening date in 2035.
Along with the New York City Subway and Chicago "L", the Copenhagen Metro is one of three rapid transit systems in the world operating 24/7 throughout their city limits.
The M1 line of the Copenhagen Metro, coloured green on the map, runs from Vanløse to Vestamager. It connects the Ørestad neighborhood of Copenhagen to the city centre. The line is elevated while traveling through Ørestad, and it runs through a tunnel below the city center. From Christianshavn to Vanløse, the line is shared with M2.
The M2 line, coloured yellow on the map, runs from Vanløse to Lufthavnen (the airport) through the centre of Copenhagen. The line was built along with M1 as part of the redevelopment of Ørestad. The line opened in several stages between 2002 and 2007.
The M3 line, or City Circle Line, is an entirely underground 15.5 km loop through central Copenhagen and Frederiksberg with 17 stops. It does not share any track with the M1 and M2 lines, but intersects them at Kongens Nytorv and Frederiksberg stations. The line opened on 29 September 2019.
The M4, or the Harbour Line, connects Nordhavn in the north with Sydhavn in the south. The central part of the line shares tracks with the M3 line. The Nordhavn branch was opened on 28 March 2020. The Sydhavn branch was opened on 22 June 2024. A further Nordhavn extension is planned with two new stations opening in 2030.
Me at Copenhagen metro
I didn’t have any plan on how I wanted to explore the metro. I just went to the nearest stop and boarded the next train. What I did want though was to ride at least a few stops on every line, which I managed to do.
My route ended up a bit chaotic in the end and I visited 9 stations:
M1: Nørreport - Vanløse - Fredericksberg
M3: Fredericksberg - Aksel Møllers Have - Nuuks Plads - Kongens Nytorv
M2: Kongens Nytorv - Øresund - Kongens Nytorv
M3: Kongens Nytorv - København H
M4: København H - Havneholmen - København H
All in all, it was a nice exploration but let’s face it, the metro stations are not the prettiest ones. This metro system is undoubtedly very practical and functional, which is how it is supposed to be, but one can hardly go there to enjoy the artwork and layout design. However, some stations are stylish I must admit.
One station that was out of the ordinary among those I visited was Havneholmen on the M4 line. It was opened 22 June 2024 together with 5 other stations of the extension of the line from Copenhagen Central to Copenhagen South and it hosts a permanent art installation, which includes clocks and other station objects hanging upside down, and clocks going wild forward and backwards, creating a playfully chaotic atmosphere.
So I think my verdict about the Copenhagen metro stations being not pretty enough was too hasty, which means I need to go and explore them more, which I would gladly do.
Some more pictures from my exploration (all taken in 2025).
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