Meet Me on the Copenhagen S-Train

To really see the city, step off the beaten path and onto public transport.

The S-train at Sjælor station — Photo by the author

I didn’t grow up in Denmark so I’m a bit of a coward when it comes to biking in winter. The cobblestones around Copenhagen are tricky enough without adding ice or slushy snow into the mix. Happily, the city has fantastic public transport including a rail system that can get me anywhere I want to go, almost round the clock.

I live in Sydhaven on the edge of the city proper. A good selection of buses run nearby but I love the S-train so it’s worth the 10-minute walk.

At Sjælor station, I slap my rjesekort (travel card) against the blue check-in light on the platform and hope to hear a chirpy ka-ching. The uh-oh loser chime means insufficient funds but it isn’t a problem, public transport is cheap in Copenhagen and a few kroner go a long way.

Entrance to Sjælor station with bike parking — Photo by the author

The suburban-urban S-train is integrated with the city Metro and about half a million people use the system every day. The trains are frequent and usually clean, unless tagged by teens with cans of spray paint. If that conjures up subway nightmares, fear not — this isn’t New York and…