$4–6 gets you a local hop on Bus 36
Bus 36 is a standard city bus that runs roughly once every 60 minutes from Copenhagen Airport toward Tårnby and parts of Amager, mainly serving nearby residential and industrial areas rather than the city center. The route is only really useful if your hotel, home, or workplace sits directly on its path south and west of the airport. For central Copenhagen, regulars say to skip 36 and use the Metro from Terminal 3 or DSB trains instead, which run every few minutes.
Stops for Bus 36 sit outside the main terminal area near Terminal 3 at CPH, on the same side of the airport used by other local bus lines. You pay the usual city fare of about $4–6 (the equivalent of a 2–3 zone ticket) using a Rejsekort, DOT app ticket, or contactless card, just like any other Movia bus in greater Copenhagen. The ride itself is short for most airport-adjacent stops, often under 10–15 minutes to nearby zones such as Tårnby, but it becomes slow and indirect if you try to push farther toward inner districts.
Service generally runs seven days a week, but the 1-hour frequency means that missing one Bus 36 departure in the evening can leave you waiting 50–60 minutes at the curb. Local comments flag late nights and weekends as especially thin on departures compared with Metro line M2, which can hit the airport station up to every 4–6 minutes. If you land around 22:00 or later, it’s worth checking the DOT Rejseplanen app for exact times before you commit to this bus.
Regulars living near Tårnby Station or other S-train and Metro hubs often skip Bus 36 entirely and walk 8–12 minutes to a rail option instead, trading a short walk for faster, more frequent service into central Copenhagen. One Reddit user bluntly called 36 “just a local bus around Tårnby and Amager” and not something they’d ever use for a city trip. That should guide tourists: unless your address literally matches a stop on the 36 map, you lose time compared with riding the train or Metro straight from Terminal 3.
Step-by-step: using Bus 36 from CPH
- 1. After landing at Terminal 2 or 3, follow signs toward “Buses” and exit landside near Terminal 3’s arrivals area.
- 2. Check the DOT Rejseplanen app or the yellow timetable at the stop for “36” toward your target stop around Tårnby or Amager.
- 3. Buy a 2–3 zone ticket in the DOT app, tap a Rejsekort on the blue validator, or be ready with a contactless card for the driver; budget about $4–6.
- 4. Board through the front door when Bus 36 pulls in (it may show “Tårnby” or another local endpoint on the front display) and validate if required.
- 5. Ring the bell 1 stop before yours; typical rides from the airport are 5–15 minutes, depending on distance.
- 6. If the timetable looks sparse or you face a 40+ minute wait, back up and use Metro M2 or DSB from Terminal 3 instead.
One practical tip: screenshot your stop name and the Rejseplanen route before you leave Terminal 3 Wi‑Fi, so you can confirm you’re on the right 36 direction without burning mobile data.