Aarhus / The verdict
Aarhus: which airport or train route?
Fly into Copenhagen Airport and ride the direct DSB train from the platforms under Terminal 3 to Aarhus H: about three hours, around thirty departures a day, and Orange advance fares from DKK 119. Billund Airport is the low-cost alternative with a ninety-minute airport bus, and tiny Aarhus Airport only wins when its handful of routes match your dates.
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The Aarhus story
Denmark's second city is also its most underrated: a compact, walkable place where a rainbow panorama rings the roof of ARoS, the open-air lanes of Den Gamle By replay centuries of street life, and Moesgaard's forest hides the Grauballe Man. A young food scene has pulled in serious fine-dining attention, and the harbour baths and Latin Quarter fill the gaps between the sights.
The verdict in 30 seconds
Our pick: Copenhagen Airport (CPH), then the direct DSB train (runner-up: Billund Airport (BLL), then the 912X airport bus)
Fly into Copenhagen Airport and ride the direct DSB train from the platforms under Terminal 3 to Aarhus H: about three hours, around thirty departures a day, and Orange advance fares from DKK 119. Billund Airport is the low-cost alternative with a ninety-minute airport bus, and tiny Aarhus Airport only wins when its handful of routes match your dates.
Go if
- Travelers comparing gateways into Denmark's second city, where the flight side and the rail side both matter
- Anyone weighing Aarhus's own airport against the much bigger hubs at Copenhagen and Billund
- Rail-first arrivals from Sweden or Germany, who ride the same DSB InterCity line into Aarhus H
- Budget travelers checking whether the coach or a cheap flight beats the train fare
Skip if
- You are landing at Copenhagen and heading to another Danish city; this page only prices the Aarhus finish
- You are already in Jutland; the airport question does not apply
- You want a door-to-door car trip; every option here ends at or near Aarhus Central Station
The options
Copenhagen Airport (CPH), then the direct DSB train Go
Almost every arrival: Scandinavia's biggest hub has the widest flight coverage and its own station under Terminal 3.
Good
- The platforms sit directly under Terminal 3, so there is no shuttle: you walk from the baggage hall onto a direct InterCity or InterCityLyn to Aarhus H.
- More than thirty trains a day keep arrival timing flexible, and the run takes about three hours airport to city centre.
- Orange advance fares start at DKK 119, and one paying adult brings two children under 12 free.
- The ride itself gets good reports, especially the Great Belt crossing about an hour in.
Watch out
- The walk-up standard fare is several times the Orange price, and Orange tickets ride exactly one departure: a delayed flight can strand a non-refundable ticket.
- Forum reports flag tight platform changes at the airport station; leave a real buffer after landing instead of trusting a six-minute transfer.
- It is still an airport walk plus a three-hour ride, so when an Aarhus flight exists it is not the fastest finish.
Billund Airport (BLL), then the 912X airport bus It depends
Low-cost flyers: Billund is Denmark's second airport with roughly fifty direct routes, and the airport bus runs straight to Aarhus Central.
Good
- The 912X runs direct from the terminal to Banegårdspladsen by Aarhus Central in about an hour and a half, DKK 162 adult single.
- Low-cost coverage is the widest outside Copenhagen, so this route frequently undercuts the Copenhagen option on the flight itself.
- No connection math: one bus from the kerb to the city, tickets in the Rejsebillet app or by card on board.
Watch out
- You trade roughly ninety minutes on a bus for the cheaper flight, so the total journey runs around two hours door to door.
- The network thinned after Ryanair's base exit, and routes skew seasonal: check your exact dates actually have a flight.
- The bus thins out in the evening, and one Sunday this year saw half the day's departures cancelled when the operator ran out of drivers, so off-peak arrivals can wait or end up in an expensive taxi.
- There is still no rail link to Billund; the long-discussed airport train remains a political aspiration.
Aarhus Airport (AAR), then the 925X airport bus It depends
Travelers whose origin actually flies here: London Stansted, Copenhagen, Oslo and a short list of seasonal leisure routes.
Good
- Closest airport by far: the 925X reaches Banegårdspladsen in 45 to 50 minutes for DKK 128 adult single.
- The bus is flight-timed, so it waits for delayed arrivals and drivers call passengers through the arrivals hall before leaving.
- The airport is growing again, with SAS lifting Copenhagen frequencies toward five daily flights and seasonal routes added for 2026.
Watch out
- Route choice is thin, around a dozen destinations, so most origins simply cannot book here at all.
- The 925X timetable is only published two to four weeks ahead and shifts with flight times, so you cannot plan the bus early.
- Taxis run around DKK 700 or more for the forty-kilometre run when the bus does not fit.
Midttrafik route 925X airport busBook an Aarhus Airport pickuppartner site
Copenhagen to Aarhus by coach (Kombardo or FlixBus) Skip
Only travelers priced out of Orange tickets, or those who specifically want the ferry leg across the Kattegat.
Good
- Kombardo Expressen starts from DKK 109 and includes the Molslinjen fast-ferry crossing, so the trip includes about seventy minutes on deck.
- Up to sixteen departures a day link Copenhagen's bus terminal with Aarhus Rutebilstation, luggage and wifi included.
- Reports weighing the run single out the ferry crossing itself as the part that makes the slow option feel like a trip.
Watch out
- About three and a half hours makes this the slowest door-to-door option: the train runs the same route roughly forty-five minutes faster for similar advance money.
- Coaches leave from city terminals rather than the airport, so flyers still need a metro or train leg into Copenhagen first.
- FlixBus's road route via the islands is slower still, and last-minute coach fares can meet the flexible rail fare anyway, which erases the saving.
| Criterion | Copenhagen Airport (CPH), then the direct DSB train | Billund Airport (BLL), then the 912X airport bus | Aarhus Airport (AAR), then the 925X airport bus | Copenhagen to Aarhus by coach (Kombardo or FlixBus) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Most arrivals and the widest flight choice | Low-cost flyers and south Jutland trips | The few routes that actually fly to Aarhus | Budget travelers when advance rail fares are gone |
| Airport to city time | About 3 hours direct | About 1 hour 30 by bus | 45 to 50 minutes by bus | About 3 hours 30 including a ferry leg |
| Adult one-way local leg | Orange fare from DKK 119 | DKK 162 on the 912X | DKK 128 on the 925X | Coach from DKK 109 |
| Frequency | Around 30 trains a day | Roughly hourly daytime | Timed to each arriving flight | Up to 16 departures a day |
| Main catch | Orange fares lock to one departure | Ninety minutes on a bus and no rail option | Thin routes and a flight-timed bus | Slowest option, city terminal start |
What it costs
- DSB Orange advance ticket, Copenhagen to Aarhus: kr 119 (advance fare tied to a specific departure, released about two months out; flexible standard fares cost several times more). Official source, checked Oct 2026.
- Airport bus 925X, Aarhus Airport to Aarhus C, adult single: kr 128 (child 64 DKK; flight-timed departures from Banegårdspladsen by the central station; Rejsebillet app or card on board). Official source, checked Oct 2026.
- Airport bus 912X, Billund Airport to Aarhus, adult single: kr 162 (child 81 DKK; roughly hourly daytime departures; Rejsebillet app or card on board). Official source, checked Oct 2026.
- Kombardo Expressen coach, Copenhagen to Aarhus: kr 109 (from fare; includes the Molslinjen ferry leg, one bag plus hand luggage and wifi; up to 16 departures a day). Official source, checked Oct 2026.
What travelers report
Based on 12 traveler reports (Dec 2024 to Sep 2026) and the official sources linked on this page. 1 was negative.
What people like
- The under-terminal station at Copenhagen Airport earns constant praise: no shuttle, no transfer wait, straight from baggage reclaim onto a long-distance train.
- Travelers describe the Copenhagen to Aarhus run as easy and scenic, with sea and field views across the Great Belt crossing.
- The 912X itself draws compliments: one transit vlog praises the table seats, free coffee and reclining seats on the Aarhus to Billund run.
- Reports weighing the coach-and-ferry option single out the sea crossing as the part that redeems the slower trip.
What people complain about
- Orange fares lock to one departure and a delayed flight changes nothing; the saving can vanish with the ticket.
- The 925X is flight-timed and only published weeks ahead, so you cannot plan the Aarhus Airport bus until shortly before travel.
- The Billund bus adds about ninety minutes each way and thins in the evening, leaving late arrivals facing a taxi.
- Coach travel saves little once trains are booked ahead, and the city-terminal start adds a leg for airport arrivals.
How to do it right
- At Copenhagen Airport, follow the train signs from the Terminal 3 arrivals hall down to the platforms under the terminal.
- Buy a DSB ticket in the app or at the red machines on the platform level; an Orange fare locks to one departure while a standard ticket rides any train that day.
- Board a direct InterCity or InterCityLyn toward Aarhus H and ride about three hours, with the Great Belt bridge crossing about an hour in.
- Landing at Billund instead: walk out of arrivals to the bus stop and take the 912X toward Aarhus Rutebilstation, about an hour and a half.
- Landing at Aarhus Airport: the 925X waits in front of the terminal until arriving passengers are through, then runs 45 to 50 minutes to Banegårdspladsen.
- All three arrival legs end at or beside Aarhus Central Station, a short walk to the Latin Quarter and the harbour.
The trap to avoid
Cutting it fine at Copenhagen Airport. An Orange fare only rides the departure printed on the ticket, and a delayed flight or a slow walk from a far gate strands the saving entirely: leave at least an hour between scheduled landing and the train you book, or pay for the flexible ticket and board anything.
Why this verdict
Aarhus sits about three hours by rail from Denmark’s only real intercontinental gateway, and that single fact drives the answer. Copenhagen Airport has the flights almost every origin can book, and its station sits directly under Terminal 3, so the onward leg is a platform walk rather than a transfer. Direct InterCity and InterCityLyn trains run to Aarhus H around thirty times a day, and Orange advance fares start at DKK 119. Reports consistently treat this as the easy default: the ride itself draws compliments for the Great Belt crossing, and the recurring complaints are about the tickets, since Orange fares ride exactly one departure and a delayed flight can strand them.
Billund is the sensible second door when the flight price wins. Denmark’s second airport keeps roughly fifty direct routes, mostly low-cost, and the 912X airport bus runs from the terminal to Aarhus Central in about an hour and a half for DKK 162. The catch is rhythm: the bus is roughly hourly and thins in the evening, one disrupted Sunday this year saw about half the day’s departures cancelled when drivers ran out, Billund’s network shrank after Ryanair’s base exit, and there is still no rail link despite decades of talk.
Aarhus Airport is the prize that rarely lands. It sits forty kilometres out and the 925X bus reaches the centre in under an hour, timed to each arrival so it waits for you. The problem is upstream: only about a dozen routes fly here, so most travelers cannot book it at all, and the bus timetable only exists two to four weeks out.
The coach is the option to skip for most. Kombardo’s bus-plus-ferry run takes three and a half hours from Copenhagen’s bus terminal for about the same advance money as the train, and FlixBus’s road route is slower still. It earns its place only when Orange fares are gone, or when the ferry crossing itself is the point.
Book or check times
DSB: Copenhagen to Aarhus trainsMidttrafik route 925X airport busSydtrafik route 912X airport busKombardo Expressen times and faresVisitAarhus: getting to the Aarhus region
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Questions
Is there a direct train from Copenhagen Airport to Aarhus?
Yes. Direct InterCity and InterCityLyn trains leave from the platforms under Terminal 3 about every half hour and reach Aarhus H in roughly three hours, no change needed.
Is it cheaper to fly into Billund or Copenhagen for Aarhus?
Billund often wins on the flight itself thanks to low-cost carriers, but add DKK 162 and about ninety minutes for the 912X airport bus each way. Copenhagen usually wins on total journey time once the train fare is counted.
Does Aarhus have its own airport?
Yes, Aarhus Airport at Tirstrup sits about forty kilometres northeast of the city, but only around a dozen routes fly there. If one matches your dates, the flight-timed 925X bus reaches the centre in 45 to 50 minutes.
Can I buy the airport bus ticket on board?
Yes. On the 912X and the 925X you can pay by card on board or buy in the Rejsebillet app; the 925X uses a special airport ticket found under the app's special tickets tab.
How far ahead can I check the Aarhus Airport bus timetable?
Only two to four weeks. The 925X is planned around actual flight arrivals and departures, so check again close to your travel date and re-check if your flight time changes.
Is the coach from Copenhagen worth it?
Usually no. Kombardo starts from DKK 109 and takes about three and a half hours including a ferry leg, so it only beats the train when Orange fares are sold out or the crossing itself appeals to you.
Pack for it
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