Best Places to View Øresund Bridge

Øresund Bridge can be seen from many places in and around Copenhagen, but some are certainly better than others. This page suggests a number of locations with the best views and best opportunities for taking photos of the bridge.

I’ve been to all of them (some of them many times) and still can’t decide which one is the best of all. Each place gives you a view from a different angle, with different surroundings and in a different atmosphere. Even the same place can be totally different in different part of the day, or different season, or different weather. That said, individual places do have strengths and weaknesses, which I will also try to point out below.

Two (Three) Kinds of Places

One thing you probably know about Øresund Bridge is that it is quite special in that it starts in the middle of the Øresund strait at the artificial island Peberholm. Both the motorway and the railway arrive to Peberholm through a 4km long tunnel, which starts near Copenhagen Airport. This means that the bridge is in fact quite far from Copenhagen.

And one thing you probably know about Copenhagen is that its surface is very flat – the highest “hills” have just a few metres.

These two things mean that each of the places with a good view of the Øresund Bridge falls into one of two categories: It is either some high building (like a tower) or a place directly on the coast. There is in fact a third category, which can be the best of all, but it is always a lottery. Let’s start with that one.

From an Airplane

The bridge is close to Copenhagen International Airport, whose runways are laid out in a way that virtually all the arriving and departing airplanes fly over the Øresund strait, although not necessarily directly over the bridge. There are two main parallel runways 04/22, which are roughly perpendicular to the bridge’s axis. A third runway (30/12) is roughly parallel to the bridge. As a result, when arriving or departing, your view of the bridge can range from unbelievably perfect to none at all, depending on where you sit on the plane, which runway it uses and which direction, where and how it turns after takeoff / on approach, and of course the weather. In sum, it is hit or miss, but the things you can influence are:

  1. Get a window seat.
  2. Be aware of the plane’s position and direction, and know where and when to look for the bridge.

From High Buildings

There are two towers in Copenhagen which are popular tourist attractions and offer variety of interesting views and experiences, including a view of Øresund Bridge: The Round Tower (Rundetårn) and the tower of Our Saviour’s Church (Vor Frelsers Kirke). I like both and recommend both, but if you only have time for one of them and the bridge is a top priority, the second tower is better, because it is taller and closer to the bridge.

The Round Tower

Rundetårn is located in Copenhagen city centre in Købmagergade between Kongens Nytorv and Nørreport. It is also attached to a church (Trinitatis Kirke) and it is very special in a number of ways.

Firstly, it is the oldest functioning astronomical observatory in Europe (so there must be some good views, plus there is an astronomical museum on top of the tower).

Secondly, there are no stairs like on most towers, but a so called equestrian staircase, which is basically a wide spiral ramp that allows not only pedestrians, but also horse carriages to ride on top of the tower. This corridor takes seven and half turns around the tower on the way up – the ascent is an experience on its own.

Finally, there is an observation platform with nice views to all sides. Being almost exactly in the middle of the city, you can see almost all the important landmarks, and there is also Øresund Bridge in the background – admittedly quite far away, but the good part is seeing the bridge together with the rest of Copenhagen’s skyline.

Open daily. Entrance fee: 25 kroner. Best way to get there: Nørreport station (S-train or metro).

Church of Our Saviour

When looking at the Øresund Bridge from Rundetårn, you actually see this tower as the most significant feature in that direction, right next to the bridge. The Church of Our Saviour (Danish name Vor Frelsers Kirke) is located in Christianshavn, halfway between Christianshavn metro station and the entrance to Christiania. It is very easy to find, because the tower is so high you see it from almost everywhere.

This tower also has a very special ascent. There is a spiral staircase outside (not inside) the tower, going all the way to the top (you can almost touch the golden globe on the very top of the tower). It gets very narrow as you approach the top, but the views are breathtaking: Amager beach, the strait, Malmö with the Turning Torso skyscraper, and of course the bridge.

Our Saviour’s Church has easily the best view of the Øresund Bridge in Copenhagen, without having to leave the greater city centre. Just one word of caution: the view down to the ground may not be comfortable if you don’t like heights.

Open daily March to mid December. Closed in winter. Due to its exposed nature, the tower may also close in bad weather. Entrance fee: 50 kroner in summer, 35 kroner low season. Best way to get there: Christianshavn metro station.

From the Coast

If you don’t want to climb or pay the entrance fee, you can see the Øresund Bridge from a number of places along the coast.

Amager Coast and Beach

Basically the entire coast on the Amager island (along the metro line from city centre to airport) is good – you can walk all the way from Kastrup to Øresund metro station.

One of the best places is the Amager beach park (Amager Strandpark), which was artificially built running into the sea a bit, and besides having good view of the bridge it is a nice place to visit on its own.

Dragør

This list wouldn’t be complete without the place that is actually closest to the bridge on Danish soil: the small historical fishing town of Dragør, which is on the coast behind the airport, directly opposite the Peberholm island where Øresund Bridge starts. From here you can see the bridge in greatest detail – you can actually recognize individual cars, the two levels (for cars and trains), and the bridge’s beginning at Peberholm.

One downside is that you are viewing the bridge from a different angle (the other side than seen from Copenhagen) and as it makes a slight curve in the middle, you can’t see the Swedish section. However, for many people this alternative view is actually a good thing.

How to get there: Bus 350S directly from Amagerbro, Christianshavn, Kongens Nytorv or Nørreport stations, takes 30-40 minutes. Bonus is riding through a tunnel under the airport’s runway.

So Which Is Best?

If I had to choose only some of these places (solely for the best views of Øresund Bridge), I would pick two: Our Saviour’s Church and Dragør. Taking the bus 350S they are actually just 30 minutes apart.

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