Watch before you ride
Safe cycling in Copenhagen, in 93 seconds
The bicycle rules that keep you safe in traffic, animated and subtitled in nine languages. Click your flag and watch it in yours.
Nine languages
Pick your language and press play
Same 93-second film every time: English narration, subtitles in the language you choose. Nothing loads from Vimeo until you click.
Spoken English by default. Every version is the same 93-second film, so pick whichever language you read fastest.
Big thanks to Copenhagen Bicycles The videos on this page were created by Copenhagen Bicycles, who kindly let us share them. Go and say hello at copenhagenbicycles.dk.
After the video
The same rules, in writing
Ninety-three seconds gets you moving. These pages have the detail, the fines and the etiquette nobody puts in a film.
Cycling rules and etiquette
Bike-lane law, hand signals, the Copenhagen left turn, lights and what a fine actually costs.
02The cheat sheet
The ten rules that matter most, on one page. Save it to your phone before you unlock the bike.
03Test yourself
Ten questions, a score out of 100, and route suggestions matched to how confident you actually are.
About the films
Who made them
The films were produced by Copenhagen Bicycles and published on their traffic rules page. They made them so visitors could learn the rules before setting off, in a language they actually read, and they have kindly let us share them here.
We did not make these videos and we take no credit for them.
The player loads only after you click, and we ask Vimeo not to track you. See our privacy policy for what that means.
The essentials
The 3 rules that keep you safe in Copenhagen
However you got here, start with these. They are the rules visitors get wrong most often, and the ones that carry a fine.
Ride in the bike lane - always
Where there is a cycle track (the raised lane between the pavement and the road), you must use it - riding on the sidewa...
Lights on after dark
From dusk to dawn you must have a white light at the front and a red light at the rear, visible from 300 metres. Police...
Keep your phone in your pocket
Using a handheld phone while cycling is illegal in Denmark and fined around 1,000 kr. That includes texting at red light...