Denmark on an Australian Licence — The Side Switch & Bridge Tolls

Denmark rates as one of the very easiest countries in Europe to drive — flat, orderly, beautifully signed. For an Australian there is exactly one thing that turns it from easy to alert: you change sides. Australia drives on the left, Denmark on the right, and the danger isn’t the open road — it’s the reflexes. Pulling out of a car park, taking a roundabout the other way round, glancing the wrong direction at a junction. Spend your first hour somewhere quiet, not central Copenhagen, and say “right side” out loud at every turn until it sticks.

Once that settles, the country looks after you. The motorway limit is 130 km/h, towns are 50, rural roads 80, and the surfaces are excellent. The alcohol limit is 0.05 — the same as home — but Danish fines are pegged to your income, so a serious offence costs far more than the headline number. Routine speeding is flatter: about DKK 1,000 (≈ EUR 135) for 10 over, which you can check on the speeding fine calculator. Cameras, fixed and mobile, are widespread.

The cost that catches people out is the bridges. If you cross the Great Belt between Zealand and Funen, that’s roughly DKK 250 (≈ EUR 34) each way; the Øresund to Sweden is around DKK 510 (≈ EUR 68). They’re not optional shortcuts — they’re the main routes — so budget for them. The other Danish habit is cycling: bikes have their own lanes and priority at junctions, so before turning right, always check the bike lane on your inside. It is the single most common way visitors clip a local.

Only a warning triangle is legally required in the car, though a vest and first-aid kit are sensible. Fuel is around $2.05/litre. Read the full rules on our Denmark driving guide and confirm your paperwork with the driving permit checker before you collect the car. Emergency number is 112.