Denmark on an Indian Licence — The Side Switch & the Bridge Tolls

Denmark is one of the calmest countries in Europe to drive — flat, orderly, beautifully signed and full of disciplined drivers. For an Indian visitor the two things worth planning are the change of side and, less obviously, the cost of crossing the water that splits the country into islands.

The side comes first. India drives on the left; Denmark drives on the right. Denmark’s gentleness actually helps here — quiet roads and patient drivers give you room to adapt — but the reflex traps are the same everywhere: emerging from a petrol station, reading a roundabout that now turns the other way, the instinctive glance toward the wrong shoulder. Spend your first hour somewhere quiet before Copenhagen, and stay deliberate at every junction. Our Denmark driving guide covers the local habits, including how seriously the Danes take cyclists.

The detail that surprises visitors is the bridge tolls. Denmark is spread across islands, so a road trip almost inevitably involves a major crossing — and they are not cheap. The Great Belt Bridge linking Zealand and Funen costs several hundred kroner per car each way, and the Øresund Bridge across to Sweden is pricier still. These are unavoidable on the main routes, so build them into your budget rather than discovering them at the booth. A hire car is billed automatically in some cases, with the charge passed back to you afterward.

Speeds are 50 km/h in town, 80 on rural roads and up to 130 on the motorways, faster than India’s 120, and the country leans hard on cameras — fixed and mobile units are widespread. Crucially, Danish speeding fines scale with the offence and can be heavy; a basic 10 km/h overshoot starts around DKK 1,000 (about €135). Model a figure with the speeding fine calculator, and read who pays driving fines abroad for how rental tickets reach you.

On alcohol the limit is 0.05, above India’s 0.03, but penalties are income-linked and severe, so treat it as zero. An IDP is recommended; confirm with the driving permit checker. The car must carry a warning triangle, and the emergency number is 112.