We have driven across a lot of bridges across Scandinavia — the Hardanger, the Storseisundet on the Atlantic Ocean Road, the long Samnanger spans in Norway — but the Øresund Bridge feels different. It is an event. You drive out of Malmö heading southwest, the city falls away, and then you are hovering above the Øresund strait with Sweden behind you and Copenhagen growing larger ahead. It is the kind of crossing that makes you forget, briefly, that you have somewhere to be.

We crossed it on a Scandinavian road trip that started in Rovaniemi, looped through Sweden, and ended in Copenhagen. We had read every forum thread about the toll, the lanes, the views. Some of that advice was solid. Some of it was outdated. This is our honest driving experience of the Øresund Bridge — the exact things you need to know before you go.

What the Øresund crossing actually is

Most people picture a single bridge, but the Øresund fixed link is actually three connected structures: a tunnel on the Danish side, an artificial island called Peberholm in the middle, and the bridge on the Swedish side. When you drive it, you experience all three — though only the bridge portion gives you open water and sky around you.

The three-part structure

The tunnel runs for about 3.7 km beneath the Drogden Channel on the Danish side, emerging onto Peberholm island. This is where a lot of drivers feel slightly disoriented the first time — you expect to pop out over water, but instead you surface onto a flat artificial landmass the size of a small nature reserve. Peberholm is deliberately kept as a wildlife habitat, so you drive through a kind of low, windswept prairie before the bridge begins.

The bro — the bridge itself — runs 7.8 km from Peberholm to Lernacken on the Swedish coast near Malmö. It carries two rail tracks on the lower deck and four lanes of road traffic on the upper deck. The cable-stay pylons rise 204 metres, making them visible from far out at sea. On a clear day you genuinely feel like you are driving on top of the world.

Which direction feels better?

We crossed both ways and the consensus from our car was that Sweden-to-Denmark (Malmö heading southwest toward Copenhagen) gives you the better visual experience. You drive the bridge first, watching Copenhagen materialise ahead of you, and then drop into the tunnel with the Danish city already in sight. Denmark-to-Sweden means you start underground and the view only opens up when you are already halfway through. Both directions are worth it, but if you are only crossing once, go Sweden to Denmark.

Toll costs and how to pay in 2026

The Øresund Bridge toll is a genuine expense and worth planning for. It is not cheap by European bridge standards, and the price has crept upward in recent years.

2026 passenger car toll (one way)

• Standard passenger car (under 6 m): approximately 415–455 DKK or the equivalent in SEK (around 580–635 SEK). The exact figure depends on the exchange rate — the toll is set in DKK and converted to SEK daily.
• Motorcycles: roughly half the car rate.
• Campervans and vehicles over 6 m: categorised as a higher class and charged significantly more — check the Øresundsbron website before you go if you are in a larger vehicle.
• BroPas / BizPas (pre-registered transponder): regular users save 10–25% on each crossing.

Where and how you pay

• Sweden to Denmark: you pay at the Lernacken toll plaza before you enter the bridge. There are staffed lanes and automatic lanes. Card payment (Visa, Mastercard) works reliably in 2026.
• Denmark to Sweden: you pay at the Danish side (Køge Bugt – Kastrup area). Same setup.
• Cash: technically accepted in some lanes, but the automatic lanes are card-only and the staffed lanes are increasingly card-preferred. We paid by card without any issue.
• Registration-plate billing: if you have a transponder registered to your plate, the toll is billed automatically — you drive through without stopping.

We spent about 20 minutes in the queue at Lernacken on a Friday afternoon in September. On a weekday morning it was under five minutes. The toll itself is quick once you are at the booth — card tap, receipt, go.

The driving experience, lane by lane

Here is what the actual crossing feels like from behind the wheel, in the order you experience it going Sweden to Denmark.

Step-by-step from Malmö to Copenhagen

What you can (and cannot) see from the bridge

The Øresund Bridge has a reputation as one of the most scenic road crossings in Europe. That reputation is mostly earned — but there are conditions attached.

On a clear day you will see

• The Malmö skyline receding to the northeast, with the distinctive Turning Torso tower identifiable from the full length of the bridge.
• Copenhagen’s spires and Ørestad towers rising to the southwest, growing steadily more detailed as you cross.
• Ships on the Øresund strait — this is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, and you often see container ships or tankers passing below.
• The Swedish and Danish coastlines simultaneously from the mid-point of the bridge — one of those rare moments where you can see two countries at once from a single road.
• Seabirds gliding alongside the pylons, especially in autumn.

What limits the view

• The crash barriers and bridge railings are solid metal, not transparent. From the driver’s seat, your view of the water below is limited. Passengers with a higher vantage point see more.
• Low cloud or sea fog can reduce visibility to a few hundred metres — the bridge disappears into grey and you see almost nothing. Check the weather before you go.
• Rush-hour traffic means you are concentrating on braking and lane-keeping, not sightseeing. Cross at a quiet time if the views matter to you.

Tips for getting the most out of the crossing

These are the practical things that made our crossing better than average — and a few we wish we had thought of sooner.

Eight things worth knowing before you drive

• Go on a clear day. This sounds obvious, but we have spoken to people who crossed in November rain and saw nothing but grey. Check the forecast in both Malmö and Copenhagen — fog can sit on the Danish side while the Swedish side is clear, or vice versa.
• Morning light (Sweden to Denmark) is beautiful. The low sun coming over the Swedish coast behind you creates long shadows on the pylons and a golden sheen on the water. We crossed at around 8 am and it was genuinely stunning.
• Have a passenger take photos. You cannot safely photograph and drive the bridge. Designate a photographer before you enter the toll plaza.
• The 90 km/h limit feels slow but is enforced. Speed cameras are active on the bridge. There is no reason to rush a 10-minute crossing that cost you 450 DKK.
• Pre-pay or pre-register if you cross often. The BroPas transponder saves money on every crossing. For a one-off trip it is not worth setting up, but for anyone doing Sweden-Denmark regularly, it pays for itself quickly.
• Stop at Lernacken before or after for a proper view. There is a viewpoint area near the toll plaza on the Swedish side where you can actually stand outside and photograph the bridge. This is how most of the great bridge photos are taken — not from a moving car.
• Consider the crossing at dusk. The bridge lights up at night and the Copenhagen skyline looks extraordinary at blue hour from the mid-point. We did not do this ourselves but have seen photos from travelers who did and deeply regret not staying for it.
• The train is a real alternative. If the toll feels steep, the Øresundståget (the regional train) crosses the same bridge and runs every 20 minutes between Malmö and Copenhagen. It is cheaper, and you get window seats above the water. Worth knowing even as a driver.

Alternatives if you want to skip the bridge toll

The Øresund Bridge toll is a real cost, and it is worth knowing your options before you commit to the crossing by car.

The main alternatives

• Helsingborg–Helsingør ferry (HH Ferry): about 20 minutes across the narrowest point of the strait, much cheaper than the bridge, and runs every 20–30 minutes. The catch is that you are adding roughly 60 km of driving to get there from Malmö or Copenhagen centre. Worth it if you are already in the north of Skåne or northern Zealand.
• The Øresundståget train: as mentioned above — every 20 minutes, runs across the bridge, no car required. If you can leave your car in Malmö for a day trip to Copenhagen, this is by far the easiest option.
• Just absorb the cost: for most travelers doing a one-time Scandinavia road trip, the bridge toll is a line item worth paying. The experience is genuinely unique and the 10-minute crossing between two countries is one of those travel moments you remember.

Mistakes we made (and you can skip)

In the spirit of honest travel writing, here is what we got wrong — not dramatically, but enough to wish we had done it differently.

• Not checking the weather specifically over the strait. We crossed once with a perfect forecast in Malmö and ran straight into a fog bank over Peberholm. The tunnel and island portion were fine, but we lost the bridge views entirely. The Øresund strait can have its own micro-weather. Check the marine forecast.
• Forgetting that the lane merge is after the toll, not before. We joined the wrong queue at the toll plaza and ended up in a lane for registered transponder users. The staff were helpful but it added a few minutes. Follow the signs carefully when approaching Lernacken.
• Not stopping at the Swedish-side viewpoint. We drove straight through both times. It was only afterward, looking at other people’s photos, that we realised there is a proper viewpoint near Lernacken. We would stop there next time without question.
• Expecting the bridge to feel long. It does not. Ten minutes goes fast. Have your camera out, have your passenger ready, and be present for it instead of thinking about parking in Copenhagen.
• Underestimating queue time on Friday afternoons. Friday late afternoon is the worst time to cross — Swedes heading for Copenhagen weekends and Danes heading home. Cross on a weekday morning or after 8 pm if you want a smooth toll experience.
• Not reading about the bridge before we crossed. The engineering of the Øresund link — the immersed tube tunnel, the artificial island, the cable-stay design — is fascinating. Knowing the story makes the crossing feel like more than just paying to drive over water.

Frequently asked questions

A final word from Rovaniemi

We have driven a lot of bridges across Scandinavia, and the Øresund still stands apart. Not because it is the longest, or the most dramatic, but because of what it means: two countries, one crossing, ten minutes above open water. It is the kind of thing that makes you appreciate how close this part of Europe really is — how you can leave Sweden after breakfast and be sitting in a Copenhagen café by 10 am, having driven above the sea on the way.

For us, approaching from the north — from Malmö, after a week on the road through Finnish and Swedish Lapland — the bridge felt like a punctuation mark. The Nordic north behind us, Western Europe beginning ahead. If you are doing any kind of Scandinavia road trip that includes both Sweden and Denmark, do not skip the bridge. Pay the toll. Drive it on a clear morning. Let a passenger photograph it. You will not forget it.