Chapter 7 of 9
About 4 minutes left
Phones, drinks and headphones
What will get you fined, and what will just get you hurt.
Holding your phone while riding is illegal in Denmark and it is actively enforced. This covers holding it for any reason at all - navigating, reading a message, taking a call, filming. If you need directions, put the phone in a handlebar mount, which is permitted, or pull out of the cycle track and stop.
Alcohol works differently from driving. There is no fixed limit for cyclists in Danish law, which surprises many visitors, but that is not the same as it being allowed. The police can stop you and fine you if you are not in a fit state to ride safely, and if you cause an accident while drunk you carry the consequences. It is worth remembering how much of central Copenhagen sits directly alongside open water with no railing.
Headphones are not banned outright. But hearing the bell behind you is a substantial part of how this system works - it is the main way people tell each other they are passing - so keep the volume low or use one ear only. Riding sealed off from the sound of the traffic removes the warning you would otherwise get.
It is worth saying plainly: the police here do fine cyclists, regularly, and being a visitor who did not know the rule is not a defence anyone accepts. Fines are issued on the spot and are the same for residents and visitors.
The rules in detail
-
Never hold your phone
Illegal for any purpose while riding, and actively enforced. Mount it, or pull out of the track and stop.
-
A mounted phone is fine
A handlebar mount keeps both hands on the bars, which is the point of the rule.
-
No fixed alcohol limit - but that is not permission
Police can stop and fine a cyclist who cannot ride safely, and you carry the consequences of an accident.
-
Headphones: keep one ear free
Not banned, but the bell behind you is how people announce they are passing. Do not remove yourself from that.
-
Visitors are fined the same as locals
Fines are issued on the spot. Not knowing the rule is not a defence.
What it costs if you get it wrong
| Holding a phone while riding | 1.000 DKK |
|---|
Indicative amounts as of August 2026. Fines are adjusted periodically and the figure on the day is what counts.
Where this comes from
- Færdselsloven (the Danish Road Traffic Act), chapters on cyclists
- Rådet for Sikker Trafik - cycling guidance
- Cyklistforbundet - the Danish Cyclists' Federation
This chapter is complete in itself. For routes, rentals and repairs, see bikesafecph.com ↗