Puttgarden ⇄ Rødby · 45 min · about 19 km
Puttgarden Rødby ferry: departures and checked fares
An independent guide, sailed and photographed by us, and honest about whether this crossing suits your trip or Rostock Gedser or the bridges are the better choice.
Call it an occupational hazard, but we would rather spend 45 minutes on a boat than another hour at the wheel. On this route you do not even have to choose: the motorway runs right up to the ferry on both sides, the crossing takes three quarters of an hour, and by day a ferry leaves about every 40 minutes, with fewer through the night. Below you will find the next departures in both directions, what a ticket really costs and what to expect in the two ports.
Check prices and book Car Standard from €61.10 if booked 3+ days aheadSee the price exampleNext sailings
- Sailed and photographed by usEvery photo on this site is our own
- TimetableBoth directions, for any date
- Fares checked 24 September 2026Automatically, against scandlines.com
- Independent guidePart of the FerryGoGo network
What will your crossing cost?
Two choices, every ticket option with its fare side by side. "From" fares on scandlines.com, checked on 23 September 2026. The fare in the booking depends on day and departure.
From fares for a single crossing: Low Price from €48, Flex from €118. A given departure can cost more. The difference between the tickets is not comfort, it is how flexible they are.
What each ticket allows when plans change
Low Price
from €48
The cheapest fare, online only and only on selected departures, mostly the early, late and night sailings and weekdays.
Tied to exactly one departure. Miss it and it is gone: no changes, no refund.
Check the fare for your dateStandard
from €61.10
This from-price applies if you book at least 3 days ahead, while tickets at that price last. Valid for the booked departure and any other departure with space on the same day.
Booked later or on the day, Standard costs more: compare the fare in the booking. Another day: 30 euros plus any fare difference. At the harbour from €111.
Check the fare for your dateFlex
from €118
Free changes and refunds, a reserved space, priority boarding.
About two and a half times the Low Price fare. Only worth it if your date really is open.
Check the fare for your dateWith the from-prices, the 1-day ticket is €24 below two Low Price tickets, and it is valid on every departure of the day.
A day trip to Copenhagen: what fits into one day
1-day ticket
from €72
There and back on the same calendar day, all departures in both directions, up to 9 people in the car.
The return has to be on the same day.
Check the fare for your dateTwo Low Price tickets
from €96
Two single crossings at the cheapest fare.
Costs more than the 1-day ticket and ties you to two fixed departures. For a day trip the worse choice.
Check the fare for your dateWith Scandlines a return is two single crossings. There is no discount for coming back, you only choose how flexible each crossing should be.
Changing and cancelling: the rules per ticket
Two Low Price tickets
from €96
Cheapest if both departures are fixed and you are sure to be at the port on time.
Both tickets are lost if you miss the departure. Risky after a long drive.
Check the fare for your dateTwo Standard tickets
from €122.20
On both travel days you can take the next ferry with space if you have to.
Each ticket is tied to its day, another day costs 30 euros plus any difference.
Check the fare for your dateWeekend ticket
from €93
Out on Friday, back on Sunday, a car with up to 9 people. Cheaper than two Standard tickets.
Only for exactly that pattern. Rebooking costs a fee, other days are not covered.
Check the fare for your dateEasy Return
from €174
One booking for both directions, back on whichever ferry has space.
Considerably more than two Standard tickets. Do the sums before you take it.
Check the fare for your dateBooked separately, a Standard ferry ticket (€61.10) and the Øresund Bridge online (420 DKK, about €56) come to about €117.10 if you book the ferry at least 3 days ahead. The combination ticket starts at €101.25. Compare both totals for your date in the booking.
Ferry plus Øresund Bridge: the sums and how it works
Combination ticket with the Helsingør Helsingborg ferry
from €99.75
Puttgarden Rødby plus the 20 minute ferry across the Øresund. Good for Gothenburg, the west coast and Stockholm via the E4.
Check in the booking how long the Øresund crossing is valid around your ferry departure.
Check the fare for your dateCombination ticket with the Øresund Bridge
from €101.25
Puttgarden Rødby plus the bridge from Copenhagen to Malmö in one booking. Good for Malmö, Skåne and the east coast.
Combination tickets are not available as Low Price.
Check the fare for your dateCombination ticket Flex with the bridge
from €166
Free changes and refunds, priority boarding.
Flex only comes with the bridge, not with Helsingør Helsingborg.
Check the fare for your dateWith a motorhome or caravan you can book Low Price too, with the length surcharge. It stays tied to one departure: with a caravan on the hook a delay on the motorway quickly becomes a missed ferry, and then the ticket is lost. With Standard you take the next ferry with space on the same day.
Over 6 metres a length surcharge is added, which Scandlines only shows in the booking. The measurement includes a bike rack and the drawbar. Low Price also exists over 6 metres, with that surcharge on top. Length bands, lanes and boarding for motorhomes and caravans.
Low Price
from €48 plus length surcharge
The cheapest fare, online only and only on selected departures, mostly the early, late and night sailings and weekdays.
Tied to exactly one departure. Miss it and it is gone: no changes, no refund.
Check the fare for your dateStandard
from €61.10 plus length surcharge
This from-price applies if you book at least 3 days ahead, while tickets at that price last. Valid for the booked departure and any other departure with space on the same day.
Booked later or on the day, Standard costs more: compare the fare in the booking. Another day: 30 euros plus any fare difference. At the harbour from €111.
Check the fare for your dateFlex
from €118 plus length surcharge
Free changes and refunds, a reserved space, priority boarding.
About two and a half times the Low Price fare. Only worth it if your date really is open.
Check the fare for your dateThe 1-day ticket is a car fare. For longer vehicles the length surcharge is added, the exact fare is shown in the booking.
Over 6 metres a length surcharge is added, which Scandlines only shows in the booking. The measurement includes a bike rack and the drawbar. Low Price also exists over 6 metres, with that surcharge on top. Length bands, lanes and boarding for motorhomes and caravans.
1-day ticket
from €72 plus length surcharge
There and back on the same calendar day, all departures of the day.
Return on the same day. Much more expensive at the harbour than online.
Check the fare for your dateTwo single crossings, each with the length surcharge. Book early for July and August, spaces for long vehicles can go faster.
Over 6 metres a length surcharge is added, which Scandlines only shows in the booking. The measurement includes a bike rack and the drawbar. Low Price also exists over 6 metres, with that surcharge on top. Length bands, lanes and boarding for motorhomes and caravans.
Two Standard tickets
from €122.20 plus length surcharge
On both travel days you can take the next ferry with space if you have to.
Another day costs 30 euros plus any difference.
Check the fare for your dateTwo Flex tickets
from €236 plus length surcharge
Free changes and refunds, a reserved space.
Only makes sense if your travel days really are open.
Check the fare for your dateCombination tickets exist for long vehicles too. On the bridge a higher toll class applies from 6 metres. Enter the real length in the booking and you see the total.
Over 6 metres a length surcharge is added, which Scandlines only shows in the booking. The measurement includes a bike rack and the drawbar. Low Price also exists over 6 metres, with that surcharge on top. Length bands, lanes and boarding for motorhomes and caravans.
Ferry plus Øresund Bridge: the sums and how it works
Combination ticket with the Øresund Bridge
from €101.25 plus length surcharge
Ferry and bridge in one booking.
Enter the real overall length, it sets both prices.
Check the fare for your dateCombination ticket with the Helsingør Helsingborg ferry
from €99.75 plus length surcharge
The short ferry instead of the bridge, for the west coast and Gothenburg.
Check the validity of the Øresund crossing in the booking.
Check the fare for your dateMotorbikes have their own, much cheaper fare, for up to three people.
Motorcycle ticket
from €31.70
One way for a motorbike or moped, up to 2.5 metres.
Secure the bike on the car deck.
Check the fare for your dateWith the from-prices, the 1-day ticket is €6.40 cheaper than two single crossings.
Motorcycle 1-day ticket
from €57
There and back on the same day, all departures. Good for a ride to Lolland or Møn.
Return on the same calendar day.
Check the fare for your dateTwo single crossings
from €63.40
If you stay overnight after all.
Costs more than the 1-day ticket.
Check the fare for your dateA return is two single crossings.
Two motorcycle tickets
from €63.40
One single crossing in each direction.
The change rules depend on the fare you choose.
Check the fare for your dateBoth combination tickets exist for motorbikes too.
Ferry plus Øresund Bridge: the sums and how it works
Combination ticket with the Helsingør Helsingborg ferry
from €46.50
Puttgarden Rødby plus the short ferry across the Øresund.
A return is two single crossings.
Check the fare for your dateCombination ticket with the Øresund Bridge
from €48
Puttgarden Rødby plus the bridge to Malmö.
A return is two single crossings.
Check the fare for your dateWithout a vehicle there is one listed ticket, and it is cheap.
Puttgarden ferry port on foot: the footbridge and the kiosk
1-day ticket for foot passengers
€11
There and back on the same calendar day. A bike costs €3 extra.
For a single crossing, for example on the way to Copenhagen, check in the booking what Scandlines offers. Foot passengers use the footbridge to the terminal in Puttgarden.
Check the fare for your dateThe Puttgarden Rødby ferry in short
Forty-five minutes. That is all the sea there is between Germany and Denmark if you take the Scandlines ferry from Puttgarden, on the German island of Fehmarn, to Rødby on Lolland. For anyone driving up from the Channel ports through the Netherlands and Hamburg it is the quickest way onto Danish tarmac: motorway to the ramp on one side, motorway off the ramp on the other, and a departure about every 40 minutes by day. The Scandlines hybrid ferries keep it going all year, day and night.
Our own photos from the crossing. Click to enlarge.
Why you can trust this page: the text and photos are by the PuttgardenRodby.com team, part of FerryGoGo. On 17 February 2025 two of us drove onto the ferry in Puttgarden and arrived in Rødby at sunset, the first leg of a test trip through Denmark and Sweden that also took in the Øresund Bridge, the Helsingør Helsingborg ferry and the way back via Gedser Rostock. Every photo on this page is our own. The departures are live, and every fare carries the date we checked it. Who we are and how we earn money is on the about page.
Our crossing, step by step
Eight pictures, one afternoon. This is the crossing as we did it, from the motorway sign to the Danish ramp, with the details we would have liked to know beforehand.
Today’s sailings from Puttgarden to Rødby
The next eight departures from Germany to Denmark, or pick another date. Sailings in the other direction and more days are on the full Puttgarden Rødby timetable.
All departures today and tomorrow
Scheduled sailings. If the table does not load, or to check delays and cancellations, use the Scandlines departure board.
Found your sailing? Check the fare and book Car Standard from €61.10 if booked 3+ days ahead
What a ticket costs and which one to pick
Scandlines charges per car, not per head: one fare covers a car up to 6 metres and up to 9 people in it, which makes a full car the bargain of the trip. The cheapest way across is a Low Price ticket on a quiet departure, booked online. On 22 September 2026 the one-way car fares started at 48 euros (Low Price, tied to one sailing), 61.10 euros (Standard, any sailing that day) and 118 euros (Flex, free changes). A same-day return costs from 72 euros. At the harbour a Standard ticket cost from 111 euros. The lowest online Standard price needs booking at least three days ahead, and booked on the day itself it costs more, so book online as early as you can and compare.
Puttgarden Rødby, Rostock Gedser or the bridges?
Scandlines runs both Denmark routes. Puttgarden Rødby is the short one: 45 minutes, a sailing about every 40 minutes by day, and from Hamburg it is the natural way to Copenhagen. Rostock Gedser takes about 2 hours and starts 150 km further east, which makes it the better choice from Berlin, Dresden or Poland. Driving all the way round via Jutland and the Great Belt Bridge avoids the ferry but costs a bridge toll and a few hundred kilometres. Call it an occupational hazard, but we would rather spend 45 minutes on a boat than another hour at the wheel. Compare the alternatives, and in bad weather check our weather and sea state page before you leave.
Where do you start?
Distances and driving times: route calculation on OpenStreetMap data (OSRM), 21 September 2026, centre to centre, without traffic or stops. Total time is driving plus the crossing (45 minutes or 2 hours) plus 30 minutes for check-in. Overland runs via Flensburg, Kolding and the Storebælt Bridge.
Why Puttgarden Rødby: the honest comparison
| Puttgarden Rødby | Rostock Gedser | Overland via Storebælt | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crossing | 45 minutes | about 2 hours | no ferry, toll bridge |
| Departures | about every 40 minutes by day | 8 to 9 a day each way | whenever you like |
| Hamburg to Copenhagen | about 315 km, about 5 h | about 350 km, about 6.5 h | about 515 km, just under 6 h |
| Berlin to Copenhagen | about 560 km, just over 7 h | about 390 km, just under 7 h | about 790 km, over 8.5 h |
| Car, one way, from | €48 | €65.30 | about €27.50 toll |
| Best choice from | Hamburg, Bremen, the Netherlands | Berlin, Saxony, Poland, Czechia | anywhere, for Jutland and Funen |
Our verdict: from Hamburg and the west, Puttgarden Rødby wins on time, price and frequency. From Berlin and the east, Rostock Gedser saves about 170 km of driving for a dearer ticket.
Full route comparison with costs
Kilometres and hours: route calculation on OpenStreetMap data, 22 September 2026, centre to centre, with 30 minutes for check-in. Fares: lowest online car fare on scandlines.com, checked 22 and 17 September 2026. Bridge toll: 2026 tariff, 205 DKK.
The two ports
Puttgarden ferry port
The A1 from Hamburg turns into the E47, crosses the Fehmarnsund Bridge and ends at the check-in lanes in Puttgarden. Your booking is read at a self-service booth and a traffic light sends you to a numbered waiting lane. Check-in for cars closes 15 minutes before departure. The Scandlines BorderShop, a multi-storey border shop (German prices, not duty-free), stands right next to the lanes; parking there is limited to one hour with a parking disc. More about Puttgarden ferry port.
Rødby ferry port
Rødbyhavn is the small ferry town at the southern tip of Lolland, and the check-in sits right at the end of the E47 motorway. From the ferry you drive straight onto the E47 towards Copenhagen, about 160 km away. Scandlines gives the address as Færgestationsvej 5, 4970 Rødby, and suggests “Rødby-Puttgarden Scandlines Check-in” as the sat nav destination. More about Rødby ferry port.
45 minutes on board
The four ferries, the Deutschland, Schleswig-Holstein, Prins Richard and Prinsesse Benedikte, were built in 1997 and converted to hybrid drive in 2013 and 2014. They are double-ended, so they never turn round: you drive on at one end and off at the other. Upstairs there is a Food Express cafeteria, a buffet counter, a coffee bar serving Starbucks, a Travel Shop, gaming machines and a sun deck around the funnel. On our crossing the sun set halfway across and a sister ferry passed us going the other way. You cannot go back to your car during the crossing.
Where you go from here
To Copenhagen: from Rødby it is about 160 km on the E47, roughly an hour and a half to two hours by car. We arrived in Rødby at dusk and were at our hotel in Copenhagen about 90 minutes later. A day trip to Copenhagen from Germany is realistic with the early sailings.
To Sweden: after Copenhagen you choose between the Øresund Bridge to Malmö and the Helsingør Helsingborg ferry further north. Scandlines sells both together with the Puttgarden Rødby crossing in one booking: ferry plus Øresund Bridge or ferry plus Helsingør Helsingborg. We used the bridge on the way out and the ferry on the way back.
The Fehmarnbelt tunnel: a road and rail tunnel is being built between Puttgarden and Rødbyhavn. It is not open yet and Femern A/S gives no firm opening date. What it means for the ferry is on our page about the Fehmarnbelt tunnel.
Puttgarden Rødby ferry FAQ
How long does the Puttgarden Rødby ferry take?
45 minutes for the crossing itself. Add 15 to 30 minutes for check-in and boarding in Puttgarden, and a few minutes to drive off in Rødby.
How often does the ferry sail?
About every 40 minutes during the day and less often at night, in both directions. The exact departures for your date are in the timetable.
How much is the ferry with a car?
From 48 euros one way with a Low Price ticket booked online, from 61.10 euros for Standard, checked on scandlines.com on 22 September 2026. The fare covers the car and up to 9 people. A same-day return costs from 72 euros with the 1-day ticket. All fares are on the prices page.
Do I need to book in advance?
No, but booking online ahead usually saves money: on the day we checked, a Standard ticket cost from 111 euros at the harbour and from 61.10 euros online, the price for booking at least three days ahead. Booked on the day itself the online price is higher, so compare. Low Price tickets are only sold online, and online booking is possible up to two hours before departure.
Can I go as a foot passenger or with a bike?
Yes. A 1-day return ticket for foot passengers costs from 11 euros, a bike 3 euros extra, according to scandlines.com on 22 September 2026. Foot passengers use the footbridge to the terminal in Puttgarden.
Will the ferry stop when the Fehmarnbelt tunnel opens?
The tunnel is under construction and has no confirmed opening date. Scandlines has said publicly that it plans to keep sailing the route with a smaller fleet after the tunnel opens. We keep this answer updated on the tunnel page.
Is this site run by Scandlines?
No. PuttgardenRodby.com is an independent guide by the PuttgardenRodby.com team, part of the FerryGoGo network. We earn a commission when you book through our links, at no extra cost to you. The operator is Scandlines. More on who we are and how we work.
Ready to book? Check today’s fares and book directly with Scandlines.
Check prices and book Car Standard from €61.10 if booked 3+ days ahead