Puttgarden ⇄ Rødby · 45 min · about 19 km
Cheap Puttgarden Rødby ferry tickets: what actually saves money
About 126 euros. That is the gap between the dearest and the cheapest way to take a car there and back on this route: 222 euros for two Standard tickets at the harbour against 96 euros with two Low Price tickets. The rules behind that are scattered across a dozen Scandlines pages, so we have sorted them by how much they save, with a worked example and the tickets that cost more than they seem. Fares checked on scandlines.com on 22 September 2026.
The saving rules, sorted by effect
| Rule | What it saves | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Never buy at the harbour | about 50 euros per crossing: Standard is from 61.10 euros online and from 111 euros at the harbour | none, booking on your phone in the queue counts as online |
| 1-day ticket for there and back on the same day | 24 euros against two Low Price tickets, 50.20 euros against two Standard tickets | return on the same calendar day, 72 euros online |
| Weekend ticket for out on Friday and back on Sunday | 29.20 euros against two Standard tickets: from 93 euros return | only Friday out and Sunday back |
| Combination ticket instead of ferry and Øresund Bridge separately | about 16 euros each way: Standard plus bridge from 101.25 euros, against 61.10 euros plus about 56 euros for the bridge online | not available as Low Price |
| Low Price instead of Standard | 13.10 euros per crossing | tied to exactly one departure, miss it and it is gone |
| Fill the car | the fare covers up to 9 people | none |
All amounts are differences between the “from” fares for a car up to 6 metres. What your date costs depends on day and departure; the order of the rules does not change. Every ticket type with its conditions is on the prices page.
How to find a Low Price departure
Low Price is not simply always there, and that catches people out. Scandlines says the number of tickets is limited, the offer is not available on all departures, and more of them are available at off-peak times: on a route with a sailing every half hour, that means the early, the late and the night departures, and weekdays rather than weekends.
In practice that means:
- Try several departures on the same day in the booking. The fare is shown per departure. With 45 sailings a day there is almost always a Low Price one within an hour of the time you wanted.
- Shift by a day if you can. Friday to Sunday is the busiest on a holiday route.
- Book early, but not blindly. Low Price can sell out well before the day in the school holidays.
- Be honest about your drive. Low Price makes sense if you are on Fehmarn or Lolland already. After 450 km from the Ruhr, for 13.10 euros more, Standard gives you some breathing room if the drive takes longer than planned, and on this route the next ferry is only half an hour away.
The departures themselves are in the live timetable. Low Price is limited to cars up to 6 metres and cannot be changed or refunded.
Worked example: a week in Denmark by car
A family crosses to Rødby on a Saturday and comes back a week later. The same trip, five ways to book it.
| Booked as | Return from | For whom |
|---|---|---|
| Two Low Price tickets | 96.00 euros | both departures are fixed, short drive to the port |
| Low Price out, Standard back | 109.10 euros | the way out is predictable, the way back from holiday is not |
| Two Standard tickets | 122.20 euros | long drive, children, caravan |
| Easy Return | 174.00 euros | only if the return day is genuinely open |
| Two Standard tickets bought at the harbour | 222.00 euros | nobody |
Our pick for most people is the second row, and it is not a close call. On the way out you start rested and with a margin, so the risk is small. On the way back you come from Copenhagen or a holiday cottage, with packing, cleaning and a two hour drive first. That is where the 13.10 euros extra for Standard is well spent, even if on this route a missed Low Price sailing only means buying a new ticket for the next one.
Our experience: we sailed from Puttgarden to Rødby on a Monday afternoon in February 2025. The lanes were half empty and the ferry left on time. On a winter weekday like that Low Price is the smart buy. In July or on a Friday afternoon we would not risk it after a long drive.
What costs more than it seems
- Easy Return. Sounds like a return discount, but at 174 euros it costs 51.80 euros more than two Standard tickets. You pay for an open return. If you do not need that, skip it.
- Flex as the default. 118 euros per crossing is almost twice the Standard fare. Priority boarding is nice, but the value is in free changes and refunds. If your date is fixed you are paying for nothing.
- The kiosk at the harbour. Fine for foot passengers, for cars the most expensive till on the route: Standard from 111 euros instead of 61.10.
- Two single tickets for a day trip. The 1-day ticket is cheaper than any pair of singles.
- The wrong length. From 6 metres a length surcharge applies, and the measurement includes a bike rack or roof box sticking out at the back. Book 5.99 metres and turn up with 6.40 and you should expect to pay the difference at check-in. More on the page about motorhomes, caravans and trailers.
Saving around the crossing
- The right route. From Hamburg and the west this is the short and cheap crossing. From Berlin and the east, Rostock Gedser saves about 150 km of driving for a dearer ticket. The sums are in the route comparison.
- No tolls to Copenhagen. There is no toll bridge between Rødby and Copenhagen. Only the Øresund Bridge to Sweden costs money, 420 DKK online for a car instead of 470 DKK at the toll station, and less again in a combination ticket.
- Without a car. On foot a day in Denmark costs 11 euros return, a bike 3 euros extra.
- Food on board. 45 minutes is enough for a coffee, not a meal you need to budget for. If you want to save, take your own food upstairs: you cannot go back to the car during the crossing.
- Motorbike. Its own fare from 31.70 euros, and the 1-day ticket at 57 euros saves 6.40 euros over two singles.
- The BorderShop. Not a ferry saving, but the reason half the Danish cars in the lanes are there: wine, beer and spirits at German prices, next to the check-in in Puttgarden.
Cheap tickets FAQ
When is the Puttgarden Rødby ferry cheapest?
On departures with Low Price, from 48 euros one way for a car. According to Scandlines more of these are available at quiet times, which on this route means the early, late and night sailings and weekdays. The offer is limited and not available on all departures.
How much more expensive is a ticket at the harbour?
A Standard ticket costs from 111 euros at the harbour instead of from 61.10 euros online. Low Price and Easy Return are not sold at the harbour at all.
Is there a discount for a return trip?
Only in three cases: the 1-day ticket for the same day (from 72 euros), the weekend ticket for out on Friday and back on Sunday (from 93 euros), and the combination ticket to Sweden. Otherwise a return is two singles. Easy Return is not a discount, it costs more than two Standard tickets.
How far ahead do I need to book?
For a quiet weekday, a few days is enough. In the school holidays and on summer weekends Low Price allocations can be gone well before the day, so book as soon as your dates are fixed.
Is Flex ever worth it?
Yes, when your date is genuinely open or your plans are likely to change: Flex can be changed and cancelled and you board first. For a fixed date, Standard already gives you every sailing that day.
Ready to book? Try two or three departures on your travel day in the booking, the fare is shown next to each one.
Check fares for your date Car Standard: online from €61.10 · at the harbour from €111