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By Durant Imboden
ABOVE: Amalienborg, the royal palace of
Denmark,
faces a pedestrian-friendly square on Copenhagen's waterfront.
Copenhagen: Arrival and shore excursions
Continued
from: Port of Copenhagen
We arrived on an SAS flight at Copenhagen's
Kastrup Airport, which is only a short
distance from the city center by train or taxi. A Silversea representative named
Magnus was on hand to greet Silver Whisper passengers, and he was quite
efficient: He identified the ship's guests by the Silversea luggage tags on
their suitcases.
Passengers who buy Silversea air-hotel packages are transferred
to
the
Copenhagen Marriott, a modern luxury hotel along the harborfront east of
Tivoli, but we stayed at the four-star
Phoenix Copenhagen,
a traditional-style older hotel on the edge of the historic Nyhavn district near
the royal palace. The hotel was quite comfortable (although the air conditioning
couldn't keep up with the summer's record-breaking heat), and a huge
Scandinavian-style breakfast buffet was served in the hotel's manor-style
Van Plessen
Restaurant.
After wandering around the city for the afternoon, we took a
bicycle-powered "Quickshaw" to
Tivoli Gardens. (A number of
companies operate bike rickshaws or pedicabs in Copenhagen; they're easy to find
in the major tourist and transportation hubs around town.)
We dined at the
Fregatten Sct.Georg III restaurant in Tivoli, which is billed as a "working pirate ship" and is
moored on a lake in the heart of the gardens. The seafood was
especially good, and our traditional Danish dessert--fresh strawberries served with a strawberry
cream purée--was the perfect end to a romantic dinner on the frigate's deck.
After watching an open-air concert at Tivoli (where middle-aged
Danes were snuggling and holding hands like teenagers), we walked back to our
hotel along the car-free Strøget shopping street, which was still packed
with people of all ages at 11 p.m. on a summer evening.
The next day, we explored
Copenhagen until the afternoon, when it was time to board the Silver Whisper
at Langelinie Pier. (Note: Guests who opt for Silversea's air-hotel package are
transferred by bus from the hotel to the pier.)
For
more information about Copenhagen, see:
Copenhagen
europeforvisitors.com
Our 24-page city guide is packed with photos, advice, and useful Web links.
Wonderful Copenhagen
The Danish capital's tourist office operates this comprehensive site.
Next page:
Port of Rosyth (Edinburgh)
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