Situated in the city center, just steps away from Town Hall Square and Strøget, the popular pedestrian walking street, Hotel Twentyseven is Copenhagen’s no-nonsense hotel with great rates and lots of included goodies, including:

• a dinner buffet, with at least two hot dishes, plus salads, cheese tray, bread and dessert
• a sumptuous buffet-style breakfast
• specialty coffees, free of charge all day long
• free WiFi and computer terminals for those who don’t have their laptops
• one free refill at the adjacent Icebar next door (the cost of a cocktail is normally DK85, about US$17 at current rates)

Moreever, rates at the four-star TwentySeven are comparable to rates at three-star hotels. Average room double rates at TwentySeven run about DK930 (US$183), a good value when you consider that two of your meals are included.

Opened in 2007, TwentySeven boasts a modern, trendy atmosphere that caters primarily to couples, singles and business travelers. With three bars (and a fourth outdoors during summer), the hotel is not the ideal choice for families.

Rooms are “cozy,” perhaps a bit on the smallish side but stylish, well-designed and definitely adequate. Larger deluxe rooms are available.

Day two of Two Perfect Days in Copenhagen takes you from Langelinie, where some of the smaller cruise ships dock, to Nyhavn, the colorful “new” harbor, and across Kongens Nytorv (the King’s New Square) to the time-honored Hotel D’Angleterre.

You can do this tour in either direction, and for those on a pre- or post-cruise stay at D’Angleterre, this tour meshes nicely with Day One of Two Perfect Days in Copenhagen. That route takes you from D’Angleterre to Tivoli and beyond.

Setting out from either D’Angleterre or Langelinie, you could walk this entire route in 30 minutes, but there’s lots to see along the way, so you’re setting out instead for a long sightseeing stroll. You’ll see many of Copenhagen’s best attractions along the way. This is certainly one of the Danish capital’s most enjoyable strolls, a popular route for walking or bicycling.

Moreover, the route I suggest is particularly convenient for those on ships only calling on (not terminating in or beginning cruises from) Copenhagen. Free of your luggage, you could combine Day One and Day Two to walk all the way from Langelinie to Tivoli, taking local transport back to the ship, and seeing the best of Copenhagen in one day.

Alongside Langelinie are shops, cafes and a tourist information center where you can pick up a map and ask directions. You’ll hardly need directions, however. Just follow the the water. You’ll need to skirt around a few small harbors as you’re going, but just keep following the walkway and making your way back to the water. You’ll find your way with no problem.

Your first stop is the Little Mermaid. Don’t make the same mistake as one uninformed tourist. He asked to book a table at the Little Mermaid. She’s not a restaurant.

This is not her either. This is a restaurant in Langelinie. The enterprising owner decided to erect the new, and more voluptuous, New Mermaid.

The Little Mermaid is much smaller, and in fact, many tourists pass her by without realizing that, yes, she is the small statue sitting on the rock in the harbor. At least for the moment she sits there.

Copenhagen’s beloved Little Mermaid, known from the Hans Christian Andersen fairytale, will leave the city soon for a brief tour. A fixture that has never left the spot where she was erected in 1913, the Little Mermaid will travel around the world to be part of World Expo in Shanghai from April 2010 to November 2010. While in Shanghai, her place in Copenhagen will be temporarily taken by a sculpture created by a Chinese artist.

From the Little Mermaid, continue walking along the water until you reach Gefion Fountain. The fountain represents the mythical story of a legendary Norse goddess who turned her sons into oxen to plow the earth to create the island of Zeeland, where Copenhagen is situated.

Adjacent to the fountain is the beautiful Saint Alban’s Church. Known locally as “The English Church,” the small Saint Alban’s is Denmark’s only Anglican church.

If you’re so inclined, you could make a small diversion to walk across the moat into Kastellet, a former military facility that is now a public park. Otherwise, from The English Church, head away from the water (for now) through Churchillparken to the Museum of the Danish Resistance. Along the way, you’ll pass a charming restaurant, Lumskebugten.

Stop inside for coffee or lunch or just to admire the cozy setting. Serving traditional Danish food, the restaurant’s name translates to “sneaky bay.”

Continue on to the museum.

The museum tells the story of Danish resistance during Nazi occupation from 1940 until 1945. It’s filled with many interesting exhibits and interactive media, many about rescuing Danish Jews and sabotaging Nazi efforts to control Denmark.

From the museum, make your way along Bredgade to Frederik’s Church, popularly known as The Marble Church. Construction began in 1749, but the church was not opened until 1894. Boasting Scandinavia’s largest dome, the church is worth a brief visit inside.

Directly across Bredgade from the Marble Church is Amalienborg Palace, where the Royal family resides. Behind it, in the photo above, is Copenhagen’s new Opera House, which is situated across the water.

If you’ve timed your walk properly, you’re just in time for the changing of the guard at noon. You may just see the guards marching down the street toward Amalienborg. Denmark, by the way, is home to the world’s oldest monarchy and boasts the world’s oldest flag (you can see the birthplace of the Danish flag in Tallinn, Estonia, which the Danes once ruled.)

After watching the ceremonies in the palace courtyard, make your way back to the water and continue your walk.

You’ll pass the Royal Playhouse before reaching the canal that leads into Nyhavn. Walk alongside the canal, and when you get to the bridge, look to your right for a restaurant called Told & Snaps. It’s time for lunch and the famed Danish smorrebrød. To be assured a table in this popular restaurant, however, you may want to make reservations.

Be sure to try the homemade aquavit and a beer with your open-faced sandwich.

Afterward, stroll along the canal and admire the colorful buildings along Nyhavn. It’s a short stroll, but take your time.

Before crossing the street to Kongens Nytorv, hop on a 50-minute guided canal tour, departing from near the statue of the big anchor at one end of Nyhavn.

After returning, head across Kongens Nytorv to Hotel D’Angleterre. If you’re staying here, consider yourself lucky. If not, take some time to admire the hotel before heading back to your ship. Bus #26 travels between the city center and Langelinie, or you can return by waterbus. Ask for directions in D’Angleterre.

From charming outdoor cafes along the beautiful harbor Nyhavn (below is a picture I took of Nyhavn this past winter) to Europe’s longest pedestrian street, Stroget, Copenhagen offers visitors much to see and do.

And don’t forget the perfect, fairy-tale ending: a visit to Tivoli, an amusement park and gardens dating back to 1843.

You can cover a lot of Copenhagen’s central tourist attractions on foot or by bike (the city even makes 2,500 free city bikes available that anyone can use).

From the main cruise pier, Langelinie, the city center is only about a 30- to 45-minute walk, and by walking, you’ll pass Copenhagen’s best-known attractions: the Little Mermaid, the symbol of Copenhagen in the form of a bronze statue of a character from a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale( she really is quite small); Amalienborg Palace, the royal residence since 1751 where you can see the changing of the guard if you pass at noon; and Nyhavn, with its colorful old wooden schooners lining the canal.

At Nyhavn, you can hop a 50-minute canal cruise to see Copenhagen from the perspective of the water with a 60-minute guided canal tour (tours depart hourly from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.). From Nyhavn walk across Kongens Nytorv square at the end of the harbor to join Europe’s longest pedestrian street, Stroget. The locals refer to Strøget as the “walking street.”

This is the heart of Copenhagen, and along its main thoroughfare, as well as the adjacent alleys, you’ll find great shopping and dining. On the pedestrian street, you’ll find some of the city’s most popular shops: Illums Bolighus, featuring Danish design, and the flagship stores of Royal Copenhagen porcelain and Georg Jensen silver – all purveyors to Her Majesty The Queen of Denmark.

Whether you’re in Copenhagen for the day or several days pre- or post-cruise, be sure pick up a Copenhagen Card, which gives you free entrance or discounts to more than 60 of Copenhagen’s most popular museums and attractions. The card is valid for either 24 or 72 hours. You may purchase cards at Copenhagen airport, at major train stations, and at most hotels.

With the card, you’ll gain free entrance to attractions such as the National Museum (highly recommended) and the Thorvaldsens Museum, featuring sculptures by Bertel Thorvaldsen (1770- 1844), one of Europe’s most renowned artists in his day.

Among the attractions and activities where reduced rates are offered: Canal Tours, Tivoli and Open Top bus tours. Open Top Tours leave from Langelinie Pier approximately every 20 minutes. These are sightseeing buses that you may hop on and off as you please. The tour around the city takes about 80 minutes. Purchase tickets from the bus driver.

Cruise ships also dock at Freeport Terminal. Should your ship call here, it’s about an hour’s walk into the city center. Best to jump on a shuttle into the city center. All of this activity will leave you famished, and even if you’re not hungry, you’ll be tempted by Copenhagen’s wonderful restaurants.

It’s futile to make specific recommendations – there are so many good restaurants in Copenhagen – but you must at least try the Sport Cake or another dessert at Konditori La Glace, near Stroget.

For lunch, be sure to try the Scandinavian specialty, Smorrebrod, an open-faced sandwich of sorts, and for a traditional Danish dinner, go to Peder Oxe, situated on one of the city’s most beautiful squares, Grabrodretorv (Grey Friar’s Square), just off Stroget. Or dine by candlelight at Saint Gertrud’s Kloster, situated in an old monastery that is lighted only by candles – 1,200 of them.

Copenhagen has many hotels in or near the city center. Cruise lines offer pre- and post-cruise packages that include transfers and accommodations. The beauty of these packages is that they offer seamless travel experiences. Next time, come and stay for a few days.

Pay only for what you consume at my favorite Copenhagen restaurant, Peder Oxe. Consumption is measured by the marks on the bottle.

Posted from my Blackberry Bold

Room 1807

Posted from my Blackberry Bold

On the doorstep of Copenhagen city centre, in green surroundings, is the posh Østerbro.

Vesterbro used to be known as Copenhagen’s working-class quarter and red light district.

In Denmark practically everybody rides a bike, and in 2008 bicycle-friendly Copenhagen was named the world’s first Bike City by the International Cycling Union, UCI.

Christiania was founded in 1971 when a group of hippies took over an area of abandoned military barracks and developed their own set of rules, completely independent of the Danish government.

Insider tips from the locals on where to go on Nørrebro in Copenhagen.