Location: Potsdam
Top Things to do in Potsdam
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The 10 Best Things to Do in Potsdam, Germany
Potsdam was the residence of the Prussian kings and German Kaisers until 1918. It is the site of the parks and palaces of Sanssouci, the largest World Heritage Site in Germany. The city is now the capital of the German federal state of Brandenburg and a home to three public colleges and a major film production studio.
Restaurants in Potsdam
1. Sans Souci Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2 reviews
Reviewed By Michael A - Katerini, Greece
we took the s9 sbahn and visited the Potsdam Sans Souci park and palaces.worths the visit .in my opinion the best season period is late spring and summer.to enter the palace Sans Souci and neue palais they are fee entrances to go around the park is free.
2. Neuer Garten
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 134 reviews
Reviewed By Keving59 - Portsmouth, United Kingdom
Whilst we stayed in Berlin we wanted to visit Potsdam and see Glienicke Bridge. Close by is this delightful park. Coming in Autumn we benefited from the glorious colours on the trees. Not satisfied with visiting once, we came back a second the day after. It is truly an oasis away from the hustle and bustle of Berlin
3. Potsdam's Gardens
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2 reviews
Reviewed By no1missmarple - Towcester, United Kingdom
We took a day trip from Berlin and although didn't visit any of he Castles within the park, the Gardens kept us busy for hours
Immaculate, extensive and free to visit. Easy access for disability with a cafe and toilets near the charlottenburg scholss area. We spent quite a few hours here walking around
We walked from the main station and it took about 30 mins to reach the Gardens, you can catch public transport if you are not so inclined to walk
4. Museum Barberini
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 175 reviews
With the opening of the Museum Barberini on 23rd of January 2017 a new cultural attraction was established in Potsdam. Based on works from the collection of Hasso Plattner, the museum’s founder and patron, the Museum Barberini presents three temporary Exhibitions each year with major loans from international museums and private collections. Exhibitions range from the Old Masters to contemporary art with a focus on impressionism.
Reviewed By operalover939 - Toronto, Canada
Rebuilt during the last few year after destruction during World War II, the Barberini was reopened as a museum last year. The exhibition halls are well conceived and well executed. The main exhibition at present is of 80+ US works from the Phillips Collection in Washington, DC, from Hopper to Rothko. The expert eye and good judgement of Duncan Phillips is everywhere evident. The show is well worth seeing, though the 14 euro entrance fee is on the high side. There is also a room full of art produced in the DDR, with some very good explanatory captions. Recommended!
5. Hollandisches Viertel
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 518 reviews
Reviewed By ProfessorCharles - Virginia
An interesting architectural enclave in the town of Potsdam features good cafes and shopping for locals and tourists.
6. Neues Palais
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 629 reviews
Reviewed By Ricmar60 - PA
This palace is extremely huge. Some of the buildings are used by the university. The buildings opposite the main palace building are beautiful, though you can't visit them. The tour covers several rooms in the palace. Although the furnishings are sparse, there is still plenty to admire. Most people just go to Sans Souci. This palace is not far from Sans Souci, and much less crowded. If you go here first, you can buy a timed ticket for the Sans Souci Palace at the same time. The staff at the register were able to set it up for us so that the timing for both visits was perfect.
7. Sans Souci Palace
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1 reviews
Friedrich the Great's amazing 18th-century palace, reminiscent of the grandeur of Versailles, is surrounded by a magnificent 600-acre park.
Reviewed By Michael N - Tel Aviv, Israel
The Sans Soucis (meaning "no worries") Palace was envisaged and built by Frederick II - King of Prussia at the peak of Prussian dominance of Europe after defeating all of Prussia's main enemies in the 7 year war.
It was actually his summers residence, where he spent 4 months every summer. Though married, his wife wasn't allowed to visit his private residence.
I expected a grand palace like Versailles in France or Schonbrunn in Austria - but Sans Souci is anything but. For a King of Prussia at one of it's peaks - Frederick the Great as he was known during his lifetime - it is extremely modest - a very small "palace" with only 10-12 rooms.
Not a grand place - but a piece of history and a lesson in modesty.
I didn't visit inside though.
8. Schloss Cecilienhof
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 662 reviews
This historic country house is the site where Truman, Churchill and Stalin met at the famous Potsdam Conference following World War II.
Reviewed By travelin_thru12 - Chicago, Illinois
The schloss was originally built during WWI but its historical significance came from what happened there at the end of WWII. It was here that the Potsdam Conference was held where the English, Russian, and American delegations carved up Europe into their areas of responsibility. This conference is one of the single most important places for Western History in the 1900s as the decisions on borders and areas of "protection" were the battlefield of the Cold War, the reason for the Berlin Airlift, the creation of the USSR/Eastern Block Countries, and the foundation for our current geopolitical climate that resulted in many different wars and events throughout the century and beyond.
The audioguide is pretty detailed and thorough and offers a lot of the factual historical context for your visit. There are 4 highlights of the stop, Stalin's office, Churchill's (and later Atlee's) office, and Truman's office, but the brightest shining part is the actual conference room itself with the original round table set as it was for the conference. In each of these places you can almost feel and see the people that were there. It is one of the few places in the world that you can visit where Stalin was, let alone Churchhill and Truman.
Enjoy the visit and try to understand how the events in that building still shape our global interactions today. The grounds outside of the Cecilienhof are also quite nice being that they are in the lake district. While the exterior of the schloss was being renovated on my visit, it is the inside that really matters, that is where the significance is.
Getting there isn't terribly difficult but may take some time. Took the S-bahn line number 7 for about 20 minutes from Savignyplatz then bus 316 for 10 minutes until you cross the bridge, followed by a 15 minute walk through the grounds. Great experience getting there. As you cross the bridge, you are heading west but actually crossing into East Germany as this was one of the border crossings. Along the lake there are a few markers that detail some escape attempts to West Berlin that occurred in the area.
9. Belvedere auf dem Pfingstberg
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 89 reviews
Experience the most beautiful view of Potsdam on the Pfingstberg, at a heigt over 100 meters, set amidst Prussian architecture and landscape gardening. The ensemble comprised of the Belvedere Palace, the Temple of Pomona and the park grounds belong to the Stiftung Preussische Schlosser und Garten Berlin-Brandenburg and are part of a unique landscape of UNESCO World Heritage palaces and parks in Potsdam and Berlin. With exhibition about the history, audio guides and a lot of cultural events. Opening hours: april-october, daily, 10 am - 6 pm march, november, saturday and sunday, 10 am - 4 pm december-february, closed
Reviewed By GaryK104 - San Francisco, California
The Belvedere is a great place to visit with nice views of the lakes and forest around Potsdam and southwest Berlin. (uploaded a photo) The Belvedere was part of a wonderful day of bicycling around the Wannsee, through the forest, and out to Potsdam, including the Belvedere, Schloss Cecilienhof and the Sans Souci Park. The trails are wonderful, you can stop along the way at many different attractions, and enjoy stops for cake and coffee along the trails. Bicycles can be rented at many locations in Berlin and taken out to Wannsee on the S-Bahn (bicycle cars have a bicycle emblem on them) or rented in Potsdam. It is beautiful and well worth the day.
10. Chinesisches Haus (Chinese House)
Overall Ratings
4 based on 248 reviews
