If you are visiting Berlin for 3 days or more, I recommend you visit Potsdam for a day. Anything other than a whole day trip to Potsdam is not worth the effort. Potsdam sits on the border of Berlin and is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg. Potsdam has a rich history and some grand landmarks being the former residence of the Prussian kings and German Kaiser. As a Unesco World Cultural Heritage site, Potsdam has a lot to offer.
Getting there: Potsdam is in the “C” tariff zone in the Berlin transport network. It normally costs €3.30 each way for zone “ABC” ticket. A PDF full network map can be found here. You can take the “S-Bahn” from central Berlin to travel to “Potsdam Hauptbahnhof” which is the central station in Potsdam. You can take the S1 and travel to “Wannsee” station and then change to S7 to get to “Potsdam Hauptbahnhof”. Alternatively you can also take the RE1 to get to your destination. The Potsdam Hauptbahnhof station is fully accessible with multiple lifts so it is easy to get around with a pushchair. There is a bus station just outside the station. If you are thinking about going to Sanssouci Palace or The Dutch Quarter, then take the bus 695 from just outside the train station. The buses are pretty big and have open space for pushchair so again very convenient when you have a kid with pushchair.
If you are coming by bus, get off on the station near the the Mill of Sanssouci. The ticket office is just opposite to the mil. I recommend getting a pass for all the palace+gardens (called sanssouci+) which costs €21 as there is plenty to see here. Surprisingly, you need to pay extra if you intend to take photos in any of the palaces in Potsdam, so don’t forget to get the photo pass. Here are some of my highlights from Potsdam:
- The Mill of Sanssouci, located by the the historic palace of Sanssouci was an entirely wooden built post mill. Originally finished in 1738, the mill went through several reconstruction and refurbishment until finally it was rebuilt in 1991 as a replica of the smock mill from 1787. It is a beautiful and fully functional wind mill. Entry ticket is covered by the combined ticket mentioned before. You can get to the top platform via wooden stairs. So if you have a pushchair you will have to leave it on the ground floor.
- Sanssouci (French for carefree) Palace, the summer palace of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia is a beautiful and romantic small palace in Potsdam. The palace operates via timed entry tickets which need to be booked beforehand when you buy your tickets. If you arrive at Potsdam early on the day, I suggest you take the earliest time slot available. On the other hand if you arrive late it may be better to take the last time-slot available. That way you can explore the other palaces and garden and come back here to finish your tour. The palace interior is beautiful with beautifully decorated rooms. Pushchairs are not allowed inside so you will have to leave them at the entrance of the palace where they hand out the free audio guide. After the tour of the palace head out to the south facing garden at the back which provides great photo opportunities.
- Orangery Palace is your next stop. Take a gentle stroll via the scenic router over Nordin Garden (Nordischer Garten) to get there. The palace was built in the style of the Italian Renaissance and commissioned by King Frederick William IV. He envisioned a high street with the palace being the prominent landmark over it but because of unrest and funding issue his vision was never fully realized.
- Continue your scenic walk towards the Belvedere on Klausberg built specifically for the view overlooking the Sanssouci Park and the dotted lakes around. This was the last structure commissioned by Frederick the Great.
- Neues Palais (New Palace) is the biggest and grandest palace here with majestic interior. The palace has two hundred rooms and four grand staterooms which are not to be missed.
- The Dutch Quarter (Holländisches Viertel) is a neighborhood in Postdam with about 150 red brick houses. The quarter was built by Frederick William I to make the Dutch craftsmen he invited to feel at home. Now cafés, bars and small shops adorn this part of town.
