Things to Do in Potsdam: Best Sights, Map & 1–2 Day Itinerary
Potsdam, just south-west of Berlin, was the residence of the Prussian kings. Frederick the Great built his summer palace of Sanssouci above six vineyard terraces here and, after the Seven Years' War, the vast New Palace at the far end of the park. The palaces and parks of Potsdam and Berlin have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1990. In the town centre, the red-brick Dutch Quarter recalls the craftsmen invited by the Soldier King, and in Babelsberg films have been made since 1912.
Below you will find our picks for a first visit, one- and two-day itineraries, how to get here from Berlin and BER airport, and the full list of Potsdam sights in the tripto.de catalogue. Opening hours and prices are on each attraction page. Note that Cecilienhof Palace is closed for renovation; the New Garden around it stays open.
Audio guide
Explore Potsdam with an audio guide
A narrated walk on your phone: map, GPS and stories you won't find on the signs. No app — it runs in your browser.
Why visit
- Sanssouci Park covers around 300 hectares and is free to enter every day from 8 am until dusk.
- The sanssouci+ day ticket (22 euros, reduced 17 euros) covers the foundation's Potsdam palaces in a single day.
- The Dutch Quarter's 134 gabled brick houses from the 1730s are now full of cafés, galleries and small shops.
- Filmpark Babelsberg offers stunt shows and real film sets next to Studio Babelsberg, where films have been made since 1912.
- Easy to reach: regional trains and the S-Bahn run from Berlin, and the RB22 runs direct from BER airport.
Top 5: what to see first
Our picks for a first visit — each with a short reason why.
Palaces
Sanssouci Palace
Potsdam
Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam was the private summer retreat of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, and it is one of the most rewarding day trips from Berlin. The single-story rococo palace sits on top of six terraced vineyards inside Sans…
60–240 min1. Frederick the Great's twelve-room Rococo retreat above the vineyard terraces, with his grave beside it, usually covered in potatoes. Timed entry – book online. Closed on Mondays.
Palaces
New Palace
Potsdam
The New Palace (Neues Palais) in Potsdam is the largest palace in Sanssouci Park and one of the last great Baroque palaces built in Prussia. Frederick the Great commissioned it right after the Seven Years' War to prove his kingdom was anyt…
90–180 min2. The largest palace in the park, with a 220-metre façade, a grotto hall encrusted with shells, a marble hall and a Rococo theatre. Closed on Tuesdays; the royal apartments are shut for works.
Old towns & squares
Dutch Quarter
Potsdam
The Dutch Quarter (Holländisches Viertel) in Potsdam is a compact neighborhood of 134 red-brick gabled houses that looks as if it had been lifted straight out of Amsterdam. Built in the 18th century to lure Dutch craftsmen to Prussia, it i…
60–150 min Free entry3. Four blocks of red-brick gabled houses built from 1733 to 1742 under Jan Bouman. The small Jan Bouman House museum shows how they looked inside (3 euros).
Theme parks
Filmpark Babelsberg
Potsdam
Filmpark Babelsberg in Potsdam is a movie-themed amusement park next to Studio Babelsberg, where films have been made since 1912. Instead of roller coasters, it offers live stunt shows with fire and explosions, original film sets, fairy-ta…
240–300 min4. A film theme park with a volcano stunt show, a western town, sets from East German fairy-tale films and a Jim Button adventure playground. Season usually April to early November.
Palaces
Cecilienhof Palace
Potsdam
Cecilienhof Palace in Potsdam is where the Allied leaders met in the summer of 1945 to decide the fate of postwar Germany. Built as the last palace of the Hohenzollern dynasty, it looks more like an English country manor than a royal resid…
60–120 min5. Where Truman, Churchill (later Attlee) and Stalin met in 1945. The palace is closed for renovation, reportedly until at least autumn 2027, but the lakeside New Garden is open.
Top sights on the map
Open the full map1-day itinerary
Morning: Sanssouci Palace
Book an early time slot online. An hour is enough for the rooms; then enjoy the view from the terrace down to the Great Fountain.
Places: Sanssouci Palace
Midday: walk to the New Palace
About two kilometres along the main avenue through the park. Allow an hour and a half for the Grand Tour – but not on a Tuesday, when the New Palace is closed.
Places: New Palace
Afternoon: Dutch Quarter
Take the bus back to the centre for coffee on Mittelstrasse and a look inside the Jan Bouman House.
Places: Dutch Quarter
Late afternoon: New Garden
Bus 603 runs to the Schloss Cecilienhof stop. Stroll along the lakeshore; for now the palace can only be seen from outside.
Places: Cecilienhof Palace
2-day itinerary
Day 1: Sanssouci Park
Sanssouci Palace
Start with an early slot. The free SANSSOUCI app replaces the audio guide, so bring your own headphones.
Places: Sanssouci Palace
Through the park
Head west past the Picture Gallery and the New Chambers; cafés such as the one at the Dragon House make a good lunch stop.
Places: Sanssouci Palace
New Palace
Grotto hall, marble hall and palace theatre. The sanssouci+ ticket covers both palaces on the same day.
Places: New Palace
Day 2: Town centre, New Garden or Babelsberg
Dutch Quarter
Walk Mittelstrasse and Benkertstrasse in the morning while it is quiet. The Jan Bouman House opens at 1 pm on weekdays and 11 am at weekends.
Places: Dutch Quarter
New Garden and Cecilienhof
Spend an hour and a half to two hours in the landscape garden between the Heiliger See and Jungfernsee lakes, passing the Marble Palace and the Meierei.
Places: Cecilienhof Palace
With kids: Filmpark Babelsberg
Allow four to five hours. The big shows usually start at 11.30 am and 2 pm; seats cannot be reserved, so arrive 15 to 20 minutes early.
Places: Filmpark Babelsberg
Or: back into Berlin
The RE1 and S7 link Potsdam with Berlin – combine the trip with the Brandenburg Gate and Reichstag or Charlottenburg Palace.
Places: Brandenburg Gate Reichstag Building Charlottenburg Palace
Getting there
From BER airport: According to the Berlin-Brandenburg transport association VBB, the RB22 runs once an hour directly from BER to Potsdam Hauptbahnhof in about 50 minutes. Alternatively, take the FEX Airport Express into Berlin and change there.
From Berlin by train: The RE1 regional express and the S7 S-Bahn run from Berlin to Potsdam Hauptbahnhof; the RE1 also stops at Potsdam Park Sanssouci, under a kilometre from the New Palace. Long-distance Deutsche Bahn trains arrive at Berlin Hauptbahnhof. With a Berlin ticket you need fare zones ABC. The Deutschlandticket (63 euros a month in 2026) is valid on all local and regional transport, but not on ICE or IC trains.
Getting around: From Potsdam Hauptbahnhof, bus 695 goes to Sanssouci, buses 605, X5 and 695 to the New Palace and bus 603 to the New Garden. Trams run to Nauener Tor next to the Dutch Quarter. For Filmpark take the RE7 or RB33 to Medienstadt Babelsberg.
When to go
April to October the palaces stay open until 5.30 pm; in November and December they close at 4.30 pm. The Sanssouci terraces are at their greenest in late spring and summer, and time slots sell out fast on sunny weekends and in school holidays. Filmpark Babelsberg usually opens from April to early November; in 2026 its Horror Nights run on Friday and Saturday evenings from 9 October to 7 November.
The Dutch Quarter hosts a Tulip Festival in April and the Dutch-style Sinterklaas Christmas market in December – in 2026 on 12 and 13 December, with free entry.
FAQ
Is Potsdam worth a day trip from Berlin?
Yes. In one day you can see Sanssouci Palace, walk through the park to the New Palace and finish in the Dutch Quarter. The RE1 and S7 connect Berlin with Potsdam Hauptbahnhof.
How do I get from BER airport to Potsdam?
The RB22 runs directly from BER to Potsdam Hauptbahnhof once an hour and takes about 50 minutes. Otherwise take the FEX into Berlin and change.
Do you have to pay to enter Sanssouci Park?
No. The park is free and open daily from 8 am until dusk. You pay only for the palaces, for example 14 euros for Sanssouci Palace or 22 euros for the sanssouci+ day ticket.
Is Cecilienhof Palace open in 2026?
No. The foundation closed it in November 2024 for renovation, and press reports say museum visits are not expected before autumn 2027. The New Garden around it remains open.
What can you do in Potsdam with kids?
Filmpark Babelsberg with its stunt show and adventure playground is the favourite. Sanssouci Park and the New Garden have plenty of space to run around, and the SANSSOUCI app includes children's tours. Pushchairs are not allowed inside the palace rooms.
All attractions (10)
Palaces
Sanssouci Palace
Potsdam
Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam was the private summer retreat of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, and it is one of the most rewarding day trips from Berlin. The single-story rococo palace sits on top of six terraced vineyards inside Sans…
60–240 min
Landmarks
Alexandrowka Russian Colony
Potsdam
A few minutes north of Potsdam's centre you suddenly come across dark timber houses with carved gables, balconies and gardens, as if a Russian village had been moved here. Alexandrowka is a Russian colony that King Frederick William III of…
60–120 min
Theme parks
Filmpark Babelsberg
Potsdam
Filmpark Babelsberg in Potsdam is a movie-themed amusement park next to Studio Babelsberg, where films have been made since 1912. Instead of roller coasters, it offers live stunt shows with fire and explosions, original film sets, fairy-ta…
240–300 min
Old towns & squares
Dutch Quarter
Potsdam
The Dutch Quarter (Holländisches Viertel) in Potsdam is a compact neighborhood of 134 red-brick gabled houses that looks as if it had been lifted straight out of Amsterdam. Built in the 18th century to lure Dutch craftsmen to Prussia, it i…
60–150 min Free entry
Palaces
Marble Palace (Marmorpalais)
Potsdam
Red brick walls, bands of grey and white marble, a small round temple with a gilded fruit basket on the roof and the waters of the Heiliger See in front: the Marmorpalais in the New Garden may be Potsdam's most romantic palace. King Freder…
60–120 min
Museums
Museum Barberini
Potsdam
You don't have to go to Paris to see Monet: Museum Barberini on Potsdam's Alter Markt holds 38 paintings by Claude Monet, more than any other museum outside the French capital. Add Renoir, Caillebotte, Signac, Sisley, Morisot and Pissarro,…
120–180 min
Palaces
New Palace
Potsdam
The New Palace (Neues Palais) in Potsdam is the largest palace in Sanssouci Park and one of the last great Baroque palaces built in Prussia. Frederick the Great commissioned it right after the Seven Years' War to prove his kingdom was anyt…
90–180 min
Palaces
Babelsberg Palace
Potsdam
Babelsberg Palace in Potsdam is the Gothic Revival summer home of Prince William of Prussia, later Emperor William I, and his wife Augusta. With turrets, battlements and bay windows inspired by English country houses, it rises above the Ha…
90–180 min
Palaces
Cecilienhof Palace
Potsdam
Cecilienhof Palace in Potsdam is where the Allied leaders met in the summer of 1945 to decide the fate of postwar Germany. Built as the last palace of the Hohenzollern dynasty, it looks more like an English country manor than a royal resid…
60–120 min
Palaces
Charlottenhof Palace
Potsdam
Charlottenhof Palace in Potsdam's Sanssouci Park is a small Neoclassical summer villa designed by Karl Friedrich Schinkel for the Prussian crown prince. Away from the crowds at Sanssouci Palace itself, it offers a calm look at how 1820s Pr…
60–120 min