Glienicke Palace

Glienicke Palace in southwest Berlin is a Neoclassical summer residence that Karl Friedrich Schinkel remodeled in Italian style for Prince Carl of Prussia. It stands in Klein-Glienicke Park right next to the Glienicke Bridge, on the border between Berlin and Potsdam, and is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the palaces and parks of Potsdam and Berlin. Golden lions, fountains and walls studded with ancient fragments make it a rewarding stop on a day out along the Havel.

A short history

Prince Carl, a son of King Frederick William III, bought the estate in May 1824 after a trip to Italy. Schinkel rebuilt the house between 1826 and 1827, while Peter Joseph Lenné designed the park and Ludwig Persius later added further buildings. The prince collected antiquities and had many of them set into the walls of the garden courtyard. In the 20th century the palace served as a military hospital, a sports hotel and an adult education center before becoming a museum in 1987.

Things to see

• The Red Hall and the Blue Corner Room, the palace's finest interiors.
• The Court Gardeners' Museum, opened in 2006, on how Prussia's royal gardeners worked.
• The garden courtyard, with a fountain, a pergola and ancient fragments embedded in the walls.
• The Lion Fountain, guarded by two gilded lions on columns on the south side.
• Klein-Glienicke Park, with a lakeside casino, garden pavilions and fountains.

Tickets and opening hours (as of October 2026)

• April to October: Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
• November and December: weekends only, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; closed December 24, 25 and 31.
• Admission: €8, reduced €6; family ticket €16 for two adults and up to four children under 18.

Visits are by guided tour in German only, with information in other languages available. The park is free and open to all.

How to get there

From central Berlin, take the S-Bahn to Wannsee and continue by bus to the "Schloss Glienicke (Berlin)" stop; the Deutschlandticket covers the trip. There is public parking on Königstraße. The palace is a short walk from the Glienicke Bridge, famous as the "Bridge of Spies" where East and West exchanged agents during the Cold War. Cross it on foot and you are in Potsdam, about 35 minutes by train from central Berlin.

Is it worth visiting?

Yes, especially as part of a day trip that links Berlin and Potsdam. Allow about two hours for the tour and the park, then walk across the bridge toward Babelsberg Park. The rooms are not wheelchair accessible and strollers must stay outside, but the park paths are easy to explore.