Sanssouci Park & Palace

Location

Berlin
Germany
52° 24' 11.9988" N, 13° 2' 18.9996" E
DE
General info: 

Between 1745 and 1747 Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, built a German version of the Versailles to serve as his summer residence. The king wanted to get away from the Berlin hustle and located the palace a little further away from Berlin to get his needed peace. In fact the name of the palace comes from French phrase “sans souci private://that translates to “without concernsprivate://.

The rococo styled palace is amazing. But the park surrounding it does not lag behind at all. The 2,5 long park was initiated immediately after completion of the palace. A baroque flower garden with lawns, flower beds, hedges and trees was created. 3,000 fruit trees were planted in the park, and greenhouses and nurseries laid out, producing oranges, melons, peaches and bananas. Statuary and obelisks were also erected, with representations of the goddesses Flora and Pomona. Frederick had several temples and follies erected in the same rococo style as the palace itself.

Hint: Get there early: there is a 2000 person/day entry limit at the palace.

Getting there: 

Potsdam is about 45 minutes from Berlin by S-bahn. Bus 695 and 606 are running from Potsdam Hauptbahnhof (south side) to Sanssouci.

Costs: 

Entrance to the park is free.
Admission to the Palace:
1st Apr to 31st Oct: 12€, discounted 8€
1st Nov to 31st. Mar: 8€, discounted 5€

Interesting places nearby

Where . . . Snow Valley, Peer, Belgium

Popular high-altitude traditional village, with long snow-sure season, that is part of the giant Ortler Skiarena lift pass taking in a dozen separate ski areas, there are 40km (25 miles) of trails locally.

The wonderful slopes in the ski resort Sonnenkopf are a true invitation to all winter sport fans. New, modern facilities and well-prepared slopes await you.

You won't get bored in Sonthofen during the winter, because there's suitable entertainment for everybody.

BASE: 1558ft
SUMMIT: 1886ft
VERTICAL DROP: 328ft

NO. OF. LIFTS: 1
Gondolas: 0
Chairs: 0
Surface: 1

BASE: 3937ft
SUMMIT: 5905ft
VERTICAL DROP: 1968ft

NO. OF. LIFTS: 5
Gondolas: 0
Chairs: 4
Surface: 1