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 . . . Ice Mountain, Komen, Belgium

With a population of 13,000, this is a substantial base with supporting tourism infrastructure for the exploration of several local ski areas.

The skiing resort Imst is a family skiing area with one of the most beautiful family-slopes of Tyrol. The night skiing in the skiing area Imst is particularly moody. Whoever isn’t only for skiing in Imst, can use an illuminated chute.

The Lieser – Maltal with the ski area Innerkrems, which is located in Carynthia embedded in the two national parks Hohe Tauern and Nockberge, has numerous pistes to offer. The slopes are mostly suitable for intermediate skiers.

The ski resort Innsbrucker Nordkettenbahnen used to be a secret tip for insiders, today it's the place where the best snowboarders of the world meet. It takes just a few minutes to get from the town to the high Alpine area.

You can have both worlds - rest and recreation in the winter sunshine, and the fun of doing active sports.