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

GERARDMER, a small town of 9,600 inhabitants, located in the Hautes-Vosges, is not only a well-known health and summer resort, but also a large winter sports resort boasting a variety of installations.

Imagine that you are standing on the mountain top, 2000 metres above the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

A small village of less than 1000 inhabitants but with above-average facilities, including an indoor tennis hall. The local ski area is lift -linked to Königsleiten and is part of the 450km Super Zillertal Valley pass.

The Adamello Ski area is a land spanning Valle Camonica (Lombardy) and Val di Sole (Trentino) with a skiing carousel made up of 100 km of ski runs which are all linked one to the other.

Each time you arrive on the Gitschberg, you'll have to take a break, even if you're a ski or snowboard fanatic. And there's a good reason: to enjoy the view from this panoramic terrace and the feeling of limitless freedom.

BASE: 3215ft
SUMMIT: 6889ft
VERTICAL DROP: 0ft

NO. OF. LIFTS: 6
Gondolas: 1
Chairs: 1
Surface: 4