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

Nestling in a unique mountain scenery, Davos is the highest town in Europe and also one of its largest winter sports areas. The ski resort offers varied slopes ranging from an altitude of 1,560 to 2,844 m.

Skidome De Uithof is very close to the beach near Kijkduin situated. Snowfun is possible 365 days a year on a 211 meter long slope. The Skidome offers 4 lifts (2 drag lifts and 2 magic carpets), so waiting time is limited.

The ski area Diedamskopf in the Bregenzerwald offers well-groomed slopes for all levels of difficulty. The Diedamskopf with an altitude of 2090 m is Schoppernau’s local mountain and located in Vorarlberg.

BASE: 1230ft
SUMMIT: 1830ft
VERTICAL DROP: 0ft

NO. OF. LIFTS: 3
Gondolas: 0
Chairs: 1
Surface: 2

The Simmental - Diemtigtal valley contains several ski areas. The first and largest at Wiriehorn has 15 KM of trails and a five kilometre (just over three mile) sledge run.

BASE: 1000ft
SUMMIT: 1900ft
VERTICAL DROP: 0ft

NO. OF. LIFTS: 5
Gondolas: 0
Chairs: 1
Surface: 6