How to get from Berlin to Potsdam. How to get from Berlin to Potsdam

30.01.2024

One day in February, while vacationing in Berlin, Elena and her mother decided to go to Potsdam. For this sat down on railway station“Zoo” (Berlin Zoologischer Garten) on the S-bahn 7 train going directly to this city, and set off on it to the southwest.

The S7 train (you can also board it at another station on the route, not just at Zoo) runs every 10 minutes. True, on the way we had to change at the Berlin Wannsee station to another train of the same direction, S-bahn 7, standing on the next track, literally across the platform. One of the passengers, a young mother with a stroller, told us about this. The loudspeaker also warned about the need for a transfer, but we do not understand German. It was probably associated with some temporary work on the tracks. It took us about 20 seconds.

How much does it cost to get to Potsdam?

We arrived at the Potsdam railway station - Potsdam Hbf, and right there there is a shopping gallery. This could not help but delay Lenin’s mother, and she went to look at the shops. At this time Elena was waiting for her in the central hall, silently studying the Berlin Welcome Card booklet. And then a bearded man approached her and offered sightseeing tour in Potsdam, added that there is an audio guide in Russian and a discount for the Welcome Card.

When my mother left the store after consulting, we agreed and went to the excursion bus parked at the station, where we bought a tour (15 euros per person, it is not clear whether there was actually a discount). Since there was still time before departure, we returned to the station's shopping gallery and did some shopping. We bought creams at a cosmetic store, and earrings at a jewelry store.

Sightseeing tour by bus: Dutch Quarter, Berlinerstrasse, Glienicke Bridge

The tour started at 11 o'clock. From the bus window we saw the Church of St. Nicholas, the restored city palace, a pumping station in the shape of a mosque, the Brandenburg, Hunting and Nauen Gates, and drove past the Dutch Quarter. We drove along Berlinerstrasse to the Glieniker Bridge, where we crossed the Havel River, thus finding ourselves back in Berlin, turned around and returned to Potsdam.

The Glienicke Bridge is remarkable for its history - after the division and before the unification of Germany, it divided not just the federal states of Brandenburg and Berlin, but states and even the worlds - the GDR and West Berlin. On this famous “Bridge of Spies”, arrested agents of the Soviet and American intelligence services were exchanged more than once.

Having driven along Berlinerstrasse again, we turned into " closed city» - an area of Potsdam, which during the GDR period was a border area and occupied by the Soviet military and intelligence. The bus drove past nice villas and small one-story houses, built, as the audio guide said, in the 30s for railway workers, past the modern hotel Kaiserin Augusta Stiftung. It was built at the beginning of the twentieth century as a boarding school, and in the second half of the century it was occupied by the secret services.

Cecilienhof and Aleksandrovka

So we got to the New Garden and Cecilienhof Palace, where the Potsdam Conference was held in 1945 and an agreement was reached on the post-war structure of Europe. Today the palace, built at the beginning of the 20th century for the son of the last German emperor, Wilhelm II, and his wife Cecilia, is used as a museum and hotel.

The difference between the Potsdam city tour and the Berlin one, which we also bought, was the pedestrian part. On the territory of Cecilienhof, the guide took all the tourists off the bus and walked around the castle, talking about it in German and English. For Russian-speaking participants (and that was just us) there was a booklet in a binder. After walking around the palace, the group returned to the bus.

Next, the route went past an old prison, turned into a museum, away from the “forbidden city” - to Aleksandrovka, a Russian village. In 1826-1827, this small colony was rebuilt for singers of the Russian soldiers' choir, former prisoners of war, and participants in the Napoleonic wars. The audio guide told us that 2 more families with Russian surnames live on the territory of Alexandrovka - descendants of those very first settlers.

Sans Souci

Having made a circle around the Russian village, the bus brought us to Sans Souci Park (from the French san souci - “without worries”). There is the most famous palace Prussian Emperor Frederick the Great, also called Sanssouci. It was built in the mid-18th century. Nearby is the grave of Frederick, who wanted to be buried near his country house (however, the remains of the Kaiser were reburied near the palace only 205 years after his death). In addition to flowers, potato tubers are brought to his grave, since it was Frederick the Great who popularized potatoes in Germany.

The palace complex of Sanssouci is often called the “German Versailles”. There are mesh pavilions, a multi-tiered vineyard, a Chinese-style tea house, a greenhouse palace, a New Palace designed for official receptions; house with dragons (now a restaurant), landscape park.

The audio guide on the tour bus and the live, walking guide told the tour participants about the main and New Palace, after which the tour ended, and those who wished could return on the same bus to the city center. However, Elena and her mother stayed briefly in Sans Souci to explore the park, visit the gift shop and restrooms (they are near the windmill). After that, we had to wait for the regular passenger bus No. 695, and at about 16:00 we arrived in the center of Potsdam - to the Hunter's Gate.

On foot: Bradenburger Strasse and again the Dutch Quarter

From there, along Lindenstraße, we reached the central pedestrian street Brandenburger Straße, connecting the Brandenburg Gate and the Church of Saints Peter and Paul. We walked along it, going into shops (mostly shoe stores) and trying to go into one of the restaurants (but unsuccessfully, since it was on the second floor, where the elevator was supposed to take visitors, but the elevator call button did not work - perhaps the restaurant was just closed).

Then we turned onto Friedrich-Ebert-Straße towards the Nauen Gate and had a very tasty dinner at the restaurant Der Klosterkeller http://www.klosterkeller-potsdam.de/. Elena's mother had cheese soup and something like jellied beef with vegetables (Home made boiled round beef in Jelly), and Elena herself had pieces of pork in bacon with mashed potatoes (The coachman´s favorite dish: Roasted medallions of pork wrapped in bacon enhanced by a Thyme sauce, served with fresh herbal mushrooms and butchess potatoes). And, of course, beer.

The distance from Berlin to Potsdam is 36 km. Getting from the capital of Germany to the capital of the federal state of Brandenburg is quite simple: by train, commuter train, rented car, taxi or with a companion. Trains run almost every 10 minutes from all railway stations.

In this material we will tell you in detail how to get to Potsdam from Berlin on your own.

Train Berlin - Potsdam

We are talking about commuter trains, in other words, S-Bahn trains, which serve the Verkehrsverbund Berlin-Brandenburg (VBB) zone, which includes Berlin and Brandenburg.

As of 2019, the Berlin S-Bahn consists of 16 routes and 166 stations. In general, you can leave from any of them, but we will take the most popular tourist area as our starting point - the Brandenburg Gate, where the Tiergarten park originates.

The station is called Brandenburger Tor.

Destination station: Potsdam Hauptbahnhof. You need an S7 line. But it doesn't go through Brandenburger Tor, so here you take line S1 to Friedrichstraße station, where you change to S7 to Potsdam. If this is too difficult, the walk from the Brandenburg Gate to Friedrichstraße train station is about 10 minutes (1 km).

A trip from Berlin to Potsdam by train - from Friedrichstraße to Potsdam Hauptbahnhof - takes 40 minutes and costs 3.40 euros(stations in Brandenburg are zone C). Tickets are purchased from vending machines at stations and are composted there.

Electric trains run around the clock with the shortest possible intervals.

Convenient travel planner on the Berlin rail network - sbahn.berlin. Here you can enter your departure and arrival stations, see when the next train leaves, how long the trip will take and how much it will cost.

Train Berlin - Potsdam

From the Friedrichstrasse station, as from the Main Railway Station, you can also travel by regional trains marked RE (RegioExpress) and RB (Regionalbahn). They're walking a little faster than electric trains- 30 minutes, and the ticket costs the same - 3.40 euros.

The lines we need are RE1 and RB21.

Do not forget to validate your ticket, otherwise you will have to pay a large fine. Train inspectors visit regularly and are unforgiving.

We remind you that you can plan your trip using the sbahn.berlin planner.

You can buy a ticket on the website, which specializes in European railway routes, as well as by searching for transport tickets around the world.

From Berlin Airport to Potsdam

The easiest way is to order a transfer - see the information below.

But you can do it yourself, because it’s cheaper.

Finding a travel companion

It is also possible to get to Potsdam with a driver companion. Surely you will find a driver who will agree to give passengers a lift - of course, for a reasonable fee. The largest community of travel companions is Blablacar.ru. To contact a user, you need to register, there is nothing complicated about it.

Finding travel companions on BlaBlaCar

You can also book a tour from Berlin to Potsdam with a private guide. Guides registered in our project offer both individual and group excursions.

Unified ticket search OMIO

The Omio service allows you to compare all available public transport options by cost and travel time. Here you will find tickets for trains and intercity buses in the selected direction. Thanks to a convenient search, you will be able to find the best offer.

Last update - 07/20/2015

Potsdam

Potsdam, a suburb of Berlin, which smoothly turns into Berlin itself, is associated primarily with the Potsdam Conference and the Sanssouci Palace. This is very green City, with huge expanses of water around it, there are more than one or two palaces, although it is not at all necessary to visit them all. Potsdam can be an excellent base for exploring Berlin and the surrounding area: it is cheaper to live here than in Berlin, and you can rent good apartments. There is one thing - you need to settle either not too far from the station, or have access to highways, that is, not go deep into the city center.
Since the reunification of Germany, the complex of gardens and palaces of Brandenburg and Berlin has been constantly being restored. The immediate plans include: New Palace (partial renovation), Babelsberg Palace (complete renovation), Orangery Palace (partial renovation), New Garden (work in the park), Cecilienhof Palace (partial renovation), Charlottenburg (partial renovation), Rheinsberg Palace ( interior renovation). See the palaces' website for current openings and closures.

Road and orientation

From Potsdam you can reach Berlin city center directly in 25 minutes. It is better to travel by regional train (RE) rather than city train (S): although the city train runs more often, it takes longer and is much less comfortable. The RE 1 train stops in Berlin at the main tourist stops (zoo, main station(close to the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag), Alexanderplatz) and goes further towards Frankfurt an der Oder.
Another way to Berlin passes through the Glienicke Bridge: take the tram to the bridge, then transfer to the bus. This route is suitable for those who are not in a hurry and want to see the palace on Peacock Island and Lake Wannsee.
If you want to park in Potsdam for free and in close proximity to Sanssouci Park, pay attention to the street that runs along the park from below. You can park for free on Geschwister-Scholl-Str. on the roadside, better closer to Charlottenhof if you want to visit Sanssouci Palace. Walking from this street to the central alley of Sans Souci Park takes about 10 minutes, to the Sans Souci Palace - it will depend on where on the street you park. There are places available until 11 a.m., then there is little chance.

Potsdam - Big city, the distances between the attractions are conditionally walking, that is, you will get to the parks, but you will get tired, and the parks themselves are extremely large. Therefore, if you are coming from Berlin, then buy a day ticket for ABC zones, from other cities - a Brandenburg ticket, and if you are staying in Potsdam itself, then it is better to stock up on a day ticket for local transport.
There are several main tourist routes. Auto. 695 goes from the station to the Sanssouci Palace and then along the park to the New Palace. Note that near the entrance to Sanssouci Park it turns in the opposite direction and goes around a good chunk of the city. These bus pretzels ignore simplified tourist transport schemes. Auto. X15 goes from the station to Sanssouci Palace. Auto. X5 goes to the New Palace. Trams 92, 96 go past the Aleksandrovka colony and come quite close to one of the entrances to the New Garden (Neuer Garten), but from this entrance it is still about 20-25 minutes to walk to the Cecilienhof Palace. You need to spend 15-20 minutes to approach this palace from the Glienicke Bridge, where tram 93 goes from the station.
Another way to travel between Potsdam's attractions (besides Sanssouci Park), especially in good weather, is a water taxi. The water taxi stop is located across the square from the station. Taxi runs quite often. However, this method will be more expensive.
We should also not forget about boat trips. In addition to the water taxi, which runs according to a schedule from stop to stop, there are also circular walks around the Jungfernsee, day walks and half-day walks around the local numerous lakes and river branches.

A little history

Although Potsdam is a fairly old Slavic settlement and was first mentioned in the 10th century, until the 17th century. it remained small and insignificant. At the beginning of the 17th century. The electors turned their attention to Potsdam and built the first palace there. The Great Elector Friedrich Wilhelm decided to establish his second residence here, and from that moment the development of the city began.
In order not to get confused in all these Fredericks and Wilhelms, we will write who followed whom and what they built. In the table only those rulers who were important for Potsdam, only a little was selected from historical information so that it was clear what kind of person it was.

Name and dates of life	what is remembered in history	what did you do in Potsdam	style
1. Great Elector Friedrich Wilhelm 1(1620-1688) - Duke of Prussia from the Hohenzollern dynasty	formed an independent Prussia, invited numerous colonists from Holland and France to the lands empty after the 30-year war	Potsdam is the second residence of the Elector. Edict of Potsdam - Huguenots from France invited
2. Friedrich Wilhelm 1(1688-1740), King of Prussia, grandson of number 1, "Soldier King"	pursued a policy of brutal control and economy, including in relation to the royal family	turned Potsdam into a garrison city, greatly increased its size, and the Dutch Quarter was built
3. Frederick 2 the Great(1712-1786), King of Prussia, "Old Fritz", son of number 2	philosopher king, patron of science and art, pursued a policy of enlightened absolutism, strengthened Prussia as a state	Sans Souci (1769), New Palace, Temple of Friendship, Chinese Tea House (1757), Dragon House (1772) and Belvedere on Mount Klausberg, New Chambers, Picture Gallery (1764), Brandenburg Gate (1770)	Rococo and Baroque, French garden
4. Friedrich Wilhelm 2(1744-1797), King of Prussia, nephew of number 3, grandson of number 2	preferred entertainment rather than politics, nevertheless increased his territory through participation in the partition of Poland	Marble Palace (1792), New Garden (1787), palace on the island of Pfauen (1797)	early classicism, romanticism, English landscape park
5. Friedrich Wilhelm 3(1770-1840), King of Prussia, son of number 4	pursued the policy of the Restoration, introduced strict censorship	Alexandrovka colony (1827)	classicism
6. Friedrich Wilhelm 4(1795-1861), King of Prussia, son of number 5	“romantic on the throne”, reduced censorship, stopped persecution of other faiths, patronized the arts	Charlottenhof Palace (1828), Friedenskirche Church, Orangery Palace (1864), Roman Baths (1840), Belvedere on Mount Pfingstberg, renovated Sanssouci	stylization of the Italian Renaissance, classicism
7. Wilhelm 1(1797-1888), King of Prussia and subsequently first Emperor of a united Germany, son of number 5 and brother of number 6	appointed Otto von Bismarck as prime minister, who carried out realpolitik	Babelsberg Palace and Park (1831-1849)	neo-gothic
8. Wilhelm 2(1859-1941), Kaiser of Germany, grandson of number 7	a very strong-willed person, loved the army and especially the navy, was one of those who started the First World War, as a result of which in 1918 he was forced to renounce the throne and emigrate to Holland	built for his son Cecilienhof (1912)

Sanssouci and Charlottenhof parks: Sanssouci palace and other park buildings

If you want to visit the Sans Souci Palace, then it is better to start there by going there by bus, since the excursions are held at a time and there are too many people willing, and then, while waiting for your time, return to the entrance to the park. If you want to see the palaces only from the outside, it is better to start from the entrance to main alley. To take photographs in palaces and pavilions, you need to buy a single day permit. The piece of paper is hung on the camera or hand.
IN information centers behind the Sanssouci Palace and near the New Palace you can buy a park plan for 2.50 euros, it will not be out of place. The same plan is sometimes sold by special people at the entrance to the park. In the New Garden I also saw a vending machine selling plans; probably the same one can be found in Sanssouci Park.

The Baroque park was laid out after the construction of the palace in the mid-18th century. The Prussian rulers of that century were distinguished by their industriousness and economy, so the idea of combining the utilitarian and entertainment principles, which formed the basis of the park's layout, is not surprising. Numerous fruit trees were planted, a vegetable garden was laid out, and the palace is hidden behind vine terraces. Of course, the park has undergone changes: after Frederick 2, Friedrich Wilhelm 4 lived in the Sanssouci Palace, then there were world wars and the division of Germany, which did not have the best effect on the appearance of the Potsdam gardens. And Sans Souci Park, of course, has not reached us in its original form; the baroque French garden quickly turns into a landscape garden.

Let's start our walk from the entrance to the park on the main alley. The length of the alley from the obelisk in front of the entrance to the New Palace is 2.5 km. If you don’t have enough time, you can be satisfied with points 1-11; they will take about 3-4 hours, depending on how thoroughly you examine them.

1. When entering on the left there is Friedenskirche(Friedenskirche, 1854), created on the model of Italian churches and serving as the tomb of Friedrich Wilhelm 4, Friedrich Wilhelm 1, Friedrich 3 and other members of the imperial family.
2. Hiding not far from the entrance Neptune's grotto(1757). It's easy to miss, especially if you don't have a plan with you.
3. On the hill above the grotto - Art Gallery(Bildergalerie, 1764). This is one of two symmetrical buildings built to the right and left of the Sanssouci Palace under Frederick 2 the Great. The gallery displays paintings from the collection of Frederick the Great. Some of the paintings ended up in private collections; in their place, empty frames were left on the walls. The collection contains mainly works by Baroque and Rococo artists, including very famous ones: Rubens, Caravaggio, van Dyck, Watteau.
Art Gallery:

Main alley

4. Palace of Sanssouci(Sanssouci) and the Baroque park with it inevitably make one think of Versailles and call it another copy, this time Prussian. However, the idea that formed the basis of the layout of both the palace and the garden is directly opposite to the idea of Versailles: there is the victory of man over nature, the desire to subjugate it, trim it to one’s own comb, demonstrate the luxury and strength of the king, here is the unity of man and nature, a private royal palace , in which only a few were allowed to stay.
From the central fountain, which, by the way, only became operational in the mid-19th century, when a steam pumping station in the shape of a mosque was built, the palace is barely visible behind a series of stairs and vineyard terraces. The inscription on the palace sans souci..., meaning “without worries” in French, in the understanding of the philosopher king meant rather that he intended to live and die here without the vanity of this world, and not in continuous entertainment.
As I already said, excursions in the palace are held according to time. To visit several palaces and pavilions, you can buy a Sans Souci+ ticket for 19 euros online and print it out. For an additional 2 euros you can book a time that suits you. A family ticket for 49 euros can be purchased at the box office. Separate tickets to all palaces and pavilions are purchased at them.
There are only about a dozen rooms in the palace. They are well preserved, because the palace was not destroyed during the war. Several rooms were guest rooms, and six more belonged to the royal apartments. One of the rooms is named after Voltaire, as he lived here when he visited Frederick.
In addition to the royal apartments themselves, you can also separately visit the palace kitchen of the 19th century. and the so-called women's wing (Damenflugel). The women's wing appeared under Frederick William 4, who did not touch the royal apartments out of respect for Frederick the Great, but remodeled the side wing in order to accommodate ladies-in-waiting and courtiers.

The facade in front of the terraces and the façade with the access courtyard surrounded by a colonnade.

The last photo shows a view from the colonnade of the artificial ruins on Mount Ruinenberg. According to Friedrich's plan, there should have been a water reservoir on the mountain that would supply water to the fountains. Several mills had to lift water into the reservoir. They were never built because the project turned out to be too expensive and the available craftsmen could not implement it correctly. Therefore, the fountain was launched only once - thanks to the melted water. After the war the park was used for quite a long time Soviet army for training, so it fell into disrepair and was restored at the end of the 20th century.
5. At the information office near the mill you can get brochures, buy tickets, books and a map of the park.
6. Historical mill, although considered historical, was actually burned during a battle at the end of the war and is a new building. The original mill was built in 1737-1739. to provide for the greatly increased garrison and population. Soon, Frederick the Great decided to build a palace, and the miller filed a complaint that his mill would not receive enough wind. This miller was eventually compensated, sold the mill, and built another in another location. His successor was also unable to make a profit from the mill and it eventually burned down. This whole story was transformed into a legend: the king wanted to remove the mill, since it interfered with his work with its noise, and the miller said that a fair royal court would not allow this. In fact, Friedrich believed that the mill was an integral element of the rural landscape. A new mill was built at the end of the 18th century, but also could not operate successfully. During the reign of Frederick William 4, it came into the possession of the emperor. It was this mill that was restored at the end of the 20th century. The mill houses a museum, but it also works.
7. New wards(Neue Kammern, 1775) complete the ensemble. Initially, this place was a greenhouse for winter storage of heat-loving plants. New chambers served to accommodate guests.
New chambers with a mill in the background.

8, 9. Nice small gardens with statues and fountains - Sicilian and Northern.

10.B Chinese tea house(Chinesisches Haus, 1764) exhibits a collection of porcelain.

11. Orangery Palace(Orangerieschloss, 1864) was built at the request of Friedrich Wilhelm 4 in the Italian Renaissance style. It is located across the street where the car travels. 695, from Sanssouci Park. One hall of the palace was used for winter maintenance of heat-loving plants, the other, the Raphael hall, contains numerous copies of works by this artist. The remaining rooms served to accommodate the emperor's guests. In particular, the widow of Nicholas 1, Alexandra Fedorovna (nee Charlotte of Prussia), stayed there. This year the Orangery Palace is undergoing renovations.

We continue our walk. If you don’t have enough time, but want to visit the New Palace, then you can safely skip points 12-16 and take bus 695 to the New Palace (the bus runs about 3 times an hour).

12. Small Botanical Garden located next to the Orangery Palace.
13. A rising linden alley connects the Orangery Palace with the Belvedere. Along the way there will be another house with dragons - it is hiding on the side of the alley. House with dragons(Drachenhaus, 1772) - a small, rather expensive cafe. The house is stylized as a pagoda, dragons stick out at the corners of the roof.
14. Belvedere on Mount Klausberg(1772) was conceived as an observation point and was the last building built in the park during the time of Frederick II. During the war, the building was almost completely destroyed and restored at the end of the 20th century.

We go down the mountain back to the park.
15, 16 - two pavilions located symmetrically relative to the main alley: Temple of Friendship (Freundschaftstempel) and Antique Temple (Antikentempel). The first was commissioned by Frederick 2 in memory of his deceased sister, the second was intended to store the royal collection of ancient art and coins, and is now the tomb of members of the Hohenzollern family and is closed to the public.
17. New Palace(Neues Palais, 1769), unlike the Sanssouci Palace, was intended to be representative. Therefore, it looks very lush both outside and inside. As the restoration of the Potsdam palaces continues, some rooms may be closed. During the time of Frederick the Great, the palace served to accommodate royal guests and hold holidays. After his death, the palace was used only sporadically until the end of the 19th century, when it became the favorite summer residence of the last Emperor William II.
Behind the New Palace along the main alley, the ensemble ends with two magnificent buildings connected by a colonnade (1769). These are service buildings designed to accommodate the emperor's employees, service personnel, and kitchens. Now these are university buildings.
The new palace from the main alley.

The New Palace from the side of the service buildings

Service buildings

Inside (only a few rooms were shown)

18, 19. We complete the circle with the Charlottenhof Palace and the Roman Baths. You can safely skip them if you lack time.
Charlottenhof Palace(Charlottenhof) was built for Friedrich Wilhelm 4, then Crown Prince, in 1826-29. The small palace is designed in the style of classicism both outside and inside.

There is a landscaped park around it, smoothly flowing into Sanssouci Park. Like many other gardens in Potsdam, the talented landscape architect Peter Joseph Lenne worked here.
Roman baths, a hippodrome and a pheasant yard were built in the park. Roman baths(Romischen Bader, 1840) - these are not baths at all, but the head gardener’s house, a small garden and a tea house, built in the Italian style.

New Garden (Neuer Garten)

To avoid confusion: the New Palace is located in Sanssouci Park, although at the far end of it, the New Garden is located on the shores of the Holy Lake and is not within walking distance of Sanssouci. It is worth visiting in two cases: if you spend more than one day in Potsdam or if you want to be sure to visit the Cecilienhof as the site of the Potsdam Conference. You can get there from Sanssouci: by bus. 695 to Einheit Square, where you change to trams 92, 96 and get to Pushkinskaya Alley (Alexandrovka Colony), from where another five minutes to the entrance to the park and another 20 minutes through the park to Cecilienhof, or change to bus 603 and get to the entrance to the park from Cecilienhof. There is another way to get from the station: by tram 93 to the Glienicke Bridge, from where it is a 15-minute walk to the palace.

The new garden was created by Friedrich Wilhelm II as a contrast to the Baroque gardens of Sanssouci in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Buildings in the park from the entrance closest to Aleksandrovka to the Marble Palace: gates and a line of houses in the Dutch style (the gates included stables, and the houses were intended for servants), a greenhouse (with a sphinx and statues of Egyptian gods, served for concerts and maintenance heat-loving plants), a kitchen in the form of artificial ruins of a temple (looks like real abandoned ruins, connected to the palace by an underground passage) on the shore near the Marble Palace and, finally, the Marble Palace. All these buildings date back to the end of the 18th century.
IN Marble Palace, which is called so, as you might guess, because it is decorated with marble, lived Frederick William II, and later various crown princes, while waiting for their own residences to be ready. During the war, the palace was quite damaged; later it housed the officers' house and the German Army Museum. Restoration work was completed only in 2009.
Holy Lake

Greenhouse and one of the "Dutch" houses

Marble Palace

View of the Peacock Island Palace through the trees

In the far northern part of the garden, near Lake Jungfernsee, there are also two buildings from the time of Friedrich Wilhelm II: a shell grotto (Muschelgrotte) and a dairy farm (Meierei). The grotto served as a place to rest or work on hot days. The farm and its cows fit perfectly with the idea of a landscaped garden and a return to nature. In the middle of the 19th century. the farm was rebuilt and expanded and a pumping station was added. At the beginning of the 20th century. there was a restaurant here; after the war, the place fell into the exclusion zone of the Berlin Wall and was not visited. The restaurant and brewery are now open again.

Finally, we come to one of the most visited palaces - Caecilienhof(Cecilienhof). The palace was built for the heir of Wilhelm 2, who did not manage to become emperor, in 1914-1917. and stylized as medieval English manors. Crown Prince Wilhelm lived with his family in the palace until his expulsion in 1945. The prince's property was removed and destroyed in a fire, and furniture for the Potsdam Conference was collected from nearby palaces. After the war, part of the palace was given over to a hotel, which is still in operation today. Part of the palace where the Potsdam Conference took place can be viewed, as can the private apartments of the Crown Prince and his wife (apartments with guided tours only every two hours).

View from the lake

From the palace we go towards the Glienicke Bridge (approx. 15-20 minutes on foot) along Lake Jungfernsee.

Glienicke Bridge(Glienicker Brücke) across the river Havel connects Potsdam with the Wannsee district of Berlin. The first bridge was built in the 17th century to make it easier for the electors to go hunting. The modern bridge dates back to the beginning of the 20th century, was collapsed at the end of the war and was restored in the same form after it. After the construction of the Berlin Wall, the bridge was closed to free traffic. The main thing this bridge is known for is the spy exchanges that have taken place here several times.
Next to the bridge is the Villa Schoningen museum, dedicated to the history of the bridge, the division of Germany and the Cold War.
briefly about the sights

And other attractions and parks

If you are not yet convinced that Postdam is worth spending more than one day, let’s add a few more attractions.
Let's start with another large park - Babelsberg. There is no point in visiting it this year, since the palace is still under renovation. The closest you can get to the palace is by car. 616, but it does not go from the central station, but from the Babelsberg train stop. Trams 94 and 99 arrive at the end of Babelsberg Park farthest from the palace. The palace was created for Wilhelm, the second son of Friedrich Wilhelm 3, and was originally supposed to be quite modest. When William's older brother died, he became king and the palace had to be expanded to suit his status. The palace was built in the neo-Gothic style in its most magnificent version. Wilhelm 1 and his family used the palace as a summer residence throughout his reign. His followers were not interested in the palace, and the interiors were lost after 1945.
Except big palace, the Small Palace was built in the park for Wilhelm’s eldest son, and later Emperor Frederick 3. Now it is used as a restaurant. Also preserved are: the stables, the Matrosenhaus pavilion, the Gerichtslaube - a tea house created from a medieval Berlin gazebo, and the Flatow tower.

Another park in Babelsberg - but this time it’s entertaining. Before Filmpark Babelsberg traveling from the main station is not very convenient: bus. 601 or 690 (the same buses from stop S7 Babelsberg). You can also walk from the S7 Griebnitzsee stop.
The park has decorations, shows related to the making of films, and themed attractions.

We return again to the other side of Havel. At the northern end of Havelbucht there is a steam room pumping station, made in the form of a mosque, at the request of King Frederick William 4 in the mid-19th century. The station pumped water for the Sans Souci fountains. Nowadays you can visit the station (rarely open) and see the machine running on electricity.

We return back to the center. "Scientific and Popularization" Museum Extavium moves to the center in a building on Kanal 57 - everything, like many places now: various simple experiments that you can do with your own hands.

Dutch quarter was built by the decision of the “soldier king” Frederick William 1 for the craftsmen whom he invited from Holland. In one of the houses there is a museum telling the history of the quarter and holding festivals several times a year (www.jan-bouman-haus.de). The houses of the Dutch Quarter are home to cafes and small shops.

Another colony - this time much smaller - Alexandrovka. During the war with Napoleon, a soldiers' choir was created from Russian prisoners of war. By the time of the death of Alexander 1, there were still 12 singers left in Potsdam. In memory of the Russian Emperor, Friedrich Wilhelm 3 ordered the construction of the Alexandrovka colony for them. The houses were built half-timbered, and the outside had wooden cladding in the style of Russian huts. In 2008, the last of the direct descendants of the first settlers from the Grigoriev family died. In one of the houses there is a museum of the colony (number 5), the rest of the houses are private.

Even further from Aleksandrovka by tram - and we will arrive at the People's Park ( Volkspark). The park was created for the BUGA garden exhibition. There is an entrance fee, although the fee is small. Children's playgrounds, theme gardens, and sports facilities are offered. Sometimes there are holidays, such as the medieval one.
At the edge of the park (where you don’t have to pay for entry yet) there is Biosphere- a large greenhouse that promises you to be in the tropics. The greenhouse would be nice if it cost at least half as much. In the meantime, the Berlin Zoo will give you a lot more for the same money. There are a small number of small animals (in glass aquariums), several birds in cages with a fine mesh (the birds are almost invisible), a small aquarium with tropical fish, stylized as a submarine, a small room with butterflies, and a greenhouse itself with a circular route, laid below and above.

Between the Volkspark and Neuer Garten there is another structure left by the Prussian kings - Belvedere on Mount Pfingstberg. The Belvedere was built in the mid-19th century. at the request of Friedrich Wilhelm 4. The main thing people come there for is a good view of Potsdam.
briefly about the sights

Neighborhood

The first neighborhood that comes to mind is, of course, Berlin. But there are a couple more places, if, of course, you have enough time for them.
I won’t list all the attractions. You can see the full list on Bradenburg here: part 1 (for links to other parts, see the first). Please note that some of them were restored almost from scratch, and some have more local significance. Concluding the topic of palaces and parks, I will only mention the palace on Peacock Island (Pfaueninsel).
Friedrich Wilhelm 2 long years quite officially he lived with his mistress Wilhemina Encke, for whom he decided to build a palace on Peacock Island in 1794. The palace was completed in the year of the king’s death, the mistress was sent into exile, and the palace was used by the king’s heirs.
From the outside, the palace is stylized as a romantic ruin; half-timbered buildings are hidden under the wooden cladding. Interiors of the early 19th century. made in the style of early classicism. They have remained virtually untouched. In addition to the palace, on the island there is also an equally romantic dairy farm in the neo-Gothic style and a couple of other buildings. The park on the island was laid out by Lenne. Well, let’s not forget about the peacocks, they, of course, should also be on Peacock Island.
You can get to the island by ferry. The ferry is reached from the Wannsee train stop. 218 (to the end).
From Potsdam, from the Glienicke Bridge there is a bus. 316, from which you can transfer to the bus. 218 or get off at the Nikolskoer Weg stop and walk 2 km through the forest to the ferry. Shortly before the ferry along this path you will meet Blockhaus Nikolskoe - a wooden hut built in honor of the visit of Friedrich Wilhelm's daughter Charlotte of Prussia (married Alexandra Feodorovna) and her husband Nicholas 2. Nearby was also built the Protestant Church of Peter and Paul, which has in appearance something resembling Russian churches.
The island can also be reached by water. From Potsdam - take a water taxi to the Krughorn stop, then about 2 km on foot (also past Nikolsky). From Wannsee - on the ships of the company Stern und Kreis (www.sternundkreis.de, route along 7 lakes or attractions included in the UNESCO list).

Traveling to Germany has been a long-time dream. Medieval castles, green alpine meadows and “gingerbread” houses - that’s how I imagined it in my own imagination. The Germans, in turn, I considered scrupulous, reserved and prim. Therefore, my goal was to explore the sights of Germany, and not to get acquainted with the mentality of the local population.

To be honest, I usually plan my trips to Europe very carefully: budget, how to get there, what to see. Resolving these issues may take a month, or even several.

The trip to Germany was no exception. I spent even more time planning it: about six months. As a result, it was decided to visit the capital of the country, and then its suburb Potsdam. And pay more attention to the second one. And I began, of course, by solving the main question for myself - how to get there.

Potsdam: how to get there

For those who have little idea where the city is located, but are planning to visit Potsdam on their own, I will explain: it is located next to Berlin (the distance is approximately 37 kilometers). The most convenient way is to find a flight option to the capital of Germany, and from there you can decide how to get to Potsdam.

One day, I received a newsletter in my email with a message that the famous German airline Lufthansa was holding a sale, and this promotion applied to Moscow-Berlin air tickets. After checking the dates of interest on the official website of the air carrier (www.lufthansa.com), I finally decided: there will be a trip to Potsdam!

To be honest, the flight option was more than successful: the departure was from Domodedovo at 16:30, the flight duration was just over 2 hours. The total cost of round-trip air tickets for two was approximately 11,000 rubles.

Subsequently, the flight conditions were slightly changed, but the price remained the same. Instead of the one promised by Lufthansa, the flight was carried out by its subsidiary German Wings. The planes and service here are somewhat more sparse, but on the whole the services were provided with dignity for the given amount.

There are no problems with communication between Berlin and Potsdam. Therefore, you can easily get to the second one public transport. But we chose another option - we decided to rent a car in order to move freely between cities.

A little advice for tourists who decide to visit Potsdam on their own: there are often traffic jams leaving Berlin - try not to go to the suburbs during rush hours.

Where to live in Potsdam

Potsdam – small town. However, there is no problem with choosing accommodation here: there are both small apartments and hostels, as well as expensive five-star hotels.

When choosing a place to live, I first explored the possibility of renting apartments in Potsdam - Germany is very widely represented on the service https://www.airbnb.ru/.

Renting a property directly from the owner is usually cheaper than renting a hotel room. In addition, the apartment requires a kitchen, which is quite important in Europe, where food prices are high. However, I was stopped by the need to prepay for my stay at the time of booking. The required amount was not available. But there were some fears: what if something happens and I won’t be able to go? Why take the risk?

Then I again turned to the site www.booking.com that was familiar and familiar to me. By the way, if you make several trips booking them on this site, and your hotel confirms this, then you will receive the status Genius traveler.

What does this give? At first it seemed to me that there was no benefit. However, practice has shown that for Genius travelers the booking system gives discounts on some hotels (though not all offers are so “tasty”), several times I received free parking or breakfast, although they were not intended for my room category.

The hotel I chose to stay in Potsdam is Bett-Point Am Rathaus. It is located in the very center of the city, the main attractions are within walking distance. On the ground floor there is a wonderful bakery where delicious cakes are baked in the morning.

The hotel cost was very budget - about 26 euros for two per night. This is more like a room in a guest house than a hostel or a regular hotel.

The interior of the room is more than modest

And there’s really nowhere to place this interior. In addition to two beds and a bedside table, there was only room to put a chair.

The house turned out to be very old, and for some reason, when we moved in here, we remembered ghosts... However, if you are not afraid of them and want to get inexpensive housing in the center of Potsdam, then this is the place for you.

What to see in Potsdam

On the first day of my stay I did not have time to visit the sights of Potsdam. We ended up in the city in the evening and just went for a walk through the night streets.

To be honest, after the huge and noisy capital of Germany, it seemed to me that this was a completely different world.

Although at times the town still tried to pretend to be little Berlin.

It even has its own Arc de Triomphe.

In the evening it is very calm here, there are few tourists. There was a kind of provincial spirit in everything.

But be careful! If you walk until late, you may end up without dinner - cafes here are not open as long as in Berlin. Therefore, if you do not cook yourself in a rented apartment, then do not plan to have dinner later than 10 pm.

The next morning we decided to go to Sanssouci, one of the main attractions of Potsdam, photos of which can be found everywhere on the Internet.

But first we took a short walk through the city streets again. In the morning the city of Potsdam seemed completely different to me.

Now in some places it reminded me of a town from American films, where each house has its own green lawn, and the neighbors do not close their doors.

Getting around Potsdam by car was not difficult, although I soon realized that this city could be managed without one. The distances are small everywhere.

Sanssouci amazed us at first sight. This palace once belonged to the Prussian king. Its construction dates back to 1745.

The park area is very large. There are several palaces, fountains, gazebos, and shady alleys. I advise you to set aside a whole day to devote to studying the “Prussian Versailles”.

We were able to visit only one of the palaces. However, he also amazed us. But don't expect to see a luxurious room with restored walls and new ceilings. German palaces will amaze you first of all because you can see the damage and wallpaper that the Prussian Tsar once saw. And the Germans carefully preserved their heritage for tourists.

To be honest, this has its own charm. At the same time, some buildings look more luxurious on the outside than on the inside.

Personally, I found it pleasant that there are no huge crowds of tourists here. And in the dense shadow of the alleys you can slowly get lost.

And then go out onto the huge, sun-drenched square of the main palace of Sans Souci, and walk along it, your mouth open in surprise.

I have not yet been able to visit Versailles, but the architecture of Sans Souci seemed very similar to French. Something similar can be found on the streets from time to time.

If you have already visited Peterhof (and any more or less self-respecting traveler simply must visit there!), and this place has found a response in your soul, then the sights of Potsdam will not leave you indifferent. Just never forget: the key to success is good independent travel– careful planning and... good mood! Keep this in mind and hit the road. Potsdam has been waiting for independent travelers for a long time!