Out of town
Potsdam in one day: old town, Dutch Quarter and Sanssouci on foot
Potsdam is reachable from Berlin by S-Bahn, and its finest places lie one after another on foot. Here is the route from the main station to Sanssouci, the right ticket and what you should book for the palace in advance.
ABC ticket Potsdam is in fare zone C, a Berlin AB ticket is not enough
About 40 minutes by S7 from Berlin Hauptbahnhof, faster by regional train
About 46 minutes on foot from Potsdam Hauptbahnhof to Sanssouci, with three stops
Monday Sanssouci Palace is closed, the park is freely accessible
How to get there
The S7 runs from Berlin Hauptbahnhof to Potsdam Hauptbahnhof in about 40 minutes; the regional train is faster but runs less often. Because Potsdam is in fare zone C, you need an ABC ticket or an ABC day ticket, and the Deutschlandticket covers you anyway. If you have already been to Babelsberg, you know the east of the city; this is about the centre and Sanssouci.
The route
01 Alter Markt and Museum Barberini · Potsdam
about 10 minutes on foot from Potsdam Hauptbahnhof
Directions in Google Maps · Official site
Across the Lange Brücke you reach the Alter Markt with St Nicholas' Church, the rebuilt City Palace, which now houses the Brandenburg state parliament, and the Museum Barberini in the reconstructed Palazzo Barberini. The museum shows major art exhibitions, and current opening times and prices are on its website.
02 Dutch Quarter · Potsdam
about 14 minutes on foot from Alter Markt
Frederick William I brought craftsmen from the Netherlands to his garrison town and from 1733 had a quarter of their own built to plans by Jan Bouman, 134 houses of red brick. Fewer Dutch came than hoped, so soldiers' families and craftsmen from France and Prussia moved in too, and at times a third of the residents were French. More about the French in the region in Huguenots and the French in Berlin. Today the quarter has cafés, small shops and galleries.
03 Sanssouci Park and Palace · Potsdam
about 22 minutes on foot from the Dutch Quarter, about 39 minutes straight from Hauptbahnhof
Directions in Google Maps · Official site
The park is freely accessible. You can only visit the palace on the vineyard terraces with a time slot; according to the Berlin museum portal, admission is 14 euros, 10 euros reduced. Until 31 October it is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 5:30 pm, from November until 4:30 pm, and closed on Mondays. Tickets per day are limited, so it is worth booking online in advance; remaining tickets are sold at the visitor centre at the Historic Mill.
Good to know
- The best day: Tuesday to Friday; the park is busier at weekends. If you go on a Monday, plan only the park and the town centre.
- Check your ticket: an AB ticket is only valid up to the Berlin city boundary. If you are checked on the train to Potsdam with one, you are travelling without a valid ticket.
- Back by boat: if you want more water, combine Potsdam with Wannsee and the F10 ferry, more in Berlin from the water.