Things to do in

Chinese House, Sanssouci Park

The beautiful Sanssouci Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is full of historical palaces, statues and gardens. A visit to the park is an absolute must for any visitor to Potsdam! On this walking tour, I’ll bring its stories, landmarks and even its legends to life as you stroll from the Obelisk, near the Great Fountain, and past numerous monuments to the Church of Peace, where many of the Hohenzollern Kings are buried. On this hour-long tour, you’ll find out why Frederic II, also known as Frederic the Great, loved this place so much that he built himself the intimate Sanssouci Palace, and spent most of his time there. You’ll also hear how Peter Lenné, one of the world’s best-known garden architects, transformed the park some 100 years after Frederic. I’ll show you Holländischer Garten (Dutch Garden), Nordischer Garten (Nordic Garden), Sicilian Garden and Marlygarten (Marly Garden). Along the way, you’ll see: • Neptune Grotto, a monument filled with thousands of crystals and shells • The Grave of Frederick the Great, where you’ll find out why there are potatoes on his grave • Orangery Palace, that was built for Frederic William IV who loved Sanssouci Park almost as much as his grand-uncle • Apollo the Archer, one of artist Ernst Moritz Geyger’s most famous statues • Chinese House in Sanssouci Park where you’ll hear why the statues surrounding the teahouse don’t look Chinese You’ll also have an opportunity to: • Learn why Frederic the Great was almost executed by his father, Frederic the Soldier King • Take some amazing pictures of the park and its landmarks, including Sanssouci Palace which is also known as Little Versailles and Prussian Versailles • Find out why Frederic the Great was buried next to his dogs • Visit the Historic Mill of Sanssouci, a working mill with a beautiful view • See undecipherable hieroglyphics and fake ruins from Sanssouci’s Courtyard Castle • Marvel at over 130,000 plants and flowers including fig trees, a vineyard, and the last tree from the Royal Nursery • See an original Venetian mosaic from the early 13th century So take a deep breath and allow the beauty and serenity of the park to wash over you on this hour-long stroll through the gardens that Frederick the Great loved so much.

Enjoy a private tour to the heart of Potsdam from berlin with a guide. Explore the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Sanssouci Palace, gardens, Bridge of Spies, and more on a half-day tour. After being picked up from the hotel in Berlin, drive to the border of Wannsee and Potsdam. You will cross the Glienicke Brücke, known as the Bridge of Spies where the US and Soviet Union swapped captured agents during the Cold War. Continue to the New Gardens to see the Marble Palace across the Heiliger See lake and the Cecilienhof Palace, the site of the Potsdam Conference where the Cold War began. Your expert guide will provide an in-depth commentary throughout the tour. From Cecilienhof, you will move to Potsdam’s downtown. Enter the historical center of Potsdam through the gothic-revivalist Nauen Gate, proceeding on foot through the picturesque Dutch Quarter to Potsdam’s Brandenburg Gate. Next, step into the famous Sanssouci Gardens, the monumental Neue Palais, and then to the Sanssouci Palace, the iconic summer residence of Frederick the Great. Delve deeper into the gardens on foot, visiting the Chinese House, the Roman Baths, and the Orangerie. There will be several short breaks during the tour for refreshments. At the end of the tour, you will be driven back to Berlin, accompanied by your guide.

After picking you up from your hotel, we drive over the highway to the city of Potsdam (East Germany). We park next to the old windmill. From there we have a first view over the park of Sanssouci. We head over to the little palace itself (timeslot, tickets included if you have chosen this option). You will see there the palace of King Frederic II, the Great, on the vineyard. It has only 8 rooms, but very well crafted in the Rococo style. One half was used by himself, library, bed room, music room, audience room. The others were used by his (only male) guests. The most famous among them was Voltaire. They discussed, had dinner or played music together in the beautiful oval hall with columns made by Caracas marble. The whole interior is saved from the time of construction 1745-47. During main season (1st April to 30th Sept) you can see the the kitchen (original interieur 19th century) and the picture gallery, with the original collection of Frederic II, including Incredulous Thomas from Caravaggio. From there we have a beautiful walk over the garden terrace of the palace, seeing the grave of Frederic and his dogs. We walk down the vineyard, towards the huge fountain. From there we take a scenic way through the landscape shaped garden with meadows, small bridges, a Chinese House (can be visited) and more figures and temples, preciously arranged. And always a view through the trees and bushes towards another palace, obelisque, the windmill or some grottos and scultpures. Mostly we finish this little walk by the stairs towards the marvellous "palace of plants" from the 19th century, the Orangerie palace. We stroll through its gardens, fountains, bushes and roses, totally in Italian architecture, built by the last Prussian King, Frederic William IV. Partly still refurbished, but with a beautiful panorama view over the Sanssouci park, including the New Palace. From there it's only a little walk back to our car. We take our car and have a route through (!) the garden, passing the Orangerie Palace and head over to the huge New Palace. It was as well built from Frederic II after the 7-years-war in a record time of 7 years only. To brag about his victory, as he confessed - and to store there his family, when he was visited. Because he preferred to live only with his friends in the vineyard palace. And left his wife in another palace in the North of Berlin. We could visit this palace with 400-600 rooms (depending if you count servant's rooms), but most guests decide to have a view on the beautiful baroque city centre of Potsdam. Unlike Berlin, it's almost preserved from the war, but the city palace was recently reconstruced. We finish our tour with our route back to Berlin, passing the Cecilie's Palace (Potsdam conferenc was here in 1945, can be visited), the spy bridge (Glienicker Brücke) with view on the palaces of Babelsberg and Glienicke. And turn back via Federal Street No. 1, we old Reichsstr. 1 of the German Empire, back to your accommodation.