During the 18th Century, a wave of Francophilia swept across Europe. Suddenly, every monarch had to have their own version of Versatile. The former Prussian Prince, now King Friedrich II (Der Große Kurfürst, oder Alte Fritz) was no exception. He also btw, decreed the learning of French which was all the rage. According to historians, it also created a bit of controversy as well. In this environment, Sanssouci was built. Der Große had his architect, Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff design & build for him a small, but modest summer palace and vineyard in Potsdam. The front of the Schloss, with its elaborate tiers for the vines, is very impressive. You can also see it's distinctive golden rotundra from below. The Schloss itself is magnificent and yes, it is like a miniature Versatile. Tres Bon, und Beeindruckend! read more

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Perfekte Potsdam Schloss- und Gartenanlage. Um das Schloss von innen zu sehen muss mann einen Eintritt bezahlen. Review: 5+ read more

This castle is located within the grounds of Sanssouci Park. "Sans souci" originally meant "without worry" in French, and applied to this summer palace for Frederick the Great of Prussia--it was to be a retreat from the formalities of the court. Designed and built between 1944-47 in a Rococo style, it's more of a luxury villa m with only 10 rooms, rather than a full-blown palace. Inside the reception halls, bedrooms and guest rooms showcase the extravagant flourishes of the monarchy's tastes and provide a glimpse into the use of this country residence. While not large in total size, the interiors are adorned with showy scrolling, wall and ceiling reliefs, gilded/painted scenes, elaborate chandeliers, fashionable period furniture from the time, and intricate parquet wood and marble work on the floors and/or walls. If you enter via a small side entrance there's access to the royal pantry, kitchens and wine cellar, set up like how they would've functioned back in the day. It was fun to take a look at the very thorough set-up, though most of the description cards here were in German only. Tickets are available to book in advance or in person by time-slot for this palace and Neues Palais on the other end of the park. Individual ticket are €14 for adults, €10 reduced (children, seniors, visitors with disabilities) or included as part of the Sanssouci+ package for €22 regular adult or €17 reduced. There are multiple ticket combo packages that give access to different sites within the park. Would recommend booking in advance as both places are popular and spots go quick. Audioguides are available for free and can be picked up at the front entrance upon entry for your timeslot. It takes about 30-45 minutes to tour the Schloß though probably another 30 minute to tour the Picture Gallery which is about a 3-4 min walk located adjacent to the main palace. Don't forget to account for time to walk around the park grounds as they are quite picturesque, and you can easily spend hours walking around the different mini-sites and manicured gardens. read more

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The palace is beautiful, but not as big as I thought, and I was just not a fan of the tour format. When you get to the palace, you go inside and get headsets for an audio tour. Luckily, we got there at a perfect time and there was no line. But by the time we had left, there was a significant line outside the building, waiting to get in. It is not a guided tour with the guide. It's self guided with your audio headset. The "tour" is about 30 minutes. But I didn't like how busy it was. You're just herded through like cattle in a line of people. You walk room to room on a carpeted path that is lined with stanchions. And people are obnoxious and get in your way and stand around/run into you. Would've been nice if there were less people in there. It just wasn't really the experience I was looking for. I would prefer small group guided tour. Maybe every 10 mins or so. Also, it's hard to hear your audio tour when people are standing around talking to each other constantly. But I guess that kind of what you get when you are with a large group of tourists. I have noticed this a lot recently with my travels. Not a lot of consideration for the other guests. The gardens and the grounds are beautiful as well. You are able to walk through them and explore at your leisure. read more

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Ein Spaziergang über das Gelände alleine ist schon echt Atemberaubend! Kann ich nur empfehlen

In A Nutshell: -Sanssouci Palace is probably my favorite palace I've visited. -This was the vineyard of Frederick the Great & his answer to France's château in Versailles. -It's not too big and very easy to understand while you are touring since you will have an ear piece w/ narration describing all the details of each room. -If you want to take photos, you need to pay a few extra euro. -You can even see the green chair where Frederick the Great died in from severe gout. -I really like the jungle room w/ all the animals you can find painted along the walls. -Did you know that cherries was Frederick the Great's favorite fruit? It was said he would pay about $100 for just one. Overall, if you are visiting Berlin, it's totally worth the drive to Sansoucci Palace! read more

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From now on, I shall be known as Ed the Great because by adding "the Great" to my name, I get a palace by default. At least I believe that's what happened when Frederick the Great decided to turn an orchard into his formal retreat. Apparently it wasn't easy being the King of Prussia during the 18th century, especially when he would rather immerse himself in music and philosophy rather than war. Sanssouci is an appropriate name since it literally translates to "without worry", and he certainly found a nice, bucolic spot about 45 minutes outside of central Berlin. Frederick built two key residences here, Sanssouci Palace and Neues Palais, at opposite ends of the expansive grounds here. The showstopper is Sanssouci Palace, which is a vision in golden rococo atop a vineyard terrace (see photos). With only twelve rooms, it's small compared to the likes of Versailles and Schonbrunn, but the ornate architectural detail is impressive, as are the grounds with the south-facing garden facade stepping down to a huge fountain. Head west for at least a twenty-minute walk, and you will find the more massive Neues Palais (New Palace). This huge structure contains over 200 rooms spread over two stories (see photo). Along the way is a stunning Chinese teahouse, a pavilion decorated in the Chinoiserie style (see photo). With all the golden statues and columns, it's quite an unexpected sight. Now you can do what I did and take one of the half-day, 40-Euro bus tours to Potsdam to attempt to take it all in. The problem is that you're given less than ninety minutes to see everything here. I was sweating bullets since it was a hot, insect-infested day with a lot of the walkways blocked for a major excavation effort that was underway. Better to take the train and enjoy it at your own pace and also get an opportunity to walk through what looks like a charming town, Potsdam. Ah well, next time... read more

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I was disappointed with my recent visit here (saying this as a Berliner born and raised). - the grounds are not well kept - not all fountains are working - the Schloss and neighboring buildings look run down - parking and public restroom situation - unprofessional - tours sold out early in the day - the only way to get into the Schloss It's a bit embarrassing that this is one of the tourist highlights outside the city of Berlin, with so many international visitors who might have visited other palaces in Europe, and this one does just not compare. Looks like this place needs professional management... read more

Schloss Sanssouci - dried out water fountain - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Potsdam, BB

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A must visit place while in Berlin! Friedrich the Great has excellent taste! His summer castle is grandiose and lavish. The gardens are green and beautiful. I went with a large group of people. Our tour guide talked about the rooms and their purpose, as well as the inspiration and history behind the decor. The rooms are well preserved and being in the castle makes you feel like you've stepped back into the late 1700's about to have tea with Freddy and Voltaire. Though it was raining and cold during our visit, our day trip to Potsdam was worth the drive to see this beautiful palace. Definitely pay the €3 to have permission to take pictures! And leave your umbrella by the front! read more

Schloss Sanssouci - Hallo Friedrich ! - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Potsdam, BB

Get the combo pass. All palace buildings are gorgeous. It is a lot of walking, we actually skipped several sections since our group was tired from the heat. You could easily spend the whole day here. read more

Was not able to go into the palace, but the outside view was quite impressive. One of my first stops during my first visit to Europe and my first stop on my Eastern Trip in Berlin, Germany. I really liked the backyard with the steps leading towards the garden. It was a simply-paved path with asphalt, but the layers looking up at the palace was nicely designed. Compared to other castles in Europe, this one is less intricate than the other ones, but since it was one of the first castles I've seen in Europe, the sculptures were VERY impressive.The tour leader spent a lot of time speaking about the renovations of the sculptures here. Something that I loved was the large windmill located outside the palace, but the most impressive part was probably the flute busker. Right as my tour group walked past, the flute player changed the song from a German song (introduced by the tour leader), to a Chinese song. read more

Schloss Sanssouci is an amazing palace and with an expansive park. Although I visited in mid-august, Sanssouci was not overwhelmingly crowded. Ticket to access the inside of the palace by guided tour were easy to purchase, and the wait was less than 1/2 an hour. The interior of the palace is impressive. The most remarkable are the 3D wood carvings that come out of the wall. One room has full size parrots perched all over the walls. A spider's web covers the ceiling of another room. The park is free to access which is a nice after having to pay to enter each of the buildings. The fountains at the bottom of the terraced gardens were a great place to relax. read more

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It was a little disappointing overall when compared to other palaces throughout Europe, Russia and now Paris this June. The grounds workers for the most part were rude. When buying tickets they didn't mention you have to pay extra $$ for using your Cell Camera, what?? And when you were confronted about this while touring you where reprimanded by this East German Communist Persona just like all the clowns depicted on television in this regard. It doesn't matter what work they do...they could be collecting tickets or sweeping the floor and they will come across as the most important person in the Palace! I didn't want to deal with these nitwits so I left, didn't miss much I'm sure...and the grounds were more interesting. Very underwhelming, don't bother! The East Germans are still stuck in the past! We experienced this in other situations as well. Bought a Soda at the train station Italian place and then sat down. Then was rudely confronted by a waiter and a manager saying we could not sit there unless we ordered a pizza. Geez, what Jackasses!! I told them the World had changed, and that they needed to get away from their Communist Roots! read more

Sehr sehenswertes Schloss. Wer in Potsdam ist muss hier unbedingt vorbei kommen. Am besten vorher online eine Karte buchen, sonst kann es sein das man nicht rein kommt. read more

The gardens are quite pleasant. There is a part that is very much laid out and clean but the main parts of the garden are actually wilder and more fun to explore. (Although it is forbidden to lay on the lawns...) Make sure you have at least an hour to visit the gardens as it is worth spending time there. Unfortunately, not so much can be said about the castle which is tiny and rather uninteresting. It is very much disappointing to wait 4 hours to visit a 5-rooms castle with no other guide and explanations than the poor comments of the audioguide. All in all, a very disappointing visit. Moreover, the staff at the ticket shop was slightly rude. As you may have guessed already, I do not recommend this place. There are so many amazing things to do in Berlin! read more

The grounds of the palace are amazing. The park is beautiful, expansive, and peaceful - but I'm not reviewing the park. I'm reviewing the palace & its paid tour. We were hugely let down by the palace. You pay way too much money for a very brief tour where you can't even take pictures. The majority of the palace is not accessible to the public, and some parts (such as the kitchen) they charge you even more to see. For the basic entry fee, you see the entry way, library, receiving room, and a few guest bedrooms. That's it. Not worth it. Do yourself a favor. Go to the park in Potsdam on a day with nice weather. Walk around the park, see all of the parks from the outside. Relax, enjoy your day. Don't pay for the palace tour. It just isn't worth it. read more

It takes over an hour to get in and it takes less than 15 minutes to walk through. I have seen countless chateaus and palaces and this one was by far the worst I have ever seen. It is not worth wait or money! read more

There is nothing I dislike about this place, and so many things I love. The palaces, the statues... the park! I have spent many a Sunday wandering around, taking pictures and just soaking it all in. The garden has evolved in styles, from baroque to romantic, and is especially wonderful because it has hills. This means you get to have vistas where you can appreciate the sheer beauty of it all. Sanssouci itself is the little retreat of Frederick the Great, it was his personal place, and not used for formal state occasions... this makes it delightful in that the details of the place really show a personality and a love of life. If you get hungry from wandering about all day in this gorgeous place, there are currywurst carts, a fabulous little tea house (dragon house) on the park grounds themselves and restaurants not far away in Potsdam itself. GO GO GO. this place is so worth it. read more

From the terrace gardens to the buildings, this was a beautiful place. I only walked on the outside grounds but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Read about the significance of Sanssouci before you come here to fully appreciate what you're seeing and stop often to take in the scenery. A place to see if you're in Potsdam. read more

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Truth be told, although I have been to Schloss Sanssouci a handful of times, I have never been inside the actual building. I definitely plan to at some point, but until then, I will enjoy it from the outside. In fact, one of my favorite activities is bringing a picnic lunch and a couple of beers and hanging out on the circular benches surrounding the fountain. If the weather is lovely, it is glorious, and the people watching is usually awesome too. read more

My brochure tells me there are 30 castles and palaces to visit whilst in Berlin and Potsdam. Apparently the Hohenzollerns got bored easily and built lots of extras. This is the granddaddy of them all. The favorite residence of Frederick the Great, and the place where he passed on (the chair where that happened is proudly displayed, along with a painting of the event). This palace is 12 euros entry, and they nick you an extra 3 euros if you want to take pix inside. Seriously? You lose a star for that nonsense. The place is grand and all, but thats just tacky and stupid. 132 steps lead you up the front 'walk' - the Hohenzollerns had a strange stairs fetish I think. The individual rooms are way over the top, even by the standards of the rococo. My favorite bits include the gilt spiderweb (with spiders) in the music room, and the carved birds and whatnot in the Voltaire guest room. Golden goth-y spiders on the ceiling. Brilliant. Oh, and look for the nubian busts with extra white eyes and teeth. Those would cause an incident in the US. Bonus: An Andy Warhol hung in the servant's rooms on the way out. FAIL: There are 3 parts to the Palace. The Royal rooms, the kitchens and the Ladies' wing. For some incomprehensible reason they each have their own ticket scheme and operating hours. This is simply the dumbest arrangement I have ever seen at any museum I have visited - and I have visited hundreds. Standardize people, standardize. Its a single experience, not 3. read more

I wasn't actually able to go inside the building but I did spend some time wandering around the grounds. Maybe we went at the wrong time of year (June) but there weren't that many flowers in bloom and the grounds and the palace were a bit underwhelming after Versailles. The exterior of the building appeared to need a lot of repair. The statues were very damaged and the exterior was just a bit dirty and dingy. Our tour guide didn't give us much information aside from a quick description about the grave with the potatoes and the 11 dogs and the large windmill nearby. I think this is a site that might be very enjoyable to visit if you go at the right time of year, with a good guide and actually go inside. But from my perspective, if you're thinking about just stopping by to look around quickly you're not going to get a lot out of the experience. read more

Be very aware on which day you visit this place, Monday and Tuesday is limited admission with many closures. Also check out the many reviews on Tripadvisor. The staff in Potsdam gets consistently bad reviews for rude behavior. I recently toured Europe and visited a lot of Castles, Palaces and historic sites. All of them were great and the staff was always very professional except in Potsdam. These are run by Non-Profit groups, the visitors money enables these places to be maintained and restored. It can really be a downer on your vacation, to be mistreated at such an important historic site. All the beauty of the gardens and the glamour of the Palaces can't make up for being mistreated. read more

Orangey portion only done in German. Wouldn't have paid the extra fee if I had known this. Parking plentiful and enjoyed wearing the fluffy slippers over my shoes so I could slide like a child. People with knee or hip issues may not enjoy it read more

Worth the trip out of Berlin. You need to take the tour to see inside. They give you these slippers for your shoes that are hard to walk in. Tour took longer than it should but very detailed. The grounds are wonderful. It is a bit of walk between the difference buildings on the estate. It will take you a while to get to places. The windmill is the best part. They do have a bus that goes to the palace from the train station. read more

The tour around the castle was quite interesting. I find it a great experience.

(Take the S7 S-bahn from Berlin - we took it from hackescher markt, and then took the 695 from Potadam station) Gorgeous place. Get the pass + which lets you in all the attractions. The first day we only went to Palace Sanssouci- then we realized how much else there was (and we missed the kitchen and ladies' wing) - so we went back. In one day we managed to see Sanssouci (you will get an appointment viewing- plan the other things you see around that). We had a 3pm "date" with Sanssouci, so we went to the Orangerie and the New Palace- we miscalculated on the buses (get a schedule!!!) so we spent an hour at a bus stop (wasted time :-( After the bus finally came we got to Sanssouci just in time, saw the palace, the kitchen, the ladies' wing, and the Bilder Gallery (wonderful art), and had time to see some of the gardens. I loved the audio tour. I did NOT pay extra to take pictures- it's dark in the palaces (to protect the art) so I bought the DVD and a book of the palace. I really enjoyed learning about Frederick the Great- such an interesting and multitalented man. His palace reflects his wide ranging intellect- and I love that he loved Rococo so much he kept on liking it even when the style police had moved on to Neo Classicism. You GO Frederick. The guards are stern- they have to be. They are protecting priceless art that you are allowed to get very very close to. It's obscene that people think they can lean on ancient furniture when the signs clearly tell you not to. PAY ATTENTION to the signs, and the frowns of the museum guards- and if you want to take pictures, pay the 3 euros to do so (and EACH person taking pictures pays- there's not family deal for pictures). If you like history, and beauty, and quirky aestheticism, all the palaces and places here are for you. I have never been anywhere better. I have been to equally good places, but really, for what it is, there is nowhere better than this. See the pictures on the net- come prepared. You'll get more out of the place. My Berlin top 10- Deutsches Historisches Museum, Reichstag TOUR (free, book in advance, and eat in the restaurant), TV tower (eat there), Potsdam (see as much as you can on the Plus ticket for Sanssouci), Gemaldegallerie, Bode museum, Pergamon museum, Decorative Arts Museum, Instrument Museum, Neues Museum. read more

Sanssouci palace is beautiful if a bit over the top but it's still a must see attraction in the Berlin area. Getting into the palace isn't as easy as you might think. The palace gets so many visitors that they have a set number of tickets for the palace per day. So either get there early if you want to go inside or try and reserve a ticket before. read more