Berlin Trip Overview
Potsdam was a city of kings – a German Versaille where the Hohenzollern monarchy of Prussia constructed lavish palaces in which they could spend their summers. It was also the setting for the Potsdam Conference, where geopolitical giants Josef Stalin, Harry Truman and Winston Churchill met in the summer of 1945 to seal the post-war fate of Germany and Europe.
This 8-hour tour with a car takes you to Potsdam to experience the pomp and grandeur of Prussia and explore the origins of the Cold War. With your own private vehicle, you have the opportunity to explore much more of the UNESCO-listed palace gardens than would be possible by just walking.
As part of the tour you will also be able to enter both the Sanssouci and Cecilienhof palaces. Please be aware that palace entry costs are not covered as part of the tour and that you will be supplied with an audio guide for the duration of your visit to each palace.
Additional Info
Duration: 8 hours
Starts: Berlin, Germany
Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Cultural Tours
Explore Berlin Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Berlin, Germany, Germany
Potsdam was a city of kings – a German Versaille where the Hohenzollern monarchy of Prussia constructed lavish palaces in which they could spend their summers. It was also the setting for the Potsdam Conference, where geopolitical giants Josef Stalin, Harry Truman and Winston Churchill met in the summer of 1945 to seal the post-war fate of Germany and Europe.
This 8-hour tour with a car takes you to Potsdam to experience the pomp and grandeur of Prussia and explore the origins of the Cold War. With your own private vehicle, you have the opportunity to explore much more of the UNESCO-listed palace gardens than would be possible by just walking.
As part of the tour you will also be able to enter both the Sanssouci and Cecilienhof palaces. Please be aware that palace entry costs are not covered as part of the tour and that you will be supplied with an audio guide for the duration of your visit to each palace.
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Sanssouci Palace, Maulbeerallee, 14469 Potsdam, Brandenburg Germany
Climb through the tiered vineyard up to Frederick the Great’s iconic summer palace. Visit the grave of Prussia’s most famous monarch, and learn how he became a legend. Go inside the palace and marvel at the stunning decor of the 13 rooms.
Duration: 45 minutes
Stop At: Cecilienhof, Im Neuen Garten, 14469 Potsdam, Germany
See where Truman, Churchill and Stalin sat for plenary sessions when they met to shape the fate of post-war Germany and Europe at the Potsdam Conference.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Glienicke Bridge, Konigstrasse, 14467 Potsdam, Brandenburg Germany
Cross the ‘Bridge of Spies’, from West Berlin into East Germany, where the US and USSR swapped captured agents during the Cold War.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Neues Palais, Am Neuen Palais, 14469 Potsdam, Brandenburg Germany
Stare up in awe at the imposing New Palace, largest of the residences on the Potsdam grounds and what Frederick the Great referred to as his ‘boasting’, and witness where Kaiser Wilhelm II signed the declaration that sent the Germans to war in 1914.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Marmorpalais, Im Neuen Garten 10, 14469 Potsdam, Brandenburg Germany
Gaze out over the Heiligen See (the ‘Holy Lake’) and take in beautiful views of Frederick William II’s Marble Palace.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Potsdam Friedenskirche, Am Gruenen Gitter 3, 14469 Potsdam, Brandenburg Germany
Explore the private church of the Prussian monarchy, and descend into the crypts to visit the graves of Frederick William IV and his wife Elizabeth, queen of Prussia and former princess of Bavaria.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Sanssouci Picture Gallery, Im Park Sanssouci 4, 14469 Potsdam, Germany
See where Frederick the Great housed his private art collection, a building the lead architect said would rival the splendor of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Brandenburg Gate (Brandenburger Tor), Luisenplatz, 14467 Potsdam, Brandenburg Germany
Walk beneath the towering arch of Potsdam’s Brandenburg Gate – built to celebrate the Prussian triumphs in the three Silesian Wars, and predating Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate by roughly 20 years.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Hollandisches Viertel, Hollaendisches Viertel 1, 14467 Potsdam, Brandenburg Germany
Wander through the close-set streets of picturesque, red-brick houses in the Dutch Quarter and learn how Dutch craftsmen were drawn to Potsdam in the early 18th century to contribute to the expansion of the then garrison town.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Nauen Gate, Nauner Srasse, Potsdam, Brandenburg Germany
Pass beneath another of Potsdam former city gates, built to designs created by Frederick the Great and the first example of British Gothic Revivalist architecture appearing in Germany.
Duration: 5 minutes
Pass By: Old Market Square, 14467 Potsdam, Brandenburg Germany
Drive past Potsdam’s ‘Alte Markt’ and see the Nicholas Church, the Old Town Hall, and the former Potsdam City Palace – now the Brandenburg State Parliament building.
Pass By: Alexandrowka 2, Potsdam, Brandenburg Germany
Drive around the thirteen charming wooden houses of the ‘Russian Village’, originally the home of the home of the Russian singers of the First Prussian Regiment of the Guards.
