As weather is getting progressively unpleasant, opportunities for enjoyable outdoor excursions are next to nil. If you didn’t make it out to Potsdam for a summer dip in Heiliger See, take this opportunity for a shoulder-season speedrun of the area’s best Schlösser. With a whopping 17 lavish manors to choose from, you’ll have to be selective. Here are our top picks.
The Sanssouci Palaces
The expansive grounds of Potsdam’s most famous royal abode, Sanssouci, are home to a number of notable palaces. Navigate the maze-like hedges and fields of grazing sheep on foot or hop on the bike path to cut directly from east to west.
Schloss Sanssouci
Of all the palaces on this list, Frederick the Great’s summer home, Schloss Sanssouci, is the most deserving of a peek inside. The long, low exterior in shades of brilliant yellow is impressive, but the decadence of the interior better represents its intention as an intimate refuge from the headaches of royal life. It’s a Brandenburg-meets-Versailles blend of opulent comfort and fine art, an excess of gold among plump velvety furniture and dramatic chiaroscuro paintings. The must-see is the portrait gallery, with its hyperbright gilding and wall-to-wall Renaissance and Baroque art.
- Tue-Sun 10:00-16:30, €22 (for entry to Schloss Sanssouci, Neues Palais, Schloss Charlottenhof, Cecilienhof, and Marmolpalais). Tickets and info here.
Neues Palais
If Sanssouci represented his private, intellectual self, the Neues Palais represented the public, powerful persona of Frederick the Great. The pastel red behemoth, built after the Seven Years’ War, was meant to show the mighty splendour of the Prussian state through huge banquet halls, sumptuously decorated guest suites and even the era equivalent of a home cinema: an in-palace theatre.
- Wed-Mon 10:00-16:30, €12 for the palace grand tour, with other ticket types available. Tickets and info here.
Schloss Charlottenhof
While not the most impressive of the bunch, it’s worth cruising by Schloss Charlottenhof as you take in the palace grounds. Inspired by the look of ancient Roman villas, the simple white exterior and covered walkway look particularly nice against the backdrop of autumn foliage.
- Viewable only from the outside in November. More info here.
The Lakeside Manors
Schloss Cecilienhof
The Tudor Revival look of Schloss Cecilienhof, with its dark wooden accents and steep roofs, feels more reminiscent of a Christmas market than a royal getaway. Add in the carefully shaped topiaries and the soft tinkle of fountains and you’ll understand its cosy appeal. But the youngster of the palace group, having gone up between 1914 and 1917, is not all superficial charms: the historic Potsdam Conference of 1945 took place at this very spot.
- Viewable only from the outside in November. More info here.
Belvedere on the Pfingstberg
A steep climb from a tucked-away cobbled road, Belvedere doesn’t abut the lakes, it rises above them. Originally designed in the mid-1800s by Friedrich Wilhelm IV, it has the look and locale of a fortress, with an impenetrable-seeming exterior and a quiet inner courtyard. The main draw of the palace, however, is the views. From late autumn to early spring, the trees that normally block out the city vistas grow bare, allowing a near-360 view of the surrounding area.
- Sat-Sun, 10:00-16:00, €8, visits only possible with a guide. Tickets and info here.
Marmorpalais
Designed as a summer retreat for Friedrich Wilhelm II, the Marmorpalais is a prime example of Neoclassical architecture. Red brick and white marble emphasise the clean lines of the architecture, and on the inside you’ll find frescoes and accents of soft blue and yellow. If you’re short on time, find a perch near the Badestelle on the opposite side of the lake and watch the sunset dowse the cream-and-rouge eye candy (the manor resembles a delectable cake in this light) from afar.
- Sat-Sun, 10:00-16:00, 8€, visits only possible with a guide. Tickets and info here.
The far-flung mansions
Schloss Pfaueninsel
Everything about the castle on Pfaueninsel feels mythological, from the Disney-esque facade to the peacocks that prowl the grounds of the tiny island. And then there’s the origin story: Friedrich Wilhelm II had it built as a companion piece to the Marmorpalais, a place to drop anchor after a day of rowing on the lake, but it is suspected that it was really a place to house his long-term lover, Wilhelmine von Lichtenau, for summer canoodling.
- Access to the island 10:00-16:30, €6 ferry ticket, no entry to castle. Info here.
Schloss Caputh
Way down on the far end of Templiner See lies the oldest of the area’s “pleasure palaces”, Schloss Caputh, a gift from the Great Elector Friedrich Wilhelm to his wife Dorothea in the 1660s. The yellow-and-red exterior is particularly beautiful against a late-afternoon sun, and the interiors are all gilded accents and intricate frescoes against cream-and-pink backdrops. The best of the rooms is the dining hall, whose walls and ceilings are covered in white and blue Dutch tile.
- Sat-Sun, 10:00-16:00, 8€, visits only possible with a guide. Tickets and info here.
Getting there
Train: Take the S7 towards Potsdam Hbf and alight at the end of the line. The tour is best completed with a bike – if you want to proceed on foot, be sure to leave enough time to get around.
