Potsdam, the palaces of the Prussian kings half an hour from Berlin.

Potsdam is the capital of Brandenburg and was the summer residence of the Prussian kings: a city of palaces and gardens on the banks of the Havel, adjoining the south-west of Berlin. It is the day trip from Berlin that is best done by train: half an hour and you are at the station, and from there everything is covered on foot, by tram or by boat. Its palaces and parks are a World Heritage Site, together with those of Berlin.

What to see in Potsdam in a day

Sanssouci Palace. The summer palace of Frederick the Great, small and rococo, at the top of six curved vineyard terraces. The €14 ticket comes with a fixed time slot and sells out: buy it online before you go. Closed on Mondays.

Sanssouci Park. Go down the terraces and follow the main avenue west, among fountains and statues, to the Neues Palais, the great baroque palace with its shell-covered grotto hall. If you are going into both, the €22 sanssouci+ ticket works out better.

The Dutch Quarter. In the afternoon, return to the centre along the pedestrian street and walk the four blocks of red-brick houses built between 1733 and 1742 for Dutch craftsmen. Shops, cafés and galleries.

With more time, the palaces boat tour, an hour and a half on the Havel, or a walk to the Glienicke Bridge, where spies were exchanged during the Cold War. Cecilienhof Palace, site of the 1945 Potsdam Conference, is closed for building work with no reopening date.

How do you get there from Berlin?

By train, the RE1 regional from Berlin Hauptbahnhof takes about 25 minutes to Potsdam Hauptbahnhof; the S7 S-Bahn takes longer but stops at many Berlin stations. You need an ABC ticket, because Potsdam is in zone C. From the station, take the tram to the centre or the park.

By car, it is about 35 kilometres by motorway or via the Wannsee road and the Glienicke Bridge. In the centre, park in a garage and forget about the car.

From BER airport, without going through Berlin: the RB22 regional goes straight to Potsdam every hour.

How much time do I need?

One day covers Sanssouci, the walk through the park and the Dutch Quarter. With a night, you add the Neues Palais, the boat and the Neuer Garten without rushing, and you see the park first thing, before the groups from Berlin arrive.

Where to eat and sleep

The Café Heider, from 1878, next to the Nauen Gate, is open every day with hot food and cakes from its own bakery. The Drachenhaus is a café in a pagoda from 1770 inside the park. The Meierei brews its own beer beside the lake, in the Neuer Garten. To sleep, the Hotel am Luisenplatz is at the park gate and accepts dogs, and the Hotel Brandenburger Tor, on the pedestrian street, has parking.