Is Sanssouci Palace worth visiting?

What you are actually paying for

The ticket buys the interior: a single-storey building deliberately without a monumental base, so Frederick could step from his rooms straight into the garden. The name says the same thing, “sans souci”, without worries. Inside there are ten principal rooms in an enfilade, the oval Marble Hall in the middle, the king’s apartment with the cedar library to the east, and the guest rooms with the Voltaire Room to the west. It is intimate rather than grand, and that is the point of it. Kirsty, who bought the day ticket, called the palaces “amazing” and the grounds beautiful; Jutta wrote that thanks to the time slots the palace is not overcrowded. That second comment is the practical case for the timed system, whatever you think of it when the slots are gone.

What you get without paying

More than most palaces give away. The six vineyard terraces stepping down the south slope, planted from 1744 and made the design feature rather than hidden, are free. The Great Fountain and the view up to the yellow façade with its 36 sandstone figures are free. Frederick’s grave on the top terrace is free. The park, all of it, is free from 8 am daily, with a suggested contribution at the gates. If the interior slot is sold out, the visit is not ruined; it is shorter.

Who it is for

• Anyone with a day in Berlin to spare. Potsdam is 25 km away and the palace is a half-day; the rest of the day is the old town. See the day-trip plan.
• Garden people. The park is the larger work of art, and it is free.
• Anyone interested in Frederick. The rooms are his, the library is his, and his grave is 50 paces from the exit.
• Not for you if you want hundreds of rooms and a long guided tour, or if your only free day is a Monday. Read the hours before you decide.

Compared with Charlottenburg in Berlin

The usual alternative is Charlottenburg, Berlin’s own Baroque palace, which has the advantage of being inside the city. If your time in Berlin is a single day, Charlottenburg is the sensible choice. If you have two, Sanssouci is the one people remember, because of the setting rather than the building: the terraces, the fountain, the walk west to the New Palace. I would not do both on the same day.

The grave, and why there are potatoes on it

Frederick died at Sanssouci in 1786 and wanted to be buried on the top terrace beside his Italian greyhounds. He was not. His wish was fulfilled only on 17 August 1991, after reunification, and the grave is now a plain slab that visitors cover with potatoes, because he pushed potato cultivation in Prussia. The story goes that Napoleon, visiting the earlier tomb in the Potsdam Garrison Church in October 1806 after defeating Prussia, told his marshals “Hats off, gentlemen. If he were still alive, we would not be here.” Full story on the grave page. It needs no ticket, and on a Monday it is the visit.

The ticket that most visitors buy is reviewed in full on the entry ticket review, gripes included.

Decide with a slot in hand

The 4.5-rated day ticket carries a fixed Sanssouci slot and opens the other Potsdam palaces that day. Non-refundable, so pick the date carefully. Live slots below.

Frequently asked questions