Berlin to Potsdam in a day: the S7, Sanssouci Palace tickets and closed days, the sanssouci+ ticket and the tours

💡 The Short Version: Potsdam is 35 minutes from Berlin Hauptbahnhof on the S7, every 10 minutes, on a Berlin ABC ticket (€5.00 single, €12.90 for 24 hours). The Stadtbahn, the central rail line, is closed to regional and long-distance trains from 14 June to 12 December 2026, so the S7 is the way: the regional train RE1 stops at Charlottenburg instead of Hauptbahnhof. Sanssouci Palace is €14 at a fixed admission time and closed on Mondays; the New Palace is €14 and closed on Tuesdays; the park is free. The sanssouci+ ticket is €22 for every palace open on the day. Cecilienhof is closed for restoration. Or book a tour: the Potsdam and Sanssouci tour with entryad is from €64 for 4 hours, and the Sanssouci and Prussian Palaces entry ticketad is €22, the foundation’s own price for sanssouci+ (GetYourGuide).

Getting there

Potsdam is in fare zone C, so a Berlin ABC ticket covers the whole trip, including the buses in Potsdam. The fares are in Berlin public transport.

The S7 also calls at Wannsee, where bus 114 reaches the House of the Wannsee Conference, so the two fit one day. Until the timetable change on 13 December 2026 the Stadtbahn is closed to regional and long-distance trains between Charlottenburg and Ostbahnhof; the S-Bahn lines S3, S5, S7 and S9 keep running through the centre (vbb.de). In summer 2027 the S-Bahn between Friedrichstraße and Tiergarten, at times as far as Zoologischer Garten and Charlottenburg, closes from 11 June to 2 September 2027, Deutsche Bahn told rbb24, which affects the S7 (rbb24.de). Paid parking for cars and buses is at car park P3, Am Neuen Palais.

Tours

Potsdam is a train trip, so a tour is for a guide and a fixed plan. Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” prices for one adult.

Potsdam and Sanssouci with entry

From €64 · 1,355 reviews · 4 hours · from Berlin

From Berlin: Potsdam and Sanssouci Palace Tour with Entryad is listed at 4 hours and includes entry; the Sanssouci Palace ticket alone is €14.

Half-day walking tour

From €49 · 184 reviews · 6 hours · from Berlin

From Berlin: Potsdam & Sanssouci Half Day Trip Walking Tourad is listed at 6 hours and priced from €49.

By boat and by bus

Boat tour €23 · Berlin cruise €21.90 · Sachsenhausen and Potsdam by bus from €29

Potsdam: Palace Tour by Boatad is €23 (2,949 reviews), and Berlin: 3-Hour World Heritage Cruise to Potsdamad is €21.90 for 3 hours (1,904 reviews). Sachsenhausen & Potsdam by Bus Full day tourad is a 9.5-hour day from €29 (1,886 reviews); the Sachsenhausen guide covers the memorial on its own.

Tickets and what is open

The palaces belong to the Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation (SPSG). Its summer season runs to 31 October and its winter season from 1 November. Last admission is 30 minutes before closing. Prices are adult and reduced.

The parks and gardens are open every day from 8:00 until sundown, and entry is free. Cecilienhof Country House, the Orangery Palace, the Roman Baths and Babelsberg Palace are closed for restoration work (spsg.de). On 24 and 25 December every palace is closed; on 26 December Sanssouci Palace and the New Palace open 10:00 to 16:30, on 31 December they close at 14:00 and on 1 January 2027 they open 11:00 to 16:30.

Which ticket

Single €14 · sanssouci+ €22 (€17 reduced) · family sanssouci+ €49 for two adults and up to four children

A single ticket carries a fixed admission time for one palace and is sold at the palace registers and visitor centres, subject to availability. The sanssouci+ ticket covers one visit to every SPSG palace in Potsdam that is open on the day, with a booked time at Sanssouci Palace and optionally at the New Palace; it is not valid for special exhibitions, and the Belvedere on the Pfingstberg takes it at the reduced rate. Sanssouci Palace and the New Palace together cost €28 as single tickets, so sanssouci+ saves €6 for two palaces and costs more than a single ticket for one (spsg.de). The number of admission tickets a day is limited, so book Sanssouci Palace online in advance at the foundation’s shop; same-day tickets are sold at the Visitor Centre at the Historic Windmill from 30 minutes before the palace opens. The foundation describes the sanssouci+ ticket in full, and GetYourGuide’s Sanssouci and Prussian Palaces entry ticketad sells it at the same €22 (2,816 reviews).

What to see

Allow a day. Book Sanssouci Palace first, because its time slot sets the day, then walk the park.

Sanssouci Palace

€14 · fixed time · closed Mondays · self-guided

Frederick the Great’s summer residence, beside the vineyard terraces; his grave is on the highest terrace. The 18th-century interiors are original, and the Picture Gallery and the New Chambers belong to the palace and are separate tickets. The free SANSSOUCI app gives a multimedia tour in 12 languages, including English; bring your own headphones, as none are lent.

Sanssouci Palace above its vineyard terraces. Photo: Sinuhe20, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.

The New Palace

€14 · Wednesday to Monday · closed Tuesdays

The grand tour of the state rooms is €14, and Prince Henry’s Apartment is €8; the two together are €16 from April to October, and the apartment opens on guided tours at 13:00 and 15:00 until 31 October. From November the palace is open on guided tours, given in German. It sits at the far end of the park, so it is the stop to drop if you have only a morning. A free shuttle runs between the Grünes Gitter entrance and the New Palace from April to October, 11:00 to 17:30, driven by volunteers and not in heavy rain.

The New Palace from the forecourt. Photo: Flocci Nivis, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.

The park

Free · open daily from 8:00 until sundown

The park holds the smaller buildings in the table above. The Chinese House (€5), Charlottenhof Villa (€8) and the Picture Gallery are open until 31 October and then shut for the winter, so a November visit sees the two palaces and the grounds. The Church of Peace is free; from 16 October to 14 March it opens on Saturdays 11:30 to 16:00 and Sundays 12:00 to 16:00.

Gilded figures at the foot of the Chinese House’s palm columns. Photo: W. Bulach, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Museum Barberini

€16 Monday and Wednesday to Friday · €18 Saturday, Sunday and holidays · closed Tuesdays

The art museum on the Alter Markt in the town centre opens on Mondays, when Sanssouci Palace is shut. It is open Monday and Wednesday to Sunday 10:00 to 19:00, the ticket counter closes at 18:15, and entry is €10 from 17:30. Reduced entry is €10, and a combined ticket with the DAS MINSK museum is €20. It is closed from 2 to 6 November 2026 (museum-barberini.de).

Museum Barberini on the Alter Markt. Photo: Mehman Ibragimov, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Before you go

• Closed days. Sanssouci Palace is closed on Mondays, the New Palace and its visitor centre on Tuesdays. On a Monday visit the New Palace and the Museum Barberini; on a Tuesday, Sanssouci Palace.
• Bags. Luggage cannot be left in the entrance areas of the palaces, and prams cannot go into the exhibition rooms.
• Fixed times. Sanssouci Palace and the New Palace admit visitors at fixed times; book the first slot you can reach from the station.
• Winter. From 1 November the Picture Gallery, New Chambers, Chinese House and Charlottenhof Villa are closed, and the palaces close at 16:30.

Potsdam is one of the day trips from Berlin; Dresden and the Spreewald are the others that fit a day by train. Berlin public transport covers the tickets and the zones, and what to book before you go to Berlin has the city tickets. For the nights around it, see where to stay in Berlin. Free things to do in Berlin lists the other parks and memorials that cost nothing, and best museums in Berlin has the city’s galleries.