The sanssouci+ day ticket: what it opens and how to use it
What sanssouci+ opens
Sanssouci Park is about 290 hectares and Potsdam has about 18 palaces across its UNESCO parks, so a day ticket is not a small thing. The sanssouci+ ticket covers one-time entry that day to all open SPSG palaces and museum buildings in Potsdam. Three are open all year: Sanssouci Palace, the New Palace and the Marble Palace, the last with limited opening in winter. The rest are seasonal, roughly spring to October, and you should check the day’s list before you plan around any of them: the Palace Kitchen, the Picture Gallery, the New Chambers, the Historic Windmill, the Chinese House, Charlottenhof, the Flatow Tower, plus Sacrow House and the Stern Hunting Lodge outside the park.
The meeting point for the Sanssouci slot is the Ehrenhof, the courtyard entrance of the palace. The ticket is wheelchair-accessible as a listing, meaning the palace is conditionally barrier-free with an accompanying person and a step-free approach via the upper Maulbeerallee; not all the seasonal buildings are. The audio guide is not included as a device; it is the free SANSSOUCI app. And it is non-refundable, which is what the less happy reviews are about, so pick a day you are sure of.
A realistic day with it
Frank Olaf, one of the reviewers, wrote that one day is not enough to see everything, and he is right. Do not try. Here is the day I would plan.
Morning: Sanssouci at the 10:00 slot. Arrive at the Historic Windmill visitor centre first for the lockers if you have a big bag, then walk round to the Ehrenhof. The ten rooms take about 40 minutes, an hour if you listen to every stop on the app. The crowd bunches in the Marble Hall; wait a minute and it clears. Come out, walk the top terrace to Frederick’s grave, look down the six vineyard terraces to the Great Fountain. That is the picture on every postcard and it is free.
Late morning: the buildings next door. The Picture Gallery is a few minutes east of the palace and, from 1755 to 1764, was the first purpose-built museum building in Germany. The New Chambers are the mirror of it on the west side. Both are seasonal. Then coffee at the Historic Windmill or walk to the Drachenhaus, the pagoda-style café inside the park.
Afternoon: the New Palace. It is at the far west end of the main avenue, about 2.5 km and 30 to 35 minutes on foot from Sanssouci, past the Chinese House on the way. Book the optional New Palace slot for early afternoon and you have a reason to keep walking. Frederick built it from 1763 to 1769 after the Seven Years’ War as a show of strength, and it is a very different building from the one you saw in the morning. Remember it is closed on Tuesdays. If your feet have had enough by then, regional trains stop at Potsdam Park Sanssouci station a short walk from that end of the park.
Do the park west to east instead if you arrive by regional train: get off at Potsdam Park Sanssouci, do the New Palace first, and walk the main avenue towards Sanssouci for your booked slot in the afternoon. The light on the yellow south façade is best late in the day in autumn. The route is laid out on the park page.
When the single ticket is the smarter buy
The day ticket costs more than the single palace ticket, and it only pays off if you use it. Buy the single ticket instead when any of these apply. You have 90 minutes, not a day. You are coming in winter, when most of the seasonal buildings are shut and the Marble Palace is on limited hours. You are combining the palace with the City and Castles bus or a half-day walking tour, which already fill the rest of the day with Potsdam. Or you are with small children, who will have had enough after one set of rooms and the terrace steps. The single ticket is sold at the counters and in the SPSG online shop; the tickets page covers where and how.
Who likes it
Jutta, from Germany, wrote that everything worked out and that thanks to the time slots the palace is not overcrowded. Kirsty, from the United Kingdom: the palaces are well worth a visit, the grounds are beautiful. Danielle, from the Netherlands, thought a day ticket was definitely worth it because there is so much to see. Hans found the booking easy. The rating is 4.5 from 2,634 reviews, which is solid rather than top of the table; the gripes are non-refundability and how much walking a full day implies. I read them all for the day ticket review.
What works
- One booking covers every open palace in Potsdam that day
- Fixed Sanssouci slot, so no queue at the Windmill counter
- Free SANSSOUCI app in twelve languages instead of a rented device
- Optional New Palace slot lets you plan the afternoon
Worth knowing
- Non-refundable; the guided tours have free cancellation instead
- Most buildings other than Sanssouci and the New Palace are seasonal
- A full day of it means a lot of walking across a 290-hectare park
- No transport included; see how to get there
If you would rather have someone else handle the slot and the trains, the coach tour from Berlin includes fast-lane palace entry and the audio tour in four hours. The rest of the options are on all tickets and tours.
Frequently asked questions
Which buildings does sanssouci+ include?
All open SPSG palaces and museum buildings in Potsdam that day: Sanssouci Palace, the New Palace and the Marble Palace all year, and seasonally the Palace Kitchen, Picture Gallery, New Chambers, Historic Windmill, Chinese House, Charlottenhof, Flatow Tower, Sacrow House and the Stern Hunting Lodge. Check the day’s list; the seasonal ones run roughly spring to October.
Do I need a slot for every building?
No. Only Sanssouci Palace needs a fixed slot, and the New Palace slot is optional. The other buildings are walk-in with the ticket while they are open. The New Palace is closed on Tuesdays and Sanssouci on Mondays; see opening hours.
Is sanssouci+ worth it for one palace?
No. If you only want Sanssouci itself, buy the single palace ticket, which costs less. The day ticket pays off from two buildings upward. How long to visit has three sample days to help you decide.
Can I cancel the sanssouci+ ticket?
The version sold through GetYourGuide is non-refundable. If your dates might move, the coach and walking tours on tours from Berlin have free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Is the audio guide included?
Not as a device. The audio guide is the free SANSSOUCI app from the App Store or Google Play, in twelve languages with a children’s version for ages 6 to 13. Bring headphones.