Sanssouci Palace tickets: timed entry, the three ticket types and where to buy

How timed entry works

When you buy a Sanssouci ticket, online or at a counter, you choose an admission time. That time is printed on the ticket and it is the time you present yourself at the Ehrenhof, the courtyard entrance on the north side of the palace. Inside, the route is one-way: ten rooms in an enfilade, one connected doorway after another, out through the west end. There is no standard live guided tour for individuals inside the palace. You walk it yourself with the free SANSSOUCI app in your ears, which is why the coach tours from Berlin bring a guide for the city and use the audio tour for the rooms. What you see in each room is on what to see inside.

The daily number of tickets is limited. In practice that means the 10:00 opening slot and the last hour before closing are the easiest to get, the midday slots go first, and on a July Saturday the counter at the Historic Windmill can be sold out for the afternoon by noon. SPSG, the foundation that runs the palaces, says so itself and recommends booking online. In July and August I tell people to book one to two weeks ahead. In November you can usually walk up.

The three ticket types

Single palace ticket. Sanssouci Palace only, one timed slot, self-guided. The right ticket if you have an hour and a half, want the palace, the terraces and the grave, and are then going into town. It is also the ticket I buy for a friend’s first visit when we have the afternoon for the park and not for more museum rooms.

sanssouci+. A day ticket. One-time entry that day to all open SPSG palaces in Potsdam, with a fixed Sanssouci slot and, optionally, a New Palace slot. It costs more than the single ticket and makes sense once you plan to see two or more buildings. The version sold on GetYourGuide is this one. I go through which buildings it opens, and how to plan a day around it, on the sanssouci+ page.

Family sanssouci+. The same day ticket in a family version. Reduced rates also exist at the counter for those who qualify; ask when you buy.

Where to buy

Online, in advance. Through SPSG’s own shop at spsg.de, or through GetYourGuide for the sanssouci+ ticket. The GetYourGuide listing is what the widget below shows. The practical difference: GetYourGuide shows you a live calendar of days with slots left and lets you keep the booking in the same app as your other tours; the SPSG shop sells all three ticket types including the single ticket. Neither is refundable for the day ticket, so read the date twice.

At the counters. Every palace ticket counter sells every ticket type, as do the two visitor centres: the Historic Windmill (An der Orangerie 1, closed Mondays) next to Sanssouci Palace, and the New Palace visitor centre (Am Neuen Palais 3, closed Tuesdays) at the far west end of the park. Same-day Sanssouci tickets go on sale at the Historic Windmill from 30 minutes before the palace opens. If you are trying your luck without a booking, be there at 09:30 in season.

The Monday trap

Sanssouci Palace is closed every Monday, all year. So is the Historic Windmill visitor centre. The New Palace is closed on Tuesdays instead. The park is open every day from 8 am, which is exactly why people get caught: they walk up the 132 steps on a Monday morning, the terraces look open, and the door is locked. If Monday is the only day you have, walk the park, stand at the grave, and take the City and Castles tour for the rest of Potsdam. The full hours, including the December closures and the shorter New Year’s Eve, are on opening hours.

What the ticket includes, and what it does not

Two things people expect to pay for and do not have to. The park is free, with a voluntary contribution suggested at the gates. And the audio guide is the free SANSSOUCI app from the App Store or Google Play, in German, English, French, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Russian, Polish, Dutch, Ukrainian, Mandarin and Korean, with a children’s version for ages 6 to 13. Download it on hotel wifi before you come.

Ticket or tour?

A ticket is the right buy if you are already in Potsdam, or comfortable with the S7 from Berlin, and want to set your own pace. A tour is the right buy if you want the transport and a guide for the city handled for you, or if you are travelling as a group and would rather have a private guide walk you in. The Berlin departures and the private tour both include the palace slot, so you never touch the counter. And if you are unsure whether the palace is for you at all, is it worth visiting is where I argue with myself about it.

Frequently asked questions