About Taxi to Sanssouci Palace
Sanssouci was Frederick the Great's summer palace, set above terraced vineyards on the edge of Potsdam. The surrounding park holds several further palaces, among them the New Palace, the Orangery Palace and the Chinese House, and forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Potsdam and Berlin palaces.
How long does the ride from BER to Sanssouci take?
Expect 50–75 minutes, depending on whether your driver uses the southern ring or the city motorway and AVUS. The last stretch through Potsdam, around Luisenplatz and Zeppelinstraße, is slow in the afternoon. Potsdam lies outside the Berlin taxi area; with a booked airport taxi you see the total price for the whole vehicle before you confirm, instead of watching the meter on a long ride. The price applies to the vehicle, so it stays the same whether you travel alone or with three companions.
Which gate for which palace?
- Sanssouci Palace – for the palace on the vineyard terraces, ask for the visitor centre at the Historic Mill, reached via Maulbeerallee. If you want to climb the terraces from below, get out at the Obelisk entrance on the eastern edge of the park instead.
- New Palace – the large baroque palace marks the western end of the park on the street Am Neuen Palais. There is a car park, and the stop "Neues Palais" lies right in front; drivers can let you out without entering the park.
- Orangery Palace – the long Italian-style building sits on a hill between Sanssouci Palace and the New Palace. Drop-off along Maulbeerallee keeps the climb short. Opening is seasonal.
- Chinese House – the gilded pavilion stands in the southern part of the park. The closest gate is the Grünes Gitter at the end of Allee nach Sanssouci, roughly a ten-minute walk away. It opens from May to October.
Sanssouci Park in one day: a sensible order
Most visitors start at the eastern end and work westwards: Obelisk, terraces, Sanssouci Palace, Orangery, then the New Palace. Arriving by taxi lets you reverse this: start at the New Palace when the morning tours there are quiet, and finish near the Grünes Gitter, where it is easy to be collected. Between April and October a free shuttle, run by volunteer drivers, connects the Grünes Gitter and the New Palace, though not in heavy rain.
Arriving with suitcases
Large bags are generally not allowed in the palace rooms, and the park paths are gravel, which is hard work with trolley cases. If your flight lands in the morning, ride to your hotel first, or ask in advance whether it will hold your luggage until check-in. Visits to the interior of Sanssouci Palace usually run on timed tickets; book these online and leave a margin of at least one hour for the drive from BER. A pram fits easily in the boot and copes with the gravel paths better than a trolley case.
Getting back to BER from the park
For the return, pick a gate that a car can reach easily, such as the New Palace or the Historic Mill, and enter it as the pickup address. Allow 60–80 minutes in the late afternoon, then add your airline's check-in time. Other sights in town are listed on the Potsdam page, places to stay on Potsdam hotels, and the film studios on Filmpark Babelsberg. Train versus car is compared in the Sanssouci guide. Opening times are published by the Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation ↗.
