Potsdam, the capital of the state of Brandenburg, is only half an hour or so’s train ride from the centre of Berlin. With its elegant imperial buildings, pretty cobbled streets and laid-back vibe, it is a highly popular attraction, especially at weekends.
We were introduced to this lovely city on my first trip to Berlin in 2013 when we took a day trip with Original Berlin Walks (their “Discover Potsdam” tour). A pleasant antidote to some of the rather dark history of Berlin, the UNESCO World Heritage City of Potsdam is steeped in history from an earlier age. It was the royal seat of the Hohenzollern rulers of Prussia and has become renowned for its splendid parks and gardens.
Sanssouci, the summer home of King Friedrich II (Frederick The Great of Prussia), is the best known and an absolute gem of a palace. Miraculously this area of Potsdam emerged relatively undamaged by the ravages of the Second World War and the Schloss Cecilienhof was the venue for the end of war Potsdam Conference between the Allied Powers. More to follow about both these attractions in later posts but before heading off to Sanssouci Park it is well worth taking a detour into the town centre.
The main street, Brandenburger Strasse, runs in a straight line from the church of St Peter and St Paul up to the impressive arch of the Brandenburger Tor (Brandenburg Gate) – not to be confused with the Brandenburg Gate in Pariser Platz Berlin. The Potsdam one was commissioned by Frederick The Great towards the end of the Seven Years’ War in the style of a triumphal Roman arch.
Shops, cafes, street performers and markets all cater to visitors from far and wide and the centre has more than a touch of French ambience to it.
A good tip is to head off the main drag in search of refreshments. We found so many half empty bars and restaurants down the side streets as none of the tourists seem to have discovered them!
About 50 metres away from the busy Brandenburger Strasse, we discovered Brasserie Zu Gutenberg (their webpage is only in German but rest assured the staff all speak English!). Charming decor, a fantastic wine selection and delicious seasonal produce (including my favourite “Weiss Spargel” – white asparagus) made for an excellent lunch. We enjoyed the convivial atmosphere, a world away from the fast food outlets and overcrowded cafes we had seen on the main streets.
Just what we needed before setting off to explore further – more to follow!
For more inspiration for travels and especially strolls and walks head over to Restless Jo’s Monday Walk each week!
Copyright © 2017 Rosemary Thomas Le Chic En Rose. All rights reserved
Le Chic En Rose 
It looks gorgeous Rosemary, the perfect place to stroll and that arch is so impressive. Great tip too about dining on the side streets – storing all these up, we hope to try and visit Berlin in the not too distant future!
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We loved Potsdam Joy – have visited it twice now and can highly recommend. Yes the side streets have some wonderful cafes, restaurants and bars – we just turned off the main street and wandered round. Having said that there was a lot to keep us entertained around Brandenburger Strasse too including an evening rock concert near the Tor – a bit loud for us though but there is always something going on especially at weekends!
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We meant to go to Potsdam but didn’t get round to it – too many other things without even leaving Berlin! Next time we must.
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Yes Potsdam is really worth a visiit Anabel – it’s a lovely contrast to central Berlin especially if you’ve been visiting some of the “heavier” museums – hope you get there next time I can really recommend it! 😃
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The Arch looks fabulous but I’m not sure about the asparagus!
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Yes the arch is magnificent and was actually built about 20 years before the Berlin one – again commissioned by Frederick The Great. I wasn’t too sure about the white asapargus at first but it’s lovely and juicy though if you don’t like the green variety you probably wouldn’t like this – I love it though!
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Hard to believe it survived WW2.
I love green asparagus, never too sure about white but did have a nice grilled dish of it in Ronda, Spain last year!
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From what I have read there was quite a bit of bombing in Potsdam but the area round Sanssouci was remarkably unscathed though they moved many of the art works away for safekeeping. The Cecilienhof Palace was chosen for the Potsdam Conference as it had sustained no real damage and most of Berlin lay in ruins. I think if white asparagus is cooked well it is very tasty – the Spanish dish sounds delicious!
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This would make a lovely Monday walk. May I pinch it, Rosemay? Looks like my kind of place. All going well with you and the family? 🙂
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Yes of course you may Jo – in fact it went through my head as I was writing it that I should join in the walking group again soon so to speak! Talking of the family just heading out the door very soon to see them so I’ll copy the link over to your page when I get back later this afternoon – hope this gives you time? Potsdam is the sort of place where you can do a lot of walking – the parks are wonderful and I’ll be writing about them in the next couple of weeks. Family are all well thanks – Mlle has just popped over to Vienna this weekend from London as you do! Do miss that proximity to all the European cities but we’ll be over again at the end of April – just booked! Will send you that link this afternoon – enjoy the rest of your weekend 😃
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That’s ok, Rosemay. I don’t worry about the link too much. I’ll just put the walk in. Haven’t even decided yet where I’ll be walking! 🙂 🙂 Another trip! Yay 🙂
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Oh that’s ok then Jo – you can just copy it from the link in the browser! Just let me know if you need the short cut link – otherwise will assume not. Thanks! Yes happy we have finally booked! We’re doing a couple of weeks in the UK from end of April – going to the Cheltenham Jazz Festival first as our daughter is doing some work there then after seeing the family heading off to Switzerland for 8 days – we’re trying out Airbnb for the first time so much cheaper! Will be along to join in the mystery walk tomorrow! 🙂
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Already done it! Catch you tomorrow 🙂
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Great thanks Jo and yes will be along tomorrow! 😃
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Just come back from a lovely walk on the local beach. Now MUST get down to tomorrow’s walk 🙂
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Glad you had a lovely walk along the beach Jo – love that feeling as I always feel invigorated no matter what the weather! 😃
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Oh, that white asparagus. Never realised how many ways they could serve it up ‘in season’. I guess you were there around May also, Rosemary?
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Yes we were there both times in spring – late April/ early May. The lunch featured here was from our most recent trip last year early in May. The white asparagus was everywhere and also strawberries – delicious! 😃
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😋
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Did you get to Sanssouci Ken? Think you did if I’m not mistaken? Will be writing about our visit there soon!
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We did enjoy a tour of SansSouci, Rosemary. Sadly, we did not have enough time for the gardens or any relaxation before it was “back on the coach”. Next time, and knowing how easy it is, I will ‘free wheel’ as you did.
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Yes it’s really easy to get there Ken- there are plenty of buses that go straight to the park from the station or you can walk via the town centre as we did. It is a fair walk into town from the station from what I remember so you can catch a bus into the centre and walk from there via all the shops and attractions. The gardens are wonderful too and well worth visiting 🙂
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From the archives 😉 https://anevolvingscientist.com/2014/06/07/weekly-photo-challenge-room/
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Loved looking at your photos Ken – like you I thought it was called Sans Souci from the French but it always seems to be referred to as Sanssouci on all the visitor information sites. I think maybe because it is Germany and they tend to run words together?! Anyway Frederick The Great would have spoken French and he must have intended it to be written as 2 words as per the inscription on the palace 🙂
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Will be along to check out this week’s walk soon Jo!
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Thanks, Rosemay 🙂
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So sorry for the late credit Jo! Thanks again for including me in your Monday Walk (https://restlessjo.me/jos-monday-walk/) – will join in again soon as have a couple of “walks” coming up in future posts! 🙂
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