Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
mission is limited and by timed ticket only; book online to avoid wait times and/or disap-
pointment. Otherwise, only city tours booked through the
Potsdam tourist office
(
0331-2755 8899;
www.potsdam-tourism.com
;
9.30am-8pm Mon-Sat, 10am-4pm
Sun)
guarantee entry to the Schloss.
Standouts on the audioguided tours include the
Konzertsaal
(Concert Hall), whimsically
decorated with vines, grapes, and even a cobweb where sculpted spiders frolic. The king
himself gave flute recitals here. Also note the intimate
Bibliothek
(Library), lidded by a gil-
ded sunburst ceiling, where the king would seek solace amid 2000 leather-bound tomes ran-
ging from Greek poetry to the latest releases by his friend Voltaire. Another highlight is the
Marmorsaal
(Marble Room), an elegant white Carrara marble symphony modelled after
the Pantheon in Rome.
As you exit the palace, don't be fooled by the
Ruinenberg
, a pile of classical 'ruins'
looming in the distance: they're merely a folly conceived by Frederick the Great.
Bildergalerie
Sanssouci 4; adult/concession €6/5; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun May-Oct; 650, 695)
is the oldest royal
museum in Germany, rather plain on the outside but resplendent in yellow and white marble
and gilded stuccowork on the inside. It shelters Frederick the Great's collection of Old
Masters, including such pearls as Caravaggio's
Doubting Thomas
, Anthony van Dyck's
Pentecost
and several works by Peter Paul Rubens.
Neue Kammern
souci; adult/concession incl tour or audioguide €4/3; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun Apr-Oct; 650, 696)
were built as an orangery and later converted into a guesthouse. The interior drips with ro-
coco opulence, most notably in the Jasper Hall, which is drenched in precious stones and
topped by a ceiling fresco starring Venus, and in the Ovidsaal, a grand ballroom with gilded
wall reliefs depicting scenes from
Metamorphosis
.
Chinesisches Haus
The Far East was all the rage in the 18th century, as reflected in the adorable
Chinesisches
€2; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun May-Oct; 605, 606 to Schloss Charlottenhof, 91 to Schloss Charlotten-
hof)
. The clover-leaf-shaped pavilion is among the park's most photographed buildings,
thanks to its enchanting exterior of exotically dressed gilded figures shown sipping tea, dan-
