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Pergamon Museum and Potsdam Questions

Posted by (Salem, OR, USA) on

Hi fellow travelers,

Two questions relating to Berlin:

  1. Has anyone taken a guided tour (arranged by the museum itself or outside company) of the Pergamon Museum? We would like a guided tour (private or group is OK) instead of relying on headsets alone. We would appreciate feedback on how the tours were and if taken via the museum itself or an outside company. I gather there are only a few outside tour guides allowed to give tours in the museum. Who did you use and how was it?
  2. Our itinerary dictates visiting Potsdam on a Monday but I just learned that Sanssoucci is not open to tours on Mondays. I can re-arrange (at some amount of hassle) our itinerary to another day if touring the inside is important and worth it. Any advice/thoughts on this? Is Potsdam the best day trip from Berlin? We can only fit in one.

Thanks in advance for your help and advice, much appreciated!

Posted by
2088 posts

Touring Sanssoucis inside made for me the visit certainly worth it. I did my trip to Berlin in September 2010 and Potsdam was one of the highlights. Visited besides Sanssoucis also Cecilienhof (Potsdamer Conference) and Marmorpalais, both to recommend. I didn’t had the time to visit Neues Palais and Potsdam itself, but that will be for the next time.

Posted by
868 posts

The New Palace is actually open on Monday, and IMHO the better choice anyway. Sanssouci was the personal retreat of a king that despised pomp. Many people don't know, or don't understand this and are disappointed, because Sanssouci is small and intimate. His tomb, to the left of Sanssouci, is even more simple, and instead of flowers it is decorated with potatoes.
The New Palace was built by the same king, but this time to show his might, that's why everything is much bigger and more pompous there. Sadly most other palaces of Sanssouci are closed too, but if you like parks and gardens you could still spend the whole day there. Buildings like the Communs, the Chinese Tea House or the Roman Baths were all built to impress, you don't necessarily need to see them from the inside.

Posted by
14980 posts

Hi,

On a tour of Potsdam both Neues Palais and Sans Souci are included. If you go to Neues Palais by public transportation, that's simply done too. Outside of Potsdam Hbf is a bus/tram depot with signs telling you which tram to take to the different sights, Neues Palais is one of them listed.

Unless it has changed in the last couple of years (I was at Neues Palais in 2011), the guided tours are only given in German, at least that was said to me, which was no problem. Other than that it's the audio guide in English.

Posted by
5678 posts

I took public transportation out to Potsdam and saw both Sans Souci and the New Palace. I also spent a lot of time enjoying the gardens and other parts of the area. I really enjoyed and thought it was all worth my time.

Pam

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