Potsdam: Help with transportation, tickets
 

We'll be a party of 4 adults, heading to Potsdam from Berlin.

Potsdam is in Zone C. From what I can tell, it's about 20 minutes on the S-Bahn 7, or 30 minutes by train. Not sure about a cab.

What's the best way to get there? And once we get there, say at the train station, what kind of a walk (or tram or cab??) is it to the sites?

Where exactly do you purchase the tickets once there?

Thanks!

From Bahnhof Friedrichstr. (which is in the center of Mitte, should you be staying there), it takes about 40 min. by an S-Bahn-train or 30 min. by a Regional Express train.

You can look at your personal schedule by clicking

http://www.s-bahn-berlin.de/englisch/


Which sights do you want to get to in Potsdam?

The Havel river is right by the train station.
Sanssouci Palace and its Park are quite a bit of a walk away - approx. 30 to 40 min., I should think.
You could take a bus (605, I believe) which would stop by Neues Palais.
Alternatively, the Regional Express train also stops at Potsdam Park Sanssouci station. From there, take bus 695 to Schloss Sanssouci.

Then, of course there is also the Cecilienhof Palace (which is a hotel nowadays). You would have to take tram no. 92 headed to Potsdam Kirschallee and then change at Potsdam Rathaus (city hall) to bus no. 692 headed to Potsdam Höhenstr.

Hope this helps.

54, 74, 90...2006

Thanks, hsv. More than likely, we'll take most of the day up with just seeing the Sanssouci Palace/Park and also the Neues Palais. And depending on when our timed tickets are for the Sanssouci, we may do that first.

So it is quite a walk from the train station. I thought it might be that way. So it looks like the Regional Express train, then the bus 695 direct to Sanssouci is the way to go. (Thanks for that info and the link.) I assume you get tickets right there at the Schloss?

Oh, one other thing. We'll be staying at the Moevenpick on Schonebergerstrasse.

I am only familiar with the Moevenpick's location from driving by by car. It is somewhere near Potsdamer Platz, from where you could catch a subway train to S-/U-station Friedrichstr.. There may be other options, though.

If it helps, here is the website of the Berlin busses, trams and subway trains:

http://www.bvg.de/index.php/en/Bvg/Start

I have always obtained admission tickets right there at Sanscoucis, if I remember correctly (I hardly ever purchase anything in advance).

Have fun!
54, 74, 90 ... 2006

Just want to add something I *WISH* I had known before going to Potsdam last month. If you happen to have a Berlin Transport Pass which allows you go out to Zone C (which includes Potsdam), you can ride the Potsdam trams and busses. We walked for well over forty minutes to get to the San Souci Palace before we found this out.

The SS Park has an optional entrance fee. If you can afford to travel to Berlin, you can afford to pay the fee. A walk through the SS Park is suggested; I found it every bit as good as the gardens at Versailles.

You can easily buy tickets to the palaces once you are there. Unless you have a large party or expect large crowds, there shouldn't be a problem.

I have had little trouble getting info on the mass transit of any city after I did an Internet search for

"Name of City" "public transit"
or
"Name of City" "mass transit"

Here's a start for Potsdam:

http://tinyurl.com/qj7sy

hsv, thank you again for your kind reply. We're just going to head to Potsdam right after breakfast, hoping to beat the crowds. All the info I'm reading says tickets will be gone by noon (we'll be there mid July), and we certainly don't want to miss this place.

PaulRabe, that is exactly what I'm trying to avoid (the long walk), as I know we'll be walking a lot once we get inside. Isn't it the Welcome Card that's good for all the transport? I think I read that on the bvg site. We'll definitely be getting one of those. And of course the gardens. I love gardens!

Anyone have an idea how much it might be for a cab (for 4) from our hotel directly there?