Castles and palaces in Berlin and Potsdam: which ones to visit

Berlin and Potsdam were the residence of the electors of Brandenburg, the kings of Prussia and then the German emperors: there are baroque palaces, Renaissance fortresses and romantic castles, many of them managed by the Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation (SPSG). Not all deserve the same place in a short stay. This guide ranks them by interest and distance, with the points to check before you go (one castle, Cecilienhof, is currently closed). The prices quoted were checked in October 2026.

The essentials

Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam

Sanssouci Palace, Frederick the Great's summer residence, is the most famous palace in the region. It is open Tuesday to Sunday, with a ticket for a fixed admission time (€14, €10 reduced); the park is free. It is the best reason to spend a day in Potsdam: see our guide to Potsdam from Berlin.

The New Palace

At the western end of the same park, the New Palace, built from 1763 to 1769, is larger and more lavish. It closes on Tuesdays (Sanssouci closes on Mondays). The Grand Tour costs €14 (€10 reduced); the sanssouci+ ticket at €22 (€17 reduced) covers a day of palaces in Potsdam.

Charlottenburg Palace

Charlottenburg Palace is the largest palace in Berlin itself, reachable by S-Bahn or U-Bahn from the centre. It combines well with half a day in the west of the city: see its page for opening hours and prices.

Shorter excursions

Köpenick Palace

Köpenick Palace, a baroque palace on an island in the Dahme in south-east Berlin, can be visited together with Köpenick's old town. See its page for opening hours.

Spandau Citadel

Spandau Citadel is a Renaissance fortress, more military than royal, in the west of Berlin. It houses museums; see its page for prices.

Peacock Island

Peacock Island, on the Havel, has a small romantic castle built for King Frederick William II. You get there by ferry; it is an excursion that combines nature and a palace.

The castle in the city centre

The Humboldt Forum occupies the reconstruction of the Hohenzollern palace in the heart of Berlin, on Museum Island. It is no longer a lived-in palace, but a museum with non-European collections.

A closed castle: Cecilienhof

Cecilienhof Palace, which hosted the Potsdam Conference in 1945, has been closed to visitors since 1 November 2024, for works whose end date the SPSG does not firmly communicate. The park around it, the New Garden, remains open.

How to choose

Your situation	Our choice
One palace, one day	Sanssouci (book in advance)
You like grand interiors	New Palace, then Charlottenburg
Little time, all within Berlin	Charlottenburg or Humboldt Forum
Want nature	Peacock Island
Military history	Spandau Citadel

Tickets and opening hours

For the palaces in Potsdam, the sanssouci+ ticket is valid for one day and pays off from two palaces. Tickets are limited each day: book in advance on the SPSG ticket shop. For everything about journeys, see our guide to public transport in Berlin.