Palaces and Gardens of Potsdam Bike Tour

General information

Destination
Berlin, Germany

Program details

Discover the palaces, lakes and gardens of the former royal city of city of Potsdam with this relaxing and informative bike tour.



HIGHLIGHTS:



* Explore Potsdam’s crown jewel – Sanssouci

* Ride between West Berlin and East Germany, and over the Glienicke Bridge

* Pass through Potsdam city centre



The journey from central Berlin to Potsdam is made by train. The cycle route covers some 16km (10 miles) and lasts about four-and-a-half hours.



Potsdam is a German equivalent of Versailles of Windsor, the residence of Prussian kings and German Kaisers, who like all good monarchs, rather enjoyed being surrounded by luxury and opulence. The jewel in Potsdam’s crown is Sanssouci, a vast Rococo complex, which is Germany’s largest Unesco World Heritage Site. It was built as Frederick the Great’s summer residence and the name, which is French for ‘carefree’, points to its leisurely intentions. Explore the New Palace, the Orangerie, the windmill and the landscaped gardens.



Ride to the city centre and pass through Potsdam’s very (older and smaller) Brandenburg Gate and through the Dutch quarter. See the majestic Marble Palace before going into Cecilienhof, where Truman, Stalin and Churchill concluded the Potsdam Agreement. Entry and audioguide into Cecilienhof Palace are included.



Enjoy the unusual experience of riding through the no-man’s land between West Berlin and East Germany and over the Glienicke Bridge where Cold War spy exchanges routinely took place. Contrast the vibrant university town that Potsdam of today within the grim and oppressive city stuck just on the wrong side of the Iron Curtain.



Languages

English