Lakes, Coast and Islands

Berlin-Copenhagen

Tour Description: Guided

Look forward to 400 diversified biking miles, which connect two of the most interesting capitals of Europe. You cycle on very good bicycle paths through idyllic greens of the Havel in the country of Brandenburg, cross the beautiful lakeland area of Mecklenburg and enjoy a 2 hours cruise on the Baltic Sea.

The countryside of Denmark is rich in contrast. Cliffy coasts change into white sandy beaches. Picturesque fishing villages take turns with majestic palaces and gorgeous manor-houses in the inland. The bicycle paths lead you along the coast on mostly quiet side roads and unhitched well drivable bicycle paths.

Learn more about self-guided tours. 

Tour Description: Self-guided

Look forward to 400 diversified biking miles, which connect two of the most interesting capitals of Europe. You cycle on very good bicycle paths through idyllic greens of the Havel in the country of Brandenburg, cross the beautiful lakeland area of Mecklenburg and enjoy a 2 hours cruise on the Baltic Sea.

The countryside of Denmark is rich in contrast. Cliffy coasts change into white sandy beaches. Picturesque fishing villages take turns with majestic palaces and gorgeous manor-houses in the inland. The bicycle paths lead you along the coast on mostly quiet side roads and unhitched well drivable bicycle paths.

Learn more about self-guided tours. 

Highlights: Guided

• Muritz National Park
• Nossentiner Heider National Park
• Ferry ride from Germany to Denmark
• White cliffs of Island of Møn
• Museum of Modern Art in Ishøj
• Tivoli Gardens
• Downtown Copenhagen

Highlights: Self-guided

• Muritz National Park
• Nossentiner Heider National Park
• Ferry ride from Germany to Denmark
• White cliffs of Island of Møn
• Museum of Modern Art in Ishøj
• Tivoli Gardens
• Downtown Copenhagen

Daily Program: Guided

Daily Program: Self-guided

Day 1: Arrival Berlin/Oranienburg
You reach Oranienburg easily by using the direct interurban train from Berlin center. 
Overnight in Oranienburg. 

Day 2: Oranienburg - Fürstenberg/Surroundings (40 miles/65 km)
Today you cycle along the Oder-Havel-Canal to Liebenwalde. Continue along the Havel to Zehdenick.
Overnight in Neuglobsow or Fürstenberg.

Day 3: Furstenberg - Neustrelitz (37 miles/60 km)
Along the way, you will come across the legendary Lake Stechlin, which has been immortalized through literature by T. Fontane.
Overnight in Neustrelitz.

Day 4: Neustrelitz - Waren (42 miles/67 km)
A highlight of this tour is the Müritz National Park. Along the way is the small village of Ankershagen, where Schliemann, who discovered Troy, grew up.
Overnight in the Waren area.

Day 5: Waren - Krakow (31 miles/50 km)
In the Nossentiner Heide National Park, you cycle through the vast wooded area to Krakow.
Overnight in or near Krakow am See.

Day 6: Krakow - Güstrow (19 miles/30 km)
Güstrow, renowned for the late artist, Barlach, isn't far away. A sightseeing tour in the Old Town and in the E. Barlach Atelier is time well spent.
Overnight in Güstrow.

Day 7: Gustrow - Rostock (23-34 miles/37-54 km)
Cycle along the Bützow-Güstrow-Canal. En route travellers may take any number of trains to Rostock at their own expense if they so deisre.
Overnight in Rostock/Warnemünde. (During Hansesail Regatta in the first part of August, possibility of overnight stay in Güstrow.)

Day 8: Rostock - Nyköping (20 miles/32 km)
Take the train from the Rostock Hauptbahnhof to the ferry harbor. The ferry voyage takes two hours. On the Danish side enjoy the lovely stretches of dikes and trees along Falsters most beautiful beach.
Overnight in Nykøbing.

Day 9: Nyköping - Stege (43 miles/69 km)
Cycling along the coast and through easy terrain, you will reach the old merchant city of Stubbekøbing. It will be worth your while to browse around town before taking the ferry to the island Bogø, where the ferry will make a quick stop. Continue on the ferry to the island Møn.
Overnight in a comfortable country hotel.

Day 10: Island Møn - Køge (32-42 miles/52-68 km)
Traverse the bridge from Møn to Sjaelland. Continue north through the coastal landscape. Cottages and Manor Houses dot the surrounding countryside. From here, it is approx. 52 km to Fakse and approx. 68 km to the cliffs at Rødvig. Travellers are responsible for their own transportation by train to Køge. 
Overnight in Køge. 

Day 11: Køge - Copenhagen (30 miles/49 km)
Today's leg of the trip leads you along the beach. You may want to visit the Museum for Modern Art in Ishøj. All points of interest can be reached by foot from the central train station. Don't forget to spend an evening at Tivoli Gardens or take a stroll around the old harbor.
Overnight in Copenhagen.

Day 12: Departure from Copenhagen 
Depart after breakfast. Return by air or train to Germany, or depart from Copenhagen on your return trip home.

If you stay longer in Copenhagen (and you should), we encourage you to try out a new program there, Bike the City, a GPS-guided sightseeing program. Copenhagen is an inspiration for other cyclist-friendly cities, as this wonderful video, "Cycling Copenhagen through North American Eyes," attests!

Dates: Guided

Dates: Self-guided

Mondays: Jun 17, Jul 1 - Aug 26, 2013

Route Map: Guided

Route Map: Self-guided

Packages and Prices: Guided

Packages and Prices: Self-guided

Tour package (self-guided)
Per person, double occupancy €1275 Single room supplement (1 person/1 room) €320 Bike rentals Hybrid touring bike, 7-speed with hub gears €85 Hybrid touring bike, 24-speed €85 Electrically assisted bike, 8-speed women's €190 Children's bike €85 Equipment included free with all rentals €0 Transfers Train to Rostock Harbour (approx.) €7 Train from Fakse/Rodvig to Koge (approx.) €10 Group discounts (Jun 1-Aug 31, 2012) Tour package, 5-6 people €1224 Tour package, 7-8 people €1199 Tour package, 9 or more €1173 Tour package, children and third person in room Third person 16 and older sharing room with two adults €1130 Children 5-15 sharing double room with two adults €638 Two children 5-15 sharing room (with two paying adults) €1084 Children 5-15 sharing room with one adult €1084 Children 4 and under €0

Included Services: Guided

Included Services: Self-guided

• Accommodation for 11 nights according to booked category (all rooms with private shower or bath and toilet)
• 11 breakfasts
• Luggage transfers
• On-site tour presentation
• Ferry from Rostock-Gedser
• 7-day Service Hotline available in case of problems or questions
• One tour information packet per booked room

Hotels: Guided

These are sample hotels and may vary based on availability.

Day 1: Stadhotel Oranienburg, Oranienburg
www.stadthotel-oranienburg.de
In Stadhotel Oranienburg, you will find convenience, comfort and elegance, combined with the latest technical equipment.

Day 2: Hotel Am Wentowsee, Seilershof

Day 3: Hotel Schlossgarten, Neustrelitz
www.hotel-schlossgarten.de
The Hotel Castle Garden was built in 1820 in Neustrelitz and is located not far from the ruined Royal Palace. 

Day 4: Nichtraucher Hotel zwischen den Seen, Waren (Muritz)
www.hotelzwischendenseen.de
Located a 10-minute walk from the port city of Waren, was specifically designed for the needs of cyclists and hikers. 

Day 5: Seehotel Krakow, Krakow

Day 6: Hotel Weinberg, Gustrow
www.weinberg-hotel.de
A stylish hotel, Hotel Weiburg is located in Gustrow on the Mecklenburg plateau.  

Day 7: InterCityHotel, Rostock
www.intercityhotel.com
The InterCityHotel in Rostock offers guests a comfortable hotel in close proximity to Central Station and the city center. 

Day 8: Hotel Falster, Nykøbing
www.uk.hotel-falster.dk
Hotel Falster is situated in the middle of the islands of Falster and Lolland. 

Day 9: Prastekilde Kro and Hotel, Stege

Day 10: Hotel Niels Juel, Koge
www.hotelnielsjuel.dk
Hotel Niels Juel was built in 1989 in an old warehouse and is situated directly on the charming old port just 5 minutes walk from the center with pedestrian streets, courtyards and many speciality shops.  

Day 11: Hotel Scandic Sydhavnen, Copenhagen
www.scandichotels.com
The modern Scandic Sydhavnen Hotel is located a few miles from Copenhagen airport. 

Interested in visiting other areas before or after your tour? Visit our hotels page to learn more about lodging options. 

Hotels: Self-guided

These are sample hotels and may vary based on availability.

Day 1: Stadhotel Oranienburg, Oranienburg
www.stadthotel-oranienburg.de
In Stadhotel Oranienburg, you will find convenience, comfort and elegance, combined with the latest technical equipment.

Day 2: Hotel Am Wentowsee, Seilershof

Day 3: Hotel Schlossgarten, Neustrelitz
www.hotel-schlossgarten.de
The Hotel Castle Garden was built in 1820 in Neustrelitz and is located not far from the ruined Royal Palace. 

Day 4: Nichtraucher Hotel zwischen den Seen, Waren (Muritz)
www.hotelzwischendenseen.de
Located a 10-minute walk from the port city of Waren, was specifically designed for the needs of cyclists and hikers. 

Day 5: Seehotel Krakow, Krakow

Day 6: Hotel Weinberg, Gustrow
www.weinberg-hotel.de
A stylish hotel, Hotel Weiburg is located in Gustrow on the Mecklenburg plateau.  

Day 7: InterCityHotel, Rostock
www.intercityhotel.com
The InterCityHotel in Rostock offers guests a comfortable hotel in close proximity to Central Station and the city center. 

Day 8: Hotel Falster, Nykøbing
www.uk.hotel-falster.dk
Hotel Falster is situated in the middle of the islands of Falster and Lolland. 

Day 9: Prastekilde Kro and Hotel, Stege

Day 10: Hotel Niels Juel, Koge
www.hotelnielsjuel.dk
Hotel Niels Juel was built in 1989 in an old warehouse and is situated directly on the charming old port just 5 minutes walk from the center with pedestrian streets, courtyards and many speciality shops.  

Day 11: Hotel Scandic Sydhavnen, Copenhagen
www.scandichotels.com
The modern Scandic Sydhavnen Hotel is located a few miles from Copenhagen airport. 

Interested in visiting other areas before or after your tour? Visit our hotels page to learn more about lodging options. 

Bike Rentals: Guided

The bikes available on this tour are 7-speed bikes with hub gears (in men's and women's frame sizes) and 24-speed bikes with derailleur gears (in men's and unisex frame sizes). Alternate options include a 8-speed women's electro0bikes with hub gears and freewheel. Children's bikes are also available. 

Bikes are equipped with a cycling bag, repair kit, lock key and air pump. Available upon request for no charge is a handlebar bag including map pouch, tachometer, basket, child trailer, child seat and trailer bike. Upon request for an additional charge are additional bicycle bags and dog trailers. 

Bike Rentals: Self-guided

The bikes available on this tour are 7-speed bikes with hub gears (in men's and women's frame sizes) and 24-speed bikes with derailleur gears (in men's and unisex frame sizes). Alternate options include a 8-speed women's electro0bikes with hub gears and freewheel. Children's bikes are also available. 

Bikes are equipped with a cycling bag, repair kit, lock key and air pump. Available upon request for no charge is a handlebar bag including map pouch, tachometer, basket, child trailer, child seat and trailer bike. Upon request for an additional charge are additional bicycle bags and dog trailers. 

Surface and Terrain: Guided

The terrain on this tour is flat with occasional hills. Approximately 50% of the tour is on quiet roads and 40% on dirt or gravel roads. It is appropriate for hybrid bikes.

This tour is rated Leisure and is for cyclists in average physical condition.  

Surface and Terrain: Self-guided

The terrain on this tour is flat with occasional hills. Approximately 50% of the tour is on quiet roads and 40% on dirt or gravel roads. It is appropriate for hybrid bikes.

This tour is rated Leisure and is for cyclists in average physical condition.  

How To Get There: Guided

Tour Start 
Nearest airport: Berlin, Germany
Nearest train station: Berlin, Germany

Tour End
Nearest airport: Copenhagen, Denmark
Nearest train station: Copenhagen, Denmark

If you want to return from Copenhagen by train, you go through Hamburg to Berlin. 

Tips on getting to and from your tour

How To Get There: Self-guided

Tour Start 
Nearest airport: Berlin, Germany
Nearest train station: Berlin, Germany

Tour End
Nearest airport: Copenhagen, Denmark
Nearest train station: Copenhagen, Denmark

If you want to return from Copenhagen by train, you go through Hamburg to Berlin. 

Tips on getting to and from your tour

Articles: Guided

Potsdam
The following article about Potsdam, adjacent to Berlin, was written by BikeToursDirect president Jim Johnson and published in 1999. Much of the information--other than prices and currency--remain true today.

For nearly 40 years, Potsdam lay behind the Iron Curtain, a jewel of a city hidden to most of the world. Sadly, although the curtain has lifted, few Americans take the time to visit and most of them only on sightseeing buses from adjacent Berlin.

That’s a shame, since this UNESCO World Heritage city is a true treasure.

It’s rare that such a wealth of history—old and recent—and such a concentration of architectural treasures lie within so small an area. During a period of barely three centuries, Prussia’s Hohenzollern kings built an amazing collection of palaces, parks and gardens. In the extensive parks surrounding the city, the Hohenzollern kings commissioned palace after palace, all set in carefully designed landscape gardens. In the 19th century, renowned landscape architect Peter Joseph Lenné unified the palaces and gardens into the harmonious landscape of palaces and gardens that visitors enjoy today.

Most are within walking distance of each other—walks that cross a stunning landscape of 19 lakes, two rivers and expansive hills, forests and gardens. In fact, more than half of Potsdam is either forest or park.

As awareness of Potsdam grows, increasing numbers of visitors are opting to overnight in Potsdam and do day trips to Berlin instead of the more “traditional” other way around. Room rates and restaurants are considerably less expensive and generally more familiar. Visit a restaurant or pub twice in Potsdam, and they’ll know you.

“Berlin is masses of people,” said one American visitor met in a Potsdam bookstore. “For me, Potsdam fills the same need that it did for the 18^th-century kings. Potsdam is a refuge, a peaceful place. I can spend hours exploring the parks, and I never hear a car horn or see a traffic light. If I want big-city action, I can be in the heart of Berlin within 25 minutes by S-Bahn or train. In Berlin, the evenings belong to the young. I’d rather stay in Potsdam.”

That doesn’t mean Potsdam is a sleepy backwater. As capital of the State of Brandenburg and as a university town, Potsdam is lively by day or night. Potsdam also benefits from an overflow from Berlin of students and international residents. Therefore, despite being a city of barely 130,000 inhabitants, Potsdam can offer a surprising variety of dining (and drinking) choices.

Many of those options are in the Baroque Dutch Quarter, a group of red-brick, gabled houses built in the early 18^th century to attract Dutch tradesmen. The four-block district is filled with courtyard restaurants, cafés and pubs like M18, Hollow Pear, Flying Dutchman, La Maison du Chocolat and Café Heider. Adjacent to the Dutch Quarter is Brandenburg Street, an 18^th-century residential area built to house both families and Prussian troops—six soldiers to a household. Today, Brandenburg and neighboring streets have been transformed into wide pedestrian boulevards filled with smiling shoppers, and many of the houses into eclectic book stores, antique shops and bistros.

Many visitors to Potsdam also discover a poignancy of the more recent past, starting with the Potsdam Conference, which in many ways set the stage for the division of Germany. That drama played out quickly with the Russian occupation and the creation of the German Democratic Republic. Signs still remain from those times, which after all ended a scant 14 years ago. As recently as 1994, the city still had 60,000 Russian soldiers. Those interested can wander the former “Forbidden City,” a walled-off villa district once controlled by the KGB, and the KGB prison, now regional headquarters for Amnesty International.

Potsdam also presents an excellent case study of a former East German city adjusting to life in unified Germany. Most notably for tourists, many significant structures were torn down by the government or fell into neglect. Many attractions that you can visit today have been open less than a year, with restoration work funded by foundations and public figures. Work continues in other areas, including around the ruins of the City Palace, built in 1662, severely damaged in 1945, and almost fully demolished in 1961.

But, for most visitors, it’s Sanssouci that’s the prime attraction. Sanssouci Park alone covers 724 acres—compared to Central Park’s 840—and has three palaces: the rococo Sanssouci Palace, the Baroque New Palace and Charlottenhof Palace.

A king who joined his troops on the battlefield, Frederick the Great commissioned Sanssouci Palace in 1747 as a summer palace where he could have a respite from battle sans souci—without worry.  You can see his fatigue in the many statues: the warrior in marble, his sword in its sheath, his shield down, a look of weariness on his face.

Most of what visitors see is the ornate original—not reconstructions or duplicates—and perhaps German’s most impressive example of rococo architecture. In front of it, vineyard terraces stretch in geometric shapes into the park.

Over the coming century, descendants made their mark on Sanssouci Park with new constructions: like the New Palace, a massive, 200-room Baroque masterpiece built after the Seven Years’ War to demonstrate Prussian pride—and in response to the palace at Versailles.  The neo-classical Charlottenhof followed in 1826. A visual highlight then and now is the Orangerie, a 300-meter-long palace built to house large tropical plants—including 450 potted trees—during the winter. During warmer weather, the grounds in front of the Orangerie become a Mediterannean garden complete with palm trees.

Many visitors to Sanssouci Park neglect the smaller but exquisite New Garden, built as an English landscape garden in the late 18^th century. Many Potsdam residents actually prefer the park, a strip of green space between two lakes—the Heiliger See and the Jungfernsee. Relatively few tourists come to the park, although it provides the setting for two charming palaces from two different eras: the Marble Palace, a Baroque masterpiece from the late 18^th century, and Cecilienhof, the final Hohenzollern palace, built in 1917 in the style of an English country estate.

Although Cecilienhof is the youngest of the Hohenzollern palaces, it carries perhaps the greatest direct significance for Americans and modern Europe. It was here that the Potsdam Conference took place from July 17-August 8, 1945, to address issues related to post-War Germany. What we take for granted today was still being defined and surmised in 1945. In many ways, the future of Germany was negotiated there—and with that future, the hopes and opportunities not just of one nation but of Europe and the world. In many ways, the Cold War started in Cecilienhof.

Much of Cecilienhof remains as it was in 1945. The conference room is as it was, its circular table ringed by chairs. Flowers still form a large red star in the entry courtyard. The offices of Stalin, Churchill and Truman have been preserved as well, and visitors can almost feel the personalities of the people involved, especially Stalin in his red, no-nonsence office that was almost brutal in its plainness. Visitors can also see some of the games-playing that went on—such as the chair that Stalin moved into Churchill’s study that was too small for the rotund statesman. It was also at Cecilienhof that Truman got word that the A-bomb was ready and gave the order to bomb Nagasaki and Hiroshima.

Even less visited than the New Garden is Babelsberg Park, just across the Havel River. Located on a bluff, Babelsberg Palace built in the early 19^th century in English Tudor Gothic style, offers a commanding view of the Havel landscape and ample opportunities to explore the romantic park. Babelsberg is also adjacent to one of Potsdam several villa neighborhoods, their expansive Jugendstil homes reflecting the relative wealth of the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries.

Some proud residents joke that Potsdam is “Prussian Disneyland” due to rich representation of other countries and cultures such as the Chinese Teahouse, the Dragon House, and the Roman Baths, the Italian gardens around Charlottenhof and, of course, the Dutch Quarter, the Mosque, and the Orangerie in the Sanssouci Park, modeled in part on the Villa Medici in Rom. Then there’s the Russian Colony Alexandrowka, with its 13 houses built in 1826 for Russian singers left behind after Prussia and Russia were victorious over Napoleon’s troops.

After extensive restoration, the faux Italian village at the royal estate Krongut Bornstedt re-opened in June 2002 looking much as it did 150 years ago and selling many of the same goods. There’s a wood-oven bakery, a candlemaker, a glassblower, a potter and a jeweler. Everything sold there is created on premises, right down to the tailor shop with its whirring sewing machine and to the “Bornstedter Bueffel” (“Bornstedt Buffalo”), a rich, frothy brown beer brewed as it was in the 17^th century.

The best time to visit Potsdam is from May through October, although the end of July through August can be hot and humid. The fewest tourists come in May and October and, with the flowers in full bloom, May and June are perhaps the most colorful.

For the parks—especially the palaces—go early in the day. This isn’t just to avoid crowds but also total disappointment; as part of the preservation process, the palaces are limited to a certain number of people coming through each day. When they reach that number, they close. Pay attention to which palaces are open on which days, since each castle closes on a different day. The New Palace is the only palace open on Mondays. Don’t neglect the less popular palaces—historic and architectural gems that often offer no lines, no waiting.

While the parks and palaces are the prime attraction, set aside some time to walk around the Baroque Old Town. Also, some of the best views of the parks and palaces are from the lakes and river. Relaxing cruises are available of different lengths and routes, from 90-minute lake tours to full-day excursions from Potsdam to Berlin and back.

For English-speaking visitors, Potsdam does present a few challenges. The city and tourism websites are in German, and public sightseeing tours are in German only. For that reason, you may want to consider hiring a private guide, especially if you have specific interests in history, architecture or culture—and don’t mind spending €120-150 ($130-163) for a half-day. In addition, many of the city guides are also allowed to provide private tours of the palaces. This can cut considerable time from waiting or even seeing attractions that aren’t of particular interest. The tourist office—which does speak English—can help locate and hire an appropriate guide. On a recent visit, Kevin Kennedy, an American who has lived in the Potsdam area most of his life and is working on his doctoral thesis relating to German history, was superb with his knowledge, passion and insight.

Potsdam features an extremely efficient and comprehensive public transit system of trams and buses, which also connect with the S-Bahn and regional rail systems for travel to Berlin and throughout Brandenburg. Probably the least expensive way to explore Potsdam is on bus route 695, which makes an almost full circle past the major sights. Buy a one- or multi-day pass (from €3/$3 for one day to €10/$11 for a week), step on and off at leisure, and explore.

            This article orginally appeared in Gemutlichkeit Travel Newsletter about travel to Germany, Switzerland and Austria. 

Articles: Self-guided

Potsdam
The following article about Potsdam, adjacent to Berlin, was written by BikeToursDirect president Jim Johnson and published in 1999. Much of the information--other than prices and currency--remain true today.

For nearly 40 years, Potsdam lay behind the Iron Curtain, a jewel of a city hidden to most of the world. Sadly, although the curtain has lifted, few Americans take the time to visit and most of them only on sightseeing buses from adjacent Berlin.

That’s a shame, since this UNESCO World Heritage city is a true treasure.

It’s rare that such a wealth of history—old and recent—and such a concentration of architectural treasures lie within so small an area. During a period of barely three centuries, Prussia’s Hohenzollern kings built an amazing collection of palaces, parks and gardens. In the extensive parks surrounding the city, the Hohenzollern kings commissioned palace after palace, all set in carefully designed landscape gardens. In the 19th century, renowned landscape architect Peter Joseph Lenné unified the palaces and gardens into the harmonious landscape of palaces and gardens that visitors enjoy today.

Most are within walking distance of each other—walks that cross a stunning landscape of 19 lakes, two rivers and expansive hills, forests and gardens. In fact, more than half of Potsdam is either forest or park.

As awareness of Potsdam grows, increasing numbers of visitors are opting to overnight in Potsdam and do day trips to Berlin instead of the more “traditional” other way around. Room rates and restaurants are considerably less expensive and generally more familiar. Visit a restaurant or pub twice in Potsdam, and they’ll know you.

“Berlin is masses of people,” said one American visitor met in a Potsdam bookstore. “For me, Potsdam fills the same need that it did for the 18^th-century kings. Potsdam is a refuge, a peaceful place. I can spend hours exploring the parks, and I never hear a car horn or see a traffic light. If I want big-city action, I can be in the heart of Berlin within 25 minutes by S-Bahn or train. In Berlin, the evenings belong to the young. I’d rather stay in Potsdam.”

That doesn’t mean Potsdam is a sleepy backwater. As capital of the State of Brandenburg and as a university town, Potsdam is lively by day or night. Potsdam also benefits from an overflow from Berlin of students and international residents. Therefore, despite being a city of barely 130,000 inhabitants, Potsdam can offer a surprising variety of dining (and drinking) choices.

Many of those options are in the Baroque Dutch Quarter, a group of red-brick, gabled houses built in the early 18^th century to attract Dutch tradesmen. The four-block district is filled with courtyard restaurants, cafés and pubs like M18, Hollow Pear, Flying Dutchman, La Maison du Chocolat and Café Heider. Adjacent to the Dutch Quarter is Brandenburg Street, an 18^th-century residential area built to house both families and Prussian troops—six soldiers to a household. Today, Brandenburg and neighboring streets have been transformed into wide pedestrian boulevards filled with smiling shoppers, and many of the houses into eclectic book stores, antique shops and bistros.

Many visitors to Potsdam also discover a poignancy of the more recent past, starting with the Potsdam Conference, which in many ways set the stage for the division of Germany. That drama played out quickly with the Russian occupation and the creation of the German Democratic Republic. Signs still remain from those times, which after all ended a scant 14 years ago. As recently as 1994, the city still had 60,000 Russian soldiers. Those interested can wander the former “Forbidden City,” a walled-off villa district once controlled by the KGB, and the KGB prison, now regional headquarters for Amnesty International.

Potsdam also presents an excellent case study of a former East German city adjusting to life in unified Germany. Most notably for tourists, many significant structures were torn down by the government or fell into neglect. Many attractions that you can visit today have been open less than a year, with restoration work funded by foundations and public figures. Work continues in other areas, including around the ruins of the City Palace, built in 1662, severely damaged in 1945, and almost fully demolished in 1961.

But, for most visitors, it’s Sanssouci that’s the prime attraction. Sanssouci Park alone covers 724 acres—compared to Central Park’s 840—and has three palaces: the rococo Sanssouci Palace, the Baroque New Palace and Charlottenhof Palace.

A king who joined his troops on the battlefield, Frederick the Great commissioned Sanssouci Palace in 1747 as a summer palace where he could have a respite from battle sans souci—without worry.  You can see his fatigue in the many statues: the warrior in marble, his sword in its sheath, his shield down, a look of weariness on his face.

Most of what visitors see is the ornate original—not reconstructions or duplicates—and perhaps German’s most impressive example of rococo architecture. In front of it, vineyard terraces stretch in geometric shapes into the park.

Over the coming century, descendants made their mark on Sanssouci Park with new constructions: like the New Palace, a massive, 200-room Baroque masterpiece built after the Seven Years’ War to demonstrate Prussian pride—and in response to the palace at Versailles.  The neo-classical Charlottenhof followed in 1826. A visual highlight then and now is the Orangerie, a 300-meter-long palace built to house large tropical plants—including 450 potted trees—during the winter. During warmer weather, the grounds in front of the Orangerie become a Mediterannean garden complete with palm trees.

Many visitors to Sanssouci Park neglect the smaller but exquisite New Garden, built as an English landscape garden in the late 18^th century. Many Potsdam residents actually prefer the park, a strip of green space between two lakes—the Heiliger See and the Jungfernsee. Relatively few tourists come to the park, although it provides the setting for two charming palaces from two different eras: the Marble Palace, a Baroque masterpiece from the late 18^th century, and Cecilienhof, the final Hohenzollern palace, built in 1917 in the style of an English country estate.

Although Cecilienhof is the youngest of the Hohenzollern palaces, it carries perhaps the greatest direct significance for Americans and modern Europe. It was here that the Potsdam Conference took place from July 17-August 8, 1945, to address issues related to post-War Germany. What we take for granted today was still being defined and surmised in 1945. In many ways, the future of Germany was negotiated there—and with that future, the hopes and opportunities not just of one nation but of Europe and the world. In many ways, the Cold War started in Cecilienhof.

Much of Cecilienhof remains as it was in 1945. The conference room is as it was, its circular table ringed by chairs. Flowers still form a large red star in the entry courtyard. The offices of Stalin, Churchill and Truman have been preserved as well, and visitors can almost feel the personalities of the people involved, especially Stalin in his red, no-nonsence office that was almost brutal in its plainness. Visitors can also see some of the games-playing that went on—such as the chair that Stalin moved into Churchill’s study that was too small for the rotund statesman. It was also at Cecilienhof that Truman got word that the A-bomb was ready and gave the order to bomb Nagasaki and Hiroshima.

Even less visited than the New Garden is Babelsberg Park, just across the Havel River. Located on a bluff, Babelsberg Palace built in the early 19^th century in English Tudor Gothic style, offers a commanding view of the Havel landscape and ample opportunities to explore the romantic park. Babelsberg is also adjacent to one of Potsdam several villa neighborhoods, their expansive Jugendstil homes reflecting the relative wealth of the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries.

Some proud residents joke that Potsdam is “Prussian Disneyland” due to rich representation of other countries and cultures such as the Chinese Teahouse, the Dragon House, and the Roman Baths, the Italian gardens around Charlottenhof and, of course, the Dutch Quarter, the Mosque, and the Orangerie in the Sanssouci Park, modeled in part on the Villa Medici in Rom. Then there’s the Russian Colony Alexandrowka, with its 13 houses built in 1826 for Russian singers left behind after Prussia and Russia were victorious over Napoleon’s troops.

After extensive restoration, the faux Italian village at the royal estate Krongut Bornstedt re-opened in June 2002 looking much as it did 150 years ago and selling many of the same goods. There’s a wood-oven bakery, a candlemaker, a glassblower, a potter and a jeweler. Everything sold there is created on premises, right down to the tailor shop with its whirring sewing machine and to the “Bornstedter Bueffel” (“Bornstedt Buffalo”), a rich, frothy brown beer brewed as it was in the 17^th century.

The best time to visit Potsdam is from May through October, although the end of July through August can be hot and humid. The fewest tourists come in May and October and, with the flowers in full bloom, May and June are perhaps the most colorful.

For the parks—especially the palaces—go early in the day. This isn’t just to avoid crowds but also total disappointment; as part of the preservation process, the palaces are limited to a certain number of people coming through each day. When they reach that number, they close. Pay attention to which palaces are open on which days, since each castle closes on a different day. The New Palace is the only palace open on Mondays. Don’t neglect the less popular palaces—historic and architectural gems that often offer no lines, no waiting.

While the parks and palaces are the prime attraction, set aside some time to walk around the Baroque Old Town. Also, some of the best views of the parks and palaces are from the lakes and river. Relaxing cruises are available of different lengths and routes, from 90-minute lake tours to full-day excursions from Potsdam to Berlin and back.

For English-speaking visitors, Potsdam does present a few challenges. The city and tourism websites are in German, and public sightseeing tours are in German only. For that reason, you may want to consider hiring a private guide, especially if you have specific interests in history, architecture or culture—and don’t mind spending €120-150 ($130-163) for a half-day. In addition, many of the city guides are also allowed to provide private tours of the palaces. This can cut considerable time from waiting or even seeing attractions that aren’t of particular interest. The tourist office—which does speak English—can help locate and hire an appropriate guide. On a recent visit, Kevin Kennedy, an American who has lived in the Potsdam area most of his life and is working on his doctoral thesis relating to German history, was superb with his knowledge, passion and insight.

Potsdam features an extremely efficient and comprehensive public transit system of trams and buses, which also connect with the S-Bahn and regional rail systems for travel to Berlin and throughout Brandenburg. Probably the least expensive way to explore Potsdam is on bus route 695, which makes an almost full circle past the major sights. Buy a one- or multi-day pass (from €3/$3 for one day to €10/$11 for a week), step on and off at leisure, and explore.

            This article orginally appeared in Gemutlichkeit Travel Newsletter about travel to Germany, Switzerland and Austria. 

More About Germany: Guided

Germany's fairytale castles, romantic villages and bustling cities are surrounded by a wealth of pristine natural landscapes. Only a unified nation since 1990, Germany now boasts Europe's largest economy and second most populous nation. Within its unified boundaries, Germany remains a nation of diversity.

Northern Germany’s coastal terrain along the Baltic Sea includes Hamburg, a harbor city of canals and waterways. Southern Germany's Bavaria region, known as "the green roof of Germany," features snow-tipped Alps, the Black Forest, Neuschwanstein Castle and the historic, picturesque city of Munich. Cruise the Rhine River through the western regions and visit Cologne's famous Gothic Cathedral built in 1248. Experience the arts, fashion and music in the capital, Berlin, and see the revitalized city of Dresden destroyed during World War II.

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More About Germany: Self-guided

Germany's fairytale castles, romantic villages and bustling cities are surrounded by a wealth of pristine natural landscapes. Only a unified nation since 1990, Germany now boasts Europe's largest economy and second most populous nation. Within its unified boundaries, Germany remains a nation of diversity.

Northern Germany’s coastal terrain along the Baltic Sea includes Hamburg, a harbor city of canals and waterways. Southern Germany's Bavaria region, known as "the green roof of Germany," features snow-tipped Alps, the Black Forest, Neuschwanstein Castle and the historic, picturesque city of Munich. Cruise the Rhine River through the western regions and visit Cologne's famous Gothic Cathedral built in 1248. Experience the arts, fashion and music in the capital, Berlin, and see the revitalized city of Dresden destroyed during World War II.

More on bicycling in Germany > 

View all Germany bike tours >

Weather: Guided

Weather Underground offers information on average and record temperatures at many destinations throughout the globe. Type a destination in the search box and enter a travel date range to learn about seasonal weather patterns.

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Weather: Self-guided

Weather Underground offers information on average and record temperatures at many destinations throughout the globe. Type a destination in the search box and enter a travel date range to learn about seasonal weather patterns.

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Tour Company Background: Mecklenburger Radtour: Guided

Mecklenburger Radtour is a small and energetic team of cycling and walking professionals. Over 100 of their tours are personally planned. They are out their available programs with yet another over 100 available tours provided through partnerships with reliable travel companies in Germany and other Europeans countries. Located in Stalsund, Germany, Mecklenburg's particular strengths include routes, hotels and equipment that has been carefully selected to best suit the customer's needs. 

Tour Company Background: Mecklenburger Radtour: Self-guided

Mecklenburger Radtour is a small and energetic team of cycling and walking professionals. Over 100 of their tours are personally planned. They are out their available programs with yet another over 100 available tours provided through partnerships with reliable travel companies in Germany and other Europeans countries. Located in Stalsund, Germany, Mecklenburg's particular strengths include routes, hotels and equipment that has been carefully selected to best suit the customer's needs. 

Terms and Conditions: Mecklenburger Radtour: Guided

Terms and Conditions: Mecklenburger Radtour: Self-guided