Discover the highlights of Potsdam with the best of our most popular tours in our all-in-one tour. Enjoy a special tour in the Soviet minibus "Buchanka" with a local Potsdam guide and driver.
The tour:
The city of Potsdam is an incredibly historic city. It was not only a Prussian residence and garrison town, but is also considered one of the birthplaces of the film and gained great importance in the 20th century.
We start in the center at the Potsdam main station or your hotel.
First off we go to Babelsberg, the birthplace of European cinema. Since 1912, the studios have produced films, including productions that have written film history.
In the immediate vicinity of the film studios is a residential area, which especially in the 20th century moved into the focus of the world public. In the mansions of film stars and industrialists in 1945, the most important heads of state in the world moved in due to the Potsdam Conference. The district on the border with West Berlin remained for a long time Soviet restricted area.
From the Hiroshima-Nagasaki Square with the former US President's Truman Villa, we pass by the Churchill Villa and Stalin Villa to the UNESCO World Heritage Park Babelsberg. The walk through the beautiful park to Babelsberg Palace is mainly about the time of the Cold War, when the border fortifications of the Berlin Wall run through the park in order to prevent escape attempts.
Going through the former East German enclave Klein Glienicke the tour goes to the Glienicke Bridge, which became world famous as a spy bridge (movie: Bridge of Spies) and as a border crossing between East and West was a symbol of the German division.
Then we drive to the UNESCO World Heritage Park Neuer Garten with the Cecilienhof Palace. This is where the Potsdam Conference took place in the summer of 1945.
In the immediate vicinity once was a Soviet KGB district, for decades a "forbidden city" in the middle of Potsdam. We pay a quick visit to the former KGB remand prison.
Via the Russian colony "Alexandrowka" and former barracks we drive to the UNESCO World Heritage Park Sanssouci. The favorite residence of the Prussian King Frederick the Great rises above the terraces of a vineyard and is Potsdam's most famous attraction.
At the stunning "New Palace" at the other end of the huge Sanssouci Park, the rise of Prussia to European power becomes evident. Find out what significance this place had for the beginning of the First World War.
Back in the city center we make a stop at the "Rechenzentrum" cultural center, a GDR building with a 70-meter-long mosaic that picks up topics such as the space race. Right next to it is the controversial construction site of the Garrison Church.
Finally, last stop is at the Old Market, the historic center of the city with the St. Nicholas Church, the City Palace, the Old Town Hall and the Barberini Palace.
The tour ends at the starting point.
A special focus of this extraordinary tour is the history of the 20th century, but the time before and current discourses are also covered.
Our vehicle:
The minibus “Bukhanka” (“pan loaf”) is a modern Soviet "vintage car". Up to 8 guests (+ driver) can enjoy a unique and authentic experience. There are some surprises waiting on board!