The city of Potsdam is most often seen as a day trip from Berlin. The main reason to visit is to tour the palaces and royal parks built around the edge of the city. But Potsdam's beautiful lakes and slower pace (compared to Berlin) are additional draws.
Schlosspark Sanssouci is the first must-see. The summer palace of Frederick the Great, Schloss Sanssouci, is there, along with a number of other palaces, museums and buildings of interest. East of Potsdam, Schlosspark Neuer Garten is situated next to two lakes; you can visit the Marmorpalais (Marble Palace) and Schloss Cecilienhof, but the natural beauty of the park is an equally strong attraction. Schosspark Babelsberg, the site of a 19th-century castle built for the future Kaiser Wilhelm I, also frames historic structures in a beautiful setting.
Sights worth viewing in the old town center include Nikolaikirche (a domed church designed by Karl Friedrich Schinkel, the architect whose work shaped much of Berlin) and the Altes Rathaus (Old Town Hall). Filmmuseum Potsdam, housed in the former palace's stables, documents the history of the nearby Babelsberg film and TV studios, where daily tours take visitors behind the scenes. The Hollandisches Viertel (Dutch-style gabled houses) and, farther north, Siedlung Alexandrowka (Russian-style houses) are interesting neighborhoods well-worth exploring. If time permits, take a relaxing boat trip on the area's many lakes and rivers.
