Potsdam

Potsdam is an island! Most of the visitors are astonished when they find out that the capital of Brandenburg in the southwest of Berlin is arrounded by water. You can get a first impression when you start your short trip by foot from Potsdam’s main station and walk over the bridge called “Lange Brücke”. From there you have a nice view right hand side to the Havel and to the island called “Freundschaftsinsel” (“Island of Friends”). There you can experience a lot of sculptures, flowers, the silence of a nice park and you can rent a boat for a little trip between beautiful swans.
If you follow the bridge “Lange Brücke”, on the right hand side you can’t oversee the big building site of the new Potsdam City Palace (“Potsdamer Stadtschloss”) which is planned to be finished in the year 2012. Near of it you will find the Old Market (“Alter Markt”), the Church “Nikolaikirche” and the Old Town Hall. On the left you will get to know the “Filmmuseum” (on its roof you can see the horses as sculptures) where you can find original requisites of films from the “Filmstudios of Babelsberg” in its exhibition rooms.
Please follow the Friedrich-Ebert-Straße where you can directly reach to the old part of Potsdam with the shopping and tourist mile “Brandenburger Straße”. At the end of it you can see the “Brandenburger Tor”. Yes, Potsdam too has a “Brandenburger Tor” itself! It isn’t as famous as the one in Berlin but it actually is 12 years older! If you follow the Friedrich-Ebert-Straße you can see the “Nauener Tor” at the end. Another gate near the two ones is called “Jägertor”. The three gates have been serving as entrances in the time when Potsdam still was arounded by a city wall.
On the right side you will turn in to the “Dutch Quarter” (Holländerviertel) which is one of the famous quarters to spend the night. In order to enrich the economy the king had 134 houses built between 1732 and 1744 where artists and workmen from Holland could live. Many exclusive shops, cosy coffee houses and restaurants which – in addition to the architecture - define the special flair of this quarter (Tram 90, 92, 95). Don’t miss the café “La Maison du Chocolate” in the Dutch Quarter where you will experience the most delicious hot chocolate with original french chocolate and cream! After this you won’t need chocolate for the rest of the week!!
In case you want to stay a little longer in Potsdam you shouldn’t miss the Sanssouci Castle which is the most famous castle in the Berlin-Brandenburg area and one of he most popular in all Germany, it's surrounded by a beautiful park (Bus 695, X15).