Palace of Sanssouci

Berlin without Potsdam is like Paris without Versailles - leave Berlin without a trip to its royal residence, and you can't say you've seen Berlin!

Potsdam's fairy-tale landscapes look like a blessing from nature, but are the result of hundreds of years of human endeavour, in pursuit of paradise on earth. Visit the mock-16th century palace of Cecilienhof, and see the lakeside Marble Palace with its Greek temple ruins, and the dreamlike castle of Babelsberg. What are an idyllic Russian village, beautiful towers and churches from the Italian Renaissance, and an 18th century Dutch town doing here?

Palace of Cecilienhof

But the cruel realities of 20th century history shattered this world in 1945; we explain how the old city palace was destroyed at the end of the war. See where an American president, a Soviet dictator and a British prime minister sealed the fate of Germany and Europe, ushering in the Cold War - cross the "spy swap" bridge and see where political opponents of the East German dictatorship were imprisoned.

The tour ends back in the 18th century: finish in the beautiful park of "Sanssouci", literally "Without a Care"!