Berlin: Potsdam

This post is the third in a series on Berlin, the capital of Germany, which I visited last year

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In this third and final post, I am taking a look at Berlin’s nearby cousin - Potsdam, capital of the state of Brandenburg. With a population of just under 200,000, it is much smaller than Berlin, but still has a tram network and some interesting history to match.

Potsdam Hbf is the last stop on Berlin’s S7 S-Bahn line, making it a short half-hour-or-so journey from the centre of the German capital. Once you leave the train station, you meet the busy main street of Potsdam, where, not too far from the station, is the current building hosting the Brandenburg Landtag (State Parliament), the rebuilt Potsdam City Palace.

A very walkable city, we visited its Dutch Quarter, as well as the Cecilienhof estate, whose palace hosted the famous Potsdam conference at the end of World War II. Potsdam is quite different to Berlin, with a much more historic centre, and lots of green parks and pleasant streets. It was also (interestingly!) the home of many senior Stasi officials during the East German years.

Overall, Berlin was a truly fascinating place to visit, and I would love to return some day (hopefully with a better command of German too!)

To find out more about visiting Berlin, head to the Visit Berlin website