A jaunt around the grounds of Sansscouci Park is one of the running highlights of the greater Berlin area. About 15 miles from Berlin and an easy train ride, Potsdam is the capital of the German state of Brandenberg and was the residence of Prussian kings and the Kaiser until 1918. Sanssouci Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is on the grounds of three palaces: Sanssouci (Frederick the Great), Charlottenhof, and Neues (New).  It’s a large and lovely park, featuring a baroque-influenced pleasure garden, a botanical garden, the three palaces, terraces, sculptures, and fountains. While the palace has set hours for tours, the park itself is free and open to the public from 8am to sunset. 

For running, there are many km of paths, from long, straight, grand allées, to winding, curvy paths around gardens, meadows, and forests. The stairs are a nice opportunity to get the heart rate up!  We recommend creating your own route. Our route map shows the straight shot along Hauptallee to Neues Palace, which is 2.2 km from east to west. It’s a great anchor for a run in Sanssouci. One can add another 1 km from Nauener Tor into the park, and another 2 km along Lindenallee west of New Palace. Off the allées, the paths north-south go for 1.6 km. See the trail map for more ideas of the paths. 

Add-Ons: See our central Potsdam parks route for add-on options.