Experience the beauty and fascination of Sanssouci, northern Germany's most famous palace park, once the summer home of Prussia's best-known king, Frederick the Great. See not just the highlights but also the hidden gems most travelers miss, for instance the Church of Peace, the Chinese House, the Picture Gallery, the New Chambers, the Belvedere, and much more! Along the way, you'll learn about the life and times of Frederick the Great. You'll not only see his favorite getaway, Sanssouci, but also his final resting place nearby. But what made Frederick so great? What terrible things happened to him in his youth to make him long for a place where he could live "without worry?" Why did he send his wife away? Was he gay? Was he a genius general and a good king? Who is buried next to him? And why do people lay potatoes on his grave? Come to Sanssouci and find out! IMPORTANT! Check my availability before booking!

A striking example of "Chinoiserie," the China mode of the early modern era.

This is where a very young Frederick the Great first discovered the area that would one day become his beloved Sanssouci park. In 1848, the beautiful neo-romanesque "Church of Peace" was built here, the court and burial church of Frederick's great grandnephew, the "Romantic King" Frederick William IV.

The "Orangery," where the 1,000 tropical plants of Sanssouci park are kept over the winter, is a magnificent example of Frederick William IV's love of Italy, modeled on the Villa Medici in Rome and the Uffizi palace in Florence.

Frederick the Great's Picture Gallery was one of the first free-standing galleries in Europe. Inside are some 150 works of Flamish and Italian baroque painting, including Caravaggio's "Doubting Thomas."

The "New Chambers " were originally the old orangery of Sanssouci, later converted to a royal guest house. Inside you can see magnificent marble floors and the "Ovid Gallery," a festival hall decorated with golden reliefs depicting the amorous adventures of the ancient gods.

This stunning late-barqoue palace celebrates Frederick the Great's triumph in the Seven Years War, the conflict that made Prussia a force to be reckoned with. Inside visitors can see the stunning "Grotto Hall," decorated with thousands of seashellls and precious stones, as well as the jaw-dropping "Marble Hall."