Potsdam Transportation

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Bus 695 is running from Potsdam Hauptbahnhof (south side, nord side is for city tour buses) to Holländisches Viertel, Sanssouci and Neues Palais, bus 606 is also running from Potsdam Hauptbahnhof to Sanssouci.
Bus 695 is running from Potsdam Hauptbahnhof to Neues Palais (if you want to go there from Berlin use a regional train to Potsdam Park Sanssouci station and a short walk or bus 695 to Neues Palais)‎.
Tram 92 and 96 are running from Potsdam Hauptbahnhof to Holländisches Viertel, the Russian Orthodoxe Church and Alexandrowka.
Bus 603 is running from Potsdam Hauptbahnhof to Neuer Garten and Schloss Cecilienhof.
Bus 694 is running from Potsdam Hauptbahnhof to Babelsberg (the german Hollywood).
If you stay in Berlin use the ABC 24 hour ticket, € 6.80, Potsdam buses and tramways are included, if you have allready a AB (€ 6,30 valid inside Berlin) ticket and you change your mind, you can get a extension ticket (Anschlussfahrausweis) for € 1,50 valid 2 hours.
If you stay in Potsdam a single ticket for up to 6 stations is € 1,30, a day ticket € 3,90, including Berlin (ABC ticket) € 5,50.

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From Berlin town: Regional Train "R1" direction Magdeburg or Brandenburg, 20 min from Zoo-Station. Inner-city train "S7"/"S1" direction Potsdam, about 45 min from Zoo-Station. You must have a ticket for the zones A, B and C because the zone C covers the BVG public transport in Potsdam.

The Railway Station at Potsdam is a modern light airy building, none of the grime that pervades some stations. Besides a good selection of fast food outlets and cafes there is a nice eis café that I have tried and recommend. There are also a large number of shops to browse and clean toilets that are hidden away at one end of the concourse. You can sometime use the faster Regional Express Trains which are faster than the S Bahn for your journey between Berlin and Potsdam.

As Potsdam is situated close to Berlin, an AB day ticket is sufficient to travel around Berlin and Potsdam. You can take the S-bahn, U-bahn, the bus and the tram. For a maximum of 5 persons in a group, a kleingruppentiket worth EUR 14.80 is enough.

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We approached Potsdam by ferry

Under construction

otsdam’s harbour is located in the centre of town, right by the shore of the river Havel. Modern passenger ships of the Weiße Flotte Potsdam (white fleet) and steamboats of the Havel Dampfschifffahrt (steamboat company), which have been restored with loving care, put to sea from here for day trips, round trips and excursions. The offer ranges from a round trip of castles that lasts 1.5 hours to all-day trips through the area of the river Havel and to the capital, Berlin. The highlights of the season are the nocturnal impressions of the castles while sailing past the magnificently illuminated castles of the Hollenzollern dynasty, the “parade of fleets” at the beginning of the season and, last but not least, Wannsee in flames (Berlin’s famous lake) at the conclusion of the season. The harbour restaurant “El Puerto” invites its guests into the canopy of palm trees in the winter and onto a Mediterranean terrace in the summer.

A nice alternative to overland transport in Potsdam, especially on a hot summer day, is a water taxi. The service is provided daily at the intervals of about two hours (the exact timetable is available at the stops and website). There are 13 stations and of course you can hop in or out at any of them. The route includes such highlights as Cecilienhof, Sanssouci or Babelsberg. The boat has room for about 60 people and 20 bikes. The price depends on the number of zones you travel; one zone - 4 Euro, two zones - 6 Euro, three zones - eight Euro. You can also buy a one-day ticket which costs 12 Euro and for a bike 3 Euro.

As most visitors using public transport arrive in Potsdam via the main railway station, the main hub of Potsdam’s Public Transport centres on this location. If you already know the number of the bus or tram you want to use it’s only a matter of finding the right stand. But beware because the railway station is the halfway point for most routes you can easily go in the wrong direction. There are a number of signs giving the exact wait times for the various routes.

In my opinion the best way to get there is by train. Traffic might be hell during rush hour and parking facilities are quite rare. From Berlin you can take S-Bahn or bus service. Be sure to purchase the right ticket as Potsdam does not belong to the state of Berlin!