Frederick the Great wanted a place without cares, sans souci, and he built one in Potsdam: a summer palace on a terraced vineyard, surrounded by a vast park of gardens, temples, follies and more palaces. Sanssouci is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with the other palaces and parks of Potsdam and Berlin, and it draws visitors from all over the world. Frederick himself is buried on the terrace, and visitors still leave potatoes on his grave, a tribute to his promotion of the crop.
Potsdam has more history packed into it than almost any German city. In the summer of 1945, the leaders of the United States, the Soviet Union and Britain met at the Cecilienhof Palace to decide the future of Germany. During the Cold War, the Glienicke Bridge, between Potsdam and West Berlin, became known as the Bridge of Spies, where captured agents were exchanged. The city is surrounded by lakes and forests, and the Havel winds through it, forming a chain of blue.
The riding in Potsdam itself can be challenging, with heavy traffic, cobbled streets, tram lines and cyclists. But the roads around the city, along the lakes and through the forests, are pleasant and scenic. The roads towards Werder and the Havelland are popular with riders, with gentle curves and views over the water.
Potsdam has plenty of fuel stations, shops, cafés and restaurants. A coffee in the Dutch Quarter, a neighbourhood of red brick houses built for Dutch craftsmen in the eighteenth century, is a pleasant break. The Uckermark lakes lie to the north, a long ride around Berlin.