Sanssouci is one of the most beautiful royal palaces in Europe — not because it is grand, but because it is the opposite of grand. Frederick the Great designed it in 1745 as a personal retreat from the pressures of court, and it shows. The single-storey Rococo villa crowns a series of terraced vineyards on a sandstone ridge, its honey-coloured facade stretching barely a hundred metres. Inside, the rooms are intimate: a round library of cedarwood and gold, a concert hall where Frederick played the flute, a Voltaire Chamber decorated with carved animals that the French philosopher never actually slept in despite the name.
The palace sits at the top of six terraced levels planted with figs and vines in heated glass frames — grapes grown on this hillside still produce wine. The view back across the formal garden, down through the Great Fountain and the rows of marble gods, is as carefully composed as a stage set and deeply satisfying. Come at opening time to walk through without crowds, or in the late afternoon when the light catches the gilding.