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Tallinn to Saaremaa: Route Guide

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Tallinn old town view — Tallinn to Saaremaa
Photo: Ivar Leidus · CC BY-SA 3.0 ee · Wikimedia Commons

Out of Tallinn's storybook old town, the best-kept Hanseatic core in Europe, through Haapsalu's wooden lace villas to Saaremaa, an island of windmills, juniper and a meteor crater the old religion worshipped at. Kuressaare's bishop's castle is the Baltics' finest; the smoke sauna afterwards is the Estonian answer to everything.

Tallinn to Saaremaa is a 250 km one-way journey (mixed transport). It works best as 4–5 days; the plan below is the 5-day version for June, built from 225 verified places, with planned transit times, opening hours and daylight checked.

4–5
days
250km
distance
3
Stops
225
curated stops

Plan your own version → 4-day plan · 5-day plan · best time to go

The route

Tallinn→ 100 kmHaapsalu→ 110 kmKuressaare & Saaremaa

What you'll see

Seaplane Harbour
Explore three-domed hangars housing ships and planes from Estonia's maritime past.
Tallinn
Haapsalu Bishop’s Castle and Cathedral
Explore one of Estonia's best-preserved castles from the 13th century.
Haapsalu
Angla Windmill Mount
Walk among five preserved island windmills and explore the small folk-culture museum.
Kuressaare & Saaremaa
Estonian History Museum
Journey through 11,000 years of Estonian history in the medieval Great Guild Hall.
Tallinn
Haapsalu Old Town Hall Museum
Wander through the historic interior of the former Town Hall and learn about Haapsalu.
Haapsalu
Kaali meteorite crater
Circle the forested main crater of one of Europe’s most remarkable meteorite fields.
Kuressaare & Saaremaa
Estonian Maritime Museum
Explore maritime history inside the iconic "Fat Margaret" tower and cannon tower.
Tallinn
Museum of the Coastal Swedes
Learn about the thousand-year-old settlements of coastal Swedes in Estonia.
Haapsalu

Choose your length

4-day plan18 stops · 7.9 h transit4.5 stops/day · 2 h transit/daySee the full plan →5-day plan24 stops · 9.1 h transit4.8 stops/day · 1.8 h transit/daySee the full plan →

When to go

Best months: May, June, July, August, September

The Virtsu ferry shuttles constantly, Saaremaa's windmills and meteor crater sit in juniper heath, and Kuressaare's castle moat doubles as a swimming spot.

See the month-by-month breakdown →

Similar journeys

Plan your own version →