This Baltic Sea island has dense pine forests, medieval stone churches, and sandy beaches. Local restaurants serve fresh fish soup and craft beers from Estonian breweries.
Estonia's largest island Saaremaa sits in the Baltic Sea. You'll find 13th-century limestone churches rising between pine forests and juniper groves, walk through the medieval Kuressaare Castle with its water-filled moat, and swim at white-sand beaches. Local restaurants serve fresh-caught Baltic herring and flounder, while small villages preserve their wooden windmills and limestone walls.
Ferry and Flight Connections
The main route to Saaremaa starts with a 27-minute ferry ride from Virtsu on mainland Estonia to Muhu island. From Muhu, drive across the causeway connecting it to Saaremaa. For a faster option, take a 30-minute flight from Tallinn to Kuressaare Airport. During winter months, you might experience a unique way to reach the island - driving on an ice road across the frozen Baltic Sea.
Life in Kuressaare
The 13,000 residents of Kuressaare live around a medieval castle built in the 1380s. Inside the castle, you'll find the Saaremaa Museum, while outside, a water-filled moat surrounds the stone walls. The town center has wooden buildings with curved zinc roofs, where local artisans sell handmade juniper wood boxes and bowls. At restaurants like Ku-Kuu and Hafen, chefs prepare fresh Baltic fish caught the same morning.
Geological Sites and Beaches
The Kaali meteorite crater crashed into Saaremaa about 3,500 years ago, leaving a 110-meter wide and 22-meter deep impact site now filled with dark water. Along the northern coast, the limestone Panga cliff stretches for a kilometer, with a 21-meter drop to the Baltic Sea. In summer, the shallow waters at Järve beach stay warm - you can walk 100 meters out and the water will only reach your knees. The beach has white sand and changing cabins.
Village Architecture
On Angla Windmill Hill, five wooden windmills from the 1800s still stand with their original grinding mechanisms and wooden gears intact. At Mihkli Farm Museum, the reed-thatched buildings contain farming tools, fishing equipment, and household items from the 1800s. The island's villages have limestone walls built without mortar - a building technique passed down through generations.
Transportation Options
While Kuressaare is walkable, you'll need transportation to explore the island. Cycling works well on the flat, paved roads where cars pass infrequently - most roads see less than 50 vehicles per hour. Local buses connect villages like Leisi and Orissaare but run only 3-4 times daily. With a car, you can reach places like Vilsandi National Park at sunrise when moose often graze in the coastal meadows.
Accommodation Choices
In Kuressaare, Georg Ots Spa has indoor and outdoor seawater pools, while Johan Spa's rooms look out to the castle. Outside town, guesthouses like Tollimaja serve breakfast with local bread and cheese. The Pilguse Residency's mirror-walled cabins sit on a 90-hectare farm, and their restaurant serves fish caught by local boats - try their smoked flounder with new potatoes and dill.
