Sights in Southwestern Estonia & The Islands
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Bishop's Castle
Haapsalu's unpolished gem is the 13th-century Bishop's Castle. Today the fortress stands in partial but very picturesque ruins. A turreted tower, most of the outer wall and some of the moat remain. To learn about the castle's history and see some dramatically displayed cassocks and medieval weaponry, don't miss the museum and dome church. The church is actually a Roman-Gothic cathedral, with three inner domes - the largest such structure in the Baltics - and its acoustics are phenomenal.
The cathedral was not strictly Roman Catholic from the start, due to the lukewarm welcome Christianity received in these parts. It was assimilated into the Episcopal stronghold in the sec…
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Saaremaa Regional Museum
Housed in the majestic Kuressaare Castle is the Saaremaa Regional Museum. On the ground floor look for the hüpokaust (hypocaust) on the southwestern side - a furnace that fuelled a medieval central heating system. According to legend, condemned prisoners were dispatched through a small room without a floor near the bishop's chamber, to be received by hungry lions.
Legends also tell of the body of a knight found when a room previously sealed with bricks was uncovered in the 18th century. It is said that, upon discovery, the knight's body dissolved into dust, which has given rise to varying accounts of how the unfortunate captive met his tragic fate.
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Sääre Tirp
Southern Kassari narrows to a promontory with some unusual vegetation and ends in a thin 3km spit of land the tip of which, Sääre Tirp, juts out into the sea. It's a beautiful place for a walk. On the way towards Sääre Tirp you'll pass by a small swimming beach (about 500m past the fork to Orjaku).
You'll also notice a statue of the local hero, Leiger, carrying a boulder on his shoulder. He was a relative of Suur Tõll, Saaremaa's hero. Legend has it that the Sääre Tirp is the result of an aborted bridge he started to build to Saaremaa, to make it easier for Suur Tõll to visit and join in various heroic acts.
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Kõpu Lighthouse
Hiiumaa's best-known landmark is the inland Kõpu lighthouse, the third-oldest, continuously operational lighthouse in the world. A lighthouse has stood on this raised bit of land since 1531, though the present white limestone tower was built in 1845. At 37m high, it can be seen 55km away.
East of here, near the 61km highway mark, is the 1.5km Rebastemäe nature trail, which takes in forest paths along the highest (therefore oldest) parts of the island. You can get more information at the small information booth next door to the restaurant near the lighthouse base.
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Osmussaare
There's a harbour at Dirhami, a few kilometres north of Tuksi, where a knowledgeable captain can take you to Osmussaare, a small island 7.5km from the mainland that was once inhabited by Estonian Swedes. It's known to them as Odensholm, the legendary burial place of the Viking god Oden. The island's cemetery and chapel ruins are reminders of the Swedish presence prior to their forced exodus by the USSR. After they were driven out a Soviet army base was built here in the early 1940s.
The island is uninhabited, so if you plan to camp, bring food and water with you.
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Open-air Museum
Koguva, on the western tip of Muhu, 6km off the road, is an exceptionally well-preserved, old-fashioned island village, now protected as an open-air museum. One ticket allows you to wander through a number of interesting houses: an old schoolhouse, a museum containing beautiful traditional textiles from the area, including the painstakingly detailed folk costumes once worn by the locals in the area. You can also peer into author Juhan Smuul's ancestral home.
Also on the grounds of the village is the handsome modern art gallery and café Koguva Kunstitallis.
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Red Tower
The main thoroughfare of the historic centre is Rüütli tänav, lined with splendid buildings dating back to the 17th century. Just off the main street is the Red Tower, the city's oldest building, which dates from the 15th century. Originally bigger, this was the southeast corner of the medieval town wall, of which nothing more remains. At one stage the tower was used as a prison. Today a small gallery is housed on the top floor, and a craft market fills the courtyard.
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Hiiumaa Museum
Just inland of the main road, a short distance west of the Sääre Tirp fork, is the single-storey Hiiumaa Museum, which was formerly servants' quarters on the Kassari estate. It has a small collection of artefacts and exhibits on Hiiumaa's history and biodiversity. Among the curiosities: the jewel-like prism of the 1874 Tahkuna lighthouse and the stuffed body of the wolf that allegedly terrorised the island in the 1960s.
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Historic Buildings & Churches
The best of Kuressaare's other old buildings are grouped around the central square Keskväljak, notably the town hall (built in 1670), on the eastern side, with a pair of fine stone lions at the door, and the weigh-house (now Vaekoja pub) across from it, both 17th-century baroque. There's a handsome Lutheran Church at the northeast end of Keskväljak and an Orthodox Church (Lossi tänav 8).
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Noarootsi Peninsula
The Noarootsi Peninsula is 2km across the bay from Haapsalu but about 35km by road. Estonian Swedes lived here for several centuries before their exodus in 1944. There's an old church from the Swedish era at Hosby, a fine manor park at Pürksi and views to Haapsalu from the old village of Österby. One daily bus goes between Haapsalu and Österby via Pürksi, taking 1¼ hours.
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Ants Laikmaa House Museum
About 10km east of Haapsalu, and 2km beyond Taebla, is Ants Laikmaa House Museum, in the eclectic house of inexhaustible artist Ants Laikmaa (1866-1942), who walked more than 2600km from Rīga to Düsseldorf in Germany (in six weeks apparently) to study art. His efforts extended to designing and building the house itself. Buses along the Tallinn-Haapsalu road will drop you at Taebla.
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Pärnu New Art Museum
The Pärnu New Art Museum, in the former Communist Party headquarters, is among the cultural highlights in Estonia, and it often features some of the country's most forward-thinking exhibitions. Founded by film maker Mark Soosaar, the centre also hosts an annual film festival. There's a café and art shop near the entrance, and a decapitated Lenin statue out back.
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Historic Centre
The oldest building in the central square, dating from the early 15th century, is the misnamed (it's actually white) and originally bigger Red Tower, once the corner of the medieval town wall. Two blocks west is a fine pair of 17th-century conjoined houses. One block further is the former Town Hall, a classical yellow and white edifice originally built in 1797.
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Vilsandi National Park
Vilsandi, 6km (4mi) long and in places up to 3km (2mi) wide, is a low, wooded island, the largest of 161 covering an area of 18,155ha forming the Vilsandi National Park off Saaremaa's west coast. One of the island's highlights is a working ostrich farm. Early May to mid-June is the best time for visiting - there's a ferry from Papisaare.
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Sőrve Peninsula
Small cliffs rear up along the west coast of the 32km (19mi) southwestern Sõrve Peninsula. This is where the island's magic can really be felt. A bike or car trip along the coastline will expose you to some fabulous views. This sparsely populated strip of land saw some of the heaviest fighting of WWII, and some of the scars remain.
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17th-century conjoined houses
On Pühavaimu tänav, is a pair of large 17th-century conjoined houses, a fascinating example of ambitious early home-renovation efforts. Originally separate residences belonging to a chemist and an eminent city councillor, the buildings received a neoclassicist face-lift in the 1840s before becoming a department store in 1877.
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Süla Talu
In an isolated patch of woods in Oja, this tiny village is a great option. Not only does it have comfortable wood cabins, sauna and home-cooked meals, but it can also boat up to four people to Vilsandi or around the Tagamõisa Peninsula. Staff can offer advice, arrange horse riding and assist with a range of other activities.
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Kuressaare Castle
This is the best preserved castle in the Baltics and the only medieval stone castle in the region that has remained intact. The inside of the castle is a warren of chambers, halls, passages and stairways that will feed anyone's fantasies about Gothic fortresses. It also houses the intriguing Saaremaa Regional Museum.
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Town Hall
The former Town Hall is a yellow and white classical edifice originally built in 1797 as the home of a rich merchant. The grey and white Jugendstil north wing with its little spire was added in 1911.
Across Nikolai from the main Town Hall building there's a half-timbered house dating from 1740.
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Chapel
An enjoyable walk, ride or drive is to a pretty, whitewashed, 18th-century chapel at the east end of Kassari. A sign 'Kassari Kabel 2' directs you down a dirt road from the easternmost point of the island's paved road. A path continues nearly 2km to a small bay in Kassari's northeastern corner.
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Ostrich Farm
The turn-off to the Ostrich Farm is 200m east of the windmill. The quirky owners will give you an earful about these strange creatures and even let you feed them (mind your fingers). A small shop sells feathers, eggs, purses and shoes made from a certain leather.
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Folk Windmill
North of Mustjala along the Ninase Peninsula is one of Saaremaa's kitschier icons. You can't miss the clunky wooden folk windmill, built to resemble a giant man in traditional costume. Sadly, his counterpart, a giant clothed female windmill, burned down in 2004.
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St John's Church
The streets in the area around the castle are the hub of the historic centre - an idyllic setting for a stroll past old wooden houses along leafy streets. Between Kooli tänav and Jaani tänav, east off Lossi plats, is the 16th-century St John's Church.
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Musta Jala Galerii
Heading east from here, you'll pass the town of Mustjala, where you'll find Musta Jala Galerii, an art gallery where you can see colourful works by Navritolla and other Estonian artists. There's a handicrafts shop and a homy café with a garden patio.
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Hullo
Hullo, Vormsi's largest village, lies about 3km west of Sviby. Highlights of the region include the 14th-century church at Hullo, which has a fine baroque pulpit and a collection of old Swedish-style, wheel-shaped crosses in the graveyard.
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