West Estonian Islands - A Bygone Era

The main village of Kuressaare is the hub of island life and has a relaxed buzz about it. The buildings are somewhat faded, but this adds to the charm. The main highlight of Kurressare is the medieval castle and moat, amongst the best preserved in the Baltics. Otherwise, there is a small, clean beach to the east of the castle, although there are plenty of more secluded coves around the island. Out of the village, there are roadside windmills at Angla, a meteorite crater at Kali, and lots of empty, open space, especially on the isolated Sorve peninsula.

Quick Tips:

To really enjoy the charms of Saaremaa, get out of Kuressarre and enjoy the rural side of island life. There is plenty space on Saaremaa, and it doesn't appear to be overrun by foreign tourists—most visitors seem to be Estonians intent on soul-searching or getting closer to nature.

Best Way To Get Around:

Kurressare is small enough to explore on foot. However, public transport is very limited on the island, and a rented car is vital if you wish to see what the island has to offer in a short space of time. Off the main road, most routes are on unpaved roads, so distances can appear considerably longer. We managed to rent a car for about €30 per day from Repo Hotel (see review).

If you are after somewhere in the budget bracket in Kuressaare, then look no further than Repo. Whilst island hotels are not up to the standards of their city counterparts, this is reflected in the price (although we did get a clean room with sauna for less than $50 per night). Repo is basic but adequate, and whilst there are no airs and graces, it has a family-run feel to it and very friendly service. We also rented a car from the hotel for around €30 per day, which was actuallly cheaper than the original price we were quoted. It is also possible to make a reservation over the Internet at repo@saaremaa.ee. If you you want value for money, then it's well worth a visit. The hotel also offers beauty treatments.

Location, location, location—Hotel Lossi has it all. This stunning late-19th-century hotel has a beautiful setting—where else can you lie in bed in sumptuous surroundings looking on to a medieval castle? If you don't believe me, have a look at my photo taken from bed!!

Lossi is probably the priciest hotel in town, but by U.K. standards is still relatively cheap. However, nothing is left to chance, and service is impeccable. Kuressaare is very quiet in nightlife, but Lossi is ideally located so that you can spend an evening strolling through the castle grounds, boating in the substantial moat (which the hotel overlooks), or enjoying one of the open-air concerts in the castle courtyard.

Jarve is a pleasant shingle/sand beach surrounded by pine forest a few miles along the road from Kurressare. It's a welcome relief from the more popular beach in Kurressare. To be honest, there is absolutely nothing to do here, but if you are after a little solitude, you may well have the beach to yourself. The water is also clean enough to swim in and was surprisingly warm. We were pleasantly surprised by Estonian summer temperatures, and during the week we spent in the country, it was always above 30˚C—very nice!

If you fancy a quiet afternoon then this is a nice spot worth a visit. You will probably need a car though as the crater is off the main road and public transport frequency would probably require this to be a whole day visit.........and other than the crater, there's not too much to occupy you for a whole day. The crater is signposted from the main road.

The crater itself is more of a curiosity rather than a major site but it is very accessible. Apparently the crater was created 2700 years ago and is in fact a cluster of several small craters scattered over the Estonian countryside. The largest crater is about 100m in diameter and is filled with water.

Scandinavian legend has it that this is the sun's grave and because the sun chose to be buried here, it blessed the Estonian people.

Don't expect to be stunned, but it is an attractive spot, very accessible, and in the Northern Hemisphere, relatively unique.

During our 2 days on the island of Saaremaa we travelled quite extensively and really felt like we were discovering somewhere new. International tourism is relatively unknown and most places were very surprised to see to Scots on their turf. This made the journey more special, especially when exploring the rural backwaters.

To the North of Saaremaa lies a group of small villages - Triigi, Angla, Karja and Tuhkana - which are totally unspoilt by tourism. The only reason to go there is to see a small cluster of windmills which stand at the roadside. You almost feel as though you have been transported back to a time before the industrial revolution. Given that Estonian summers, although short, can be very warm - 30C - this is a great picnic spot to relax for a few hours and enjoy the fresh, unpolluted air or laze in the shade of a disused windmill.