{"id":1768,"date":"2016-01-31T14:21:40","date_gmt":"2016-01-31T14:21:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.traveller.ee\/blog\/?p=1768"},"modified":"2018-08-24T11:27:32","modified_gmt":"2018-08-24T09:27:32","slug":"10-estonian-islands-you-should-visit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/testblog.traveller.ee\/tallinn\/10-estonian-islands-you-should-visit\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Estonian Islands You Should Visit"},"content":{"rendered":"

Estonia has a few islands. Actually more than a few. Not too long ago we would have told you that Estonia has 1521 islands. Respectable number that. But in the summer of 2015 we recounted. Found out that we have all together 2222 islands. Aren’t satellites great? But let’s be honest about this – we count everything that sticks out of water and fits two seagulls on it as an island. Still, the many Estonian islands have their own thing going on, when it comes to culture, history, and nature. Some of our island are easier to get to than others but all of them are worth visiting. Here are ten Estonian islands you should go to listed by size.<\/p>\n

1. Saaremaa \u2013 the One and Only<\/h2>\n

\"11372382_721060731373295_538814864_n(1)\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Photo credit: liinetx<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Size:<\/span><\/strong> 2714 km2<\/sup>, the biggest island<\/p>\n

Population:<\/span><\/strong> 31 756 permanent inhabitants<\/p>\n

Location:<\/strong><\/span> West coast of Estonia, Kuressaare (the main town) is 210 km from Tallinn<\/p>\n

How to get there:<\/span><\/strong> Take a bus from Tallinn (about 4 h); drive to Virtsu port (2 h) + 30 min ferry ride<\/a> + drive for another hour to get to Kuressaare (about 3 hours 30 minutes all); fly into Kuressaare from Tallinn (25 min + time at airport).<\/p>\n

Why go:<\/span><\/strong> Saaremaa in translation means ‘island land’ and that already says something about the place \u2013 this is the<\/i> Estonian island. The history here is very diverse. The island people have always been stubborn and on Saaremaa old grudges die hard. Saaremaa is the only place in Estonia than can claim proper Viking history having been home of<\/span>\u00a0pirates of the Baltic sea for a long time. There is also the friendly rivalry with neighbouring island Hiiumaa that will probably never end and nor will the mistrust of the mainland people. But all of this is part of the island’s people who are happy to have visitors.<\/p>\n

There is much to see and do on Saaremaa, more than can be covered here. Many wars have left their marks here starting from the crusade in 13 century and ending with the two World Wars. To learn more about this most visitors first come to Kuressaare the centre of Saaremaa.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0Kuressaare has an extremely well preserved 14th century Episcopal castle that is also the history museum<\/a>. Starting from here you can explore the whole island: see the old way of life by visiting Mihkli’s farm museum<\/a> and island’s many windmills; hike in bogs, wild life preserves, and by the seaside; and learn about the many battles at the war museum on S\u00f5rve peninsula.<\/p>\n

The best time for visiting Saaremaa is in summer when there are many events going on. And if you’re staying for longer than a few days then check out the spas \u2013 Saaremaa has more spas than any other place in Estonia.<\/p>\n

2. Hiiumaa \u2013 Tour around the Lighthouses<\/h2>\n

\"Hiiumaa-1248\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Photo credit: Kalev K\u00fclaase
\n<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Size:<\/span><\/strong> 989 km\u00b2, second biggest island<\/p>\n

Population:<\/span><\/strong>\u00a09565\u00a0permanent inhabitants<\/p>\n

Location:<\/span><\/strong> West coast of Estonia, K\u00e4rdla is 150 km from Tallinn<\/p>\n

How to get there:<\/span><\/strong> Take a bus (about 4 h), or drive (also about 4 h) (this includes a ferry ride<\/a> of about 1 hour and 30 minutes from Rohuk\u00fcla to Heltermaa), or fly (30 min + time at airport) into K\u00e4rdla.<\/p>\n

Why go:<\/span> <\/strong>Hiiumaa offers great variety both in nature and in historical sites. You can do a circle on the island hitting all the must-see places. Hiiumaa has two awesome lighthouses, Tahkuna and K\u00f5pu \u2013 you can climb up both of them and enjoy the views they offer. Near Tahkuna, if you know where to look, you can find an underground bunker that gives you a glimpse of the Cold War paranoia in Soviet Union \u2013 Hiiumaa was on the Western front of that. On the South side of the island there is Kassari island (officially still an island and it is Estonia’s fifth biggest with its 19,3 km\u00b2) that is in the process of becoming a peninsula \u2013 Hiiumaa like most of the islands is slowly rising from the sea and gaining new land all the time.<\/p>\n

Kassari area is very interesting for its unique nature, like the rest of Hiiumaa \u2013 much of the island is covered in forest and the locals take great advantage of this in summer and autumn by foraging for berries and mushrooms. In the middle of the island there is a true gem \u2013 a desert. Kaibaldi heath<\/a> (the name of the desert) is actually manmade as during the II World War the forest burnt several times and then the cleared area was used by the Soviet army \u2013 the forest retreated and only sand remained. Now, slowly, the forest is creeping back but you can still see this strange place at the heart of the island, you can take our\u00a0Hiiumaa day trip<\/a>\u00a0with one of our awesome guides<\/a>\u00a0to see this and all the other places.<\/p>\n

3. Muhu \u2013 Painted Doors and Peaceful Life<\/h2>\n

\"muhu\"<\/a>
\nPhoto credit: Anu Wintschalek
\n<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Size:<\/span><\/strong> 198 km2<\/sup>, third biggest island<\/p>\n

Population:<\/span><\/strong> 1558 permanent inhabitants<\/p>\n

Location:<\/span><\/strong> West coast of Estonia, 153 km from Tallinn, 65 km from Kuressaare<\/p>\n

How to get there:<\/span><\/strong> Take a bus \u00a0(about 2h 30 min) or drive (about 2h\u20132h30min) from Tallinn, includes a 30-minute ferry ride<\/a> from Virtsu to Kuivastu.<\/p>\n

Why go:<\/span><\/strong> Muhu is almost like a condensed version of all Estonian islands. Here you can find gritty island people with their weird humour and distinct culture from the mainland. Muhu island sometimes gets undeservedly overlooked by people who head straight for Saaremaa. True, to get to Saaremaa you need to cross Muhu, but you should stop on the way, Muhu is more than worth it.<\/p>\n

Look out for the painted colourful doors, an old Muhu tradition; stop at Liiva to check out one of Estonia’s oldest churches St Catherine and try to find the pagan symbols in the church and on the graveyard’s headstones; visit the Koguva village to see how people have lived on the islands for ages \u2013 wood houses, reed roofs, and long winding stone fences.\u00a0Muhu’s traditional clothing deserve a mention of their own. They are more colourful then most others in Estonia \u2013 the yellow skirts, the flowery shoes and gloves, not to mention the hand stitched flowers themselves. There is something happy about just looking at them.<\/p>\n

Muhu is a welcoming island, easy to get to, and one should settle down there for a pint of home beer and some smoked fish. If you want to be fancy (and we do mean super fancy) then on Muhu you can stay at P\u00e4daste manor<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 one of the most luxurious hotels in Estonia with the countries best restaurant Alexander that serves the innovative Nordic Island’s Cuisine.<\/p>\n

4. Vormsi \u2013 Home of the Coastal Swedes<\/h2>\n

\"528430680_ef3b2e4770_o\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Photo credit: Kaimar Karu<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Size:<\/strong><\/span> 93 km2<\/sup>, fourth biggest island<\/p>\n

Population:<\/span><\/strong> 415 permanent inhabitants<\/p>\n

Location:<\/strong><\/span> West coast of Estonia, 123 km from Tallinn<\/p>\n

How to get there:<\/span> <\/strong>drive or take a bus from Tallinn to Rohuk\u00fcla port (1h 30min from Tallinn), ferry across to Vormsi<\/a> (ferry takes about an hour).<\/p>\n

Why go:<\/span> <\/strong>You might not have known this but Estonia used to have a quite substantial Swedish minority. These people who settled on the West coast of Estonia and on many islands came during 13th\u201314th century from Southern Finland and spoke Swedish, they were called the coastal Swedes.<\/p>\n

Vormsi island was almost entirely Swedish speaking until World War II and then in 1943 during the Nazi occupation the coastal Swedes were forced to return to Sweden (after hundreds of years of living overseas). Vormsi was almost completely empty after the war and became a closed off island during the Soviet occupation. Most islands were treated as a closed border area and to go to any of them you needed a special permit or an invitation from a local.<\/p>\n

Today Vormsi is very proud of its heritage. Place names are still old Swedish names and you can learn much about the coastal Swedes on the island. Also, while there, you should visit the 13th century church and its yard where there are Celtic crosses \u2013 unique for Estonia; and the abandoned Russian orthodox church. You can rent a car or a bike on the island for getting around and exploring the rich heritage of the island.<\/p>\n

5. Naissaar \u2013 Here be Mines<\/h2>\n

\"naissaar-ekskursioon-miinilaod_8\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Photo credit: Monica Naissaare puhkusekorraldaja<\/a>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Size:<\/span><\/strong> 18,6 km2<\/sup>, sixth biggest island<\/p>\n

Population:<\/span><\/strong> 3 permanent inhabitants<\/p>\n

Location:<\/span><\/strong> 12 km from Tallinn<\/p>\n

How to get there:<\/span><\/strong> from May to September there is a regular boat connection<\/a> on weekends from Kalasadam in Tallinn, any other time of the year you need to rent a private boat.<\/p>\n

Why go:<\/span><\/strong> Naissaare’s name means “Women’s Island” \u2013 the story goes that in the 11th century a monk from Bremen came to the island and found only women living there (he named the place Terra Feminarum<\/i>). The men were probably off fishing or hunting but the name stuck ever since. These days you will not find only women on the island, in fact you will be hard pressed to find anyone, there’re only three people living there year around. So you are not visiting Naissaare for the company but instead for the rich military history and beautiful nature.<\/p>\n

Naissaare is very close to Tallinn and thus over the years it has been used to protect Tallinn or to threaten it. During the Crimean War (1853\u20131856) Brits and French occupied it. Before the First World War Nicholas\u00a0II the Russian tsar created a massive artillery defence battery, ruins of which can be visited (at your own risk, naturally). During Soviet time the island was closed off, being a sea mine base. Shells of those mines that were built and warehoused on Naissaare can still be found rusting away between the pines.\u00a085% of the island is covered in a thick forest, Naissaare’s forest were first taken under royal protection in 1297 by the Danish king Erik IV and are now a state wilderness preserve. So Naissaare is a prime location for few long historic hikes.<\/p>\n

6. Kihnu \u2013 Women Rule the World<\/h2>\n

\"loplik<\/a><\/p>\n

Photo credit: VisitEstonia<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Size:<\/strong> <\/span>16,4 km\u00b2, seventh biggest island<\/p>\n

Population:<\/span> <\/strong>490 permanent inhabitants<\/p>\n

Location:<\/span><\/strong> Southwest coast of Estonia, 178 km from Tallinn, 44 km from P\u00e4rnu<\/p>\n

How to get there:<\/span><\/strong> Drive down from Tallinn to Munalaiu port (about 2 hours and 30 minutes) and take the ferry<\/a> across to Kihnu (about 1 hour)<\/p>\n

Why go:<\/span><\/strong> On the islands of Estonia women are often the workers and the ones who carry the culture. There is a saying in Estonia “Tough island woman” and nowhere is this more true than on Kihnu. Men went off to fish, to hunt seals, or to work on mainland and one never knew if they were coming back. Women stayed on the island and worked \u2013 doing all the farm work, fishing when needed, and making the handicraft. On Kihnu women have carried the traditions for centuries and they lead the community to this day. Kihnu’s cultural space has been on UNESCO’s List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2003.<\/p>\n

If you want to experience Kihnu you should visit during an event or a holiday when music is to be had \u2013 because the islands folk singing is truly special. Kihnu’s folk clothes are worn daily even now and are brightly coloured and striped, and all home made of course. The handicraft is worth talking about, especially the young women’s tradition of making it together at special gatherings called ‘\u00fclalistmine’ where girls would gather together to knit or do other handicrafts, the young men would come as well to watch them work and try to disturb them by playing music and singing, girls resisted by working hard.<\/p>\n

7. V\u00e4ike and Suur Pakri \u2013 Target Practice<\/h2>\n

\"VaikePakri_Pliikuots1\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Photo credit:\u00a0pakrisaared.ee<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Size:<\/span><\/strong> V\u00e4ike Pakri (12,9 km\u00b2), Suur Pakri (11,6 km\u00b2), eighth and ninth biggest islands in Estonia<\/p>\n

Population:<\/span> <\/strong>none<\/p>\n

Location:<\/span><\/strong> Northwest coast of Estonia, about 60 km from Tallinn<\/p>\n

How to get there:<\/span> <\/strong>Drive to Kurkse port (1 hour), rent a boat\u00a0called Arabella<\/a> (max 11 people) for 200 \u20ac and voila.<\/p>\n

Why go:<\/span><\/strong> Suur and V\u00e4ike Pakri are twin islands with a very interesting history. Ironically V\u00e4ike Pakri (Small Pakri) is bigger than Suur Pakri (Big Pakri) \u2013 whoever named the islands misjudged them by just a little. Technically both island are part of Paldiski city on the mainland but no one lives here, no one but cows that is. The islands are these days home to few hundred cows who are quite wary of strangers when they see them. Pakri islands weren’t always empty. Before World War II over 400 coastal Swedes lived here, but during 1940s they were forced to leave and islands were abandoned.<\/p>\n

During Soviet occupation these two islands had a strange faith \u2013 they were used as target practice. Soviet army would relentlessly bomb the islands testing out fighter planes’ maneuvers and various types of bombs. Some say that they tested rockets that could have been fitted to carry nuclear and biological warheads. People who lived in Paldiski and nearby the coast could see this happening often and no one dared to go on the islands for the fear of unexploded bombs littering the ground. Today the islands are safe to visit \u2013 they have been disarmed of bombs. You can still see craters though where bigger bombs must have fallen. The islands are a wild life preserve and people mostly go there to have a long hike, enjoy the quiet, and startle a few cows<\/a>.<\/p>\n

8. Ruhnu \u2013 Bear and the Maiden Fair<\/h2>\n

\"ruhnutuul05d1888\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Photo credit: PuhkaEestis<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Size:<\/span><\/strong> 11,4 km\u00b2, tenth biggest island<\/p>\n

Population:<\/span><\/strong> 151 permanent inhabitants<\/p>\n

Location:<\/span><\/strong> Southwest coast of Estonia, 225 km from Tallinn, 96 km from P\u00e4rnu and Riga.<\/p>\n

How to get there:<\/span><\/strong> You can fly to Ruhnu from Kuressaare and P\u00e4rnu, in summer there is also a boat connection with Kuressaare and P\u00e4rnu.<\/p>\n

Why go:<\/span> <\/strong>Ruhnu is the furthest island in Estonia you can go to. Ruhnu is closer to Latvian than it is to Estonian mainland (Latvian coast is 37 km away). Yet historically most of the people who lived on the island were Swedes. In 1920 Latvia was interested in claiming Ruhnu as its own, it would have been Latvia’s only island. Estonia couldn’t let that happen and demanded the island to itself (clearly Latvia had no experience with islands).<\/p>\n

Ruhnu is the kind of a place where nothing much happens, life is quiet and steady. The biggest sensation of recent times was when in 2006 a brown bear floated to Ruhnu from Latvia. Since islanders were worried that the bear would attack people professional hunters came to catch the animal and take it back to the mainland. The bear managed to avoid capture and disappeared. Year after this Latvia gifted Ruhnu with a bear again, only this time it was out of chocolate.<\/p>\n

Here’s another fun fact about Ruhnu \u2013 in 1937 there was a beauty contest on the island organised by steamboat Kalevipoeg’s crew. They chose Elizabet Swan as the winner. Clearly the Pirates of the Caribbean was based on a true story! But aside from fun stories Ruhnu also has Estonia’s oldest wooden building \u2013 St Magdalena’s church from 17th century that is certainly worth visiting and a very cool lighthouse from 1877 that was designed in France by Gustave Eiffel himself. Not bad for a little island.<\/p>\n

9. Prangli \u2013 Hunting for Seals<\/h2>\n

\"3750460744_85156e89e4_o\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Photo credit: Allison Richards<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Size:<\/span><\/strong> 6,4 km\u00b2, fourteenth biggest island<\/p>\n

Population:<\/span><\/strong> about a 100 inhabitants<\/p>\n

Location:<\/span> <\/strong>North coast of Estonia<\/p>\n

How to get there:<\/span> <\/strong>30 minute drive from Tallinn to Leppneeme port + 1 hour ferry to the island<\/p>\n

Why go:<\/span> <\/strong>Prangli has about a hundred permanent inhabitants thus they have their own school, doctor, and shop \u2013 all the basics. It’s an idyllic little island with a quiet life, worth a visit just to walk around and take it slow. But this is not the primary reason people come to this island. Prangli offers an unique experience \u2013 seal watching.<\/p>\n

For centuries seal hunting was vital source of livelihood for islanders and people in the coastal villages but as seals became endangered in 20th century hunting them became illegal for a while. These days limited hunting of grey seals is allowed in Estonia but bloodless hunt is the more popular way. Seals are lured to the surface with classical music and as they bob their heads to the tune you can snap pictures of the clever creatures. To find out about various methods of catching seals and the history of Prangli you can visit the island’s museum. Also on Prangli there is a cute little restaurant called RootSu Saare-resto<\/a> open only during summer time.<\/p>\n

10. Aegna \u2013 Tallinn’s Only Island<\/h2>\n

\"14992758329_7243a8ed3f_k\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Photo credit: Anita<\/a>
\n<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Size:<\/span><\/strong> 2,9 km\u00b2, seventeenth biggest island.<\/p>\n

Population:<\/span><\/strong> 2 permanent inhabitants<\/p>\n

Location:<\/span><\/strong> North coast of Estonia, 14 km from Tallinn<\/p>\n

How to get there:<\/span> <\/strong>Take a boat from Kalasadam<\/a> in Tallinn (about an hour long trip) from May until October.<\/p>\n

Why go:<\/span> <\/strong>Aegna might be the smallest island on our list but it has a very interesting history. Aegna, much like Naissaare, is very close to Tallinn. In fact Aegna technically is<\/i> Tallinn, as it’s officially part of the city. In the beginning of the 20th century Russian Empire planned and built large coastal fortification on Aegna \u2013 a part of a huge fortification plan named Peter the Great’s sea fortress. Tsarist Russia, Estonian Republic, and Soviet Union all planned and built fortifications on the island, it all went on until early 50s. By 1960 it was decided that the island would not be used for military purposes (yes, just like that) and in 1961 civilians were allowed back on Aegna.<\/p>\n

Various military related sights are all abandoned now, there is an officer’s clubhouse and casino with window’s bashed in, the huge base of an artillery cannon rusting slowly, and sea fortress’ ammunition laboratory rotting away. But you can also find on Aegna a piece of ancient Estonia \u2013 there is a stone labyrinth. It’s apparently very hard to accurately date the labyrinth but it is estimated to be created sometime between 12th and 16th century by coastal Swedes. You can walk through the labyrinth, it’s not very big. Aegna is a cool place to go to in summer when you are bored with Tallinn but not inclined to go far.<\/p>\n

Cover photo credit: Anita\u00a0<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Have you been to any of these islands? Which island is your favourite one? Let us know in the comments!<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Estonia has a few islands. Actually more than a few. Not too long ago we would have told you that Estonia has 1521 islands. Respectable number that. But in the summer of 2015 we recounted. Found out that we have all together 2222 islands. Aren’t satellites great? But let’s be honest about this – we …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":1821,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[87,16,81,78,85,82,83,91,88,86,80,90,79,60,89,84],"class_list":["post-1768","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tallinn","tag-aegna","tag-estonia","tag-hiiumaa","tag-island","tag-kihnu","tag-muhu","tag-muhumaa","tag-naissaar","tag-prangli","tag-ruhnu","tag-saaremaa","tag-suur-pakri","tag-traditional","tag-travel","tag-vaike-pakri","tag-vormsi","entry","clearfix"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/testblog.traveller.ee\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1768","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/testblog.traveller.ee\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/testblog.traveller.ee\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testblog.traveller.ee\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testblog.traveller.ee\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1768"}],"version-history":[{"count":38,"href":"https:\/\/testblog.traveller.ee\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1768\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2714,"href":"https:\/\/testblog.traveller.ee\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1768\/revisions\/2714"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testblog.traveller.ee\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1821"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/testblog.traveller.ee\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1768"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testblog.traveller.ee\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1768"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testblog.traveller.ee\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1768"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}