The name with too many "a" - Saaremaa - sounds like yawning. But, being the largest Estonian island the name it combines the words Saar - "island" and maa - "country" - literally "isle's land" - thus reflecting the way it was perceived by ancient Estonians: island-country.
But of course since we are talking about an island, there should be a way to get there. Saaremaa is connected by causeway, the Väinatamm, to the neighboring island Muhu. While Muhu is linked by ferry to Virtsu port in the mainland.
Muhu island is separated from mainland by the Suur Väin (Moonsund or Large Strait) and from Saaremaa by the Väike Väin (Small Strait). The Large Strait is only 7km wide so why not to make a causeway connecting it to mainland, too? Well, building a bridge to Muhu has been an ongoing debate for decades with ferry owners and ecologists (disputing that the bridge will damage eco-system) constantly opposing its construction.
In winter an ice road connects the island to the mainland.
We took one of the early ferries at 6:45am as during the summertime they tend to be crowded with waiting time lasting 4-5 hours. The lines reach their peak for the Midsummer day (June 23 to 24) when the ferries operated till 3am in order to transport all the buses, people and cars to the island. Rumor has it, the waiting can be as long as 8 hours so some leave the cars on nearby parking lot and continue afoot.
To check the timetables and buy your tickets online, visit the ferry company website and choose Virtsu-Kuivastu from drop-down menu.
While waiting for the ferry we spotted a cute seagull guarding its nest.
But of course since we are talking about an island, there should be a way to get there. Saaremaa is connected by causeway, the Väinatamm, to the neighboring island Muhu. While Muhu is linked by ferry to Virtsu port in the mainland.
Muhu island is separated from mainland by the Suur Väin (Moonsund or Large Strait) and from Saaremaa by the Väike Väin (Small Strait). The Large Strait is only 7km wide so why not to make a causeway connecting it to mainland, too? Well, building a bridge to Muhu has been an ongoing debate for decades with ferry owners and ecologists (disputing that the bridge will damage eco-system) constantly opposing its construction.
In winter an ice road connects the island to the mainland.
We took one of the early ferries at 6:45am as during the summertime they tend to be crowded with waiting time lasting 4-5 hours. The lines reach their peak for the Midsummer day (June 23 to 24) when the ferries operated till 3am in order to transport all the buses, people and cars to the island. Rumor has it, the waiting can be as long as 8 hours so some leave the cars on nearby parking lot and continue afoot.
To check the timetables and buy your tickets online, visit the ferry company website and choose Virtsu-Kuivastu from drop-down menu.
While waiting for the ferry we spotted a cute seagull guarding its nest.
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| Seagull guarding its nest at Virtsu sadam |
The boarding process is smooth, efficient and so well organized that by the time you leave your car on the car deck, take stairs or elevator up to salon deck, the captain already makes departure announcement. The ride lasts 25 minutes so you barely have time to grab a bowl of soup from the buffet and enjoy the sunrise when the arrival announcement is made.
The gangway is lowered the caravan of cars, bikes, buses and trucks crawls out - first slowly, then gradually gaining speed and disappearing on the horizon. And soon we are driving by the sleeping island of Muhu.
Muhu is famous as the spot where the Estonian Crusade ended. Yes, there was an Estonian Crusade, back in 1227, when Livonian Brothers of Sword with Letts, Germans and Livonians came to bring Christianity to one of the last pagan nations of Europe. Soon the last stronghold of pagans reduced to the island of Saaremaa. But when the winter came the knights crossed the sea on ice. Estonian surrendered here, on the island of Muhu and thus the Crusade ended.
Nowadays, the islands are not pagan anymore and to ensure it Catharina kirik (Catherine's church) was built atop a pagan worship site. The church is located in Liiva, in the center of the island and is one of the main attractions of Muhu. The church also boasts ancient frescoes depicting the Apostles dating back to the 13th century, then covered with the level of plaster during the Swedish rule after the Reformation and uncovered at the end of the 20th century. However we were never able to catch its opening times so if you do - please let us know.
The gangway is lowered the caravan of cars, bikes, buses and trucks crawls out - first slowly, then gradually gaining speed and disappearing on the horizon. And soon we are driving by the sleeping island of Muhu.
Muhu is famous as the spot where the Estonian Crusade ended. Yes, there was an Estonian Crusade, back in 1227, when Livonian Brothers of Sword with Letts, Germans and Livonians came to bring Christianity to one of the last pagan nations of Europe. Soon the last stronghold of pagans reduced to the island of Saaremaa. But when the winter came the knights crossed the sea on ice. Estonian surrendered here, on the island of Muhu and thus the Crusade ended.
Nowadays, the islands are not pagan anymore and to ensure it Catharina kirik (Catherine's church) was built atop a pagan worship site. The church is located in Liiva, in the center of the island and is one of the main attractions of Muhu. The church also boasts ancient frescoes depicting the Apostles dating back to the 13th century, then covered with the level of plaster during the Swedish rule after the Reformation and uncovered at the end of the 20th century. However we were never able to catch its opening times so if you do - please let us know.
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| A distinct feature of Saaremaa and Estonia are fences made of rocks collected from fields: Estonia was on the way of the last glacier and while receding it left a lot of rocks and boulders. |
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| Ancient tombstones at Catharina kirik yard |
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| Catharina kirik on Muhu |
From Liiva we kept driving by the main road to Kuressaare, the island capital. Do not miss a brown arrow pointing at Angla tuulikud - Muhu is also famous for having the only still-working windmills (tuulikud) in the whole country of Estonia, located in the village of Angla.
Then we crossed Väike Väin by causeway and entered Saaremaa.
From our previous visits we knew about a tiny village of Nasva, located just a few kilometers off Kuressare. These extra kilometers drop the prices down (compared to posh SPAs in the city center), yet leaves you close to all the island attractions.
At Nasva we stayed at the local port, probably former harbor master's house: located right by the river side, with wooden tables and benches, grill and even sauna - all overlooking the river Nasva.
From our previous visits we knew about a tiny village of Nasva, located just a few kilometers off Kuressare. These extra kilometers drop the prices down (compared to posh SPAs in the city center), yet leaves you close to all the island attractions.
At Nasva we stayed at the local port, probably former harbor master's house: located right by the river side, with wooden tables and benches, grill and even sauna - all overlooking the river Nasva.
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| At Nasva |
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| View from our porch |
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| View from our porch |
After we settled in Nasva, we set off to discover Kuressare - the island capital and most visited city.
Kuressaare is the modern city name. The historic name was Arensburg (from Middle High German eagle, raptor), had to do with the eagle being the symbol of Saint John the Evangelist - both eagle and the castle are depicted on its coat of arms
The name was replaced by Kuressaare (probably from Estonian kurg: crane) in 1918 after Estonia had declared its independence from Bolshevist Russia.
Under Soviet rule from 1952 to 1988 the town got its third name - Kingissepa after the Bolshevik Kuressaare-native Viktor Kingissepp killed in 1922 - his sculptures also ended their days on Communist sculpture cemetery behind Maarjamäe castle. Do not confuse it with modern-days Russian town Kingisepp (formerly Jamburg) - the first big city on the way from Tallinn to St. Petersburg.
Nowadays, the bishops's castle built in 13 -14th century is the main tourist attraction but also a cultural spot where concerts and chamber music recitals are held in summer. The castle is beautifully placed on an artificial island.
However as we had visited many castles - Trakai castle in Lithuania being a good example - we wanted to emerge into nature and did not stay long in the city.
We headed over to Sõrve Peninsula (Estonian: Sõrve poolsaar) - a peninsula which forms the southernmost section of Saaremaa, 32 km long with maximum width of 10 km. On its very tip there is a lighthouse.
The current lighthouse on Sõrve säär (tip of Sõrve) is a cylindrical concrete tower built in 1960 to replace a square stone lighthouse built in 1770 and subsequently destroyed during the fighting between the Russians and the Germans in 1944 during World War II.
Of course, such a location was perfect for military men (no wonder the islands were declared "border zone" during the Communist times so only people with special permits could enter).
Nowadays they say one can still stumble upon a war mine in a forest and every spring as the ice breaks more water mines emerge. There is even a military museum on Sõrve with all mines exhibited. One can also visit commanding post Sõrve patarei peapunkt - and battery - Sõrve patarei so if you are interested in military objects, here you have an opportunity to walk on former Soviet defense structures.
Just minutes ago, on the peninsula it was sunny but as we started driving back along its northern shore we found ourselves in such thick fog that melted land and sky dissolving the horizon.
The Sõrve peninsula is also known for its unique and special natural attractions. Many rare species of birds, flowers and insects can be found throughout Sõrve. Among them is Dactylorhiza baltica - Estonian orchid.
As we drove along we could not help but notice Flat Rock Beach: a pebbly beach where people stop and make towers of flat rocks. Anyone can stop here and build his own tower...
...or even an arch.
It is amazing that no one destroys this masterpieces but time...
This unusual place with thick fog inspired me to make an artistic version of Flat Rocks Beach.
The fog and the rocks were so appealing that one could not help but grab a camera and start shooting.
Our friend photographer Alexander Kladov was even brave enough to put on fishing rubber overall and plunge in the sea along with his tripod.
Soon he disappeared in the fog.
Luckily he came back: we did not want to lose a friend and face an international diplomatic scandal at the same time :)
Soon he was out but the beach still had plenty rocks to make your towers of.
A cool spot to update your social status, isn't it?
Soon we arrived to Ohessaare: we knew there was a small coffee shop located next to a windmill - tuulik. Coffe shop home-made bread, syrup, pickles, desserts (we especially recommend a delicious lime-green cake!), as well as accommodation inside the windmill. Even though there is no bathroom, its beautiful location right on the coast and exotic two-levels room right inside the windmill could make up for this incovenience. More information on Ohessaare windmill website.
Unique Saaremaa climate makes even flowers that can be found in other parts of Estonian grow in abundance.
Narrow bumpy roads brought us to Harilaid on the North-Western tip of the island. It is another narrow peninsula declared National park with sandy beaches on both sides. The landscape reminded us of sandy dunes of Kuronian Spit in Lithuania.
Driving back we made a stop at Virve sadam - do not be alarmed if you see the word "sadam" on the road signs, it only means "port" in Estonian.
The last stop before we headed back to ferry was at Panga pank - Panga cliff (also called Mustjala cliff) - on the Northern coast of the island. It is the highest of the Saaremaa and Muhu cliffs, reaching a height of 20 meters.
The entire cliff is approximately 2.5 km long, but next to Panga village there is a well-equipped viewpoint not only offering great views but also locally smoked freshly-caught fish and local draft beer - cloudy, but delicious.
From Panga we headed straight to causeway leading to Muhu. We only had one stop before embarking on the ferry - at the ancient village of Koguva on Muhu island... Make sure you read part II!
Kuressaare is the modern city name. The historic name was Arensburg (from Middle High German eagle, raptor), had to do with the eagle being the symbol of Saint John the Evangelist - both eagle and the castle are depicted on its coat of arms
The name was replaced by Kuressaare (probably from Estonian kurg: crane) in 1918 after Estonia had declared its independence from Bolshevist Russia.
Under Soviet rule from 1952 to 1988 the town got its third name - Kingissepa after the Bolshevik Kuressaare-native Viktor Kingissepp killed in 1922 - his sculptures also ended their days on Communist sculpture cemetery behind Maarjamäe castle. Do not confuse it with modern-days Russian town Kingisepp (formerly Jamburg) - the first big city on the way from Tallinn to St. Petersburg.
Nowadays, the bishops's castle built in 13 -14th century is the main tourist attraction but also a cultural spot where concerts and chamber music recitals are held in summer. The castle is beautifully placed on an artificial island.
However as we had visited many castles - Trakai castle in Lithuania being a good example - we wanted to emerge into nature and did not stay long in the city.
We headed over to Sõrve Peninsula (Estonian: Sõrve poolsaar) - a peninsula which forms the southernmost section of Saaremaa, 32 km long with maximum width of 10 km. On its very tip there is a lighthouse.
 |
| Sõrve lighthouse |
The current lighthouse on Sõrve säär (tip of Sõrve) is a cylindrical concrete tower built in 1960 to replace a square stone lighthouse built in 1770 and subsequently destroyed during the fighting between the Russians and the Germans in 1944 during World War II.
 |
| Sõrve lighthouse |
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| On the southernmost point of Saaremaa. |
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| Fishing schooner at Sõrve peninsula |
Of course, such a location was perfect for military men (no wonder the islands were declared "border zone" during the Communist times so only people with special permits could enter).
Nowadays they say one can still stumble upon a war mine in a forest and every spring as the ice breaks more water mines emerge. There is even a military museum on Sõrve with all mines exhibited. One can also visit commanding post Sõrve patarei peapunkt - and battery - Sõrve patarei so if you are interested in military objects, here you have an opportunity to walk on former Soviet defense structures.
Just minutes ago, on the peninsula it was sunny but as we started driving back along its northern shore we found ourselves in such thick fog that melted land and sky dissolving the horizon.
The Sõrve peninsula is also known for its unique and special natural attractions. Many rare species of birds, flowers and insects can be found throughout Sõrve. Among them is Dactylorhiza baltica - Estonian orchid.
 |
| Dactylorhiza baltica - Estonian orchid |
 |
| Sõrve peninsula: bog in the fog |
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| Sõrve peninsula: bog in the fog |
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| Sõrve peninsula: bog in the fog |
As we drove along we could not help but notice Flat Rock Beach: a pebbly beach where people stop and make towers of flat rocks. Anyone can stop here and build his own tower...
...or even an arch.
It is amazing that no one destroys this masterpieces but time...
This unusual place with thick fog inspired me to make an artistic version of Flat Rocks Beach.
The fog and the rocks were so appealing that one could not help but grab a camera and start shooting.
Our friend photographer Alexander Kladov was even brave enough to put on fishing rubber overall and plunge in the sea along with his tripod.
Soon he disappeared in the fog.
Luckily he came back: we did not want to lose a friend and face an international diplomatic scandal at the same time :)
Soon he was out but the beach still had plenty rocks to make your towers of.
A cool spot to update your social status, isn't it?
Soon we arrived to Ohessaare: we knew there was a small coffee shop located next to a windmill - tuulik. Coffe shop home-made bread, syrup, pickles, desserts (we especially recommend a delicious lime-green cake!), as well as accommodation inside the windmill. Even though there is no bathroom, its beautiful location right on the coast and exotic two-levels room right inside the windmill could make up for this incovenience. More information on Ohessaare windmill website.
 |
| Another material used to make fences on Saaremaa is fishing net |
Unique Saaremaa climate makes even flowers that can be found in other parts of Estonian grow in abundance.
Narrow bumpy roads brought us to Harilaid on the North-Western tip of the island. It is another narrow peninsula declared National park with sandy beaches on both sides. The landscape reminded us of sandy dunes of Kuronian Spit in Lithuania.
Driving back we made a stop at Virve sadam - do not be alarmed if you see the word "sadam" on the road signs, it only means "port" in Estonian.
 |
| At Virve port |
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| At Virve port |
The last stop before we headed back to ferry was at Panga pank - Panga cliff (also called Mustjala cliff) - on the Northern coast of the island. It is the highest of the Saaremaa and Muhu cliffs, reaching a height of 20 meters.
The entire cliff is approximately 2.5 km long, but next to Panga village there is a well-equipped viewpoint not only offering great views but also locally smoked freshly-caught fish and local draft beer - cloudy, but delicious.
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| At Panga cliff |
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| Forest at Panga cliff |
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