Get To Know The Island Of Saaremaa

This island, located in the Baltic Sea, is the largest in Estonia and the ideal place to spend a few days relaxing, enjoying the kindness of the locals and all those curious and beautiful places that Saaremaa has to offer.

Despite its large size, Saaremaa has barely 40,000 inhabitants, so it is always an extremely quiet and ideal place to spend a few days away from the overwhelming daily life of the big cities.

Its capital is Kuressaare, where most of its inhabitants reside. Kuressaare is a good starting point to get to know the island by car, the main points of the place are interconnected by two-way roads that are in good condition. Do you dare to do this tour with us?

Saaremaa: a charming island

1. Kuressaare Castle

Kuressaare Castle is the main tourist attraction on this beautiful island. This medieval fortress was built at the end of the 14th century with the aim of bringing the Christian religion to the Livonia region.

The castle is in excellent condition, when you visit it you will be able to enjoy all the little details that seem to have stopped in time:  the rooms, kitchens, warehouses, stone carvings and much more. Almost all areas of the castle are free for tourists. However, a ticket must be paid for, which includes a tour of the Saaremaa museum.

2. Angla mills

There are 5 mills that make up this group called “Los Molinos de Angla”. Four of them were built in the late 19th century, the fifth and largest was built in the 1920s.

These mills are preserved in perfect condition, so it is very interesting to know them and visit them inside. Admission is not free, but it is well worth the walk, especially for photography lovers, who will find here the ideal setting to capture their memories in a very artistic way.

3. Muhu Museum

The small town of Koguva, located 17 kilometers from the capital, still retains the appearance of a charming medieval era. It is in Koguva where you can visit the Muhu Museum, located in an old house belonging to the writer Juhan Smuul. In this museum you can learn much more about the culture and folklore of the island.

Saaremaa: craters and sacrifices

4. Kaali Crater

This is another of the great tourist attractions of the island, it is a set of 9 craters that were formed by the collision of several meteorites against Saaremaa Island.

Experts estimate that the collision occurred in the Holocene period and the energy of the impact could be similar to that of the Hiroshima bomb. It is believed that the meteorite broke into several pieces, the largest generated a crater 110 meters in diameter and a depth of 22 meters, currently home to a lake known as Lake Kaali.

The remaining eight craters are considerably smaller, with a diameter ranging between 12 and 40 meters and a depth of between 1 and 4 meters. During the visit you can visit the Kaali Meteoritics and Limestone Museum and learn much more about the impact of this meteorite.

5. Cliff of Panga

Saaremaa is a very flat island, so it is interesting to visit one of its few high points and to be able to observe the waters of the Baltic Sea from there. The Panga cliff is about 20 meters high, the landscape is very beautiful and it is a perfect walk to relax and take beautiful photos.

As an interesting fact, in the highest part of the cliff there is a place where both animal and human sacrifices were made to offer them to the god of the sea. Now the locals usually go up on New Year’s Eve to sing to the gods and thus provide them with many good things in the year to come.

What did you think of this tour of Saaremaa Island? Definitely a corner of Estonia that is not as popular as other resorts but is well worth visiting.