An exciting journey awaits everyone - an excursion tour around the big island Estonia Hiuma. We will see ancient churches and windmills, visit a noble estate and a peasant farm, climb a real lighthouse, get acquainted with the culture of the local residents and enjoy the modest charm of the Baltic nature. The island of Hiiumaa is full of unique charm and preserves the heritage of past centuries.

We invite you to our four-day excursion tour in Estonia, visit the picturesque island of Hiiuma. The island of Hiiuma (German: Dago) is the second largest island in Estonia, with an area of ​​just under 1000 sq km. The island has an eventful history; it belonged to Sweden from 1563 to 1721 and is still an important center of Swedish culture in Estonia.

Tour program:

Departure from St. Petersburg

• Departure from metro station "Vosstaniya Square"(Ligovsky pr., 30, near the Galereya shopping center) at 06.20
• from metro station Baltic at 7.00

• 1 day
• Moving to Ivangorod.
• Passing border formalities.
• Transfer to Haapsalu.
• Breakfast.
  (additional charge)
• City Tour.
  Haapsalu is a wonderful resort town that certainly charms its guests: very small, but very cozy and hospitable. There is a medieval bishop's castle, several museums, an 18th-century town hall, a Lutheran and orthodox church, Kurhaus, and a promenade along which you should definitely take a stroll.
• Visit to the Museum of Coastal Swedes.
  Estonian Swedes have lived on Estonia's northwest coast and islands for more than 1,000 years, according to various sources. Many institutions and societies are now involved in preserving the culture of Estonian Swedes. One such place is the Rannarootsi Museum in Haapsalu, officially opened in 2002 by the Swedish royal couple. The museum houses a 20-meter hand-embroidered painting depicting the history and lifestyle of Estonian Swedes.
  (additional charge)
• Hotel accommodation.
• Free time.
• Day 2
• Breakfast in the hotel.
• Transfer to the port of Rohukula.
• Boarding the ferry and traveling to the island of Hiiumaa.
• Excursion to Kassari Island.
  We will see the picturesque ruins of the Church of St. Martin, built in the 16th century, and the Kassari Chapel - the only one operating on the island. Its harsh stone walls and high tower with a wooden roof they seem quite impressive on Kassari, where there are so few buildings. It is no coincidence that this temple is considered an object cultural heritage Estonia. Some representatives of the Stackelberg family are buried under its walls. A significant period of the island's history is associated with this genus. At the crossroads we will see one of windmills and a monument to the giant Leiger, who, according to legend, lived on this island. It is also associated with one of the most beautiful places on the island - Cape Sääre Tirp, from which a long rocky spit stretches.
• A walk along the seashore and the Sääre Tirp spit awaits you, which will take about 1.5 hours: a real juniper valley will give you the opportunity to get an excellent aromatherapy session - walking to the very end of the spit and taking part in one important island tradition is a matter of honor for every guest of Hiiumaa.
• Transfer to Kardla.
• Hotel accommodation.
• Day 3
• Breakfast in the hotel.
• Visit to the Suuremoisa estate.
  The history of the estate is connected with three noble Swedish families, who once owned the entire island. The manor house is surrounded by an English park. Nearby we will see the Church of St. Lawrence of the 13th century - this is one of the oldest churches on the island, built by German knights. The owners of the Suuremoisa estate are also buried there.
• Excursion around the island.
  You will be able to get acquainted with the life of local residents on a real 19th-century farmstead, where almost all the buildings have been preserved.
  We will also get acquainted with the “smallest county capital” - the only city on the island, Kärdla, which dates back to Viking times. Thanks to the picturesque nature, beautiful parks and the charming island architecture, Kärdla has become a wonderful holiday destination. The settlement of Reigi is also connected with Swedish history, where people who speak the Old Swedish language still live. There is also the estate of the Ungern-Sternbergs, an old Baltic noble family who served first the Swedish and then the Russian monarchs.
• The Long House Museum in Kärdla is the main museum of the island,
  which is popularly called the “Long House” (this is the longest wooden building in the city of Kärdla, more than 60 meters long). The building was built in the 1830s as a residence for the directors of a cloth factory. Along with the history of the development of the city and the factory, the exhibition allows you to get acquainted with the residential buildings of ordinary factory workers. The museum contains the history of not only the factory, but the city and the island.
• Visit to Kõpu and Tahkun lighthouses.
  A separate point of the Hiiumaa program is visiting the lighthouses. Lighthouses themselves are always impressive. At the northern tip of the island, on the shore there is a white giant, the Tahkuna lighthouse with a height of 39.6 m. The light of the lighthouse is visible for 18 nautical miles. The lighthouse was acquired by the Russian government in 1871 at an exhibition in Paris, and in 1875 it went into operation. Next to the lighthouse on the seashore there is a monument of grief and sadness, in memory of the dead children from the ferry Estonia. This is a bell with children's faces.
• Return to the hotel.
• 4 day
• Breakfast in the hotel.
• Transfer to the port of Heltermaa.
• Ferry crossing to Rohukula.
• Transfer to Matsalu Park.
• Walk through the national park.
  Läänemaa, the westernmost county of mainland Estonia, is a real gateway to the islands – beautiful place holiday for absolutely everyone. National Park Matsalu is 48,610 hectares of protected area, which includes Matsalu Bay, the Kasari River delta, surrounded by picturesque lowlands, coastal meadows, reed thickets and about 50 sea ​​islands. The park has several nature trails and seven bird watching towers; Matsalu is one of the most important European waterfowl nesting areas and stopover areas during seasonal migration.
• Moving to St. Petersburg.

Attention:

• For participation in this round You must have a valid visa and health insurance.
• To participate in tours to the Republic of Belarus, Armenia, Georgia, Uzbekistan, Turkey, Moldova and Mongolia, a visa is not required.
• The tour program does not include visits to water parks, shopping malls and fish shops.
• In late autumn, winter, early spring, due to the short daylight hours, visiting some of the objects stated in the program may take place in the dark.
• The organizer is not responsible for queues at border checkpoints, delays in transit associated with customs, border and other official formalities, weather conditions, as well as traffic jams.
• If weather on the route may threaten the safety of tourists (heavy snowfalls, low/high air temperatures, mudflows, rainstorms, floods, forest fires, smog, etc.), the organizer reserves the right to unilaterally change the tour program: replace one object with another, and if replacement is impossible, exclude objects from the program.
• Seats on the bus are allocated by the organizer as the group is recruited.

There is something endlessly intriguing about small islands, a completely different life than on the mainland lands that seem to be very close to them. And we just can’t, and aren’t trying, to overcome this charm, and we go to the islands Baltic Sea over and over again, fortunately, there are many of these islands, and you don’t even have to repeat yourself too much. We were in Estonian Saaremaa several years ago, young and childless, with good friends. Last year, other good friends revealed their beloved Åland Islands to us. This year we returned to Saaremaa and went to another tiny island, Hiiumaa.
Every day there are two ferries from Saaremaa to Hiiumaa, morning and evening, the ride is about an hour, the ferry schedule can be found, tickets were sold directly on the ferry and cost about 10 euros for two adults and a car.
I remember when I first came to Estonia with a school friend, we crossed the border on foot, and once in Narva, he said something like “now let’s exhale and walk calmly and not in a hurry, we are in a quiet little country.” In Narva and even in Tallinn, everything really seems very calm and measured compared to our metropolis. In Saaaremaa, Tallinn and the whole of mainland Estonia begins to be perceived as bustling, loud, and full of people. It seems that it simply cannot be quieter and more deserted. Well, maybe in Hiiumaa. Ten cars that arrived by ferry instantly scatter across the 990 square kilometers of the island, the roads are empty, and judging by the reaction of local residents, it seems that ours is the first car here in a week, although it is clear that this is not the case.
Our first stop is the ruins of the church in the village of Kaina, a 15-16th century Gothic church that burned down during the Second World War. This is the largest church on the island; it could accommodate 600 people (and in total there are about 9,000 people living on the island!).

A hole in the wall leads to a ladder that can be used to climb up to the choir loft. Dad and Vladik climbed up, I looked at it from below.

And leaving the church into the surrounding park, we met a fox! However, she ran away before I had time to photograph her. From the post office in Kaina we sent postcards to friends, some of them arrived, some took two months on the road.

Then we went to the northernmost point of the island, the Tahkuna lighthouse, built at the Eiffel factory, where the tower is :). Its height is quite small, 50 meters.

Entrance to the lighthouse is conditionally paid, maybe two euros, the keeper is a cheerful old man, joyfully greeting visitors and handing out candy to children after they have overcome the ascent and descent. Which, by the way, Vladik did completely on his own. Proofpicks:

We climbed in!

Views from above of the sea and the forests of Hiiumaa.

Vladik swings on a swing on the lower floor of the lighthouse.

We wanted to eat the lunch we had taken with us on the pebbles near the lighthouse, but while we were descending, it became like this.

It started to rain and we had to eat in the car. After lunch, we went around the island further, along this road:

While I was taking this photo and helping myself to blueberries, Vladik and dad went deeper into the forest for half an hour and returned with Vladik’s bucket full of porcini mushrooms. We then ate them for dinner. And then we got to the Kõpu lighthouse.

Kõpu Lighthouse is one of the oldest surviving lighthouses in the world, built in the mid-16th century on the initiative of Hanseatic sailors. The lighthouse itself is not high, 36 meters, but since it is located on the highest point of the island, its light is visible from a distance of 46 km (versus 33 km for the higher Tahkun). I was surprised how far it really is from the sea:

Initially, the tower was solid, and one climbed up a wooden staircase installed along one of the walls! It was only in the 19th century that a staircase was built into the tower, which is still in use today. Compared to this climb, the climb up Tahkuna was very easy!

Happy that the stairs finally ended, dad and Vladik ran around the lighthouse site several times.

Inside the tower at the top of the stairs there is a very interesting exhibition telling about the history of the construction of lighthouses on the Baltic Sea, with photographs and the current state of each of them. Near the lighthouse there is a small cafe (almost the only one on the island), but it’s more of a “drink coffee” rather than “eat something” kind of cafe.
And then we took a slightly roundabout road to look at more of the island and went back to the ferry. In general, there is still something to see in Hiiumaa - a couple of beautiful churches, a farm museum, nature trails... To be honest, what we saw was enough for us, and Vladik plays the lighthouses that shine in the sea and help ships keep their course still.

TALLINN, April 1 – Sputnik. On Sunday, April 1, capacity restrictions were introduced for regular Rohuküla-Heltermaa ferries (mainland - Hiiumaa island), all transport benefits and e-ticket benefits were canceled, and a general queue procedure was in effect. This was reported by the portal praamid.ee, which informs both about the situation at sea in the area of ​​the ports connecting the mainland with the islands of Hiiumaa and Saaremaa, as well as about the occupancy of ferries and loading conditions Vehicle and boarding passengers.

The introduction of restrictions is explained by the drop in sea level in the ferry crossing area to critical levels. This message is not an April Fool's joke, since the drop in sea level and the possible introduction of restrictions has been reported since March 31, with reference to the latest data from the TUT Institute of Marine Systems.

The ferry company TS Liinid apologized for the inconvenience caused. To avoid loading problems, it is recommended to plan to travel to the mainland from the island on Monday, April 2, or to cross on ferries on foot without vehicles.

It is also emphasized that police, ambulance and rescue vehicles, as well as postal service vehicles, regular buses, vehicles transporting people with disabilities or deceased, as well as cars with diplomatic license plates.

Ferry services have been disrupted several times in the past few months due to falling water levels in the Rukki Canal near Haapsalu, through which ships sail to Hiiumaa. Residents of Hiiumaa are confident that the reason for the interruptions in ferry service was not the weather, but irresponsibility and negligence. According to one of the initiators of the petition, member of the opposition Reform Party Peep Lillemägi, new ferries were ordered for a hundred million euros, but the problems remained the same.

In turn, Minister Simson said that the crisis with the ferry service between the island and the mainland was the fault of the former Minister of Economy, reformist Kristen Michal, who abandoned dredging work in the Rukki Canal two years ago.

In Soviet times, it was possible to get to the island of Saaremaa only with special passes issued by the border service. Now, 30 years later, it is open to everyone. From Tallinn to Kuressaare, the main and only city of the island of Saaremaa, 221 kilometers. There are four ways to overcome them.

Bus.

The Tallinn bus station was completely renovated in 2012.

The most popular way to get to the island.
The bus service between Tallinn and the islands is excellent and Saaremaa is, of course, no exception. Buses from Central Station Tallinn departs for the island almost every hour.
The station is located at Lastekodu 46. It is very easy to get to it, as there is a street next to it. a large number of public transport. Buses No. 17, 23, 47, 54 stop on Juhkentali Street (Juhkentali, 48). Trams No. 2 and 4, as well as buses No. 2, 15, 39, stop on Tartu Highway (Tartu maantee 58).
From the airport to the bus station there is bus No. 2. From railway station you need to take tram number 2. You can even walk to it from the Old Town. From Viru Gate it takes 15-20 minutes to walk. More detailed routes can be found here. https://routes.one/en
The station is open from five in the morning until one in the morning. Tickets go on sale from 7-00 to 20-00.
The number of flights to Saaremaa varies depending on the day of the week. The busiest day for routes is Friday. The bus departs to Kuressaare 14 times.
Travel time is about four hours. The time depends on the carrier and the number of stops along the way. The first bus leaves at 7.55. The last one is at 22.15 and arrives at the island bus station at 2.10.

Lux Express has only modern buses.

There are several carriers, so the price and level of comfort on buses differ. The price ranges from 12-16 euros. There is a 40% discount for children under 16 years of age and people over 60 years of age. Buy a ticket and find out detailed information You can find information about flights on this website. The site supports Russian language.
Several trips are made by buses from the Lux Express company, which often has sales and a ticket can generally be bought for 5-6 euros. Therefore, it is better to buy tickets for these buses directly on the company’s website. They have a system: the earlier you buy a ticket, the lower the price. You can save some more by planning your trip in advance.

The bus goes to the pier in the village of Virtsu, where it picks up a ferry (about the ferry separately), crosses the strait and calmly moves on. You can stay seated on the bus, or you can walk along the ferry. From Kuressaare to Tallinn the first bus leaves early in the morning at 4.55, and the last at 17.55.
You can also get to the island from Tartu (travel time about six hours, two flights per day) and Pärna (travel time three hours, four flights). Information can be found on the same website as about buses from Tallinn.

Automobile.

The most convenient way to get to the island.
And if you plan to stay on the island for several days and get to know it better, then this method is the only correct one. Many attractions are located in rural areas, and getting to them without a car is problematic. You can rent a car either on the island or in Tallinn. Rental price for 2 days is 50-70 euros. You can arrange for the car to be delivered to your hotel.

If you are traveling by car, then no matter where you are coming from, you will still arrive at the port in the village of Virtsu. You can view and download your route in Google Maps or Yandex maps. The distance from Tallinn to Virtsu is 137 kilometers. Next, take a ferry to the port in the village of Kuivastu. This is not Saaremaa yet, but the island of Muhu. It is connected to the island by a dam. The length of the dam is three and a half kilometers. There are special places for cars to stop to admire the surroundings.

The ferry Tyll finishes loading.

The ferry service between the mainland and the islands is provided by the company Tuule laevad.
Ferries start running from 5:35 am until late in the evening. The last one departs at 22.15. The interval in summer is approximately 35 minutes, in winter it is much less frequent. The cost of transporting a passenger car is 8.4 euros. Adult passenger 3 euros, child 1.5 euros. On Friday after 13-00 the price of travel from the mainland to the island increases by 50%, and on Sunday after 13-00 the price increases for travel from the island to the mainland.
The ferry travel time is 30 minutes, and the entire trip with arrival and departure is 50 minutes. good weather You can go out to the upper deck, where there are chairs for sitting. The ferries have free toilets and a snack bar.
Transportation is carried out by four new ferries built in 2017. The ferries are named after the mythological creatures that once lived on the islands. “Till”, “Leiger”, “Piret”, “Tiina”. At the same time, any of them carries 700 passengers and 150 cars, so there is usually enough space for everyone. The ferries have four decks, two for parking and two for passengers. One closed, for winter and bad weather, and open, for summer.

There is a “live” line of people wishing to leave for the mainland.

Tickets are sold both directly at the pier in special terminals or from a cashier-operator, and online in advance. There is one undoubted advantage in pre-purchase: such passengers and cars are allowed through a special passage, there is no need to stand in line. You can buy a ticket. The site is in Estonian and English, but everything is clear. If there are no tickets online (which happens on holidays), then it’s okay. Some tickets are reserved for the first-come, first-serve queue.

If you have e-ticket, and you arrived earlier, then if there is space on the ferry, you can leave on it. If you miss your flight, your ticket is valid for another 48 hours, but only on a first-come, first-served basis.
It is better to print out the ticket and take it with you. When purchasing a ticket, you must correctly indicate the license plate number of the car and enter the Russian letters of the license plate in Latin letters.

Airplane.

Jetstream-3200 on runway at Kuressaare airport.

The fastest way.
Oddly enough, there is an air connection between Tallinn and Kuressaare. Flights are operated by Transaviabaltika airline and will continue to do so at least until May 31, 2019. Before this date, she won a competition to conduct flights to Saaremaa.
There is a unique opportunity to take a ride on a 19-seater Jetstream-3200 aircraft. On weekdays, there are two flights from Tallinn at 08:35 and 18:35, on Saturday at 10:50, on Sunday at 18:35. From Kuressaare at 9-30 and at 19-30 and at 11-45 on Saturday and on Sunday at 19-30. Travel time is only 45 minutes. The price is quite reasonable -26 euros. However, this is all theory. In practice, it is not very clear where to buy a ticket. There are no online sales either on search engine websites or on the Tallinn Airport website. Although if you wish, you can try to fly to Tallinn from Kuressaare. The airport is located three kilometers from the city, and getting to it is not difficult. It is open from 10 am to 7 pm. More detailed information on tickets can be obtained by calling +372 6058887, +372 55603687 or on this website.

Purchasing an excursion tour.

The most carefree and easiest way to visit the island of Saaremaa is to buy an excursion to the island in Tallinn or even in St. Petersburg. And then get on the bus, relax and enjoy the road and communication with the guide. Prices naturally vary from company to company. As an option we offer this excursion. The price may not be the cheapest, but the excursion is individual and you will definitely remember it for a long time.

If you decide to come to the island for a few days, check out our articles about and if you are traveling by car.

On May holidays- four days off in a row! - I made a trip to the Estonian island of Hiiumaa. Islands are my old love: in the Baltic I have already visited Gotland, Bornholm, Örö, Saaremaa and several other tiny islands, but I have never been to Hiiumaa before. In this post I’ll tell you how to get there. Estonian island and what to see

During Soviet times, Hiiumaa was closed not only to foreigners, but also to most Estonians. After the departure of Russian military units, the island, although not immediately, was opened. Now this is a favorite holiday destination for Estonian residents; tourists from Sweden, Germany and even China also come here. About 160 thousand tourists visit the island annually - 20 times more than the number of local residents.

This second largest island in Estonia is famous for its untouched nature, three ancient lighthouses and the longest ice road in Europe - it connects the island with the mainland (from Hiiumaa to Rohuküla 25-27 km depending on ice conditions and route).

At the end of the post, I will provide useful phone numbers and websites for booking tickets, write what is important to consider, and also post photos of the trip in chronological order.

By plane to Hiiumaa

In the end of April the ice road, of course, had long since melted. At this time, you can get to the island by plane (flights 2 times a day) from Tallinn or by ferry from Rohuküla, which is 12 km from the Estonian city of Haapsaluu. You can also get there by ferry from the island of Saaremaa (Triigi-Sõru), but this option was not suitable for me.

To save time I went to Hiiumaa on a plane of the Lithuanian company Transaviabaltika from Tallinn. Travel time is only 30 minutes, the aircraft flies Jetstream 32 with a capacity of 19 people. Out of season, the load is rarely full; sometimes one person flies. But even if few tickets are sold, the flight is not canceled - the line is subsidized by the Estonian state. But due to bad weather, delays or cancellations are rare, but they do happen.

I bought a ticket on the Internet for 25 € (round trip - 42 €). At Tallinn Airport, check-in for a flight is announced 1 hour before departure. I received a boarding ticket at the airline counter, but it didn't have a seat. Security at the airport was quick. While waiting to board at Gate 1, I managed to recharge my phone (for free) and look through some books. Boarding was announced 10 minutes before departure.

That day together 7 people flew with me. The plane is far from new and very tiny - I have never flown in one like this. A teenage girl sat next to me with a huge stuffed panda. It was clear that flying was a familiar thing for her. I also calmed down and admired the sea, which was visible under the clouds, gilded by the rays of the bright spring sun.

Kardla was amazing!

Half an hour - and I at Kärdla airport. A blue GoBus minibus was waiting for those arriving, which took them to the main town of Hiiumaa in 5 minutes and 1 €. In fact, the town looks like a neat garden with many good-quality wooden houses, often painted yellow or dark red. An area of ​​Soviet low-rise buildings also remains. About 3,200 people live permanently in Kärdla and 8,400 on the entire island.

On the one side, It's hard to imagine how people spend the long, dark, cold winter days here. On the other hand, the island has almost everything you need for life - educational institutions, roads, a hospital, transport, post office, banks, etc.

Downtown- gymnasium: not every school in Tallinn or St. Petersburg looks so new and modern. The music school, a stone's throw from it, is located in a restored historical wooden house.
I was amazed by the tiny puppet theater with cute dolls in the windows. mobile connection and the Internet works great throughout the entire island. The Konsum supermarket has a wide variety of products, including fresh and salted fish, meat, fruit, vegetables, baked goods and 15 types of cheese.

I bought local black bread with dried apricots, raisins, nuts, sunflower seeds and something else. Moreover, it seems to contain more dried fruits than grains. Tasty, although not cheap - 350 g costs 1.5 euros. It’s also worth trying the local island beer; there are several types of it in the supermarket.

The air is clean here and water, quiet and safe, so it is not surprising that more and more people choose to vacation or even live on the island. Of course, there are downsides to living on an island. For example, for clothes and many things you will have to go to the mainland or order online. In case of serious illness, you will also have to go to Tallinn or Tartu. Young people go to study in Tallinn and abroad.

Where do they work? local residents? In those budget establishments that I listed above. And also in the private sector - in shops, restaurants, hotels, or doing business themselves.

Where to spend the night?

Tourist infrastructure is constantly evolving. There are several dozen hotels, guesthouses and hostels in Kärdla alone.

6. Often, upon arriving at a small guesthouse or hotel, you will find that the door is closed and there is no bell nearby. But usually the phone number is written in large letters. You will have to call an Estonian number or - to save money - send an SMS.

7. Out of season, you can book a visit to Kõpu in advance by calling: +372 4636080. It costs 20 € for everyone plus a ticket of 2 € for each.

8. Car rental - 40 € per day.

9. A taxi from Kärdla to Kõpu costs 50 €, with a stop at three lighthouses and the town of Kalana - 100-120 €, including waiting. Taxi and car rental services in Kärdla are offered by Jaanus Jesmin, tel. +372 511 2225, email. mail jaanusjesmin(at)hot.ee He speaks Russian well.

What else is important to know

High season on Hiiumaa - July-August, you need to book hotels for this time 2-4 months in advance.
It's better to shoot accommodation with kitchen: Many cafes are closed out of season, and food is expensive during the season.
The main population of Hiiumaa is Estonians. The youth doesn't speak Russian, but knows English well. Many older residents understand Russian.
Most to beautiful places on the coast- on the Kõpu Peninsula and on Kessari Island.
On the island many wild animals, they can be seen a stone's throw from hotels and guesthouses. These are elk, roe deer, wild boars, and many birds.
Be careful: in Hiiumaa there are vipers.
Mosquito season- from the end of May to August.

5 places to visit in Hiiumaa

1. Kõpu Peninsula considered the most beautiful and interesting place not only in Hiiumaa, but throughout western Estonia. Sandy beaches, huge boulders, Pine forest and, of course, two beautiful lighthouses.
Kõpu (1531) is open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10 to 20 hours, entrance 2 euros. Ristna (1874) operates on the same schedule, but closes an hour earlier, at 7 p.m. Both lighthouses are open from May 1 to September 15. If you are traveling around this time, it is better to check in advance by email, just in case. by mail or by phone whether the lighthouse will be open.

2. Tahkuna Peninsula 17 km from Kärdla. The Tahkuna Lighthouse (1875) is located here. Next to it is a monument in memory of those who died in the Estonia ferry disaster in 1994. In windy weather the bell seems to cry. Not far from the lighthouse there is a museum of military equipment.

3. Old Kärdla center. The city has three centers of attraction. 1) In the old factory district - Hiiumaa Museum in Pikk Maja (long house), formerly the house of the director of the Kärdla Cloth Factory (1829-1941). There are several other old wooden houses nearby, one of them is currently being restored. City holidays take place here. 2) central square. The former fire station houses a tourist information center. There are several old houses nearby with shops and cafes. 3) Harbor. Here you can just walk, admire the sea, or sit and cook kebabs - barbecues are installed.

4. Suuremõisa- a baroque-style manor built in 1755-60. The estate, which belonged either to Swedish or Baltic Germans, is surrounded by an English-style park. Nearby is the red-roofed Pühalepa kirik church, founded in the 13th century. This is the most old church in Hiiumaa. Nowadays there are educational institutions on the estate. Bus stop next to the estate.

5. Kassari Island(it is connected to Hiiumaa by bridges). In the village of Orjaku beautiful coast, a yacht harbor and one of the largest bird observation towers in Estonia. In spring and autumn, from the tower you can observe thousands of migratory birds that stop to rest in Käina Bay. Near the village of Esikülas is the Kassari kabel, a Gothic-style chapel built in the 18th century. This is the only functioning stone chapel with a thatched roof in Estonia. A nice place- Sääre tirp, a 3 km long gravel ridge.

Photochronology of the trip

Road from Tallinn to Kardla

Tallinn airport is very comfortable.

Where do you recommend?

I managed to recharge my phone a little.

How tiny he is!

My ears didn't hurt at all on the plane.

Three people boarded a minibus at the airport.

Here we have arrived - Kärdla bus station.

My hostel is near the city center.

The kitchen these days was at my complete disposal.

There are such beautiful gardens in the area.

Walk around Kardla

This is a gymnasium.

And this is a music school.

Central square. Nice.

It's good to live among flowers.

The tourist center was closed these days.

On the central square.

There is also a Konsum supermarket here.

And this is a puppet theater.

Local food and beer.

There are also Soviet buildings in the city.

A trip to the lighthouses and the Kõpu Peninsula

Tahkuna Lighthouse is closest to Kärdla. It was foggy that morning.

It takes about 30 minutes to get to Kõpu. The fog has cleared.

First there is a stone staircase.

Then the wooden part.

In 1970, a power line was connected to the lighthouse.

There is a beautiful forest around the building.

Ristna is located near Kõpu.

Cafe next to the lighthouse.

A very beautiful coastline on the Kõpu Peninsula.

Pine trees, shells, light sand. In summer there are many vacationers here.

Kalana, village by the sea

Another walk around Kärdla

The island museum is located in a former factory area.

In the museum you can look at the interiors of the century before last.

And this is a model of a cloth factory that was here before.

The museum also has rooms dedicated to the history of the island during the Soviet period.

Postcards sent from the island reached their recipients very quickly.

Another house in the factory district.

And again the center of Kärdla.

In the city park.

In the harbor.

Barbecues. It's also next to the harbor.

It’s beautiful in spring, but, alas, you can’t walk along the edge of the sea.

Walk around Kärdla

I walked about 9 km along the sea and through the forest.

House in the forest. There is no fence at all.

And on the neighboring farm there is a fence with a beautiful mailbox.

And these are not just stones, but a geological landmark.

Juniper thickets along the shore.

Road to the mainland

The bus passes by the Suuremõisa estate.

These are the buses that run on the Kärdla-Tallinn route.

There are still few people on the open deck.

Passengers pass the time by eating and working and playing on laptops and tablets.

I spent the night in a guest house in Haapsalu.