Saaremaa + Hiiumaa = 1
Text Timo Raussi Photos Priidu Saart ja Riho Veber / Visit Estonia
Did you know that this year, Estonia’s second-largest island, Hiiumaa, is celebrating a lighthouse-themed year, as Kõpu Lighthouse has been in operation for 495 years? Or that with its area of 989 km², the island lies somewhere between Singapore and Gran Canaria in size, yet has only 9802 inhabitants? Or that a map website has been created of the large wall murals from the RUA street art festival held in Saaremaa last spring, making it easy to visit and admire the 11 colourful artworks on public buildings and residential houses? Or that Estonia’s first home café days were held in Kärdla, Hiiumaa, in 2007?
Last year, Estonia’s main islands, Saaremaa and Hiiumaa, created a joint regional organisation for tourism marketing. However, the distinct identities and brands of the islands—along with those of surrounding smaller islands such as Muhu, Ruhnu, Abruka and Vilsandi—will remain intact. Travel tips and local attraction recommendations can still be browsed on separate websites such as visitsaaremaa.ee and hiiumaa.ee. Some information, however, has already been centralised and can now be accessed with a single click.
So if you have been considering an island-hopping trip along Estonia’s western coast, whether by car or bicycle, bookmark this site offering themed ideas and travel routes. You can explore tours of the main attractions of Hiiumaa and Saaremaa, as well as routes featuring six impressive lighthouses. In Hiiumaa, an English-language audio guide has also been created to complement the travel experience, covering the lighthouses and around twenty other attractions.
The charming small villages of the two islands have also been given their own themed page on the site. There you can find information about the villages, nearby attractions, and good places to stop for a meal. Distances between the villages, as well as the car ferry connection between Saaremaa and Hiiumaa, are clearly presented. Food lovers have also been taken into account: locals have created a culinary journey spanning three islands, 14 recommended restaurants, and a total distance of 363 kilometres.
The regional organisation is currently led by the Saaremaa tourism office. Placing most of the themed content for all three islands under the visitsaaremaa.ee address may leave those seeking inspiration with a slight impression of bias—since it is very easy to move from the themes to browsing news, for example about what new and renovated attractions, spas, restaurants, and accommodation options have opened this year—specifically on Saaremaa. For this reason, it is worth noting that the programme of summer events in Hiiumaa can be found here, and recent tourism news can be found here.
To learn more about this and similar topicsattractions Hiiumaa islands lighthouses Muhu Saaremaa travel route
