Photo: Mati Kose / Visit EstoniaEstonian islands self-drive
Hiiumaa has 8,000 people and 200 km of road. This is the easiest driving in the region and the best argument for doing it yourself.
- Self-guided
- Guided, on request
The route.
- 1TallinnTwo nights inside the walls, on footBy ferry
- 2HiiumaaLighthouses and empty roads
- 3SaaremaaKuressaare castle, cliffs, the crater, Sõrve
Day by day.
Daylight is shown for a departure on 3 May, calculated for each day's own location. Ask us and we will run the figures for your dates.
Arrive in Tallinn, no car yet
Fly into Tallinn (TLL) and take the booked transfer to a hotel inside the walls. No car for two days: the Old Town is a restricted zone and everything you want is within ten minutes on foot. Route book and briefing at the hotel.
- Private airport transfer
- Route book and offline maps handover
- An evening on Town Hall Square
Tallinn on foot
The route book's Old Town walk: Raekoja plats, the Great Guild, the wall and towers, and up to Toompea for the Patkuli viewpoint. In the afternoon, Kalamaja's wooden houses and the Seaplane Harbour, which is the best museum in the country and the one most visitors miss.
- Self-guided walk inside the walls
- Toompea and the Patkuli viewpoint
- Seaplane Harbour and Kalamaja
Photo: © Hotel TelegraafHotel Telegraaf
Second night, same room.
Held, not booked, until your deposit clears. If it is gone by then we substitute an equal or better hotel and tell you first.
West to the first ferry
The car arrives at the hotel at 09:00. West along the coast to Haapsalu for the ruined bishop's castle and the 200-metre railway platform built for a tsar. Then the Rohuküla ferry to Heltermaa on Hiiumaa, 75 minutes, your slot booked. Kärdla by early evening.
- Car delivered to the hotel at 09:00
- Haapsalu castle and the tsar's platform
- Rohuküla to Heltermaa, booked vehicle slot
Photo: © Tiismani Villa
Tiismani Villa
A five-room guesthouse on a quiet street in Kärdla, fifteen minutes on foot from the beach.
Held, not booked, until your deposit clears. If it is gone by then we substitute an equal or better hotel and tell you first.
Lighthouses, then the second ferry
A morning on the empty roads of Hiiumaa: Kõpu lighthouse, one of the oldest still working anywhere, and Ristna on the western point. Then the small Sõru ferry south to Triigi on Saaremaa, an hour across open water, and on to Kuressaare.
- Kõpu lighthouse, working since 1531
- Ristna and the western point
- Sõru to Triigi, the small island ferry
A full day on Saaremaa
Kuressaare's bishop's castle is the only fully preserved medieval fortress in the Baltics and it still has its moat. North in the afternoon for the Panga cliff, the Angla windmills, and the Kaali meteorite crater, a pond about 110 metres across, left by a meteorite some 7,500 years ago.
- Kuressaare castle and its moat
- Panga cliff on the north coast
- Angla windmills and the Kaali crater
South to the Sõrve peninsula
Sõrve is the southern tail of Saaremaa, about 30 kilometres of flat road with the sea close on both sides. The route book marks the beaches worth stopping at and the lighthouse at the tip, where the Gulf of Riga meets the open Baltic. Back in Kuressaare there is time for the spa or a walk round the castle moat before dinner, which is included tonight.
- The Sõrve peninsula
- The lighthouse at the tip
- Dinner in Kuressaare, included
Photo: © Georg Ots Spa Hotel
Georg Ots Spa Hotel
By the yacht marina, a short walk from the bishop's castle, with pools and saunas included in the room rate.
Held, not booked, until your deposit clears. If it is gone by then we substitute an equal or better hotel and tell you first.
The last ferry, and home
East over the causeway to Muhu and a stop at Koguva, a preserved village of stone-walled farmyards. Then the Kuivastu ferry to Virtsu, 27 minutes, and the road north to Tallinn. Drop the car at the airport or at your hotel if you are staying on. Around four hours with the crossing and the stop.
- Koguva village on Muhu
- Kuivastu to Virtsu, booked slot
- Car dropped at TLL or the hotel
Self-guided by design. Prefer a guide along? We can plan a private, guided version of this trip on request.
Request your quote.
Tell us your dates and party size. We'll reply within one working day, with a private, fully-costed version of Estonian islands self-drive to follow within two.
within two working days
Prices shown in USD for reference. You're billed in EUR.
- Private trip: just your party, your pace
- Flexible dates, year-round departures
- No payment taken to enquire
- A $164 pp deposit holds your dates
- Protected under the EU Package Travel Directive
Priced by party size.
- Per person
- $889(≈ €760)
- Total for 2
- $1,778(≈ €1,520)
- Deposit to book
- $328(≈ €280)
- Balance, 45 days out
- $1,451(≈ €1,240)
Calculated from the same per-person rates as the table below. Final pricing is confirmed with your quote and moves with your dates, room choices and any day you change. Billed in EUR.
Per-person rates by party size
Prices shown in USD for reference. You're billed in EUR.
What's included.
- 6 nights in booked and paid hotels and a guesthouse, parking at every one
- Car hire for 5 days (compact estate) with unlimited mileage
- Full insurance with zero excess and a second driver
- All three vehicle ferry crossings, booked slots: Rohuküla, Sõru and Kuivastu
- A bound route book plus offline maps loaded to your phone
- Kuressaare Castle entry and the Angla windmill park
- Daily breakfast, and dinner on the last night in Kuressaare
- A staffed local phone line, 07:00 to 22:00, and 24-hour roadside assistance
- International flights to and from Tallinn (TLL)
- Fuel and city parking away from the hotels
- Most lunches and dinners (the route book shortlists two per island)
- Travel insurance (mandatory)
- Spa treatments in Kuressaare
Estonia, in your pocket.
Cool facts, the places we love, the food and the best months, in 11 illustrated pages. Free to download, no email needed.
