Estonia Islands and Heartland in 4 to 5 Days

October 18, 2026

These two plans take 3 to 5 days each. One goes round the western islands and the other links Estonia’s main cultural towns. Prices are in euro and are published tiers or “from” figures.

Plan A: western islands, 4 days

Day 1, Tallinn to Muhu. Drive about 135 km to Virtsu (around 1 hour 45 minutes) and take the 27 minute ferry to Kuivastu. Ferries leave about every 35 minutes from 05:00 until about 23:00. Adult passengers pay €4.30 and a car pays €12. Vehicle tickets cost 20 percent more on mainland departures after 13:00 on Friday and island departures after 13:00 on Sunday. Spend the afternoon at the Muhu Museum in Koguva (10:00 to 17:00, adults from about €5).

Day 2, Saaremaa. Cross the Väinatamm causeway. Visit the Kaali crater field, about 20 km from Kuressaare, then Kuressaare Episcopal Castle (€12 adults) and the Panga cliff at 21.3 m. Sleep at the Georg Ots Spa Hotel, which has 92 rooms and is open all year.

Day 3, Hiiumaa. Plan the mainland route: return to Virtsu, drive to Rohuküla and cross to Heltermaa. The crossing takes 1 hour 15 minutes, at €4.85 for adults and €14.30 for a car, with about six sailings on weekdays. The Sõru to Triigi ferry links the two islands directly, but it makes only 1 to 4 crossings a day, depends on the weather, so check the fare with the operator. Visit Kõpu Lighthouse (from 1531, an official lighthouse since 1649), by advance booking, with adults from about €5.

Day 4, Haapsalu and Tallinn. Sail back from Heltermaa, see Haapsalu Castle and take the coach to Tallinn (about 1 hour 20 to 1 hour 40).

Book ferries ahead in summer. Up to 70 percent of each sailing is sold online and the rest goes to the queue on the day. The praamid.ee timetable lists sailings.

Plan B: cultural heartland, 5 days

Day 1, Tallinn: Old Town on foot. The Tallinn Card costs €45, €65 or €78 for 24, 48 or 72 hours.
Day 2, Lahemaa: the Viru Bog boardwalk, then the Palmse and Sagadi manors.
Day 3, Tartu: the express train takes between about 2 hours 5 minutes and 2 hours 45 minutes. Online tickets were about €10 in 2026. Visit the National Museum and AHHAA.
Day 4, Soomaa (spring or summer): a bog-shoe walk or canoe trip, then continue to Pärnu.
Day 5, Pärnu: the Red Tower and the beach promenade. Lux Express runs six buses a day between Tartu, Viljandi and Pärnu, and the coach to Tallinn takes about 1 hour 25 minutes to 2 hours.

Winter notes

December and January have only about 6 hours of daylight, and many manor restaurants shorten their hours. Drivers need snow tyres from 1 December to 15 March. Official ice roads do not open every winter and are not an excursion to plan around.

Where to stay

Compare rooms in Kuressaare and Pärnu through Estonia hotels on Booking.com .