Discover Hiiumaa: hiking trails, birdlife and cultural heritage

With 324 kilometres of marked hiking trails, Hiiumaa is an ideal destination for hiking. It also offers places for birdwatching, striking coastal landscapes and a rich cultural heritage. When looking for a hotel for your stay, you can first consider whether you want to spend most of your time outdoors, on the coast or visiting historical sights.

Hiking trails, valleys and birdwatching

The Vanajõe Valley Study Trail is in the Tihu Landscape Protection Area and follows the banks of a river and the valley slopes, which rise up to six metres. The Tihu Study Trail leads to Hiiumaa’s largest lake. Its observation platform is reached via a 200-metre boardwalk and is suitable for watching waterbirds and wetland birds.

The Gulf of Käina offers a different perspective: 192 bird species live there, and 10,000 to 15,000 waterbirds and shorebirds stop over in autumn. These details complement each other when planning a trip: at the Tihu Study Trail, the focus is on watching birds from the platform, while the figures for the Gulf of Käina particularly highlight the autumn stopover.

Sääretirp also brings together natural features in a compact area: the esker peninsula rises into higher, vegetated areas and gives way to a pebble beach. Sea kale and wild roses grow along its shores; the timing of any blooms may vary. The beaches at Kärdla and Ristna offer different highlights. Kärdla beach is shallow with a gentle slope and a sandy seabed. Ristna is known for its powerful sea waves and is suitable for surfing and kitesurfing.

Lighthouses, churches and manor history

Kõpu Lighthouse combines a landmark whose height can be measured in several ways with a long history: it stands 36 metres above the ground, and its light is 102.6 metres above sea level. Its history of around 500 years is connected with shipping and navigation during the Hanseatic period. The story of Ristna Lighthouse leads to France: it was completed in the workshop of the famous engineer Gustave Eiffel. From the tower, you can see the Kõpu forests and the sea. Tahkuna Lighthouse, meanwhile, is the tallest cast-iron lighthouse on the Estonian coast.

Sacred and architectural history is represented by the stone Reigi Church, consecrated on 24 August 1802 and known for its art collection. Suuremõisa Castle is another notable building: the Baroque castle was built between 1755 and 1760. Visitor highlights include a museum room about the history of the manor and an English-style park.

Museums and maritime traditions

The Long House of the Hiiumaa Museum is located in the former residence of the director of the Kärdla Broadcloth Factory. The 60-metre-long wooden building was constructed in the 1830s and 1840s. The Hiiumaa Military Museum is housed in a former Tahkuna border guard station. Among its most important exhibits is a collection of coastal defence artillery, with guns measuring 180, 130 and 100 millimetres.

Visitors interested in rural architecture and everyday life will find different points of focus at the Soera Farm Museum and the Mihkli Farm Museum. Soera preserves a typical 19th-century Hiiu household, complete with archaic tools and household items. Mihkli features mostly 19th-century buildings and a largely intact, archaic rural complex. Until the deportation of 1781, Mihkli Farm was home to a Hiiu-Swedish family.

The Sõru Museum documents Hiiumaa’s traditional shipbuilding, seafaring and fishing cultures. The three-masted ship Alar is also located in Sõru and is considered the only surviving wooden ship built in Estonia before the Second World War. The Kassari Exhibition House complements these themes with its permanent exhibition, “Life on the Island. Fire, Water, Air, Earth.”

Getting there, experiences and hotel planning

Hiiumaa can be reached by ferry from Rohuküla or Saaremaa, or by a 30-minute flight from Tallinn. Seal-watching tours also set out on the water, departing from Kärdla harbour in small boats for groups of up to ten people. Check the latest schedules and tour availability before planning your trip.

The “From catch to meal” workshop focuses on preparing fresh fish: participants learn how to gut, fillet and salt it, and dishes are prepared using fresh, local and seasonal fish. Dates and booking details may change, so it is advisable to check in advance. Use your planned activities as a guide when choosing a hotel: hiking trails, birdwatching, the coast and cultural history each give your stay a different focus.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Emmaste, Kõrgessaare, Kassari Village, Orjaku, Jõeranna, Pühalepa, Emmaste, Tubala, Käina, Kärdla, Otste.

For the broader travel guide: Estonia.