The best experience is when you don’t have to spend too much time getting from one place to another. Choose the transport that suits your itinerary!
Car rental
Tradilo Car Centre
www.tradilo.ee
+372 5305 7976
Tallinna mnt 73, Haapsalu
Uuemõisa Car Centre
www.uak.ee
+372 51 29 635
Tallina mnt. 78, Uuemõisa alevik, Haapsalu, Finland
Matcar Car Hire
www.matcar.ee
+372 5812 2035
matcar.matkaauto@gmail.com
Tamme 23-6, Haapsalu
Minibus rental
KM Trading
9-seater minibus
www.kmtrading.ee
+372 53 44 3337
kristjan@kmtrading.ee
Lihula mnt 24, Haapsalu
Bicycle rental
Haapsalu
Wheels-Freetime
www.rattadvabaaeg.ee
+372 5212796
+372 55678622
Karja 22, Haapsalu
RakserSport
www.raksersport.ee
+372 56612205
www.raksersport.ee
info@raksersport.ee
Karja 20, Haapsalu
Vormsi
Sviby bike rental
www.svibyrent.ee
+3725344 1883
In addition, you can rent an electric boat from the port of Sviby:
Telegram from Vormsi island
www.vort.ee
Bicycles are also available for rent in Haapsalu and some accommodation facilities in Läänemaa.
Ask for it!
Taxis
E.T.X AS taxi
tel 473 3500
short code 1700
Esra taxi
tel 473 4200
short code 1300
Haapsalu Taxi
tel 4733330, 5151050 short code 1200
Ferries depart from Rohuküla port to Hiiumaa and Vormsi, from Dirhami port to Osmussaari.
If you would like to travel by car on the island, we recommend you pre-purchase an online ticket through the e-service. This will guarantee a spot on the ferry and you will not have to wait in the general queue.
When travelling to Vormsi by bike, you should consider that the ferry also has limited spots for bikes, so we recommend pre-purchasing an online ticket.
If you are on foot, you could buy a ticket at the Rohuküla harbour as well.
Tickets for ferries to Hiiumaa on the Rohuküla – Heltermaa route are available here: www.praamid.ee/
Ticket for ferries to Vormsi on the Rohuküla – Swisby route are available:www.veeteed.com/
You can get to Osmussaar from the port Dirhami.
Boat transport to the island must be booked in advance here:
www.osmussaar.ee/kontakt
Parking
Parking is free in Haapsalu and Lääne County to make living, holidaying, and travelling here as comfortable as possible for everyone.
If possible, avoid driving in the old town – it has many narrow one-way streets and few options for parking.
We recommend to park in parking lots that are marked with the appropriate signs.
Car parks can be found with the help of Google Maps and Waze.
Car parks suitable for camper vans: Vasikaholmi
Car parks suitable for buses: Haapsalu cultural center parking lot
By bus
Haapsalu has an excellent and frequent bus connection with Tallinn.
You can check the schedules at www.tpilet.ee.
The short number for the information line of Tpilet is 12550.
Look also peatus.ee.
When travelling by sea
People in Haapsalu and Lääne County have always loved the sea.
You can sail here on your own vessel and enjoy complete freedom of movement.
The following marinas receive small vessels in Haapsalu: Rohuküla, Grand Holm Marina and Westmeri marina.
In Lääne-Nigula, you are welcome at the Port of Dirhami.
On Vormsi, in Sviby Port.
When travelling in Estonia, you will see a church towering over a village in many places. It can be seen from afar. It has been this way for centuries. In other places, the church is hidden by trees and you must know the way to find it. Some of them could be architectural miracles, others might boast a surviving ancient altar piece. A church could be modest on the outside, but the stories it could hide might be all the more fascinating.
Once you reach a church during your trip, be it old or new, large and spectacular or quite modest, opening the door will make the journey and arrival worthwhile.
Lääne County has some truly fascinating churches due to their sacral architecture as well as the history of art and culture.
Wayfarers’ Churches introduces lovely and, in many ways, unique sacral buildings of Estonia, belonging to different denominations: churches, chapels, meetinghouses, and convents.
You should not be afraid to enter a church – they are open to all who are curious!
Wayfarers’ Churches has information on over 400 Estonian churches. In addition, it has the contact details of churches for those who want to arrange their visit ahead of time, as well as schedules for church services and prayer meetings.
It is a little-known fact that many churches provide accommodation not only to people who have links to the church, but to any tired wayfarers.
Information about Wayfarers’ Churches can be found on their homepage at www.teelistekirikud.ekn.ee
Wayfarer’s Churches welcome all who want to explore – be it people looking to experience the sacred, enthusiasts of architecture, history, and culture, or simply tourists who have stumbled upon one of the churches during their trip.
The door is open – come on in!
Welcome to Haapsalu - the Venice of the Nordic countries, as it has been called for more than 740 years, just an hour's drive from Tallinn, the capital of Estonia.
Haapsalu is an ideal destination for families, couples looking for romance and health-seekers who want to walk, picnic, swim and visit cultural events and spas in a beautiful resort town.
1279. Founded in 1901, the city has welcomed royalty and intellectuals throughout the ages, and has been a summer paradise for visitors from east and west, north and south.
Haapsalu, the centuries-old centre of the Saare-Lääne bishopric, is reminded by the ancient castle ruins and the cathedral, where you can meet the mysterious White Lady on full moons in August….
After the discovery of the curative effects of sea mud, Haapsalu quickly became a thriving, romantic summer resort town, popular almost throughout Europe.
If you haven’t been to these places, you haven’t seen Haapsalu!
Haapsalu railway station – a magnificent railway station completed in 1906 with the longest roofed platform in all of Northern Europe at the time (216 metres). The impressive station was constructed for the summer visitors of Haapsalu – in particular with the members of the imperial family in mind.
The train station houses the Railway and Communications Museum; the engines and carriages standing on the train tracks are also museum pieces.
Concerts, fashion shows, and fancy gourmet dinners take place on the pavilion of the station.
A walk along Õhtu kallas – the Läänemaa Health Path passes the railway station and follows the old railway, leading those walking to a street called Õhtu kallas, which has the calm sea on one side and the lovely wooden architecture of Haapsalu on the other. No one can escape the sudden desire to spend a week in one of these houses!
Small streets take you all the way to Väike Viik – the name can never express how picturesque this little lake is! As a matter of fact, it should be called the Swan Lake because Väike Viik is a home to these graceful and regal birds. Naturally, they are accompanied by their courtiers – ducks, geese, and many other waterfowl.
If you make a semicircle around Väike Viik, you will arrive on the Haapsalu Promenade, the start of which is marked with Tchaikovsky’s Bench, dedicated to the world-famous composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky. Many famous people have sat on this bench over the decades. You can now add yourself to this mental list.
Haapsalu Promenade is a dream come true for anyone who has even a touch of romance in their soul! Many say that this is the most beautiful place for a walk that a person could wish for. Words cannot express it. You must experience it yourself.
Haapsalu Resort Hall (Kuursaal) with its timber lace ornaments is a true gem of the Haapsalu Promenade and not only because it is beautiful – the Resort Hall transforms into a restaurant with a diverse cultural programme during summers.
If you walk all the way to the end of the Promenade, you will pass Hommiku kallas Street and reach Krahviaed (Count’s Garden) and the Haapsalu Castle, which have become the symbols of Haapsalu. This is the birthplace of the legend of the White Lady.
After such a walk, there’s nothing better than relaxing in the spa and spending an hour in one of Haapsalu’s many cafés, serving the wonderful delicacies that attract people to this resort town like bees to a flower.
You are in the right place. This is as romantic as it gets!
Early spring animal watching experiences
The end of March and the beginning of April are a great time for animal watching. That’s when the only “wild cat” in our forests – the lynx – is in full swing. The extremely secretive and mysterious lynx usually rarely show themselves to humans, but it is in early spring that they are more likely to be seen in their white coats, walking along forest roads and paths.
Northwest Estonia is undoubtedly one of the best areas in Estonia to see lynx. In the darkness, they now also let out the cackle of the wedding bell, which can be heard far away on a windless evening or night.
Reindeer can now be encountered more often on forest roads or in clearings. New calves are born to the elk cows in May, and before then the young elk that have been with their mothers have to start life on their own. These young moose are often bolder and can be seen in all-white clothing.
Early mornings in the teddy
It’s wonderful to wake up to nature on a crisp early spring morning. As the sun rises, goshawks begin to roar in the skies, northern swans bark loudly in the fields, and a powerful wedding cry of swamp cranes can be heard in the marshes.
But the real spring sightings are in the early mornings, when our wood ducks – the teddy bears – are on the scene. In the mornings, dozens of chickadees flock to the marsh meadows to compete with other roosters and win the hearts of the chickens.
Bird Spring is gathering momentum
With the official start of spring, the birding season is also in full swing. In spring, the best spots for observing migratory birds are on the west coast of Estonia, where tens of thousands of feathered birds rest and feed.
Matsalu National Park, Estonia’s best-known bird sanctuary, is located in Läänemaa, where shallow coves, wet coastal meadows and flooded marshes are home to an abundance of migratory birds. If possible, bring binoculars and enjoy it all with your own eyes. Don’t forget national restrictions when visiting birdwatching towers and hiking trails and keep a safe distance from other visitors.
Crisp, northern winter mornings beckon you into the great outdoors. It’s a great way to get a nice tonic from exercising in the fresh air and to gather positive energy for the winter ahead.
It’s really nice weather for a walk in the Marimetsa bog.
The most picturesque bog in Läänemaa is now adorned with white morning glories, and the runners make it easy to get outside the boardwalk. Hiking trips in Marimetsa bog are organised by companies such as 360 kraadi and Hiking Estonia.
Nature is getting ready for winter.
Some migratory birds leave early, but the last migratory birds can still be found until the big frost.
Birdwatching in the late autumn and winter months is certainly not boring – quite the opposite. A number of feathered grebes have arrived, nesting far to the north and now heading south in search of food. One of the most conspicuous winter visitors are undoubtedly the wigeons, which usually operate in large flocks. The attentive nature lover can even meet these golden-nosed birds on the streets of Haapsalu. It’s worth looking for these eager “berry people”, especially in the rowan and fir trees where they come to feast.
Keep an eye out for electricity poles and wires as you move around the countryside.
It is precisely in such places that the much rarer winter visitor – the shagbark shrew– is lurking, and has already been seen in Läänemaa this winter.
Unlike many other cockroaches, shingles operate completely in daylight!
Discover the summer of Osmussaare
7 kilometres out to sea from Dirham harbour is a real gem – Osmussaare. Once you’ve been there, you’ll want to go back. If you haven’t already, it’s worth doing so this summer.
June is a great time to visit our northwesternmost island, as the weather is beautiful and the island is covered in a carpet of flowering plants.
Osmussaare is small enough to walk around the island in a day. The southern part of the island has lakes teeming with birds, while the northern coast has a shore and the sea is dotted with peculiar “crocodiles”. The island is surrounded by breccia rocks, more than 530 million years old, from the Neugrund meteorite. The island is also appreciated by nature photographers.
The recently restored Osmussaare Chapel, military installations and lighthouse are well worth a visit.
The island is accessible from Dirham harbour, boat transport to the island must be booked in advance. Transport to Osmussaare is provided by Osmussaare Reisid and the Osmussaare Foundation.
Best time to admire orchids
June is a time of beautiful flowers in nature. Now we’re also enchanted by the most eye-catching flowering plants in the Nordic countries – orchids.
The first of these will start to bloom in the wooded meadows and marsh meadows of Läänemaa already at the end of May.
In June, the grey coneflower, the beautiful golden poppy and the godmother bloom.
Several beauties are in bloom just at the beginning of June, such as the festive white two-leaved cranesbill, the peculiar-flowered buttercup and the eye-catching red dusty head.
Most conifers, or orchids, grow in wooded meadows, but some (such as bog orchid) prefer wetter marshy areas.
It is important to remember that all our orchids are protected and must not be harvested or trampled.
Day and night birdwatching during the whitest time of the year
By the end of May, the latest migratory birds arrive. However, the spring migration of birds is not really over by then – in early June, a wide variety of waders can be found on mud and mudflat beaches.
These include migratory birds that are few in number in Estonia, such as the waterbird, plover, stonechat and lapwing.
The best spots to see stopover waders in Läänemaa are the car park next to the Põgari-Sassi beach nest, the Haeska bird watching tower and the mouth of the Riguld river in Noaroots.
See also www.linnuriik.ee
Nesting birds should not be overlooked. In the hedgerows of Läänemaa you can find a feasting red-breasted woodpecker, small vultures can be spotted hovering over the marshes and the whistling of peacocks can be heard in the forest thickets.
The white nights of June are also a good time to go birdwatching at night. Spotted owls are now calling among the reeds, rye grouse are crying in the fields and nightjars are sorting in the pines. A keen ear can hear a loud squeak in some places – it’s the chicks, deftly hiding in a tree, waiting for a snack from their parents.