Estonia
Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
2,672km²
Area
860km
Coastline
62m
Highest point
29,753
People
18°C
Warmest sea
August
10km
To the mainland
When to go to Saaremaa
Best to visit from July to August.
The sea is warmest in August (18 °C) and coolest in February (1 °C). The water never reaches 21 °C: bring a wetsuit.
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Largest island in Estonia
Saaremaa is an island in Estonia. It belongs to West Estonian archipelago. It covers 2,672 km², with 860 km of coastline. Its highest point rises to 62 m. About 29,753 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 10 km away.
Getting there
- Kuressaare Airport (URE)airport on the island, with scheduled flightsCar hire at URE airport (Kuressaare)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- FerriesRoomasaare-Abruka, Roomassaare - Ruhnu, Püha Soobiku avastusteraja rataspraam
- 10 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From July to Augustbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
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On the island
What you find on Saaremaa.
- 32beachesKuressaare rand, Mändjala Beach, Laevnina beach and 29 more
- 12viewpointsVaatetorn, Panga Pank, Ninase cliff and 9 more
- 17lighthousesKarala tulepaak, Kuressaare sihi ülemine tulepaak, Triigi sihi ülemine tulepaak and 14 more
- 2ferry terminals
- 40marinasLõmaja sadam, Kuressaare jahisadam, Roomassaare sadam and 37 more
- 1named peaksSääremägi
- 2castles and fortsMaasilinn, Kuressaare Castle
- 21ruins and archaeological sitesValjala Maalinn, Fuel depot, Command post and 18 more
- 18waymarked walking routesKoigi õpperada, Loode tammiku õpperada, Konati õpperada and 15 more
- 28campsitesTohvri puhkemaja, Raketi telkimisala, Triigi telkimisala and 25 more
- 57hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 65restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Saaremaa in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Saaremaa, each with its own numbers.
22lakesLakeyas
Largest lake
4.8km²
Suurlaht
according to Lakeyas
Deepest lake
6m
Karujärv
according to Lakeyas
Warmest lake
23.3°C
Lake Riksu
surface water, warmest month · according to Lakeyas
22 lakes
on Lakeyas, the lake atlas
- Mullutu-Suurlaht3.6km²
- Karujärv6 m deep3.2km²
- Undu Bay2.6km²
- Lake Koigi1.2km²
- Lake Kooru0.81km²
- Lake Järise0.73km²
- Lake Killatu0.19km²
- Lake Sarapiku0.19km²
14 more on LakeyasLakeyas is coming soonOpen Lakeyas ↗
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 18 m above the sea. 100 % of it is below 200 m.
- 99 %0–50 m
- 1 %50–200 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
50 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Kuressaare12,698 people
- Orissaare1,065 people
- Tehumardino census figure
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 0 | -1 | 2 | 7 | 14 | 18 | 22 | 21 | 16 | 10 | 6 | 2 |
| Night low (°C) | -3 | -4 | -3 | 1 | 6 | 11 | 15 | 15 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| Sea (°C) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 12 | 17 | 18 | 15 | 11 | 8 | 5 |
| Rain (mm) | 54 | 45 | 40 | 38 | 38 | 59 | 60 | 74 | 56 | 66 | 70 | 58 |
| Wet days | 14 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 15 |
| Sun h/day | 0.0 | 1.3 | 4.5 | 7.4 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 9.4 | 7.6 | 4.9 | 2.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Wind (km/h) | 24 | 22 | 21 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 25 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +1.9 | +2.7 | +3.1 | +2.3 | +0.5 | +1.9 | −0.1 | +0.5 | +0.8 | +1.9 | +2.6 | +2.4 |
| 2021 | +1.9 | −0.1 | −0.4 | +0.6 | +0.2 | +4.0 | +4.6 | ±0.0 | −0.7 | +0.3 | +0.5 | −0.3 |
| 2022 | −0.4 | +0.3 | +1.4 | +1.5 | +0.7 | +1.7 | +1.7 | +1.7 | −0.3 | +0.1 | +0.9 | +0.6 |
| 2023 | +0.5 | +0.7 | +0.5 | +1.4 | +2.7 | +2.6 | ±0.0 | +0.3 | +2.3 | +1.6 | +0.2 | −0.8 |
| 2024 | −1.1 | −0.5 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +3.0 | +3.7 | +1.6 | +0.9 | +2.6 | +2.0 | +0.9 | +0.5 |
| 2025 | +1.0 | +0.8 | +1.0 | +1.8 | +0.5 | −0.2 | +0.7 | ±0.0 | +1.5 | +1.2 | +1.8 | +1.1 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
About these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q951302) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Lakeyas — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; HydroLAKES (Messager et al. 2016) · CC BY 4.0, LakeTEMP (Korver et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0 |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
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