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
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
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.
1mountainPeakyas
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 | Peakyas, 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.
The family
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