Leg 5: Muhu to Pärnu

Distance: 52 mi/84 km
Climb: 879 ft/268 m


Ridewithgps.com course legs located here and here.

Logging is a main industry in Pärnu

After waking up from a very warm night, we had a delicious country breakfast served in the garden.  When we loaded up and said goodbye to our gracious guests, we embarked on the last leg of our Estonian Tour.  The ferry terminal on Muhu Island was a short nine miles away and we rode slowly, knowing that soon our ride would be complete.  When we departed the ferry on the Estonian mainland at Virtsu, we followed Bike Route 1 through a long series of dirt roads before joining the main highway.  Unlike previous dirt roads, which were quite enjoyable, these roads were marked by deep gravel and hard ruts.  It took quite a bit of technique to keep our thin-tired bikes progressing without awkwardness.  The wind also found a way to clock around to our nose and strengthen, further slowing our progress.

Houses in Pärnu

As we approached Pärnu, it became clear why it's called Estonia's summer city.  The beaches looked quite inviting and there were lots of summer houses surrounding the downtown.  As we closed in on the city's yacht club (our lodging), our hearts were heavy.  This short tour of Estonia was so very nice and we hated to see it come to an end.

The yacht club is a very nice place to stay and the restaurant is really good.  Bikes are kept in their large storehouse where yacht owners keep all sorts of sailing paraphernalia.  The rooms were well sized and outfitted with the basics.

Fishing is a favorite pastime in Pärnu

Following a nice night's rest, we had breakfast and set off to the bus station to get a ride back to Tallinn.  It is important to note that each bus driver maintains approval authority over whether bikes can go onboard the bus.  We found better luck with the Lux Express busses than with the Simple Express busses (though they are owned by the same company).  

 In all, we travelled 268 mi/431 km and climbed 1,942 ft/592 m in five days.  When we were done, we wished that we could ride longer.  We would have loved to continue onto the college town of Tartu, but alas, we will have to come back some day to do that as we were out of time.

Estonia is a very bikable country and you should consider making it part of your next cycling adventure.

The yacht club terrace in Pärnu

Memorial to the 19th worst maritime disaster in history

The Baltic stays shallow for a long way

The beach at Pärnu

Leg 4: Kuressaare to Muhu

Distance: 43 mi/69 km
Climb: 591 ft/ 181 m


Ridewithgps course located here.

There are excellent bike routes around Kuressaare

More canola fields

The ride from Kuressaare to Muhu was very much like the previous day's ride.  The landscape continued to be populated by farms and the occasional church.  There are a few convenience stores to pick up water or something small to eat.  There was one difference, however, and it wasn't a good one.  I had experienced large horseflies riding in the Baltics in 2013.  There are huge, their bite hurts a lot and they are not particularly afraid of humans swatting at them.  We were lucky not to run into them previously in Estonia, but on this day, we ran out of luck.

We hit a flock of them east of Kuressaare and they flew in tight formation around each of us for many miles, looking for an opportunity to land a bite.  They are so big and persistent that we could see their shadows on the ground swarming around each of us.  Alas, the more we flailed and swatted, the more they maneuvered in tight formation.

We discovered, through exasperation, that the best tactic was to keep up our riding speed and ignore them to the best of our ability.  They rarely landed and bit.  In a few miles, they disappeared as fast as they had appeared.  Strange.

After escaping airborne death, we set our sights on Orissaare for lunch, a medium size town just before the bridge to Muhu Island.  We stopped at a local restaurant and found good food for reasonable prices.

Following lunch, we crossed the 3 km land bridge between the islands and proceeded down a series of dirt roads until we arrived at the Antsu Jaani Tourist Farm, our accommodation for the night.  We had done research before starting our trip and knew that the purported best restaurant in Estonia was on Muhu Island.  It is called Alexander Restaurant at Pädaste Manor.  We made reservations and went for dinner.  It was very nice and quite delicious.  Our luxurious meal juxtaposed sharply with our rustic lodging, but we decided that it was a nice way to stay balanced on our tour.

The land bridge between Saarema and Muhu Islands

Our tourist farm is owned by a retired lawyer from Tallinn and her professional singer husband.  They are gracious hosts and we enjoyed talking with them quite a bit.  They also had the world's sweetest dog.  All in all, Muhu is a remarkable place.

Dirt roads en route to our farm accommodation

The Alexander Restaurant at Pädaste Manor.  Excellent but pricey

The owners' dog at Antsu Jaani Farm

Leg 3: Haapsalu to Kuressaare

Distance: 63 miles/101 km
Climb: 1,171 ft/357 m


Ridewithgps course in three segments, here, here and here.

An aircraft revetment at an abandoned Soviet fighter base

Since we were departing Haapsalu and intended to ride across Hiiuma Island and Saarema Island to end in Kuressaare, we had to worry about the ferry schedule.  Luckily, it's available online here.  There are many ferries from the Estonian mainland (Rohuküla) to Hiiumaa (Heltermaa), but very few from Hiiumaa (Sõru) to Saarema (Triigi).  Therefore, you have to choose your departure time and route to synchronize your ferry choices. 

The ferry terminal at Rohuküla

Cycling maps of Estonia, including the islands, can be found here.  We followed cycling route 302 across Hiuumaa, taking time to stop at the wool factory for some gift purchases and a drink at the cafe.  After that we passed many idyllic farm and seascapes.  It was truly pleasant and beautiful.  There was also very little traffic.  The traffic there consisted of farm equipment, trucks full of agricultural products and tourists. All drivers gave us good room and were friendly.

We finally closed in on our destination, Kuressaare, at about 2215 (10:15 PM).  We were so late because we elected to synchronize our ride with the late ferry from Hiiumaa to Saarema Island.  We stayed at the Karluti Hostel and can recommend it.  After a meal around the corner at Veski Trahter (also recommended), we called it a night.

The ferries in Estonia are modern and efficient.  The crews

are very bike friendly

Debarking the ferry in Heltermaa

Many roads in Hiiumaa are treelined and covered

The wool shop on Hiiumaa

The bikes at the wool factory cafe

There is much livestock on Hiiumaa Island and they
are not afraid of people

One of the many traditional windmills which grace the islands

These sheep will give their coats to the wool factory 

A derelict vessel awaiting overhaul at Sõru

The ferry from Hiiumaa to Saarema is small

Bikes stowed on deck

One of the many canola fields.  Long shadows at 2100 (9 PM)!

You guessed it, more windmills

A red-hued crop on Saarema.  Do you know what it is?

Leg 2: Paldiski to Haapsalu

Distance: 61 mi/98 km
Climb: 1,317 ft/401 m

Breakfast at the B&B

Ridewithgps course is located here.

After a nice night's rest at The Paldiski Tuule B&B, we awoke to a nice, local breakfast and two Finnish cyclists who were cycling the same route as us.  In fact, we would see them again in Haapsalu and on the ferry to Hiiuma Island.

The landscape west of Paldiski

The route we chose mostly followed Estonian Bike Route 1 which can be found here.  The route was fairly traffic-free and just where the route turns south on approach to Happsalu, you can choose to take some parallel dirt roads which will take you through farmland and some wind farms as well.  In Haapsalu, we stayed at a homestay which was basically a family's second house which they rented out to travelers or temporary residents.  Though Haapsalu is known for its mud baths and spas, we arrived a little late in the day to take advantage of them.  Instead, we walked into town and enjoyed a very nice dinner at one of the restaurants surrounding the Episcopal Castle, which was in the center of the old city and truly memorable.

One of the many churches that dot the countryside

Inn at the Padise Monastery.  I would have loved to stay here

One of the numerous bike lanes in Estonia

A typical Estonian farm

Tiring of the main road, we elected to take some dirt roads

Dirt road payoff: windmills we could ride up to

Dirt road panorama

Some of the excellent signage

Inside the Episcopal Castle in Haapsalu

Haapsalu Bay:  a birder's paradise

Leg 1: Tallinn to Paldiski
I toured Estonia with two friends from 4-10 July, 2014.  Here are some of the things we saw and lessons we learned.  We elected to take a counterclockwise tour from Tallinn to Pärnu through the islands based on a previous tour report and our interest in the Baltic Sea.  We broke the trip up into five segments to be covered in five days.  Our group represented a broad range of touring experience, so we wanted to go for a shorter tour.

Briefly, Estonia has excellent cycling infrastructure and its combination of flat topography, mild weather and reasonable prices make it an excellent location to bike tour.  Distances between major towns is manageable and, during the summer, there is in excess of 19 hours of daylight per day.

We all flew into and out of Tallinn and, if we had it to do over again, probably would have added a day and cycled back from Pärnu to Tallinn (instead of taking a bus as we did this tour).

Leg 1: Tallinn to Paldiski

Vabriku Hostel before the start

Distance: 37 mi/60 km
Climb: 867 ft/264 m

I planned the route with ridewithgps.com and you can view it here.  We wanted to start with a fairly short day to get our bikes and bodies sorted out without a lot of pressure.  We left our accommodation  (Vabriku Hostel) at 0900 and found a very cool cafe to have a small breakfast (F-Hoone).  Getting underway, we noticed that Estonia had very many bike lanes and followed one for quite a long distance to the west.  The signage was excellent and the road/bike lane condition was also very good.  The weather was warm (84F/29C) but there was some coastal fog.

On the road to Keila Waterfall 

We stopped at what would have been a fantastic overlook, but the fog was very thick and we could just make out the shore below.  Overall, the weather was very strange since it was unseasonably warm, but the fog was persistent.  The wind was the wildcard for this tour since the terrain would offer few hills.   Luckily, we had a gentle breeze out of the south, perpendicular to our track.  It cooled us a little but did not impede our progress.

One of the things we wanted to see on the way to Paldiski was Keila Waterfall.  We found it more by accident than design and ate a a really nice bar/restaurant at the falls.  This began

Lunch at Keila Waterfall.  Staying hydrated is important

The outhouse at lunch

 what would become a normal experience in Estonia for us.  The food was filling (meat and potatoes), delicious (heavy on the dill) and very reasonably priced (our price references are Germany and Portugal).  Lunch cost 4 euro per person plus 1.5 euro for a big beer.  Not bad.  We also discovered another common Estonian situation outside of cities: outhouses.  Though indoor plumbing is plentiful enough, there were a good number of outhouses at places we stayed at and ate at on this trip.  I imagine during a harsh winter, a trip to the restroom must be quite an adventure.

Keila Waterfall.  The water was cola-colored

Some dirt roads en route to Paldiski

After departing the falls, we headed a little inland, skipping the coastal route.  This allowed us to see some of the local vacationing areas and summer camps.  We rode past forested areas with summer homes and lodges. This area looked like a perfect retreat for busy Tallinnites.  We got our first taste of dirt roads as well, finding many in great condition with tree-lined flanks.  This would have been like many of the forested areas I have ridden through previously, with one difference: this place was nearly completely flat.  Where there were hills, none was above 3% grade, perfect for a first cycle tour.


As we crossed the peninsula where Paldiski resides, the terrain opened up and the forests thinned out.  As this happened, the breeze stiffened a bit and started to come at us from ahead.  It would be hard to call it a strong breeze, but it impeded progress ever so slightly, especially when we would hit a particularly exposed stretch of road.  It bears noting here that of the three bicycle rigs we had, two were set up with large rear panniers and a handlebar bag.  The third was set up with two large panniers on the front and two nearly-empty, small panniers on the rear.  We ran 28mm touring tires one one rig and 30mm CX tires on two rigs.  These were more than sufficient for the road conditions we

The cliffs at Paldiski Lighthouse

encountered throughout the tour with small exception.  We did get into some deep gravel which caused us some consternation later in the tour, but for this first leg, things could not have gone much better.

Our destination, Paldiski, had been a Soviet submarine base.  It was a bit of a drab town which is now trying to remain economically viable as a port facility.  We could see recent EU investment in port facilities, but, beyond that, the town did not look like there was much opportunity.  There are two restaurants in Paldiski and we ate at the more formal of them.


Again, we found the food to be yummy and cheap.  The only real thing to see in Paldiski is the lighthouse and cliffs at the end of the peninsula.  Riding from town to the point was about two miles and was a pleasant ride.  Unfortunately, the fog remained thick that day and there was little of the Baltic we could observe.