Baltic Coastal Hiking trail - Haapsalu

Haapsalu and villages of Coastal Swedes

Haapsalu Bay and the Noarootsi Peninsula, Osmussaar island
Tuuru – Nõva: 136 km, Day 47 – Day 52
 
For a short stretch, the Baltic Coastal Hiking Route follows a former broad-gauge railway line, in other places it continues on country roads, while in populated areas and in Haapsalu it takes pedestrian sidewalks and coastal promenades where you will find rest areas and nice little pubs. Haapsalu has a broad offer of SPA hotels that are often located in historic resort buildings. In Haapsalu Old Town, you can visit the Haapsalu Bishop’s Castle, in which the popular White Lady Festival takes place each year in August. Next, the Baltic Coastal Hiking Route leads you through the Noarootsi Peninsula which used to lay at the bottom of the sea, but with the earth's crust rising after the last glacial period it became dry land. Here you can see ancient Swedish hamlets with a different cultural environment and landscape, as well as shallow lakes that have been separated from the sea.

1 J Smalinskis

MediumSection 47. Tuuru - Rohuküla.

The Second Gate to the Islands of the Moonsund Archipelago

In this section of the Baltic Coastal Hiking Route, the landscape is constantly changing. Small villages interchange with cultivated fields, pastures, individual farmsteads and limestone quarries. The route along the seacoast is limited by wetlands and private properties so the itinerary returns to the sea only at Kiviküla and Pusku villages, where you will see the Väinameri Sea Strait and a lot of islands, and at the Rohuküla port.


Promenaad OlevMihkelmaa

MediumSection 48. Rohuküla - Haapsalu - Uuemõisa.

The Most Popular Resort in Estonia - Haapsalu

A multifarious section of the Baltic Coastal Hiking Route. The first three kilometres of the itinerary go along the former Haapsalu – Rohuküla broad-gauge railway line, takes you on a stroll along Haapsalu Bay through Pullapää cape, crosses coastal forests, which contain health trails, and continues via coastal promenades and small streets around Haapsalu Town. After crossing a small wetland beyond the town, this section of the trail ends in the beautiful Uuemõisa Park.


2 J Smalinskis

EasySection 49. Uuemõisa - Elbiku.

Around Haapsalu Bay

The Baltic Coastal Hiking Route mainly goes along the side of the road and it only winds through smaller country roads between Ingküla and Aulepa Villages, where you can enjoy rural landscapes with individual farmsteads, boulders and pastures.


noarootsi

EasySection 50. Österby - Riguldi.

Noarootsi - The Swedish-like peninsula

The Baltic Coastal Hiking Route leads you to the unusual Noarootsi Peninsula where the Swedish have been linked with shaping the cultural environment. The Noarootsi Peninsula is an excellent site for birdwatching in Estonia. The itinerary leads you through Österby, Pürksi, Hosby and Hara villages, in which you will see different kinds of buildings surrounded by fences. In the north of the peninsula, the trail bypasses the overgrown Vööla meri Lake that has once separated from the sea as a bay. Near the shallow Hara Bay, you can see picturesque landscapes with vast reedy areas, coastal juniper meadows and cattle.


2 J Smalinskis

MediumSection 51. Riguldi - Dirhami.

A Place Marked by Meteorites

With the exception of the first 3 km, the itinerary goes along the seashore. It is mainly a sandy beach with beautiful foredunes, grey dunes and sea boulders. The beach may be covered in algae that has been washed ashore and it is occasionally overgrown with dense vegetation. Opposite Rooslepa village and in other places in the sea and on the coast, there are badly weathered stones or the so-called breccias that have melted and weathered as a result of an ancient meteorite explosion. At the destination of the itinerary, you can spend some time in a pub and from its terrace you will have a beautiful view of the sea and the port.


Peraküla3 SvenZacek

MediumSection 52. Dirhami - Nõva.

The Harsh Northern Nature

An exceptionally multifaceted section of the Baltic Coastal Hiking Route in terms of landscapes, where you can already get an insight of the nature characteristic to the north coast of Estonia. The itinerary leads you along the seacoast for almost its entire length, where you will find beautiful sandy beaches near coves, beaches covered in boulders at capes, while dolomite layers uncover themselves in the northern part of Cape Põõsaspea (an excellent birdwatching site). The Baltic Coastal Hiking Route goes through Nõva Nature reserve where you will have exceptional views of the white and grey dunes. The beaches are popular for fishing and kite-boarding.