Estonia · Saaremaa · Premium route guide
Saaremaa Island Grand Loop
Windmills, sea cliffs, a meteorite crater and empty island roads.
Ferry from Virtsu to Kuivastu, over Muhu to Saaremaa, then Orissaare, the Angla windmills, Panga cliff, Kihelkonna, the Sorve peninsula, Kuressaare and the Kaali crater, back to Kuivastu. Built from our own track.
- Distance
- 343.9 km
- Peak elevation
- 59 m
- Elevation gain
- 511 m
- Best months
- May–Sep
- Estonia · Saaremaa
- Loop
- Mostly paved
- Ferry required
The route
Ferry to Muhu, across the causeway to Saaremaa, along the north coast to Angla and Panga, down the west side to Kihelkonna and the Sorve peninsula, back to Kuressaare, then Kaali and the causeway to Kuivastu.
Works with Garmin, TomTom, BMW Navigator, Calimoto, Kurviger, komoot, MyRouteApp. Import as a track to ride the exact line. Road data from OpenStreetMap (ODbL); elevation from SRTM.
Track vs. route, how to load this into your GPS
What you are downloading is a GPX track, a dense, road-snapped breadcrumb of the exact line, with elevation on every point. It is not a GPX route (a short list of turn waypoints your device re-plans between). Tracks preserve our road choice; routes let the device pick its own way and can send you down a boring motorway shortcut.
How to use it on your navigator:
- BMW Navigator / Garmin Zumo / zumo XT: import as a track, then Convert to Route (or Trip Planner, new trip from track) if you want turn by turn prompts. Keep Recalculation off so it stays on our line.
- TomTom Rider: import the GPX in MyDrive, it loads as a track / itinerary. Enable Follow the exact route so it does not re-plan.
- Calimoto: open the GPX and choose Import as tour, Calimoto follows the track line.
- Kurviger / komoot / MyRouteApp: open the GPX and pick Import as track to keep the road choice. Only choose Import as route if you want the app to re-plan for your bike profile.
- Google Maps / Apple Maps: these do not read GPX. Use the map on this page for turn cues, or import the file into a GPX capable app first.
Rule of thumb: if your device asks "track or route?", pick track to ride our exact line, pick route only if you want the device to re-plan.
Elevation profile
From ~0 m at the base to 59 m at the top, 511 m of total climbing across the route.
Our track is 344 km with about 511 m of climbing, about 7 hours of riding, plus the ferry.
Why ride it
Flat, empty island roads, juniper fields, the Angla windmill hill, the Panga sea cliff, Kuressaare castle and the Kaali meteorite crater.
Hazards
Gravel on minor roads, strong sea winds, deer and elk, and ferry queues in summer.
Fuel
Fuel in Virtsu, Orissaare and Kuressaare. Fill up in Kuressaare before the Sorve peninsula.
Best months and difficulty
May to September. Difficulty: easy.
What to see along the way
- Virtsu ferry - Ferry to Muhu.
- Kuivastu - Ferry port on Muhu.
- Orissaare - Town after the causeway.
- Angla windmills - Row of old wooden windmills.
- Panga Cliff - Highest sea cliff on Saaremaa.
- Kihelkonna - Old church village.
- Sorve Peninsula - Southern tip of the island.
- Kuressaare - Island capital and castle.
- Kaali crater - Meteorite crater lake.
Rent a bike
Rent a motorcycle or scooter for Saaremaa Island Grand Loop
Flying in? Pick up a bike near the start of the route. We've pre-filled the pick-up city with Kuressaare - change it if you're basing elsewhere.
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