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City

Kuressaare

Located in Saaremaa vald, Saare Coordinates: 58°15′14″ N 22°29′32″ E

Kuressaare
Hiiumaamudeliklubi · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Population
12,698
12.7K
Elevation
3 m
above sea level
Local time
UTC+02:00
Europe/Tallinn · UTC+02:00
When to go
June–August
See the climate
Airports
URE Kuressaare Airport3 km
KDL Kärdla Airport84 km

About Kuressaare

Kuressaare is a city. Location: Saaremaa vald, Saare. Population: 12,698. Elevation: 3 m.

From Wikipedia

Kuressaare (Estonian pronunciation: [ˈkureˈsˑɑːre]) is the only city on the island of Saaremaa in Estonia. It is the administrative centre of Saaremaa Municipality and the seat of Saare County. Kuressaare is the westernmost town in Estonia. The recorded population on 1 January 2024 was 13,185. The city is situated on the southern coast of Saaremaa, facing the Gulf of Riga of the Baltic Sea, and is served by the Kuressaare Airport, Roomassaare harbour, and Kuressaare yacht harbour.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

At a glance

Built
1154
Area
15.5 km²

Source: Wikidata

Travel notes for Kuressaare

From Wikivoyage

Kuressaare is the capital of Saaremaa, the largest of Estonia's islands.

Understand+

The earliest records of Kuressaare is a document written in 1381 that mentions that the town housed the fortified residency of a local Catholic bishop and that it was the main center for the islands of western Estonia. Kuressaare used to be known as Arensburg, and it received city status in 1563. The town has a population of around 13,000 (2018).

Tourist Information Centre, Tallinna 2, ☏ +372 45 33 766, +372 453 31 20, fax: +372 453 31 20, kuressaare@visitestonia.com.

Get in+

By plane:

1 Kuressaare Airport (URE IATA) (3 km from the town). The quickest way to reach Saaremaa is by air. The regular flights between Tallinn and Kuressaare are operated by Nyxair every day, all the year round. It takes 40 minutes to fly from Tallinn to Kuressaare. Finnair may also have seasonal flights from Helsinki. There is a bus waiting the passengers at Kuressaare Airport. (updated Sep 2019)

By bus:

Several buses run daily between Kuressaare and Tallinn's main bus station. The trip takes 4 hours and traverses the strait between the mainland and the islands by means of a 30-minute ferry.

Bus schedules are easily available online – read more under Estonia#Get around.

By yacht:

2 Kuressaare City Harbor. Kuressaare City Harbor (Kuressaare jahisadam) has 132 berths for yachts and motor yachts.

Source: Wikivoyage · CC BY-SA 4.0 · abridged

Population of Kuressaare over time

Population of Kuressaare over time
2000 14,925
2011 13,166
2014 13,152
2015 13,009
2016 13,449
2017 13,382
2018 13,276
2019 13,097
2020 12,933
2021 13,034
2023 13,197
2024 13,185

Censuses and official estimates; source: Wikidata.

Climate of Kuressaare

Best months for sightseeing

Best months for sightseeing: June–August.

This month · November

A cold month

Day 5° · Night 1° · Rain 72 mm

Hottest month
July (day 21°)
Coldest month
February (night -5°)
Wettest month
November (72 mm)
Driest month
May (32 mm)

Bars: average monthly low and high temperature. Below: precipitation. Monthly averages for 1970–2000 at about 18 km resolution, adjusted for elevation. Highlighted months are mild and relatively dry. Source: WorldClim 2.1 (CC BY 4.0).

Show values as a table
Climate of Kuressaare
Month JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Average high (°C)0°0°2°8°14°18°21°21°15°10°5°2°
Average low (°C)-4°-5°-4°1°6°11°14°13°10°5°1°-2°
Precipitation (mm)403434333244606667717256

Other places to visit in this season: June July August

How to get to Kuressaare

The nearest airport is Kuressaare Airport (URE), 3 km to the south as the crow flies. The nearest large city is Riga, 175 km to the southeast.

Airports

  • Kuressaare Airport (URE) Kuressaare 3 kmsouth
  • Kärdla Airport (KDL) Kärdla 84 kmnorth
  • Pärnu Airport (EPU) Pärnu 117 kmeast

Nearby large cities

  • Riga Population: 742.6K 175 kmsoutheast
  • Tallinn Population: 394K 185 kmnortheast
  • Stockholm Population: 1.5M 282 kmnorthwest
  • Sollentuna Population: 139.6K 293 kmnorthwest
  • Klaipėda Population: 172.3K 295 kmsouth

Straight-line distances; road distances are longer. Airport data: OurAirports.

Day trips from Kuressaare

Within 100 km: 8 historic and cultural sites, 12 natural sites, 86 lakes, rivers and coasts.

0–25 km12 places

  • Saaremaa Island 18 kmN
  • Abruka Island 12 kmS
  • Väike-Tulpe Island 8 kmSE
  • Vahase Island 13 kmS

25–60 km32 places

  • Muhu Island 58 kmNE
  • Vilsandi Island 40 kmW
  • Keinas Island Island 53 kmNE
  • Vesiloo Island 42 kmNW

60–100 km62 places

  • Hiiumaa Island 72 kmN
  • Kihnu Island 88 kmE
  • Vormsi Island 94 kmNE
  • Kassari Island 64 kmN

Straight-line distances.

Nearby attractions & nature

Everything nearby

Sources & licences

Data last updated: · 2 independent sources