Ruhnu is a tiny island but it’s still big enough to be seen on the map of Estonia on the Estonian one cent euro coin.

It took us about two hours by boat to get there. However, if you decide to visit it in winter, there are weekly flights from Kuressaare and Pärnu.

We also took our bikes because we only had about 4h to visit the island. That’s because the boat connection Kuressaare- Ruhnu is not so great. So, we had to be quick and well-organized (that’s my boyfriend’s part as usual!). We parked our bikes by the post office….

…and continued our visit on foot. There were quite a lot of things to see.

We went through a beautiful forest where we didn’t meet a soul!

Despite the sign, we didn’t see any bears. What a pity!

But we saw several cute houses along the way. Ruhnu is tiny, remember! It has a population of 97 inhabitants.

We even came across a café but as you can see, it was closed.

These two beautiful churches were also closed to our great disappointment. FYI, the Ruhnu wooden church (St. Madeline’s Church), built in 1644, is the oldest-known wooden construction still standing in Estonia.

After a while, we arrived at the beach. And what a beach! Wow! Just judge it for yourself.

As you can see, we were not completely alone.

After a picnic on this exquisite beach, we headed towards the lighthouse, which stands atop the highest point of the island. You may be surprised to hear that it was  designed by Gustave Eiffel. The structure was prefabricated in France and shipped to Ruhnu for assembly in 1877.

And it was already time to go back to Kuressaare. Time certainly flies when you’re having fun!

Published by natalyadrian

I am a writer, a teacher, a translator and a digital nomad. View all posts by natalyadrian