EE
Haapsalu
A seaside resort with a bishop’s castle, wooden villas and a legendary White Lady
A seaside resort with a bishop’s castle, wooden villas and a legendary White Lady
The castle and its cathedral date from the 13th century. The cathedral is still used, and the castle museum and walls are open to visitors.
The White Lady Days festival takes place in August.
Photo: Sillerkiil, CC BY-SA 4.0
The seafront promenade passes a bench dedicated to Pyotr Tchaikovsky, who stayed in Haapsalu, and offers views over the bay.
Photo: Neeme Sihv, CC BY-SA 4.0
This ornate wooden resort hall on the promenade is a seasonal restaurant and venue for concerts.
Photo: Zairon, CC BY-SA 4.0
Built in 1906, the station had one of the longest covered platforms in Northern Europe, 216m long. It now houses the Estonian Railway Museum.
Photo: Андрей Романенко, CC BY-SA 4.0
Look for fresh fish, smoked eel, Baltic herring and seasonal produce. Cafés and restaurants line the old town and promenade.
Spa hotels offer mud treatments and saunas year-round.
Buses from Tallinn take about one and a half hours. Tallinn Airport is the nearest international airport. Ferries from nearby Rohuküla run to the islands of Vormsi and Hiiumaa.
The town is compact and easy to walk or cycle.
Estonia uses the euro.
An easy getaway from Tallinn.
Visit the castle, walk the promenade and see the Kuursaal and railway station.
Relax at a spa, or take the ferry to Vormsi.
🛂 Entry rules: EES and ETIAS
Estonia is in the Schengen area, which has two EU border systems for non-EU visitors.
EES (in force): since 10 April 2026 the EU’s Entry/Exit System registers non-EU visitors’ passport details, fingerprints and a photo the first time they enter the Schengen area, replacing passport stamps. Allow extra time at the border on your first trip; later crossings are quicker. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens are not registered.
ETIAS (not yet running): a €20 online travel authorisation for visitors who don’t need a visa, such as UK, US, Canadian and Australian citizens. It hasn’t started and no start date has been confirmed, so nobody can apply yet; ignore websites that offer to “pre-register” you for a fee.
Visa-free visitors can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the whole Schengen area, not per country.
Official information: EU: Travel to Europe (EES & ETIAS) · Reviewed September 2026
Look for the legend on August full-moon nights.
Haapsalu is known for mud treatments.
Flat and bike-friendly.
Ferries to Vormsi and Hiiumaa leave nearby.
Quick answers for planning time in Haapsalu.
About one and a half hours by bus.
A ghostly figure said to appear in the castle chapel window on August full-moon nights.
Yes, it has been known for therapeutic mud treatments since the 19th century.
The Episcopal Castle, the promenade, the Kuursaal and the railway museum.
June to August.
Planning a wider trip? Our Estonia travel guide covers getting there, costs, when to go and more.