Viimsi: Coast, Nature and Islands

Viimsi combines coast, nature, maritime history and island destinations. To help you plan your trip, the area highlights different focuses: beach and swimming, forest trails, museums or excursions by sea. If you are looking for accommodation in Viimsi, you can therefore first base your choice on the experiences that are to shape your stay.

Coast and maritime history

The 150-year-old Kingu coastal farm complex is the centerpiece of the Viimsi Open Air Museum; the museum is protected as a national cultural monument. Lighthouse Alley displays true-to-scale replicas of seven Estonian lighthouses. Next to the museum, a farmers' market sells Estonian food products and fresh fish; it is open year-round on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Estonian War Museum is housed in Viimsi Manor, which belonged to General Johan Laidoner, the Commander-in-Chief of the Estonian War of Independence. The permanent exhibition spans the period from prehistory to the overseas missions of the Estonian Defence Forces. At the Museum of Coastal Folk, the collected objects range from fishhooks to boats; young visitors can also find a maritime-themed playroom there.

Beach, nature and active days

Haabneeme Beach is a sandy beach for swimming with clean, warm water. Facilities include lifeguards, bicycle racks, beach cabins, sun loungers, toilets and two beach volleyball courts. Another highlight is the Atlantis H2O Aquapark, with a wave pool, lazy river and eight slides; the longest is more than 120 metres long. The children's area includes two smaller slides, a climbing area and a 20-centimetre-deep pool.

The Viimsi rural municipality contains five state-protected natural sites covering a total area of approximately 2,325 hectares, as well as eight locally protected landscape conservation areas covering 1,628 hectares. The 3.1-kilometre Tädu Nature Trail is located in the Mäealuse Landscape Protection Area and provides information about forest inhabitants and natural phenomena. At a leisurely pace, the trail takes about 1.5 hours; at the end, there is a fire pit for making fires and having a picnic.

Island destinations within the municipality

Due to the islands' permanent populations, Viimsi rural municipality provides transport connections to the islands of Prangli and Naissaar. Naissaar can only be reached by sea; the crossing from the mainland takes about one hour. There are no paved roads on the island; people mainly get around in large trucks and on foot along forest and sandy paths. The Naissaar Visitor Center offers rides on the historic narrow-gauge railway, excursions and hikes. The 7-kilometre North Trail (also known as the Military Trail) runs along the coast to military-historical sights such as Estonian Battery No. 5 and Batteries 10A and 10B, and includes ten information boards.

The Tädu Nature Trail can be reached by various buses to the “Tädu kuusk” stop; from there, it is about 100 metres to the start of the trail. Bus 114 runs directly from central Tallinn to “Meremärgi” and the RMK Viimsi Visitor Center. Further places useful for orientation include Äigrumäe Äigrumäe, Viimsi Viimsi, Muuga Muuga, Kelnase Kelnase, Rohuneeme Rohuneeme, Randvere Randvere, Lääneotsa Lääneotsa and Naissaare Naissaare.

For the broader travel overview: Harju.