Sea-fortress batteries, a Soviet mine factory, a railway in the pines, a Swedish village and empty beaches — an hour by boat from the Estonian capital.
From Tallinn’s seafront, Naissaar is the long dark line across the bay. For most of the 20th century it was a place Estonians could see but not set foot on: first a tsarist sea fortress, then a Soviet naval-mine base.
The army left in the early 1990s and the forest took over. Today the whole island is a nature park with a handful of residents, no shops and almost no cars. You come by seasonal boat, walk or cycle its sandy roads past bunkers and rusting mine casings, swim from an empty beach — and are back in the Old Town for dinner.
GetYourGuide lists a single Naissaar product, so we are honest about it: here it is, alongside the best-reviewed island, sailing and Tallinn trips that pair naturally with a day on Naissaar.
Private island trip from €796 per group The only Naissaar trip listed on GetYourGuide: a private half-day outing from Tallinn with the crossing and a guide on the island. It is new and has no reviews yet, and the price is for the whole group — it makes most sense when you can share the cost.
Island day trip from €157 The best-reviewed small-island day trip from Tallinn that you can book per person. Prangli is Naissaar’s inhabited cousin: a fishing community with a wooden church, a shop and a truck tour — an easy alternative when Naissaar boats do not suit your dates.
Sailing cruise from €65 A relaxed evening sail in the same bay you cross to reach Naissaar, with a small group on board. It does not land on the island, but on a clear evening you see its long, low silhouette on the horizon.
Walking tour from €35 The classic introduction to medieval Tallinn and, by review count, the walking tour most visitors choose. Do it on the afternoon you arrive, and keep a full day free for the island.
Walking tour from €30 A well-reviewed, inexpensive walk through the Soviet layer of the city. It is the natural companion to Naissaar, which spent the same decades as a closed military island that ordinary Estonians could only look at from the shore.
Day trip from €119 Estonia’s favourite nature day trip, with more than nine hundred reviews. If Naissaar gave you a taste for pine forest, boulders and quiet coast, Lahemaa is the mainland version — and it runs when the island boats do not.
Ferry ticket from €43 A return ferry ticket for a do-it-yourself day in the Finnish capital. The shipping lane to Helsinki runs out of Tallinn Bay past Naissaar, so in good weather you get a free look at the island from the deck.
Bike tour from €31 An easy guided ride to the main sights outside the Old Town walls, including the seafront. A good way to get your cycling legs back before a day on Naissaar’s forest roads.
Live prices and availability from GetYourGuide for Naissaar, Prangli and Tallinn Bay trips and tours in Tallinn.
From moss-covered gun batteries to a wooden church reconsecrated before a crown princess.
Military heritage A Soviet naval-mine base left to the forest
For half a century Naissaar was a closed island where the Soviet navy stored and assembled sea mines. The garrison settlement of Männiku, the warehouses in the woods and the rusting mine casings that still lie around the island are the most striking thing most visitors see.
Military heritage The guns of Peter the Great’s Naval Fortress
Before the First World War the Russian Empire turned Naissaar into a key position of the sea fortress that was to seal the Gulf of Finland. Its concrete gun batteries, blown up in 1918 and softened by a century of moss, are scattered through the island’s northern and western forests.
Nature & beaches A red-and-white tower on the island’s northern tip
A lighthouse has marked the northern point of Naissaar since 1788. The present concrete tower, 45 metres tall and finished in 1960, stands above a shore of rounded stones at the far end of the island — the natural goal of a long walk or bike ride.
Villages & culture The old Swedish fishing village and its wooden church
Lõunaküla, the “south village” that its Swedish-speaking founders called Storbyn, was the heart of island life until the Second World War. Restored cottages, the wooden St Mary’s church, the cemetery and a memorial to the astronomer-optician Bernhard Schmidt tell the story of the people who lived here.
Military heritage A military railway you can still ride
In the 1910s the island was laced with some 40 kilometres of narrow-gauge track to feed the fortress batteries, and the Soviet navy later used it to move mines. A short stretch between the harbour and Männiku has been restored, and in season a small train carries visitors through the pines.
Nature & beaches Empty sand an hour from the capital
Naissaar’s east and south coasts are edged with pale sand backed by pine forest, while the west and north are a wilder mix of dunes, shingle and boulders. On a fine weekday you can have a kilometre of beach to yourself — with Tallinn’s skyline floating on the horizon.
Island beds are few and seasonal, so most visitors sleep in Tallinn — by the harbour, in the Old Town or out at Pirita.
A straightforward, good-value hotel beside Tallinn’s passenger port, an easy walk from both the Old Town and the seafront where the island boats have sailed in recent seasons.
A five-star hotel in Tallinn’s former telegraph exchange in the heart of the Old Town — the indulgent choice for the night after a day of sand, forest and sea air.
Apartments with a spa beside Pirita’s long sandy beach, a short bus ride from the centre — a seaside base on the bay that faces the islands.
Seasonal boats from Tallinn, private trips and what to check before you sail.
Swedish fishermen, a tsarist fortress, a sailors’ republic and Soviet mines.
White nights in June, warm sea in August, berries in autumn — month by month.
Itineraries, food and water, safety, packing and practical tips.
Our honest ranking of the island and Tallinn trips worth booking.
Sleeping on the island, or choosing the right base in Tallinn.
Naissaar has no shops and the boat runs only in season. Pair your island day with guided trips from Tallinn — a Prangli island tour, a sunset sail or a Soviet-history walk — and book the rest of your stay in one place.
In the Gulf of Finland, about 8.5 km off the Estonian mainland north-west of Tallinn. The island closes the western side of Tallinn Bay and belongs to Viimsi parish.
By passenger boat from Tallinn in the summer season; the crossing takes about an hour. The operator, departure pier and timetable change from year to year, so check the current season before you plan. See getting there.
Yes — that is how most people see it. A day gives you time for Männiku, the mine depot, Lõunaküla and a beach, or for a bike ride to the lighthouse. Staying overnight lets you do both.
There are no shops and no cash machines. A simple café or food stall usually operates in summer, but you should bring water and a picnic and carry some cash.
Yes, with common sense. Stay on roads and marked paths, because unexploded ordnance is still occasionally found; keep out of ruined buildings; and protect yourself against ticks. Details are in our travel guide.
Local truck tours meet the boats in season, and GetYourGuide lists one private half-day trip from Tallinn. Coverage is thin, so our ranked list also includes Prangli island and Tallinn tours that combine well with an island day.
