In the winter, when I visited the Estonian island Saaremaa, I also visited the castle that is located in the island's capital Kuressaare. It wasn't a planned visit but before we had to drive to the port and get back to the mainland we had some time left. That's when we decided to make a walk in the park and also see the castle.
As mentioned, it is located in the city of Kuressaare and the castle is located right next to the sea, in the city.
It is built in the 1380s, possibly even earlier but no one is exactly sure. Of course, during this time it has seen some rich history and has outlived several wars. Amazingly, it has not been destroyed even once. Over the centuries, it has been modernized and restaurated two times.
The castle is surrounded by hexagonal-shaped walls and does look quite protective. It is also surrounded by water so it was an additional security measure.
With a ticket, you are able to explore the insides of the castle and see the museum. We didn't do that this time. Just walking inside the walls is free of charge.
The castle walls are very wide so you can walk 360 degrees around the castle, on the walls. We climbed the wall but the snow cover was knee-deep and too much for us to walk around on the wall.
Walking outside the walls is nice as well, the area is pretty cool and beautiful to see.
A bit of color in the black-and-white weather.
We did this walk in the dead of winter. I think this area is best visited in the spring and summertime, it's gorgeous then. I definitely advise you to visit but in the summer it's quite popular and hordes of tourists are expected.
