Aegna Island

Aegna is a three-square-kilometre island in Tallinn Bay, administratively part of the city, with a handful of permanent residents and no cars. A marked circular trail of around eleven kilometres runs the perimeter through pine and spruce forest and along sand and boulder beaches, past a boulder field, a labyrinth of stones on the shore, the remains of coastal gun batteries and a Soviet-era military presence that closed the island for decades, and a small chapel. Swimming is possible from several beaches. Boats run from Tallinn through the summer season only, and the timetable allows most of a day ashore.

What you actually see

• The perimeter trail - the marked circuit around the island.
• Sand and boulder beaches - the shore on several sides.
• Battery remains - the coastal fortifications in the forest.
• The stone labyrinth - the arrangement of boulders on the shore.

When to go

June to August, when boats run; outside the summer season there is no scheduled service. Day trips are governed by the timetable. Weekends in July are the busiest.

Honest expectations

There is no scheduled boat service outside summer. Facilities are a seasonal cafe and camping ground, nothing more. Mosquitoes in the forest are persistent. Missing the last boat means staying overnight without accommodation.

Nearby

Tallinn lies south; Naissaar is west across the bay.