//
Town in Ida-Viru, Estonia
Photo: Echoecho01, CC BY-SA 3.0 ee via Wikimedia Commons
Sillamäe is a town of 17,000 inhabitants in East Estonia, where the Sõtke River into the Bay of Finland. In Soviet times a closed city of nuclear scientists, the Soviet heritage is still very visible here.
From the travel guide. Select a place for details, a map and what is nearby.
The town hall was built after the Second World War though unlike most other buildings from this era it's not entirely in Stalinist style but draws elements from Tallinn's old town too, in addition to the Kremlin in Moscow.
Built in 1987 to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Russian revolution, which is stated on the plaque, it's one of the increasingly few Soviet monuments in independent Estonia. It depicts a worker lifting up an "atom" that is comprised of electrons but no nucleus.
Приморский бульвар/Primorski bulvar
From the central square, stairs lead down to the "boulevard to the sea" as the street is named in both Estonian and Russian. The iconic view of Sillamäe, it looks more like a place next to the Black Sea, Lake Geneva or the Mediterranean than in Northern Estonia.
A set of concrete blocks with metal bas-reliefs depicting faces of soldiers.
Built in 2001 in modern style.
A former residential building, modified in the 1990s to become an Orthodox church. It looks a bit unusual, though it's beautifully set next to the river.
Langevoja juga
A bit outside the city, the small stream of Langevoja forms two small waterfalls: 1.5 m and 4 m in height, before flowing into Sõtke. The falls can be quite impressive after rains, though they may dry up in the summer.
Sillamäe muuseum
The local museum has a range of different exhibitions related to geology, oil shale and the related industry, daily life during different eras, music including radios, record players and instruments, a collection of dolls and various temporary exhibitions.
Abandoned mining community with the reputation of a ghost town.
A waterfall 7.5 m in height near the seashore.
The hills around this village were the site of a battle between Estonians and Soviets in July 1944. The Soviets lost the battle and their advance westwards was halted for two months. Estonians remember it as a great military achievement at gather here every year at a memorial to Estonian SS fighters. The Russians nowadays forming the majority this part of the country unsurprisingly disagree and are protesting against the gatherings. Around the village there's also a Soviet military cemetery and a memorial to the 1920s Estonian War of Independence erected in the 1990s. In Sinimäe there is a small military museum too.
Sillamäe Spordikompleks Kalev
Renovated in 2011, the local sports center has a swimming pool, gym, rooms for ball games and a hostel.
Clean hotel restaurant with a menu similar to what one can find in Russia.
Cafe restaurant with a varied menu with dishes from many corners of the world. There's also a billiards room and a hookah lounge.
Sushi, burgers and some other fast food. On Vkontakte.
Basic eatery with hot dishes, and cakes and pastries.
Pizzeria.
Regarded as the nightlife center of Sillamäe. The place also serves food.
A nightclub at the seashore, as the name reveals.
The only hotel in town, clean and modern. It has a restaurant, the Grill Bar Krunk. Free Wi-Fi. The room price includes a good breakfast.
Situated in the village of Perjatsi, 1.5 km towards Narva from Sillamäe is the cheaper Perjatsi lodgings.
Old-style grocery shop.
By bus
There are frequent bus lines from/to Tallinn (~€10) (2.5-3h), and Narva (30-40 min). Some buses on the Tallinn-Saint Petersburg route also stop here.
By train
By car
Sillamäe is on Highway 1 connecting Tallinn (185 km) with Narva (30 km), which is at the Russian border - St. Petersburg is a further 150 km east of Narva.
By boat
The port is mainly for freight.
The town is small, for instance you can walk from the bus station to the central attractions or to the shore in about 10 minutes.
Read in the guideChoose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.
St. Petersburg · International · LED
Loading places around the airport…
Articles and travel topics about Sillamäe and Estonia.
ItinerariesEuroVelo 10 (Baltic Sea Cycle Route) is an international long-distance cycle route in the EuroVelo network. It forms a circuit around the Baltic Sea.
Wikivoyage
Travel tipsThe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) (Russian: Союз Советских Социалистических Республик (СССР)), or Soviet Union, emerged as the successor state to the Russian Empire in 1917, and was dissolved in 1991.
Wikivoyage
Culture & historyA ghost town is a place where physical evidence remains to mark the site of a once-active human settlement which has been abandoned, leaving few or no inhabitants.
Wikivoyage
Nature & adventureHiking is a great way to explore the forests, bogs, islands and the rural side of Estonia.
Wikivoyage
Every section of the guide. Open one to read it in full.