Haapsalu Episcopal Castle

Haapsalu was the seat of the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek, and the castle he built here in the thirteenth century still dominates the town - a long curtain wall enclosing a large grassy yard, with the cathedral standing intact inside it. It is a gentler ruin than most: the town has grown around it rather than away from it, and the yard functions as a park.

What you actually see

The Dome Church, a severe single-nave cathedral of grey stone, is the centrepiece and one of the largest single-nave churches in the Baltics. Around it run the walls, a watchtower you can climb for a view over the bay, and the outlines of the bishop's buildings.

The much-repeated detail is the round window in the baptistery: in August, when the full moon is in the right position, the light through it throws a figure onto the inner wall. The town has built a festival around it, and the White Lady has been the local emblem for over a century.

When to go

• August full moon - the White Lady nights, with an outdoor concert and a very full town.
• May to September - museum and tower open, the yard used for events.
• Winter - the yard is open and the walls look their best under snow, but the interiors close down.

Honest expectations

The ghost effect depends on clear sky, the right date and being in the right spot - most years plenty of people go home having seen nothing. Treat the festival as the attraction and the shadow as a bonus.

The cathedral is unheated and the tower stair is steep and narrow.

Nearby

Haapsalu's wooden promenade, the old railway station with its long covered platform, and the Matsalu bird towers are all within a short drive. Ferries to Vormsi and Hiiumaa leave from Rohuküla nearby.