The lighthouse at Sõrve, on the southern tip of Estonia's largest island, was most visited in 2025 and drew over 25,000 ticketed visitors, while a total of 82,140 people visited all of Estonia's main lighthouses open to the public.

This was a fall of over 13 percent year on year and, as noted, the lowest figure for five years. The overall result was strongly influenced by the drop in popularity of the Kõpu Lighthouse on Hiiumaa, the Transport Administration says.

Sõrve's visitor numbers of 25,153 visitors were, on the other hand, up, albeit by a small amount (137 on 2024's figure).

The other lighthouses (Estonian: Tuletorn) open to the public, ranked in order from most visited to least visited in 2025 and with 2024's figures in brackets, were:

• Kõpu – 12,284 visitors (2024: 22,955 visitors).
• Tahkuna (Hiiumaa) – 11,982 (2024: 12,877).
• Kihnu Island – 7,761 (8,026).
• Narva-Jõesuu – 4,900 (3,500).
• Ristna (Hiiumaa) – 4,645 (6,833).
• Naissaare Island – 4,346 (3,553).
• Pakri (Harju County) – 3,032 (5,276) (NB: this lighthouse was closed from the second half of summer due to renovations).
• Saxby (Vormsi) – 2,935 (2,887).
• Ruhnu Island – 1,798 (1,694).
• Vilsandi Island – 1,518 (1,602).
• Tallinna ülemine – 1,240.
• Osmussaar Island – 546 (735).

The Tallinna ülemine lighthouse is located at the western end of the Lasnamäe district. It only opened to the public in summer 2025.

"The biggest decline [in visitor numbers] occurred on Hiiumaa, specifically at Kõpu. While in 2024 they hosted 22,955 visitors, last year that number was more than 10,000 lower. At the same time, there were several lighthouses where public interest increased," noted Andres Unn, administrator at the Transport Administration.

Many of the lighthouses above (see gallery) have histories dating back several centuries, though often towers originally built of wood have been rebuilt. For instance, at Kõpu, a lighthouse has been on the site since the 16th century, though the current tower dates to the 19th century.

Another lighthouse, at Mehikoorma in Põlva County, is expected to be added to the above list. This example is unusual in that it was used to warn shipping on a freshwater lake, traveling between Lake Peipus (Peipsi järv) and the much narrower Lämmijärv.

In total, Estonia has 55 operational lighthouses, all of which are owned by the Transport Administration.