Haapsalu's old town is compact enough to walk in an hour, but atmospheric enough to justify a longer wander. The streets around the castle are lined with early twentieth-century wooden houses in various states of painterly decay and careful restoration — this is one of the best-preserved wooden townscapes in Estonia, which is saying something.
The town's scale reflects its long history as a minor episcopal and then administrative centre rather than a major commercial hub. The streets are quiet, the gardens well-tended, and the few cafes and shops are properly local in character. Look for the Town Hall Square (Raekoja plats), which functions as the social centre, and the network of narrow lanes between the castle and the waterfront.