Baku, Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan is a beautiful country on the coast of the Caspian Sea and protected by the Caucasus Mountains. It has a long history, having been absorbed by many different Persian empires, conquered by the Mongols, and ruled by the USSR. Each ruling party brought their unique culture, influence, and religion. Today both Christian and Muslim influences are throughout the country. You can see these many different cultural influences everywhere in the people, food, language, and traditions. Even though the history is evident, the capital city of Baku is surprisingly modern, clean, and beautiful! With European architecture, beautifully landscaped streets, and the Caspian Sea as a backdrop, walking around Baku felt like a dream! 

How Long to Spend in Baku

Baku is a small city of just 2 million people which means while there is a lot to do, we got most of the things done in 3 days. We spent two days walking the city streets and seeing the sites and 1 day on a tour out of town (which spoiler I wouldn’t recommend but see more below on it). With a variety of museums and galleries, you definitely have enough to do to make it a packed itinerary or a longer trip. 

Azerbaijan Visa and Baku Airport

There are relatively few countries who qualify for a visa on arrival so be sure to apply for an E-Visa online here (https://evisa.gov.az/en/ ) before you go. The process is very simple. The payment however did not accept our US credit card but we were able to pay with a visa from another country. (We are unsure why but we were not in the US when making the payment so maybe it has something to do with that). We were emailed a confirmation at every step and it only took a few days to get. The visa for US citizens is valid for 90 days and allows you to stay in the country for 30 days. Since there can be some back and forth if any information is incorrect, try to apply at least two weeks in advance. 

Also note that the country’s largest holiday, Nowruz, celebrated in March, can mean weeks off from work for many people. Luckily we applied for our trip before this so we didn’t have any issues but if you apply for a visa while the country is closed down, you might not get it in time. Always check local holidays! 

The Baku International Airport (GYU) is very nice and modern. It honestly feels brand new with gold and black accents everywhere. Immigration was quick and easy as well. 

Azerbaijan Currency and Where to Exchange 

While a lot of shops and restaurants accepted credit cards, it definitely wasn’t the norm. We noticed that most patrons, both local and tourists, paid in cash. They asked if we had cash and when I offered a credit card, they accepted. So for the most part, we were able to pay for everything with a Visa. The only thing we actually needed cash for was the public transportation to buy a transit card. 

If you take cash out, the Azerbaijan manat is tied to the US dollar at 1.7 so look for a good exchange rate. We saw everything from 1.60 to 1.69. There are a few banks at the airport and of course you can always exchange at banks and reputable exchange places in the city. We needed cash to take the airport bus so although I don’t love exchanging cash at the airport, it was necessary for our trip. 

How to Leave the Airport 

Unfortunately the metro system doesn’t come to the airport. Instead you can catch an Airport Express Bus into the city. 

The Airport Express Bus will be your cheapest option for leaving the airport. It runs every 20 minutes from the airport to just a few major stops in the city. It costs 1.3 manat a person. We got off at 28 May station and were right downtown. It’s super easy to catch right outside the terminal. Look for the red coach bus with Airport Express on the side, you can’t miss it. It’s a smooth ride and has free wifi on the bus. You can buy a ticket right outside the airport doors but remember it’s cash only. We arrived at 11am on a Friday and the bus took less than 30 mins to get downtown. It was really fast. I have read that with traffic it can take more than a hour though. 

The other option is taking a taxi and they are everywhere waiting outside the airport. Make sure to negotiate the price first or make sure the taxi driver has the meter on. Although this will be your fastest way into town, it’s definitely the most expensive. You can even pull up a ride sharing app like Bolt to check the prices before negotiating. 

Free WiFi 

I was shocked by the amount of free WiFi everywhere. Some countries you need a local phone number to register for free WiFi but not here. The airport, the airport shuttle bus, the malls, most restaurants have it. It made getting around really easy. 

Weather 

Baku gets all four seasons and wow is it windy. We went in late March and it was still bitter cold with the wind off the Caspian Sea. However many told us summers can get to 30-40° C (86-104° F) and it snows in the winter. So plan ahead for whatever season you’ll be there. Appropriate clothing and footwear required for the weather. 

Food 

Azerbaijani food is delicious! It feels like a mix of hearty warm comfort food with a blend of Arab spices and influence. We had a lot of meat, rice, and potatoes but also bread and dips. Breakfast is a large spread of local breads, cheeses, and of course tea. Lunch and dinner have hearty foods that use a lot of pomegranate, spices, and meat. Definitely try the plov (rice dishes), dolma (stuffed veggies), saj (shallow pan of meat and veggies cooked at the table), shashlyk (meat skewers), and qutab (flat bread with cheese, spinach or meat stuffing). 

Areas to Explore in Baku

Old City Baku

I’d recommend staying in the Old City area as it’s charming and a fun place to be. The joy for us was just walking around the old city. It’s so well kept up and was so fun to explore. We loved being able to find fun photo ops on the winding cobblestone streets and alleyways. There are many shops that unfortunately sell the same “antiques”. It’s hard to verify if they are real antiques as so much of it looks the same. A few free places to visit in Old City are Juma Mosque, Museum of Miniature Books, and Philharmonia Garden. We didn’t pay to go into any of the museums in the Old City but there are ticket offices clearly marked. These include: Palace of the Shirvanshahs, Maiden Tower, and Yeraltı hamam (XVII əsr). 

Make sure to walk the streets just outside of the Old City like Nizami St and surrounding neighborhoods. They are just adorable. 

One thing we noticed right away is that both the architecture and fashion have a strong European vibe. Legend goes that the oil barons in pre-soviet Baku traveled to Europe and had a desire to recreate the look so the architecture is stunning. Make sure to go out at night as everything is lit up and honestly is so fun to walk around. The local people are dressed up to go out. Most people have their hair done, finest perfume on and of course are dressed to the nines. It all felt so classy. 

For all the early risers out there, this is a place you’ll want to sleep in. Most breakfast spots don’t open til 9-10 am so it’s not a good place to get up early and explore as everything is closed. That being said, night life (not clubs) but going out at night and eating dinner after 9pm is very common. Shops and restaurants close much later at night. 

Boulevard 

Azerbaijan has done a wonderful job of building a beautiful park and walkway along the coast of the Caspian Sea. You can walk the entire length. Here are some highlights as you walk from east to west on the Boulevard. 

Crescent Area – The Crescent Hotel is a very impressive building and can be seen on the east side of the Boulevard. It’s still under construction but should be done soon. The Crescent Mall is just a block away and while it’s nice, it’s smaller but a great place to get a drink or food at a cafe or even use the bathroom. The Crescent Mall Terrace and Park connect the two and is a super modern sitting and walking area. 

As you walk west, there are 4 km of beautiful parks. You can choose between walking right on the waterfront but watch out, this is one of the windiest cities we’ve ever been to. There are a few other parallel paths that are protected from the wind with tree lined walkways and beautiful landscape flower planters. It’s truly picturesque. 

As you round the bay you’ll see the Mini Venice which is a man made canal in the walkway. You can pay for a boat ride on the water. It’s small but cute. 

The Azerbaijan Carpet Museum is a site to see just from the outside. In the shape of a rolled carpet, it’s quite impressive architecturally. The entrance fee says 7 manat but it’s 10 for foreigners. It has three floors with a special exhibit on the 4th floor. The museum gives a good history and understanding of carpet making tradition in the area. We thought it was worth checking out as it’s very cultural. While it’s not the most exciting thing, I learned and appreciate the carpet making tradition more now. 

Dəniz Mall is definitely more interesting from the outside. Drawing inspiration from both the lotus flower and the Azerbaijan national symbol (8 pointed star), it’s an eye-catching building that stands out due to its prominent position on the Boulevard. Inside are just regular stores and a food court, so if you need to get something or want some fast food, you can make a stop inside. 

Further south you can see the Baku Eye (Ferris wheel) and the State Flag Pole. We didn’t visit either up close but you can see them both throughout your visit. 

Highland Park Area

The park is on top of a hill and there are a few ways to get there: funicular, drive, or walk. The Funicular is only 1 manat per ride (2 total if you do round trip) but in our experience, there was such a long line and the car seemed to move so slow that we actually walked the beautiful staircase that follows the same path. It took us ten minutes to walk to the top and we had beautiful views along the way. So if you’re physically able, I’d walk. If there’s no line, a ride to the top would be fun but I don’t think it’s worth waiting for. 

At the top you can experience Highland Park and Martyrs Lane which is a beautifully laid out park with rows of trees and greenery, mixed with walkways. There is a section of graves dedicated to the martyrs who lost their lives in Black January and the Nagorno-Karabakh War. The eternal flame sits atop this hill as well. The views of the city are not to be missed as it’s one of the highest points. The view of the coastline of the Caspian Sea is very nice from here. 

You can actually walk to the Flame Towers but it’s a little disappointing inside. The towers were built around 2013. One tower is currently occupied by the Fairmont Hotel. The other two are currently residential and offices but the planned mall and public spaces are not open. So there isn’t much to do up close. The charm of the Flame Towers is to see them lit up at night. You can see them from almost anywhere in the city. They are pretty stunning. 

Spend some time walking around up here though. The beautiful views are a great way to appreciate the interesting architecture below. There is a nice cafe but other than that, there isn’t much in the way of food or drink so bring what you need. 

Tours – Buy Before you go or When You Get There?

If you haven’t already purchased a tour and you want to do a paid tour of either the old city (I think you can do it yourself though) or a tour of the outskirts, there are so many people in the Old City selling tours. They are young people working for tour groups. Although they are very nice and friendly, since there are so many of them always asking you to buy a tour, it can be annoying. Don’t worry, they leave you alone if you don’t engage. 

We bought a day tour through Get Your Guide before we went because we only had a specific day to do the tour and we wanted peace of mind, but we could have bought in town. It was only a few dollars difference so do whatever makes you feel comfortable. 

Now, would I recommend this tour? Honestly, no. We were a little disappointed. Guides in Azerbaijan don’t need formal training like guides in Egypt or other countries so the information is really hit or miss. The guides seem to be younger, without formal training so you aren’t guaranteed good information. Rather you are paying for transportation. 

Gobustan Rock Art, Open Air Museum – 10 manat per person. While the history and significance of this place is wildly impressive, I don’t think it’s worth the hour drive. The cave art is so old and gives historians very good information on ancient societies, but we could only see two or three well enough. The others are much harder to see. Be careful as this area is significantly hotter than the city. The summer can get to 50° C (122° F) so they don’t recommend a visit then. 

Mud Volcano – 15 manat per person. This one is wild. There is no actual ticket or entrance fee. Instead there is a group of old men with Soviet style taxi cars that drive you 20 mins through bumpy off road, dried mud paths. You get to the top of the “mountain” and there are a few bubbling hills. I wouldn’t say volcano but more mud piles that bubble. Some emit gas so they can be lit on fire. Others just bubble mud, some thick and some watery looking. There are less than 10 hills though so is it worth the 40 min round trip drive with a random guy in an old Soviet car that smells like an ashtray?  Probably not. One interesting thing we learned is that 50% of the mud volcanoes in the world are in Azerbaijan. Where there are mud volcanoes, there is oil and natural gas. Due to this, the first industrial well for oil was established in Baku. It’s quite a large producer of oil. 

Yanar Dag and Atashgah Zoroastrian Fire Temple – 15 manat per person for entry to both. Yanar Dag used to be an entire mountain on fire from the natural methane gas being released. However when they discovered they could extract and sell this natural gas in the 1850s, they didn’t want this specific mountain to take away their profits. So they put sand over a large majority of the mountain to stop the flames. At one time the flames reached 16 meters. Now there is just a small flame a few feet tall, if that. They mentioned that within 10 years the flames could be gone due to all the extraction in the area. We found this site not very impressive so it’s a pass for us on the hour drive out here. 

Then driving further away from the city, you can visit the Atashgah Zoroastrian Fire Temple. This too was disappointing. The history of how the Zoroastrians mixed with Indians from the Silk Road days was fascinating. However it’s a place where the history is more interesting than the current location. The fire is now pumped in from a pipeline instead of how it used to be. 

Conclusion

We really enjoyed our time walking the city and exploring all the beautiful streets. It may be one of the nicer and cleaner cities we’ve been to. The food is so delicious. It’s definitely worth checking out!