How to spend time in Baku and what to see in and around the city in 1, 2, 3 and more days? Our advices, reviews of tourists, descriptions of attractions, photos, prices for entrance tickets. Sights on the map of Baku.
We spent only one daylight in Baku (there we had a transfer on the way to Istanbul), but the city completely captivated us with its extraordinary cleanliness and accuracy, a harmonious combination of ancient architecture and sparkling new buildings, narrow streets and the sweep of avenues and boulevards. Before the trip, of course, we compiled a list of attractions that you need to see in Baku and the surrounding area, which we share with you.
Where to find cheap tickets? This is most conveniently done using the search engines Aviasales and Skyscanner. To find the best price, check both and see tickets for different dates. Read also the instructions on how to search for cheap flights correctly.
Baku sightseeing map
What to see in Baku in 1 day? Personal experience
If you have only 1 day to visit Baku, as it was with us, then do not waste time and immediately go to the center from the airport by express. Take the front seats and enjoy the views. The trip is already an attraction in itself: the driving style in Azerbaijan, as, indeed, everywhere in the Caucasus, is expressive. Hear many wonderful words from the driver in relation to road users, especially in traffic jams. We advise you to start your acquaintance with Baku with Primorsky Boulevardand then go to Old city (Icheri Sheher).
It took us about 4-5 hours for a detailed survey of the Old City with wandering in the maze of streets, peeping into the entrances, admiring the overhanging balconies and interesting doors. In the Old Town, we decided not to specifically look for sights, but to surrender to chance and just walk the streets. The sights were on their own: mosques, interestingly decorated artists' shops, baths. In general, in the Old City of Baku it is worth seeing:
- Maiden Tower (8 manats);
- street Kichik-Gala, 8 (Kicik Qala, but in Google it is listed as Boyuk Qala), where the famous scene from the "Diamond Hand" was filmed;
- Palace of the Shirvanshahs (4 manats);
- the Mosque of Muhammad - the oldest building (1078);
- Shemakha gate and Icheri Sheher fortress.
Video walk in Baku
We did not go to the tower and the palace, as there was not much time left, and in the reviews of tourists we read that there was nothing remarkable there. Except that the Maiden Tower offers an interesting view of the city and the Flame Towers. By the way, if you suddenly cannot find something in the Old Town, do not be afraid to contact the locals, almost everyone is fluent in Russian (at least, older people).
After the Old Town, we went on foot to the funicular, on which you can climb to Upland Park (a view of the city opens from there), martyrs' alley, mosque and Flame Towers... The funicular was closed because Monday is a day off. However, you can also go up the stairs to the left. Tired after walking around Icheri Sheher? It is quite possible to postpone the visit to the park and towers to the second day.
If you are interested in what you can see in Baku in winter, then do not worry - the same as in summer! True, there may be various vagaries of the weather, but no one is immune from this. For example, we flew to Baku in February, and the Bakuvians said that we were lucky with the weather, because the city was found sunny. The temperature was +5 ... + 10 ° С, and all the snow melted. Locals advised to come in spring, when the bright holiday of Nauruz takes place.
What to see in Baku in 2 days?
What other sights can you see in Baku? You can start the second day by visiting a beautiful Mosque Tezepir with golden domes. Then you can go to museums, for example, visit the Museum of Miniature Books, Carpet Museum (carpets are national pride) and Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center - its smooth lines, perhaps, leave no one indifferent. Do not deny yourself the pleasure of strolling through the streets of the new city and admiring the architecture - it reminded us at the same time of Petersburg and Paris.
After dark it is worth taking a walk along Primorsky Boulevard (pay attention to the fountains) and see night city... According to tourists, Baku is illuminated remarkably, some even believe that it is more beautiful in the evening than during the day. Unfortunately, we did not find the illumination, as we flew to Istanbul before sunset.
If you decide to stay in Baku for more than one daylight hours, we advise you to book a hotel. You can find a convenient accommodation option for yourself on the well-known Roomguru.ru service - the site compares prices of various booking systems and finds the best one.
What to see in Baku for 3 days?
It is better to devote the third day to the surroundings of Baku and see the archaeological reserve Gobustan, which is included in the UNESCO list - there you can see mud volcanoes, well-preserved numerous petroglyphs, sites of ancient people and tombstones. Entrance - 2 manats, you can get there by bus 195 from stop 20. Sahә.
If you want to visit the mud volcanoes, it is better to take a taxi upon arrival in the village. The trip will take about 20 minutes, the cost is from 30 manats. The views are deserted and a bit weird. You should also definitely walk to the rock carvings (about 2 km from the petroglyph museum, the museum itself, as tourists write, is not very interesting).
4 and 5 days in Baku. What to see in the vicinity?
Among the sights in the vicinity of Baku, which are worth seeing, are the Zoroastrian temple of fire worshipers. Ateshgah in the village of Surakhany. "House of Fire" (this is how it is translated from Azerbaijani) used to gather around itself admirers of the elements thanks to the tongues of flame bursting out of the ground. Now the place has turned from a mystical into a purely tourist one, since the fire is artificially supported (gas is supplied through a pipe), but it's still interesting - if we had more time allotted to Baku, we would definitely go. The entrance costs 2 manats, you can get there by bus # 184, which runs from the bus station at the Koroğlu metro station.
Continuation of the theme of fire worshipers - burning mountain Yanardag... No, not the whole mountain is on fire, but only a small part of it - something like in Turkey. You can get there by bus # 217 - from the bus station at the Koroğlu metro station.
This, of course, is not all the sights of Baku, which can be seen in a few days. We tried to highlight only the most interesting ones. We liked the city very much, and we plan to return again to get to know it better, as well as to see other interesting places in the vicinity.
