Baku

The "City of Winds" on the Caspian shore, where the Flame Towers skyline, Zaha Hadid's Heydar Aliyev Center and a World Heritage old city sit side by side, with mud volcanoes and the eternal flame nearby.

Baku is the capital of Azerbaijan, on the south side of the Absheron Peninsula on the western shore of the Caspian Sea. The city lies about 28 m below sea level, making it one of the lowest-lying capitals in the world. Baku grew rich on oil: at the end of the 19th century its oil fields once produced half of the world's output, and European capital such as the Nobel brothers built many European-style buildings here; in the early 21st century oil wealth again brought a dramatic transformation of the city, creating a unique skyline that layers a World Heritage old city, European-style districts and futuristic landmarks. Baku is windy all year, hence its nickname the "City of Winds." The climate is semi-arid: April–June and September–October are the most pleasant; July–August is hot and dry, often above 35°C; winter is damp and cold with strong winds. Sightseeing in the city falls into three parts: the Old City (Icheri Sheher), with the Maiden Tower, the Palace of the Shirvanshahs and caravanserais; the seafront Boulevard along the Caspian, the Carpet Museum, Fountain Square and Nizami Street; and the Flame Towers in Highland Park above the city, along with the Heydar Aliyev Center designed by Zaha Hadid. Nearby there is plenty of "fire" and "mud": the ever-burning Yanar Dag, the Ateshgah fire temple at Surakhani, and, about 60 km to the southwest, the rock art and mud volcanoes of Gobustan. Getting there: Heydar Aliyev International Airport (GYD) is about 25 km from the city, with an airport express bus; from China most routes connect via Urumqi, Istanbul, Doha or Dubai; the city has a metro and buses (you need to buy a BakuCard), and for taxis Bolt, Uber and similar apps are recommended. Allow 3–4 days; you can extend to other provincial cities such as Sheki, or combine with Georgia. Notes: apply for an e-visa through the official ASAN platform or confirm the latest visa-free policy, following Azerbaijan's latest official rules; the currency is the manat; relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia are sensitive, and if your passport contains any Armenia-related records you may be questioned at entry.

Top sights

• Icherisheher (Old City) – A walled medieval old town with mosques, bathhouses, caravanserais, and carpet shops along stone lanes. Together with the Maiden Tower and…
• Maiden Tower – Baku's oldest landmark: a cylindrical stone tower about 29.5 m high whose origins and purpose remain a mystery. Climb to the top for views…
• Palace of the Shirvanshahs – A 15th-century palace complex of the Shirvanshah dynasty, with palace, mausoleum, mosque, and bathhouse built into the hillside. It is a ge…
• Flame Towers & Highland Park – Baku's most iconic modern landmark: three flame-shaped skyscrapers that turn into giant screens after dark, with the Highland Park viewing…
• Heydar Aliyev Center – A sweeping, flowing building by Pritzker Prize winner Zaha Hadid, all white and without a single straight line. It is one of the world's mo…
• Gobustan Rock Art Reserve – A World Heritage–level rock art reserve with more than 6,000 prehistoric carvings depicting hunting, dancing and reed boats. The entrance h…
• Baku Boulevard – A city park and promenade running several kilometres along the Caspian Sea coast, linking the Carpet Museum, Little Venice, a Ferris wheel…
• Yanar Dag – Natural gas seeping through cracks in a sandstone slope has kept flames burning for decades, a vivid embodiment of Azerbaijan's title as th…
• Ateshgah of Baku – A pentagonal temple built by Indian and Persian merchants in the 17th–18th centuries over a natural gas vent, its central fire altar still…
• Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum – A museum on the seafront boulevard shaped like a rolled-up carpet, housing thousands of pieces from Azerbaijan's regional schools and the t…
• Fountains Square – A pedestrian square in central Baku, ringed by dozens of fountains and cafés, linking the Old City with Nizami Street and serving as the ci…
• Nizami Street – Baku's most famous shopping street, lined with well-preserved European-style buildings from the oil boom of the 19th and early 20th centuri…
• Baku Funicular – A funicular linking the seafront boulevard with Highland Park; in just a few minutes you reach the hilltop for a view over Baku Bay and the…
• Taza Pir Mosque – The main mosque of central Baku, built 1905–1914 and funded by a female philanthropist, with elegant twin minarets and a blue dome.
• Bibi-Heybat Mosque – A mosque on the Caspian shore south of Baku, originally built in the 13th century, destroyed in 1936 and rebuilt in the 1990s, and an impor…
• National Museum of History of Azerbaijan – A state history museum housed in the mansion of oil tycoon Taghiyev, where the artifacts are matched in splendor by the lavish palace inter…
• Baku Museum of Modern Art – A modern art museum opened in 2009, showing over 800 works by Azerbaijani and international artists from the 20th century onward.
• Juma Mosque, Baku – The Friday Mosque in the heart of the Old City: its minaret dates back to the 15th century, and the main structure is a finely carved stone…
• Multani & Bukhara Caravanserais – Two 14th–15th century Silk Road caravanserais in the Old City, their courtyard arcades well preserved, now operating as traditional Azerbai…
• International Mugham Center of Azerbaijan – A concert hall on the seafront boulevard whose shape is inspired by the traditional tar lute, and the best place to hear Mugham, UNESCO-lis…
• Azerbaijan State Philharmonic Hall – Built in 1912 in a style modeled on the Monte Carlo Casino, this cream-colored Italianate hall and its Philharmonic Garden are an elegant s…
• Government House & Azadliq Square – A grand government building from the Stalin era, facing Baku's largest square and the seafront boulevard, and a leading example of Soviet m…
• Mukhtarov Palace – Built in 1911 for an oil magnate's wife in the style of a French Gothic château, this mansion is now Baku's wedding palace, nicknamed the “…
• Ismailiyya Palace – A Gothic palace built 1908–1913 in the style of Venice's Doge's Palace, commissioned by a wealthy merchant in memory of his late son.
• Villa Petrolea (Nobel Brothers) – A garden residential district built by the Nobel Brothers in the late 19th century for oil company employees, now home to a museum that tel…
• Gala State Historical-Ethnographic Reserve – An open-air folk museum in Gala village on the Absheron Peninsula, recreating traditional stone houses, workshops and archaeological sites…
• Mardakan Castle – A medieval defensive tower on the Absheron Peninsula; the square tower is about 22 meters high, and climbing to the top offers views over s…
• Nizami Museum of Azerbaijani Literature – A literature museum just outside the Old City's north gate, its arcaded façade crowned with statues of six Azerbaijani literary masters, ho…
• Museum of Miniature Books – A free small museum in the Old City holding thousands of miniature books from dozens of countries, certified by Guinness World Records.
• Little Venice – A man-made canal district on the seafront boulevard where gondola-style boats glide under arched bridges between small islands, a leisure s…

Where to eat

• Firuze – A long-standing basement restaurant near Fountain Square, known for authentic Azerbaijani home cooking and budget-frien…
• Qaynana – A cozy restaurant on Kichik Qala Street in the Old City, highly rated for its local breakfast sets and freshly baked ta…
• Dolma Restaurant – A basement restaurant in a historic building near Fountain Square, highly praised for its variety of dolma and saj dish…
• Sehrli Tendir – An affordable eatery near the Old City walls, famous for its clay tandoor-baked bread and local breakfast.
• Sumakh – A modern Azerbaijani restaurant near Khatai metro station, highly regarded for its plov and dolma.
• Chayki – An upscale garden restaurant on the Caspian shore, featuring chef-driven Azerbaijani cuisine with sea and skyline views.
• Shirvanshah Museum Restaurant – A museum-style restaurant in a 19th-century historic building, famous for its traditional decor and live mugham perform…

Itineraries

• Classic Baku, Quba & Sheki – Using Baku as a base, head north to the ancient village of Khinalug and west to the Silk Road town of Sheki, covering t…
• Quba, Khinalug & Laza Mountain Villages – Head north from Baku into the Greater Caucasus, stay in ancient high-mountain villages, and see the Laza waterfalls and…
• Baku & Shahdag Skiing – Spend half a day in Baku's Old City before heading to Shahdag for three consecutive days of skiing, with a stop at the…
• Northern & Western Azerbaijan Grand Loop – A grand loop from Baku covering Quba, Sheki, Ilisu, and Ganja, showcasing the best of northern and western Azerbaijan.
• Caucasus Overland: Baku to Yerevan – Fly into Baku, travel overland through Sheki into Georgia, continue to Armenia, and fly out of Yerevan.