Getting around Azerbaijan: trains, buses, driving and domestic flights

Prices are 2026 estimates in manat (AZN). Rail and bus timetables change with the season, so confirm times before you commit to a connection.

Start with where you are sleeping. If your trip is Baku plus one or two western towns, you can do the whole thing without a car. The Baku metro has three lines and covers the centre, the old city edge and the main bus and rail stations; buy a BakiKART at a station window and top it up, since one card can serve several people. City buses use the same card. For door-to-door trips, Bolt, Uber and Yandex Go all work in Baku and are cheap; the airport's metered 'London cabs' cost noticeably more than an app car.

For Ganja, the new Stadler trains on the Baku – Ganja line are the comfortable option, roughly 4–5 hours, with night trains serving the west as well. Book on ady.az. Timetables are thin, so a same-day turnaround is often impossible; plan to sleep in Ganja or Sheki rather than return the same evening.

For Sheki and the Gabala area, intercity buses leave from Baku International Bus Terminal, which sits outside the city centre. Allow time to reach it, and expect about 5 hours to Sheki. Buses to Quba take about 2.5 hours. Fares are low, seats are not usually bookable far ahead, and departures thin out in the afternoon.

For Gobustan, Lahic and Khinaliq, a car with a driver is the practical answer: the roads to the mountain villages are slow, signposting is limited and a local driver knows the checkpoints and the turns. Agree the stops and the total day rate in advance, in writing if you can. Self-driving works if you are confident on local roads, but you need an International Driving Permit alongside your licence, and mountain routes are not for a first day behind the wheel.

Nakhchivan is an exclave: the only practical way in is a domestic flight from Baku, about 1 hour 15 minutes, AZN 60–150. Book early around holidays, when seats fill.

Do not treat the map as a schedule. Distances that look short on paper take longer than you expect once you leave the Baku–Ganja corridor, and mountain roads to Lahic and Khinaliq are slow in any season. Build slack into any day with a fixed train or flight at the end of it.

Border areas are the other thing to plan around. Stay away from the Armenia border and former conflict areas unless your own government's advice and a local licensed guide say otherwise; some regions need permission or are simply closed to visitors. Check current advice before you book anything that runs near a border.

Rail passes: there is no nationwide rail or bus pass aimed at visitors, so budget for single tickets. Trains are the one place where booking ahead genuinely matters, especially on the Baku – Ganja line and around national holidays.

Inside Baku, allow for traffic at rush hour; the metro is often faster for cross-city trips. Outside Baku, toilets are basic, so use malls and cafés when you can. Carry small cash for buses and for tea stops.