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Voykit pocket guide · Azerbaijan
Baku
Bakı
Baku is a walk-in-the-evening city: do the Old City before 10:30, keep midday for museums and cafés, take Nizami Street after 17:00, and check the wind before you go up to the Flame Towers.
Baku is spread along one curved bay: the walled Old City at the centre, the pedestrian streets a short walk north, the Flame Towers on the hill above, and the Heydar Aliyev Center a 20-minute ride out. The trips that go wrong are the ones that put suitcases on Old City cobbles, book a hotel inside the walls with no car access, or forget that the e-visa must be in hand before the flight. Four clusters cover a first visit; Gobustan and the Absheron coast are trips away from one kept bed.
- Country
- Azerbaijan
- Local name
- Bakı
- Best months
- Mar · Apr · May · Sep · Oct
- Time zone
- Asia/Baku
- Stay
- 2 days: Old City + Fountains Square, Heydar Aliyev Center morning
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- AZN
- Money
- Cards are widely accepted in Baku restaurants, hotels and malls; carry ₼10–20 notes for the Old City lanes, taxis and small tea houses. Contactless is common in the centre.
- Daily spend
- Budget ₼40–70 excl. bed · Mid ₼70–150 excl. bed · High ₼150+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Buy a tourist SIM (Azercell, Bakcell or Nar) at the airport arrivals hall or a carrier store with your passport; eSIMs bought before you fly also work.
- Emergency
- Unified emergency 112 · Police 102 (check) · Fire 101 (check) · Ambulance 103 (check)
- Plugs
- 220 V; two-pin round sockets (types C and F, the European standard). Bring a universal adapter.
- Tipping
- Not automatic. Round up or add 5–10% in sit-down restaurants if service is not already on the bill; small change is enough for tea houses.
- Water
- Tap water in central Baku is often drinkable but heavily chlorinated; most visitors buy bottled water to be safe — check locally.
- Toilets
- Cafés, malls, hotels and museums; the Old City has few public toilets outside the palace and a handful of cafés.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Black tea (armudu glass) | ₼2–5 |
| Kebab plate | ₼8–15 |
| Beer: bar glass / bottle | ₼4–8 |
| 5 km ride-hail car | ₼4–8 |
| Metro ride (BakıKart) | ₼0.30–0.50 |
| Tourist SIM, about a week | ₼10–20 |
| Museum or palace entry | ₼10–20 (check) |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- Heydar Aliyev International Airport (GYD)
- GYD to Fountains Square: one ride-hail car or an airport taxi, 30–60 minutes — and the e-visa must be approved and printed or saved before you board, or you cannot land.
By rail and road
| Station | Serves | To the centre |
|---|---|---|
| Baku International Sea Trade Port / rail terminal area | Domestic and some regional rail links (check current routes and schedules) | Walk or a short car ride |
| Baku International Bus Terminal | Domestic long-distance buses: Sheki, Ganja, Quba, Gabala and other regions | Car or metro plus a short ride (check) |
| Hotel and tour-operator pick-ups | Gobustan tours, Sheki tours, airport transfers | Already there |
Typical fares
- Heydar Aliyev Airport → Fountains Square, app car
- ₼25–45, 30–60 min
- App car across the centre
- ₼4–10
- Metro ride
- ₼0.30–0.50
Get around
Walk inside a cluster, ride-hail or take the metro between them. The metro covers the wider city well but not every corner of the Old City; ride-hailing apps are cheap and reliable for hopping between clusters.
| How | Fare | Use for |
|---|---|---|
| Walking | Free | Inside the Old City, Fountains Square and the Boulevard |
| Ride-hail car (Bolt, Yango) | ₼4–10 across the centre | Between clusters, bags, night, windy or hot weather |
| Metro | ₼0.30–0.50 with a BakıKart | Longer hops, the airport road corridor, avoiding traffic |
| City bus | ₼0.30–0.50 with a BakıKart | Routes the metro doesn't reach |
| Funicular | Small fare (check) | Old City to Highland Park / Flame Towers area |
| Street taxi (unmetered) | Negotiate hard or avoid | Only if no app works |
| Rented car | Varies | Absheron day trips only |
Fares are estimates; check before you ride.
- Passes
- No pass. A short ride inside the centre is a few manat; check the fare in the app first.
- Late at night
- The metro has a fixed daytime schedule (verify the hours); ride-hailing runs all night.
See and do
01Maiden TowerQız Qalası
12th-century stone tower, the city's emblem; narrow spiral stair to a rooftop view over the Old City and the bay.
Hours: Daily, day hours (check) · Price: ₼10–15 (check) · 40.3665, 49.8372
02Palace of the ShirvanshahsŞirvanşahlar Sarayı
UNESCO World Heritage palace complex: courtyard, mausoleum, mosque and baths in one loop.
Hours: Daily, day hours (check) · Price: ₼10–15 (check)
03Heydar Aliyev CenterHeydər Əliyev Mərkəzi
Zaha Hadid's flowing white building; exterior and park always viewable, galleries inside on published hours.
Hours: Check current gallery hours · Price: ₼15–20 (check)
04Flame Towers and Highland ParkAlov Qüllələri
Three flame-shaped glass towers and the best skyline view in the city, best at dusk.
Hours: Park always open; towers lit after dark · Price: Free (park) · 40.3597, 49.8263
05Azerbaijan Carpet MuseumAzərbaycan Xalça Muzeyi
Building shaped like a rolled carpet; centuries of Azerbaijani carpet-weaving traditions inside.
Hours: Daily, day hours (check) · Price: ₼10 (check) · 40.3651, 49.8402
06Baku BoulevardBakı Bulvarı
The seafront promenade that runs past most of the centre; best walked at sunset with the sea breeze.
Hours: Open public promenade. · Price: Free · 40.3643, 49.8385
07Juma MosqueCümə Məscidi
Historic mosque inside the Old City walls; dress modestly and check visiting hours around prayer times.
Hours: Prayer times; visitors outside these (check) · Price: Free (check)
08Government HouseDövlət Bayrağı Meydanı area
Grand Stalinist-era building facing the Boulevard; photograph from the square, not close to entrances.
Price: Free (exterior)
09Fountains Square
Café-lined pedestrian square that is the city's evening living room.
Price: Free
10Nizami Street
The main pedestrian shopping street, lined with 19th- and early 20th-century oil-boom buildings.
Price: Free
Hours and prices are desk estimates (checked 2026-09); anything marked (check) is not confirmed. Coordinates open in any map app.
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Gobustan Rock Art and mud volcanoes | Car or tour, about 1 h each way | Half day |
| Ateshgah Fire Temple (Surakhani) | Car or metro plus taxi, about 30–40 min | Half day |
| Yanar Dag (Burning Mountain) | Car, about 30–40 min | Half day, easy to combine with Ateshgah |
| Absheron beaches (Novxanı, Bilgah) | Car, 30–45 min | Half or full day, warm months only |
| Shaki (old Silk Road town) | Car about 4–4.5 h, or a shared taxi/bus | Overnight recommended |
Eat
| Where | What · area | Price | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Firuze | Traditional Azerbaijani plov and dolma · Old City | ₼15–25 | Mid |
| Mangal House | Grilled kebab platter · Fountains Square area | ₼12–20 | Mid |
| Sumakh Bar & Grill | Modern Azerbaijani tasting menu · Fountains Square / Boulevard area | ₼30–60 | High |
Per person, one dish or one meal, 2026 estimate. Addresses change: check the day before.
Sleep
- Fountains Square & Nizami Street
- Easiest first night: a hotel with a 24-hour desk and a lift on a street the car can enter, 10 minutes' walk from the Old City gate.
- Old City (Icheri Sheher)
- Atmosphere first: sleep inside the walls only if you travel light, because cars stop at the gate and the last 100–250 m are cobbles with steps.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Salamsah-LAHM |
| Thank you | Sağ olunsah oh-LOON |
| How much is this? | Bu neçəyədir?boo NEH-cheh-yeh-deer |
| Not spicy, please | Acı olmasınAH-juh ol-mah-SUHN |
| Delicious! | Çox dadlıdır!chokh DAHD-luh-duhr |
| The bill, please | Hesabı, zəhmət olmasaheh-sah-BUH zeh-MEHT ol-mah-SAH |
| Please take me to this address | Bu ünvana aparın, xahiş edirəmboo ewn-vah-NAH ah-pah-RUHN khah-HISH eh-dee-REM |
| Stop here, please | Burada dayanınboo-rah-DAH dah-yah-NUHN |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Mosques: Shoes off, shoulders and knees covered; women cover their hair with a scarf (usually provided at the door).
- Greetings: A handshake is standard between men; wait for a woman to offer her hand first.
- Queues: Looser than in Northern Europe at bus stops and small shops; stand your ground politely.
- Tipping: Not automatic; round up or add 5–10% in restaurants without a service charge already on the bill.
- Paying and haggling: Fixed prices are the norm; light haggling only at independent stalls and markets, never in restaurants or supermarkets.
- Photos: Ask before photographing people up close. Never photograph military or government buildings and checkpoints.
- Alcohol: Legal and widely available; drink in bars and restaurants, not walking through religious sites or near mosques.
Red lines
- Do not photograph military or government sites or people at close range without asking.
- Mosques: shoes off, cover shoulders and knees, women cover the hair.
- Heydar Aliyev Center: security check, large bags refused.
Scams and watch-outs
- Street taxis quoting a high fixed fare to obvious tourists near the Old City gates: use a ride-hailing app instead, or insist on the meter.
- Restaurants near Fountains Square and the Boulevard without a printed menu or prices: ask for the menu with prices before you sit.
- Unofficial 'guides' offering a Maiden Tower or Palace tour at the gate: official ticket counters sell entry directly.
- Currency: check notes when changing money or taking change; count it at the counter, not afterwards.
One and two days
1 day
The first day of the timed plan.
Day 1 — Old City morning, a 13:00 lunch table
- 09:00Maiden Tower
- Palace of the Shirvanshahs
- 13:00Lunch table 13:00 (Fountains Square)
- Hotel or AC café 14:00–17:00; Nizami Street from 17:00.
2 days
The first two days of the timed plan.
Day 1 — Old City morning, a 13:00 lunch table
- 09:00Maiden Tower
- Palace of the Shirvanshahs
- 13:00Lunch table 13:00 (Fountains Square)
- Hotel or AC café 14:00–17:00; Nizami Street from 17:00.
Day 2 — Heydar Aliyev Center, lunch in the Old City
- 09:30Heydar Aliyev Center
- Qaynana
- Evening: Nizami Street and Fountains Square after 17:00.
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Azerbaijan Tourism Board: azerbaijan.travel/
- Wikivoyage — Baku: en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Baku
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
BakuBakı
Bu ünvana aparın, xahiş edirəm
Please take me to this address
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
Take me to
- Qız QalasıMaiden Tower
- Şirvanşahlar SarayıPalace of the Shirvanshahs
- Heydər Əliyev MərkəziHeydar Aliyev Center
- Alov QüllələriFlame Towers and Highland Park
- Azərbaycan Xalça MuzeyiAzerbaijan Carpet Museum
- Bakı BulvarıBaku Boulevard
- Unified emergency112
- Police102 (check)
- Fire101 (check)
- Ambulance103 (check)
Confirm your own embassy's current Baku address and 24-hour line before you fly; write it below.
Show the address in Azerbaijani or Russian where possible; not every driver reads English street signs quickly.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/baku). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.