Everything You Need To Know Before Planning A Phenomenal Trip To Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan is an ethereal concoction of history, traditions, and contemporary sensation. There are more than enough reasons to visit Azerbaijan for its affordability, stunning tourist attractions, theatrical marvels of nature, and extremely friendly locals. Here are a few innocuous things a tourist must keep in mind before traveling to Azerbaijan and have an amazing wanderlust expedition like never before!

Best time to visit

We explored Azerbaijan in Autumn and it was cold in Baku while Gabala was snowing. We don’t think there is any hard and fast rule on when to visit Azerbaijan. If you are a snowy wonderland maniac willing to dive into winter sports activities, the months from August to February are the best. And, if you’re a summer person, March-July is the perfect spectrum of months in that case. Pack your clothes according to the season. We were in jackets and thermal throughout the trip in August and it was just the beginning of winters. Weather forecasts work very accurately in Azerbaijan!

Accommodation

Staying around the Nizami street or Boulevard in Baku will make your trip wholesome and amazing. Check for the hotels that are located in and around a one-kilometer radius from  Boulevard or Nizami street. All the hotel rating recorded online are on the basis of the feedback by local people. That’s why reading reviews is very important even if it’s a five-star hotel. Booking with accommodation belonging to an international hotel chain will be a great option. We personally recommend Hilton Baku and JW Marriott Absheron Baku for their excellent locations. These hotels are just a minute walk to Nizami street and these properties look over the Caspian Sea and it’s a lifetime experience to be in one of these accommodations.

Itinerary ideas

If you’re on a tight budget and have less time for the vacation, these set of itinerary options may be handy for you –

Option 1: If you have 5 nights in hand, you can split your stays for two flights in Gabala and three nights in Baku.

Option 2: If you’re willing to skip a stay at Gabala, you can arrange for just a day tour to this place. However, it will be too tiring as it takes three and a half hours to reach Gabala from Baku. This will make you stay only in Baku for 4 nights.

Option 3: Do you have only three days to explore Azerbaijan? Worry not! A three-night stay in Baku won’t disappoint you at all. You can cover all the sightseeing if you smartly plan your schedule.

Option 4: If you have enough time and want to explore more countries along with Azerbaijan then you may follow this timeline –

First three nights – Baku

Fourth and fifth night – Gabala

Last two nights – Tbilisi in Georgia (we strongly recommend to stay there for at least 3-4 nights)

Also read: Experience Azerbaijani Wonderland In Gabala – Your Perfect Holiday Hideout!

Shopping & feasting

We don’t advise shopping from Nizami street. Everything looked very expensive and the quality was not top-notch. Though there are two premium shopping malls with world-class brands, we found them pretty expensive in comparison with local currency values. Hence, our Azerbaijan trip ended with the shopping for only one thing i.e. magnets! You can satiate your gastronomic fantasies by diving into local, Italian, Mexican, Indian, Chinese, and other cuisines in one of the restaurants and sheesha lounges in Nizami street.

Getting around

We strongly recommend pre-booking all-inclusive packages including accommodation, sightseeing, and transfers from your home country with a reputed travel company to make sure your trip is risk-free. Don’t drive in the interior regions of Baku and you can go for an Uber if required. Driving is left-handed in Azerbaijan if you’re confident enough then you will definitely enjoy a self-drive here except for Baku due to heavy traffic and sloppy roads. For sightseeing, you can book a cab with a driver. You can also download an app called ‘Bolt’ which is very cheap. If a private taxi would cost you around 8-9 Manat for a particular destination, Uber will charge 5-6 Manat for the same, and booking with Bolt will cost just 2-3 Manat.

Must-visit tours

Visit Ferris wheel in Baku in the evening to catch a spectacular panoramic view of Flame Towers with glittering lights, Martyr’s Square, and the Caspian Sea. A pit stop at the place with the popular photo-op ‘I Love Baku’ where we enjoyed so much and the memories are the precious souvenirs for us! Taking a stroll around Nizami Street in the evening was mandatory for us. If you’re an avid fanatic of amazing monuments and architecture, Old City in Baku is the chicken soup for your soul. Oh yes, you can’t miss munching on roasted water chestnuts and sipping in fresh fruit juices in Nizami street!

Places you may skip

If exploring museums is not your jam like us, you can skip on Gobustan. You can visit Hyder Aliyev Museum for just clicking photos with it in your backdrop and pass over entering the museum. There are other two tours you can ignore are Little Venice and Carpet Museum.

We will end this list with a very significant issue. Like every other city, Baku also has a red light area and it is popular for sophisticated escort services that are illegal. We can’t emphasize enough on our advice not to fall for such distractions as it may land you in serious trouble. Otherwise, this country is a very easy-going destination for any kind of travelers around the globe. Saying that we shall sign out here and meet you in our next! 🙂