Planning a trip to Azerbaijan, or any destination for that matter, is one of my favourite parts of travel. The anticipation of a new place. Sharing with friends and family where you’re off to next. The insider tips often come thick and fast, and before you know it, you’ve a list an arm length long. Stories of the best meals ever eaten. The amazing sunset over that bridge. The sangria which will never be bested.
It’s also a wonderful thing knowing your friends have built their own everlasting memory of a destination. And you shortly will too. Planning a trip to Azerbaijan was a little different. Azerbaijan ain’t that type place. It’s unlikely your parents visited years ago. Your mate likely didn’t consider it on his holiday last year either.
We’ve been to over 70 countries to date. I can tell you no destination received more sideward head tilts than the mere mention of Azerbaijan.
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Azerbaijan???
Is that where Borat is from? No, that’s meant to be Kazakhstan.
Isn’t there still a war going on? I think you’re thinking of Afghanistan.
Where is that?! It’s in southwestern Asia, part of the Caucasus region. Sitting on the Caspian Sea with Iran to the south, Russia to the north and Armenia in the west.
There’s no doubt that Azerbaijan is an off the beaten path destination. Heck, that’s actually some of the appeal of the place. Whilst Eurovision put it on the map in 2011, the ‘land of fire’ has much more to offer than footnotes in European music history.
Azerbaijan’s position of wealth today, is thanks to the wealth that gas and oil reserves have brought to the country. And that wealth is evident today in Baku, the nation’s capital. The high end brands that transport you to Paris mix seamlessly with the old town that could easily be in southern Spain. And amidst that, many futuristic designs which don’t feel like any particular place at all.
Azerbaijan itself is the stereotypical melting pot, owed mostly to its geographical location. A little bit Middle Eastern, but not overly so. A little bit European, but very different in parts to much of Europe. And then a little bit Russian. Half the population speak Russian and Soviet-era architecture still dots the skyline. The current eclectic architecture going up through the capital can only be described as stunningly Azerbaijani. This combination makes for an intriguing place to visit.
But if you are thinking about heading to this lesser known destination, there’s a few things to know before you go. We’ve detailed these below to help you with planning a trip to Azerbaijan.
Getting an Azerbaijani visa
Like many e-visas, it’s critical in your searching that you land on the appropriate website. There are many agencies who will ‘help’ you obtain a visa for markedly more than the cost of the visa. These folks will generally help in getting the visa for you at a significantly inflated cost. However, they are providing nothing more than data entry on your behalf.
The process is not a difficult one, so let’s start with the correct place to apply for your visa.
You can start your visa application on the official Azerbaijan e-visa website here.
There is a helpful walk through of the respective questions you need to ask. To best prepare to apply though, you’ll need:
– Your passport with 6 months validity.
– A scanned copy of your passport.
– A credit card to complete the payment of $US20.
– Have a reasonable idea of when you’ll be entering the country.
This last point is a critical one. Your visa will be valid for a 90 day period. You can only travel to Azerbaijan for a 30 day period within these 90 days. See below for an explanation. If you were to apply from 14 May 2019, you’d have until 12 August to utilise your visa.
If you wanted to visit for a week and entered on 10 August, you’d only be allowed to stay for 2 days. Ensure your period of stay starts and ends inside of your visa’s validity period.
Complete your payment and await receipt. They state a 1-3 day wait. We received ours within 24 hours which means you can get on with the fun part- booking your trip.
You’ll also need to take a printed copy of your visa to present to customs upon arrival with your passport. For good measure, it always pays to keep a screenshot handy too.
Getting there
Fly
When planning a trip to Azerbaijan, the easiest way to arrive is via the Heydar Aliyev Airport in the capital, Baku. Regular flights are available from Iran, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Turkey and the Middle East.
We flew via Qatar Airways to arrive in Azerbaijan and flew out with Etihad.
Azerbaijan Airlines flies to a number of European cities directly. Turkish Airlines provides more regular service with good European connections via Istanbul.
Check Skyscanner for the latest flight information.
Train
International trains are not readily available. If you’re in the region exploring surrounding nations, there are international trains to/from Georgia, Russia and Ukraine.
Getting around
From the airport: The airport is located 20-30 minutes outside of Central Baku. On arrival, there are numerous ‘London cabs’ lined up to charge a premium to take you to your destination. Our experience was a poor one. After a debate between two drivers, one driver ushered us to his cab, repeating our agreed price. Once loaded into the car, he threw his hands up and stated his original price.
We unloaded and went with the other driver. What seemed like a regulation pickup turned into a rather odd experience. Even moreso in the absence of a long line up of passengers. Uber is available, but is placed beyond the wall of cab drivers, so this is less advisable from the airport.
Our recommendation would be to secure your transfer ahead of time (for about half the price we ended up paying).
BOOK NOW: Airport transfer from Baku || 20-30 minutes || From €8 per person
Once on the ground in Baku, we found walking the city was an enjoyable way to see a lot of the main sites. A few sites such as the Heydar Aliyev museum are located a bit further outside of the main centre. For these trips, we took Uber. Uber runs via a local partner in Baku, but all bookings and payments are via the same app.
Our trips were generally between 10-15 minutes and cost between €1.25 and €2. The drivers typically speak only Russian. The advice in using the service here is to be sure you’re in an obvious location for pick up.
Where to stay in Baku
Baku has some excellent high end accommodation for typically mid-level prices. Now when planning our trip to Azerbaijan, we had only intended on staying in one property.
However, on arrival at our hotel, The Fairmont, we were told we’d have to be moved to another hotel as the Government had ‘taken over’ the hotel for the evening for an event. Who were we to argue with the Government?! Combine this with our cab experience, it wasn’t the smoothest introduction to Baku or Azerbaijan, but hey, curveballs only add to the experience.
Dinamo Baku
That said, we were moved to an excellent, newly opened hotel, Dinamo which was a magnificent spot. We stayed here for one night. The room was opulent to say the least. The marble bathroom felt like it was out of some ridiculous mansion.
The plush furnishings were excellent and more than made up for the fact we’d had to change hotels.
The breakfast topped everything off. The breakfast options were on par with the finest breakfasts you’ll find in any café or premium London hotel. If you’ve the budget to spare, Dinamo is close to Baku Boulevard and would make for an excellent base to explore this city.
Book Now: Dinamo Hotel || Rooms from €200
The Fairmont, Baku
The unexpected stay at Dinamo provided us an opportunity to try multiple properties in the city. But we were excited to return to The Fairmont. Located within the famous Flame Towers, the hotel sits high behind the city. The real winner is the view over the Caspian Sea.
An Executive Floor upgrade due to the inconvenience made the stay all the more enjoyable. For those interested in the Executive Floor, this includes a comprehensive buffet breakfast. In the afternoon, some snacks, wine and beer. In the evening, there are also small portions of hot and cold food offered alongside local wine and beer. The Executive Package is an add on, which you can either book in advance or request upon arrival.
The rooms themselves were oversized and in our case looked out over the Caspian Sea. We were not left wanting in our spacious room with amazing views.
As mentioned, The Fairmont is located in the Flame Towers which sits at the top of a hill. It is a short walk from Highland Park. From here you can catch a funicular to the ground level (and amongst the main sites) for 1 manat.
BOOK NOW: The Fairmont, Baku || Rooms from €150
Top things to do and see
Critical to planning a trip to Azerbaijan is knowing what to do and see. Luckily, Azerbaijan and Baku in particular have plenty of things to see. So if you’re in town for a couple of days or a week, you’ll be kept entertained. Here’s our list of the top things to do in Baku.
Quirks of Azerbaijan
Traffic
There can be some serious traffic backlogs in and around the city. Lots of horn beeping and frustrated drivers. Remember to breathe.
Police presence
You’ll notice significant police presence which is no cause for alarm. On our first morning there were police on every corner. Walking around was fine however. As it turned out, the President was making his way through the city. Traffic is blocked off when his motorcade is moving.
On a prior trip, we had the unique experience of brushing shoulders with Barack Obama at our hotel. We’ve seen his detail and Secret Service and thought that was huge. The US President has nothing on the President of Azerbaijan though. Given he lives and works in Baku, the street shut downs are effectively a daily occurrence. It makes quite the spectacle, but no cause for alarm where you see the police out in full force.
Don’t jaywalk
Speaking of the police, we learnt that the police actually earn a commission for any fines they write. If you decide to jaywalk and a police officer spots you, you’ll be up for a 20 manats fine (approximately €10). It’s an easy mistake to make, so be warned.
The locals are friendly and inquisitive
Tourism in Azerbaijan has predominantly seen visitors from Turkey and Russia. You can expect locals to take some interest in you if you’re speaking English or wielding a camera. They mean no harm (Baku is a safe place), and are genuinely curious. We met one gentleman who didn’t speak a word of English and then made Kristen and I take a photo with him. The best we could ascertain is that he was proud of the buildings and that someone would come from abroad to visit (our best guess!).
English is spoken by less than ~10% of the population. Expect some conversations to be a challenge, but they’re delightful nonetheless.
I hope you found our guide useful in planning your trip to Azerbaijan. Enjoy the amazing Land of Fire.
Still need convincing? Check out some of our favourite photos of our visit to Azerbaijan.
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Absolutely loved reading about this visit.
Thanks Linda! It was such a fascinating place to visit. Hope more people get an opportunity to see it 🙂
Great post. airtickets to azerbaijan