Azerbaijan Multi-Day Routes: Sheki, Quba, Gabala

October 18, 2026

Read this before you plan a route. The British FCDO recommends against all travel within 5 km of Azerbaijan’s Armenian border and against all but essential travel to the south-western districts hit by the 2020 and 2023 fighting, where mines and unexploded munitions remain; travel insurance can be invalid if you go against such advice. The US advisory is Level 3, Reconsider Travel. All land borders with Armenia and Russia are closed, and the Georgia and Iran crossings are shut for now, so travellers fly into Baku. The routes below run through the capital, the north, the north-west and the centre. Official pages: gov.uk and travel.state.gov .

Azerbaijan distances look short on a map and feel long on the road, so each region outside Baku deserves a night. These routes are building blocks you can chain together. Costs are in manat (AZN) for a foreign adult, at about 1.70 to the US dollar.

Paperwork and arrival

Apply for an e-visa at evisa.gov.az , the only official portal, at least three days before you fly. Expect about US$25 plus a small service fee, and print the approval. A typical e-visa is single entry for 30 days within a 90-day validity. Your passport should be valid for six months after arrival.

Block 1: Baku, 3 to 4 days

Old City: Maiden Tower 19 AZN, Shirvanshahs’ Palace Complex 24 AZN.
Baku Boulevard and the Carpet Museum, 10 AZN.
Half day on Absheron (Ateshgah and Yanar Dag, 25 AZN combined).
Half day at Gobustan, about 10 AZN.

Block 2: Sheki, 2 nights

Distance: 283 km, 6 to 6.5 hours by bus, about 6 to 9 AZN one way.
See: the Khan’s Palace (15 AZN, no photos inside), the Kish church (15 AZN) and the Yukhari Karavansaray.
Eat: piti, a lamb and chickpea stew cooked in a clay pot, and Sheki halva.
Stay: Sheki hotels .

Block 3: Quba and Khinalug, 2 nights

Distance: Quba is 170 km from Baku, a 2.5 to 4 hour journey.
See: the Red Village and its Six Dome Synagogue, then the mountain village of Khinalug, UNESCO listed in 2023.
Khinalug sits at about 2,350 m, 50 to 60 km above Quba, and its people speak Ketsh. Go by taxi or 4x4 and ask about road conditions, which reports describe differently.

Block 4: Gabala, 1 or 2 nights

Distance: about 220 km, 3.5 to 4 hours by road. No direct Baku to Gabala train exists; a Ganja to Gabala train connects at Laki.
See: Tufandag’s summer rope lines, quad bikes and hiking (its site lists prices) and Lake Nohur.

Block 5: Ganja and Naftalan, 2 nights

Ganja: a Stadler train from Baku takes 5 to 5.5 hours.
Naftalan: 4 to 5 hours from Baku. Its crude-oil baths are a medical treatment at certain hotels. Ask each hotel what it offers and when.

Chaining the blocks

A week might be Baku for three nights, Sheki for two and Quba for two, flying out of Baku. With five days, take Baku and Sheki only. See the sample 4-day plan , and the 7-day plan for a longer stay.