Things to Do in Azerbaijan: Culture and Peaks

Safety first. Britain’s FCDO tells travellers to avoid all travel within 5 km of Azerbaijan’s Armenian border and all but essential travel to a group of south-western districts around Karabakh, where mines and unexploded shells are still a danger. The United States puts Azerbaijan at Level 3, Reconsider Travel. The land borders with Armenia and Russia are closed, so you fly in. The ideas below sit around Baku, Gobustan, Sheki and the northern mountains, outside the restricted districts. Official advice: gov.uk and travel.state.gov . Entry to Karabakh requires a permit and is not described here.

This guide sorts Azerbaijan’s activities by what they cost, so you can build a day around a budget. Everything is priced in manat (AZN) for a foreign adult, at about 1.70 to the US dollar. Only the manat is accepted as payment, cards work widely in Baku, and cash matters in villages.

Free

  • Baku Boulevard, the seafront promenade, and the view from Highland Park.
  • The lanes of Icherisheher, the Old City, plus the Siratagli complex and the Tea Treasury Museum inside it.
  • The Archaeology Museum in the Old City (closed Mondays).
  • The grounds and outside of the Heydar Aliyev Center; the museum inside charges, so see its site .

Under 15 AZN

  • Baku metro, 0.60 AZN a ride. The funicular to Highland Park is about 1 AZN.
  • Miniature Art Museum, 5 AZN. Underground Bath and Tahir Salahov House Museum, 10 AZN each.
  • Carpet Museum on the Boulevard, 10 AZN, closed Mondays; see the ticket page .
  • Gobustan Rock Art, about 10 AZN (some listings say 15), plus about 5 AZN for the Mini Gobustan tour. The reserve is 60 to 70 km south-west of Baku and holds more than 6,000 carvings. Stay on the trails and keep off the rock.

15 to 25 AZN

  • Yanar Dag, the gas fire on a hillside at Mammadli, 15 AZN, daily 10:00 to 19:00, with children under 12 free.
  • Ateshgah fire temple, Surakhani, 15 AZN. A Yanar Dag plus Ateshgah ticket is 25 AZN, valid for 72 hours.
  • Maiden Tower, 19 AZN, and Shirvanshahs’ Palace Complex, 24 AZN, both open daily from 10:00 to 19:00; the fee table is official.
  • Sheki Khan’s Palace and Kish church, 15 AZN each, about 6 hours from Baku by bus, so stay the night.

Mountains and water

  • Shahdag, near Qusar: a one-day winter ski pass costs 45 AZN. In summer it runs a coaster, a zip-line and pedestrian lifts at 20 and 22 AZN.
  • Tufandag, above Gabala: summer rope lines, a swing, quad bikes, archery and hiking; prices are on its site .
  • Kitesurfing at Shorabad, on the Absheron coast: Blueplanet runs a kite school, hotel and day-pass beach, usually from about May to October. See kitesurfing.az .

Crafts

Lahij, in the Ismayilli district, has copper workshops along a cobbled main street, and its copperwork is on UNESCO’s intangible list. Carpet weaving is listed too, since 2010. The Carpet Museum is the easiest place to see weaving in Baku.

Before you go

Most visitors need an e-visa from evisa.gov.az , applied for at least three days ahead. For guided days out, search Azerbaijan tours .

Read more: Azerbaijan landmarks and trips out of Baku .