What do you think of when you think about Azerbaijan? Oil? Russian influence? Nothing even? Azerbaijan neighbours Russia, Iran, Armenia and Georgia. The country is independent since 1991 and is a big exporter of oil, LNG and other traditional exports like fine horses and caviar. It is an autocratic state and in the past 35 years has mainly caught media attention due to the conflict with Armenia. The conflict is about the Karabakh region, which currently is internationally recognized as part of Aserbaidschan but mainly inhabited by ethnic Armenians. Few countries have amazed me so much like Azerbajian did, and the experience was even more amazing as I did not expect it to be so fascinating. So here come my recommendations for a 4 day itinerary Azerbaijan:
Arrival
We flew into Baku from Germany (Düsseldorf) via Warsaw, Poland, where we spent about 6 hours due to a long layover.
In Baku we arrived late at night, immediately took a taxi to our hostel SAHIL hostel & hotel and checked in to our 3 people private room.
The hostel is really recommendable, simple but very central and costs 10€ per night. For the taxi, I recommend to use either the hostel or one of the driving apps, as we ended up paying 40 Manat in the end anyways.
Day 1: Baku
On the first day in Baku I recommend to stroll around: honestly, Baku immediately catched me with its vibe and its a great start to wander around and explore different neighborhoods.
Definitely go around Palacio de Los Shirvanshah and Maiden Tower to see the areas (I don’t think it’s needed to enter and pay the fee). Also look at the national literature museum from the outside, the Armenian church and the Fountains square (there is always a food festival, open the whole day until 10, with super cheap and amazing food!!)
We then walked along the Baku promenade, as it’s super beautiful – all the way to the Paulaner Baku (yes we went to the German beer garten hahaha, but it’s really pretty there so worth it to check it out for a beer). Also the walk on the promenade can be done once during the day and once during the night, as you can see all the big buildings and at night slowly seeing the city come to life.
Another remark: I think Baku is one of the most chill, relaxing and beautiful capitals ever. I immediately felt welcomed, it’s super modern and very green, strolling around there is sooo many places to chill. And it’s so clean too!
After the walks, exploring and the Paulaner, we went to the food market again, as it was so good.
Other restaurant places that are supposed to be good: Bir Iki Döner, Dolma Restaurant (traditional cuisine, a bit more expensive but still good)
General observations:
In Baku we realized that there are many cameras – most streets have cameras on every corner in Baku. People in Baku are super modern, wearing shorts and tank tops is no problem.
Day 2: Baku
First thing we drove up to the flame towers – walking around, you can have amazing views over the city – so definitely recommended! Either walk up or take a bolt, we paid about 1€ to go up, so was worth the 40 min saving walking uphill. Also walk towards the Shahidlar monument.
From there we went back to the Fountains Square to the food market and tried everything we were in the mood for again.
The afternoon we went to the Shikh beach by Bolt – not super pretty, but fine for a couple hours of reading and chilling!
Dinner was the food place AGAIN hahah, the best Döner is in the corner next to McDonald’s, Seyidin Döner Evi.
Day 3: Ganja
We decided to Rent a car for 2 days, as the train to Ganja only leaves once a day and can be pretty booked during summer times.
Emirates Cars Rent a car Baku was the place and got us a car for 75€ for two days that we can drop at the airport on our way back.
Ganja is a historically interesting city, for a short time it has been the capital of Azerbaijan. It is the third largest city in Azerbaijan and has been playing a role in the Karabakh conflict, as it has been under attacks in 2020, where 32 civilians were killed. It is very close to the karabakh region.
We decided to come here to see more of a traditional Aserbaidschan and we’re super happy about it. I can recommend staying at the Old City Hotel Ganja, the best Dinner you will get at Sah Sadliq Sarayi.
In the city center, walk around the bottle house, the park Xan Bagi (be careful, there will be children asking for money), Shah Abbas Mosque and the other parts of the center.
Day 4: Ganja and Qabala
Breakfast in Ganja is easiest by doing Döner or go to some other street stands.
After that, we already left the city and first drove by the car to Imamzadeh Ibrahim mosque – a MUST when going to Ganja!! It is such a beautiful mosque that you are also allowed to enter as a non Muslim. Cover your hair as a woman. Inside the mosque you will find more memorials of fallen soldiers due to the border conflict with Armenia.
After that we drove via Qabala back to Bakú to catch our flight to Tiflis at night. When we visited the land borders were still closed, but usually there are good trains from Aserbaidschan to Tiflis!
The car ride was beautiful, we stopped in qabala for a Döner and right after the most beautiful part of the drive started. This took us through Azerbaijans country side and we got to enjoy beautiful mountains and views. From there we went straight back to the airport, dropped off our car and continued our journey to Georgia.
Additional ideas:
If you have more time, however, I heard that the area of Quba must be beautiful for hikes, views and mountains. Also look up Khinalug for a trip from Quba. There are many home stays you can visit to explore the real Aseri culture.
Final remarks on the travel experience in Azerbaijan:
Overall, the country is beautiful, people are super friendly and everything felt very safe, especially the center of Baku.
It is an amazing country to visit, definitely underrated, as in June 2023 we only saw one pair of western tourists in the whole country, besides that mostly Russians. So come visit! It is, even though from its reputation called as the more expensive country in the Caucasus, incredibly cheap – a Döner will set you back only about 1.30€ on average!!!
It is easy to travel by local bus, by train (book early, as there are very few) and by rental car, whereas I can really recommend the one that we picked!
We stayed 4 days, which for our itinerary was perfect as we wanted to see the other Caucasus countries too – but I think spending more time in the northern Aseri region in the mountains is super worth it.
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