Azerbaijan Trip Report

Azerbaijan is not among the most popular travel destinations, so I figured it would be helpful to share some insights and a few practical notes in this Azerbaijan trip report. Baku and the surrounding area exceeded my expectations by several accounts. I didn't know much about what to expect since I had never been to the Caucasus or any former Soviet republic. But after this trip, I would highly recommend Azerbaijan to travelers, including families and solo travelers.

At first glance, Azerbaijan shows all the characteristics of a typical Middle Eastern petrostate, with a single-party government, soaring modern glass buildings throughout the capital Baku, and playing host to an annual Formula 1 Grand Prix. But unlike the likes of Qatar, Bahrain, and other Gulf states, Azerbaijan was formerly part of the Soviet Union. With this comes a fascinating history that has and continues to influence Azerbaijani culture and society. And while the vast majority of the population is Muslim, the country's constitution does not provide for an official religion and indeed Azerbaijani society is quite secular overall, especially in Baku.

Our Trip to Baku, Azerbaijan

We spent four days in Baku and took a few trips to nearby towns and sights as well. We flew in via Turkish Airlines from Washington Dulles with a connection in Istanbul.

Derrick booked his flight for 45,000 Turkish miles + $296 (before the devaluation). I booked with Air Canada Aeroplan for 90,000 points + CAD $99 since I had a lot of points with them. (I try to use any orphaned miles I have before tapping into transferable currencies whenever I can).

We we booked the JW Marriott Absheron Baku for about 22,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night. Another good points option is the Hilton Baku nearby. We opted for the JW Marriott because it was cheaper and looked a bit nicer. But the Hilton does have a fantastic rotating bar on its ToP floor, which we enjoyed visiting.

Other points options include InterContinental, Ritz-Carlton, Hyatt Regency (which was formerly a Park Hyatt), and a Courtyard Marriott in a beautiful historic building. Of these, the Ritz-Carlton and Hyatt Regency are not as well-located.

From Baku, we continued on to Istanbul. We booked a non-stop flight from Baku to Istanbul on Azerbaijan Airlines with cash, since the country's flag carrier does not have any redemption partners and cash prices were quite affordable even in business class. This was a no-brainer when we realized that AZAL operates a 787 Dreamliner for this short three-hour flight.

Getting to Azerbaijan

Heydar Aliyev International Airport is Baku's airport and the busiest one in the country. The airport makes a great first impression for the country with its beautiful futuristic design inside and out.

Aegean, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, and Turkish Airlines all offer non-stop service to Baku. Azerbaijan Airlines, also known as AZAL, is the country's flag carrier that offers flights to many destinations in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Destinations in Europe include London Heathrow, Milan, Paris, Barcelona, Vienna, and Istanbul.

Flights from Europe to Azerbaijan tend to depart late in the evening, which means long layovers in Europe for US travelers arriving in the morning from an overnight flight. The best chances of avoiding a late night arrival are with Turkish Airlines, which offers multiple flights to Baku from Istanbul, in light of the close ties between the two countries.

Sights and Attractions in Baku

The city's architecture reflects the country's fascinating history. Many of the city's most beautiful buildings date back to the late 19th and early 20th century and resemble what you would expect to see in Paris and other European capitals dating back to the Belle Époque, but with strong local and Middle Eastern influences. Many brutalist Soviet buildings remain in place as well. Soaring futuristic glass buildings have come to dominate the city's skyline in the 21st century, with the Flame Towers being the most iconic of those.

Baku's most popular attractions include the walled Old City, Baku Boulevard (a promenade running along most of the city center facing the Caspian Sea), and the Heydar Aliyev Centre (a museum and cultural center with rotating exhibits about Azerbaijani culture).

The Old City is a maze of cobblestone streets within stone walls dating back as early as the 11th century. Inside you will find such sights as the famous Palace of the Shirvanshahs and the Maiden Tower. Shop, restaurants, and a couple of museums are also within the walls. The Old City is a great place to wander without a specific destination in mind while taking everything in. At times you're immersed in this medieval city, but at any given corner you can catch a glimpse of a modern building that brings to life the stark contrast between the old Baku and new.

Baku Boulevard is great for a stroll at any time of day (though Baku is incredibly windy throughout the year). The promenade offers good views of the city from the edge of the water. It's common to see people strolling leisurely, jogging, or sitting around the promenade, which has a couple of restaurants and snack stands. Catching the sunset on the way to dinner or drinks is also a good time to visit.

The Heydar Aliyev Centre is Baku's main museum and cultural center, named after Azerbaijan's former president who served from 1993 until his death in 2003. Zaha Hadid is said to have designed the modern building based on Heydar Aliyev's signature. The building itself is intriguing both inside and out. I recommend taking the time to walk around the outside to admire it from different angles. The use of curves on the inside and out of the building create numerous optical illusions from different vantage points, such as by having an entire staircase blend into the walls.

The center has a cafe with a full service bar and plenty of seating in a futuristic setting with lush greenery throughout.

The center hosts different exhibits that focus mostly on Azerbaijani culture, including rug making and its history in Azerbaijan, traditional cultural instruments, and traditional Azerbaijani clothing. There is also an exhibit about Heydar Aliyev's life and career and about Azerbaijan's conflict with Armenia over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. Anyone with even a modest interest in cars should not miss the car exhibit. It features Ford Model Ts; WWII-era jeeps from the US, USSR, and Germany; a number of classic cars featured in famous movies (from Bond movies to Dumb & Dumber); and lots of original Soviet vehicles, all from the president's personal collection.

A beautiful yet somber spot is Martyrs' Lane, high above the city. This cemetery and memorial honors those killed by Soviet troops during a crackdown in 1990 during the USSR's dissolution. Visitors are treated to excellent views of the city and the Caspian Sea (pro tip: take a car ride to the top of the hill where the monument is located and walk down the long steps instead of the other way around).

Exploring Beyond Baku

There is lots to see beyond Baku as well. One of the highlights of the trip was visiting many pre-historic petroglyphs in Qobustan, which date back to between 5,000 and 8,000 years ago. From their location it's also fascinating to see how far the Caspian Sea has retreated since those drawings were carved. It's clear that the stones were once located on the shores of what was then the Caspian Sea.

The rock carving depictions include hunting activities (showing animals that no longer exist in the region), showing (or perhaps celebrating) pregnancies, groups of humans dancing together, and other fascinating glimpses at the earliest inhabitants in the region. There is even a carving from a Roman soldier dating back to the first century AD.

Near the petroglyphs site are a number of mud volcanoes. Most of the mud volcanoes are constantly bubbling and having modest eruptions, which are neat to see. Part of the fun here is hiring one of the local drivers to take you through the dirt road in old Soviet cars up to the mud volcanoes.

Another sight worth visiting outside Baku is the Diri Baba Mausoleum, located on the way to the town of Shamakhi. The beautiful mausoleum built against a series of caves along a cliff dates back to the early 15th century. This has been associated with the belief that a sacred hermit had died in the caves behind the mausoleum but remained imperishable. It remains a pilgrimage sight to this day.

Azerbaijani Trip Report: Cuisine

Food was delicious wherever we tried. One of Azerbaijan's national dishes, and my favorite on this trip, was shah plov–basmati rice placed into a pot lined with butter-drenched lavash, and mixed with filled herbs, lamb or chicken, nuts and dried mixed dried fruits (such as apricots, golden raisins, and sour cherries). The lavash is then wrapped shut and the server cuts the flaky, buttery bread open at the table revealing the plov's steaming ingredients in an Instagram-worthy ritual. The dish is light yet hearty, and typically is enough to serve as an entree for two or three people.

Kebabs are also common (mostly lamb and chicken), as are dolmas. The most popular dolmas are those stuffed with cabbage and other vegetables. Lamb was also a common filling.

One of the biggest surprises of the trip was Azerbaijani wine. Georgia hogs the wine spotlight in the region, and Azerbaijanis candidly admit as much. But Azerbaijani wine was quite delicious. We visited the Meysari winery in Shamakhi (about a 1h45m drive from Baku) and also enjoyed their bottles at restaurants throughout Baku. (Azerbaijan Airlines also serves Meysari wines in flight.) Lunch at the winery was also excellent.

Dining is extremely affordable throughout Azerbaijan. We never spent more than $140 manats ($80 USD) on dinner for two with appetizers, entrees, dessert, and wine or beer. Even cocktails at the Hilton rooftop bar, cost just around $20 manats ($12 USD). These would have set travelers back $25 or or more in any major capital.

Credit Cards, Cash, and ATMs

Figuring out payment methods in Azerbaijan was puzzling, both in bad and good ways. The bad was that transactions with our US credit cards were denied at an astounding rate. Visa, Mastercard, and American Express cards were rejected left and right both within Baku and elsewhere in the country. This happened regardless of whether we swiped, inserted the chip, or tapped to pay.

It was only on our last day that we learned from our guide that terminals from Pasha Bank are the best ones for foreign credit cards. Each commercial bank in Azerbaijan issues its own handheld credit card terminal. Of these, Pasha Bank's are the most reliable for foreign cards. I crosschecked this newfound information with my credit card receipts from the trip. Indeed, almost every single one of them is from a Pasha Bank terminal.

So if a merchant has multiple credit card terminals, make sure to ask them to use one from Pasha Bank and you should be fine with a US credit card.

When it comes to cash, local currency (the Azerbaijani manat) is king. During our trip, one US Dollar was worth about $1.70 manats. A few places may accept Euro, but no one seemed to accept US Dollars.

ATMs are available widely even outside of Baku. I always carry my Charles Schwab debit card abroad since it does not charge foreign transaction fees and it refunds all withdrawal and ATM fees worldwide. But the ATMs throughout the country didn't even charge a fee in the first place! This was a pleasant surprise, and something I have never seen anywhere else in the world.

Getting Around

Taxis and Bolt (a rideshare app alternative to Uber/Lyft) are common in Baku and other cities. We were charged 10 manats ($6 USD) for any taxi ride within the main areas of Baku. I did always show the address to the taxi driver and ask for the price before hopping in each time.

After downloading the Bolt app, I learned that those taxi rides would have cost at most 4 manats ($2.5 USD). So while Bolt is definitely the cheaper alternative, you won't go broke with an occasional taxi ride.

Azerbaijan Trip Report: Safety

We felt extremely safe in Baku and elsewhere throughout the country. Petty or violent crimes are virtually unheard of, especially in the main areas of cities. I don't recall seeing any police on the streets but never felt any less safe.

The only minor disturbance we encountered were people offering to give us tours of the Old City. But they only asked once and didn't insist at all, unlike in other countries in Europe.

While I am not a female traveler, I tried my best to consider my surroundings from the perspective of one. Our guide explained that one of the fastest ways for a foreigner to get in trouble is by acting untoward with a woman. Catcalling or any form of unwarranted interaction are severely frowned upon.

As mentioned, Azerbaijan and Azerbaijani society are quite secular, even for Western standards. Head coverings, hijabs, and other religious attire are by no means the norm. In fact, they were almost rare outside of the mosques. Alcohol is served widely at restaurants and bars throughout Baku.

Azerbaijan Trip Report: ToP Thoughts

Azerbaijan surpassed all of my expectations in many different ways. I would return in a heartbeat and would recommend it to any traveler. Baku itself is easy to navigate, English is widely spoken, and the locals are friendly. Meanwhile, the country is a very affordable destination and manageable for just about any budget.

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