Rest in Baku: pros and cons

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

A few years ago, the capital of Azerbaijan could not be called a popular tourist city, but now everything is changing rapidly. The main city of our closest neighbor turns out to be no less interesting than other European cities.

Thanks to the oil industry, Baku is growing and actively developing, city planners have grandiose plans for the development of the city, but even now it has something to surprise even sophisticated tourists.

123RF / ververidis

What to see

The Baku Old City, in the local Icheri Sheher, surrounded by a perfectly preserved fortress wall, is vividly captured in the film "The Diamond Arm" - it was in Baku in 1968 that "foreign" episodes of the cult film were filmed.

The Old Town has a special atmosphere, in its cozy side streets, paved with cobblestones, small hotels, ancient mosques, baths, cafes and numerous souvenir shops are hidden.

Anna Ivanova

Icheri Sheher and its two main pearls - the Maiden Tower and the Palace of the Shirvanshahs - are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Most of all, Baku impresses with the contrast of ancient and modern architecture.

The old city and the glass skyscrapers "Flame Towers" visible from everywhere in one frame are the calling card of the metropolis, you will see them on any postcards.

123RF / andreyshevchenko

The Flame Towers, built five years ago, are the pride of Baku; now they are the tallest buildings in the city. There is a large observation deck next to the towers, which offers an excellent view of the entire Baku bay. You can go up there on the free funicular, which departs from the embankment.

In addition to the three notable towers in Baku, there are many other interesting modern projects. The first of these, you will most likely see the unusual building of the international airport. The most impressive, without any doubt, is the Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center, designed by the famous Iranian architect Zaha Hadid. A huge white structure with a streamlined shape, entirely woven from smooth lines with intricate curves, in 2014 was recognized as the best building in the world.

Anna Ivanova

No less impressive are the projects that have yet to be realized. A lotus-shaped shopping center, a grandiose crescent-shaped hotel are under construction, the White City is growing on the shores of the Caspian Sea - a promising area of new buildings of different architectural styles and purposes. The scale of all these projects reflects Baku's desire to be on a par with the largest European capitals. As well as the holding of the Formula 1 Grand Prix since 2016 on the track laid in the very center, around the Old Town.

In addition to its appearance, Baku has something to show from the inside: local museums use interactive technologies to the utmost. It is worth climbing the Maiden Tower, on several floors of which its main legends are told in detail; study the exposition of the semi-dark halls of the Palace of the Shirvanshahs in order to delve into the history of Azerbaijan; then move on to contemporary art at the Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center, where, in addition to futuristic interiors, you can see models of the most beautiful buildings in the city.

Anna Ivanova

Also, do not ignore the Carpet Museum - an unusual building designed in the form of a rolled-up carpet, where the creations of different schools of carpet weaving are exhibited.

Not all the charm of Baku can be appreciated by daylight, so do not miss the opportunity to stroll around the city in the evening when it gets dark. Spectacular street illumination, illumination of buildings and fountains cannot fail to impress. The Flame Towers are especially good at this time of day, with their changing lighting.

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A spoon of tar

Everything can not be exceptionally good - any city has its drawbacks. In Baku, first of all, be prepared for traffic jams, especially in the historical center, where there are many narrow streets and problems with parking.

The second thing that may surprise you unpleasantly is the abundance of construction projects. This is the flip side of a rapidly growing city, a massive and natural phenomenon.

Anna Ivanova

Non-smoking tourists will inevitably face a problem when visiting Baku restaurants. There is no smoking ban in Azerbaijan, as well as a division into smoking and non-smoking rooms. You will have to endure cigarette smoke in the hall or choose uncrowded establishments where you are less likely to meet smoking visitors at the next table.

What to try

One of the main advantages of Baku is its national cuisine, which includes many dishes from lamb, which Azerbaijanis know how to cook like no other. These are the well-known kutabs, dolma, lyulya-kebab, lesser-known jiz-byz, saj, piti, kyufta-bozbash, dushbara and several types of pilaf.

123RF / olepeshkina

In addition, they are no less specialists in exquisite oriental desserts.

All these dishes are not only tasty, but also very affordable, especially now, when the rate of the Azerbaijani manat has fallen along with the price of oil.

Attitude towards Russian tourists

Since Azerbaijan is a former union republic of the USSR, many local residents have close ties with Russia. Russian tourists are extremely friendly; in some homely cozy establishments they can ask with interest where you are from, and then bring a treat from the restaurant.

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Almost all local residents in Baku speak Russian, except that in some situations they can switch to English.

When To Go

Azerbaijan is a sunny country, so at any time of the year there is a high probability of seeing clear weather. The coldest month is January, at which time there is snow in the mountains, and strong winds blow throughout the country. Whereas on the coast (where Baku is located) there is no snow, but the temperature can fluctuate from 0 to 12 degrees Celsius, which is quite comfortable for walking around the city.

123RF / Magdalena Paluchowska

For those who are not attracted to travel in the cold season, it is better to choose a warm season: in April everything blooms on the coast, and real summer begins in May. Do not forget that the Azerbaijani capital is located on the shores of the Caspian Sea, and there are well-equipped beaches in the vicinity of Baku.

It takes about 3-4 days to explore any major city. Baku is no exception, but if, in addition to the capital, you want to see other places, you should plan more time, depending on the volume of plans.

How to navigate

Perhaps the best way for a tourist to travel is on foot. Thanks to walking, you can better orient yourself in the city and gradually penetrate into its very essence.

But not all distances are within the strength of the legs, sometimes you cannot do without transport. In the case of Baku, it is worth using the metro - at least to get an idea of it.

For short distances, the local taxi "eggplant" is well suited - these are cabs purchased in London for Eurovision 2012 - spacious comfortable taxis that run by the meter. To travel to and from the airport, you can use the well-known Uber taxi system: calling a car is convenient, since there is free Wi-Fi at the airport.

What to bring

The numerous souvenir shops of the Old City sell famous carpets, elements of Azerbaijani clothing and household textiles. Pay attention to colorful jewelry and national dishes, for example, armuds (pear-shaped tea glasses) or original table souvenirs in the form of pomegranates.

123RF / alexmama

You should also take a closer look at regional food and drinks - friends and family will surely be delighted with oriental sweets and good wine.