Trip Report: Azerbaijan
Visited in April 2023
I recently spent three days in Azerbaijan, making it my last stop in the Caucasus region after visiting Georgia in 2018 and Armenia in 2022.
Azerbaijan is located at the crossroads of Eastern Europe and Western Asia, making it a culturally diverse country with influences from both regions. It is famous for its rich cultural heritage and diverse landscapes, including the Caspian Sea coastline, lush forests, and rugged mountains.
Azerbaijan is also endowed with abundant natural resources, particularly oil and gas, which have been key drivers of the country’s economy. The country has made significant strides in developing its energy sector, and is recognized as an important player in the global energy market. Azerbaijan is home to the world’s first oil well, which was drilled in 1848 in Baku, the capital city.
Together with my friend Matt, with whom I have now probably visited more than 35 countries, I flew with Turkish Airlines from Zurich to Baku. Our flight landed at 1:30am at the ultra-modern Heydar Aliyev International Airport. The Azerbaijani capital has a relatively large number of flights to Europe; there are about ten flights a day to and from Istanbul alone. This is not surprising, since Azerbaijan is Turkey’s brother nation, so to speak.
Azerbaijan and Turkey share several cultural, linguistic, and historical ties. Both countries are Turkic-speaking and have a significant Muslim population. They also share a common cuisine, music, and traditional values. Azerbaijan and Turkey have strong political and economic relations, with Turkey being one of Azerbaijan’s closest allies and trading partners.
Interestingly, I did more or less the same program in all of the Caucasus countries. I spent one day in the capital city and used two days to see the countryside. In Azerbaijan, the plan was originally different, because the idea was to spend the first two days in Baku. In the end, we changed our mind at short notice, but the first day was still dedicated to the capital…
A day in Baku
I must confess that Baku was a city I had been looking forward to for quite some time. So far, I’ve only ever heard good things about this modern city and I couldn’t wait to see it with my own eyes.
It was Good Friday. The city was already quite lively in the afternoon, there were many people on the streets and in the numerous cafes in the Old Town. It was also Ramadan, but you didn’t notice anything about it at all. Restaurants were serving food and they were full of locals. Of all the Muslim countries I have ever been to, Azerbaijan is certainly one of those where religion has not the most dominant role in the everyday life of the locals.
So, what does the Azerbaijani capital look like? Baku has a unique blend of modern and traditional architecture, making it similar to European cities. Our hotel was in Old City, also known as Icherisheher, which is the historic heart of Baku. The Old City is filled with narrow streets and alleys, ancient buildings, and charming courtyards.
Baku has a variety of landmarks. The most notable buildings are the Flame Towers. There are three of them and you can see them from almost everywhere in the city. One of the towers even has a hotel in it. Azerbaijan is also called the Land of Fire and these towers are a good tribute to it.
Another important sight is the Maiden Tower, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the city’s most iconic landmarks. The tower has a fascinating history, and I was able to climb to the top for a stunning view of the city and the Caspian Sea.
Speaking of the Caspian Sea, contrary to the name, it is not a sea but the largest lake in the world. For this reason, Azerbaijan is a landlocked country. When you walk up and down the promenade in Baku, you still get the feeling that you are by the sea. The promenade is certainly one of the most beautiful spots in the city.
Walking along the promenade, not far from the city center, you reach two rather odd sights. The first is Little Venice, which is reminiscent of the Italian city, where you can take a boat ride through artificial canals. There is also the Carpet Museum, whose building has the shape of a giant carpet. Check out the gallery at the bottom of this article to see pictures of it.
In my opinion the best attraction of Baku is the Heydar Aliyev Center, a modern architectural marvel that houses exhibitions and cultural events. This building designed by Zaha Hadid is an architectural masterpiece and for me by far the most impressive building in Baku. Certainly one of the best sights in the whole Caucasus region.
Heydar Aliyev was the first president of Azerbaijan when the country became independent after the collapse of the Soviet Union. A personality cult was built up around Aliyev during his lifetime, and it intensified after his death. In the meantime, his son Ilham Aliyev rules the country. Funnily enough, Azerbaijan is a democratic country according to its constitution. In reality, however, it is an authoritarian state in which the president is virtually the sole ruler.
Overall, I really enjoyed the day in Baku, but there were a few downsides. The traffic in the city can be terrible. There are simply too many cars on the streets of the city center and you hardly move forward. Sometimes, it’s even faster to walk half an hour instead of going to the same place by car. Maybe it was also because the city was preparing for the Formula 1 Grand Prix three weeks later and some streets were closed.
Cabs were also a nuisance. I had several negative experiences with taxis. I mostly used Bolt, but often it took forever until a taxi arrived. In addition, a large part of the cab drivers turned out to be dishonest. Many start the trip even though you are not in the car with them. Others try to persuade you to pay in cash instead of by credit card via the app.
The traffic and the cab drivers were also the reason why I found Baku good but not outstanding. I would rate the city a solid 7/10, without the two criticisms it would have been one point more. In the end, Baku’s traffic is also the reason why, in a direct comparison, I would rate Tbilisi as the best capital of the Caucasus countries, while Baku takes second place ahead of Yerevan.
Gobustan and the mud volcanoes
The original plan was to spend two days in Baku. But after the first day, we found that we had actually seen everything we wanted to see in Baku. Since you are always approached by touts in the Old Town (especially near the Maidan Tower) who want to sell you a tour, we decided to book an excursion to Gobustan.
There are a few day trips you can take from Baku, although most of them get you back to the capital late. Since we had a domestic flight in the evening, the Gobustan tour was the only logical one, because on this excursion you visit places that are not far from Baku and you get back at about 6pm.
By the way, you can imagine the tours similar to those in Georgia or Armenia, where you can also make a variety of day trips from the capital. That means you sit with about 15 other tourists in a minivan (in Armenia it was even a bus with 50 seats) and then drive to several places of interest. Therefore, you see multiple attractions in one day for a more or less reasonable price. Our tour cost 59 AZN, which is about 33 USD. We also had to pay the same amount for various entrance tickets and lunch, so the day ended up costing about 65 USD.
Our Gobustan tour focused mostly on places outside, but on the way to Gobustan we stopped at a Turkish mosque called Bibi Heybat Mosque on the outskirts of Baku. It was the only religious place that I visited in Azerbaijan, however, it was quite an imposing and beautiful mosque.
Our first stop in Gobustan was the outdoor museum, and we spent some time exploring the various rock paintings of this place. While the scenery in this semi-desert was quite nice, I found the paintings themselves to be underwhelming. However, I should also mention that rock paintings rarely fascinate me, no matter if they’re in Gobustan or somewhere else.
Next, we visited the nearby mud volcanoes. These are unique geological formations that spew mud and gas from the earth’s surface. I found the mud volcanoes to be a bit underwhelming as well. The eruptions were relatively small, and you basically just have five or six of these little volcanoes in this area. In my opinion, it was not worth going there.
Our final stop of the day was the fire temple, which is dedicated to the worship of fire, plus Yanar Dag. Yanar Dag, which means “burning mountain” in Azerbaijani, is a natural gas fire that burns continuously on a hillside on the Absheron Peninsula in Azerbaijan. The flames are caused by the ignition of natural gas that seeps through the ground and is exposed to oxygen.
The flames can reach heights of up to 10 meters and are visible from a distance. Visitors can view the flames up close and even roast marshmallows over the fire. The site has been burning for thousands of years and has become an important cultural symbol for Azerbaijan. To be honest, I did not find it very interesting either. If you have seen the Door to Hell in Turkmenistan, it just looks like a very ridiculous sight.
Overall, I found all sights we visited rather uninteresting. While I appreciated to see the countryside of Azerbaijan, I simply didn’t find these sights neither exciting nor engaging. If you like geology, you may find the trip more enjoyable than I did. But if you’re looking for something more action-packed or thrilling, you may want to look elsewhere.
Nakhchivan would be a good option for that.
Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan’s quirky exclave
To be honest, Nakhchivan was my highlight of this Azerbaijan trip. This exclave of Azerbaijan is an oddity in itself, surrounded by Armenia, Iran, and Turkey but NOT by Azerbaijan (which is, well, the definition of an exclave).
Despite its location, Nakhchivan is accessible to visitors, and it’s an amazing destination for those looking for a unique travel experience. However, you cannot travel overland from Baku unless you want to do a 10-hour trip via Iran. And obviously, it’s not possible to travel the fastest overland route that goes through Armenia.
You’ll need to take a domestic flight from Baku to Nakhchivan, which cost 70 AZN one way and takes about an hour. There are three daily flights between Baku and Nakhchivan run by Azerbaijan Airlines. The flights usually sell out, so make sure that you get your ticket about two weeks in advance.
Nakhchivan is kind of quirky not only because of its geographical location but also in other ways and I mean that in an absolutely positive way. The city consists of multi-lane streets on which an airplane could easily land. Moreover, Soviet-style architecture characterizes the cityscape of Nakhchivan. In addition, I saw practically only men on the streets. Somehow this place seemed surreal.
Surreal was also our hotel and something I haven’t seen anywhere like it. We stayed at the Saat Meydani Hotel, supposedly the best hotel in town. The hotel consisted of two floors and had a rectangular, closed shape with probably the largest inner courtyard I have ever seen in a hotel. Probably you can’t really imagine anything with this description yet. So here’s a short video including owl sounds in the background.
As you can see in the video, the hotel seemed deserted. In fact, we hardly saw any other guests in this hotel.With only 1,000 tourists visiting Nakhchivan every year, this was not surprising. However, the rooms were excellent and at $53 per night, not particularly expensive for a 4-star hotel.
The day after our arrival, we took a full day tour of Nakhchivan with Nakhchivan Travel, which I can highly recommend.. We started at 9am and got back to the airport at 5:30pm, from where we flew back to Baku. It would also have been possible to fly from Baku to Nakhchivan on the first flight at 7am and back at 6:50pm. So that we did not have to get up before 5am, we decided to fly the night before.
Once you arrive in Nakhchivan, you’ll quickly realize that this place is unlike any other. The region is home to some of Azerbaijan’s most significant historical and cultural landmarks, including the Mausoleum of Momine Khatun, the Prophet Noah’s Mausoleum, and Gulustan Mausoleum.
Gulustan Mausoleum had the peculiarity of being located directly on the border with Iran, just a 30-minute drive from the city of Nakhchivan. Only a fence separates the mausoleum from the Islamic Republic. You can even put your leg through the fence and thus inofficially step on Iranian soil.
The main reason for our Nakhchivan visit was Alinja Castle. Some call this place the Machu Picchu of the Caucasus. This fortress is perched on a hilltop overlooking the Aras River, and it’s a stunning sight to behold. The castle’s history dates back to the 8th century, and it’s been a crucial defensive point for centuries.
There is both good and bad news about Alinja Castle. Bad news first. To get to the fortress, you have to walk an exhausting 1,500 steps uphill, which takes about 30 to 45 minutes. The good news: Alinja Castle is not overrun by tourists like the original Machu Picchu. When we visited, we had the castle completely to ourselves, and we could explore every corner without bumping into anyone else.
Although Alinja Castle may not be quite as impressive as Machu Picchu in Peru, the experience in Nakhchivan is the better one precisely because of the non-existent crowds. Here, there are no time slots, no entrance tickets, and no expensive train ride to reach the sight. You just drive there, walk up and don’t have to share this place with anyone.
Alinja Castle was definitely the highlight of Nakhchivan or even of Azerbaijan. I would even go so far as to say that it was one of the best, if not the best sight I have seen in the last twelve months. By the way, it is fascinating that even many well-traveled people have never heard of this place. Alinja Castle is thus perhaps the best “unknown” tourist attraction in this world.
We visited a few more sights in Nakhchivan before we went back to the airport. So it’s not that in Nakhchivan you can see only Alinja Castle and nothing else interesting. However, one full day was sufficient to see just about all the highlights of this exclave.
In conclusion, Nakhchivan is a fantastic destination for those looking for something different. It’s not your typical tourist hotspot, but that’s what makes it so special. I would highly recommend a visit to anyone who’s interested in history, culture, and architecture. A trip to Azerbaijan is in my opinion not complete without seeing Nakhchivan, so don’t miss out on this unique experience!
Is Azerbaijan worth a trip?
Overall, my trip to Azerbaijan was a fantastic experience, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in exploring this fascinating country. Of all the countries I have now visited, nearly 150, I would probably rank Azerbaijan in the top third. Therefore, I would say that Azerbaijan is definitely worth a trip.
Having visited all three Caucasus countries, the question arises how I would rank Azerbaijan in comparison with Georgia and Armenia. First of all, although all three countries have a few similarities, they end up being quite different and all unique in their own way.
I have already mentioned the ranking of the capitals. Azerbaijan is a close second. What about day trips from the capital? To be honest, I would give Azerbaijan third place here, as long as Nakhchivan is not included. I think in Armenia and Georgia you have a bit more places to choose from to visit. Besides, especially the tours in Georgia are definitely more exciting than the mud volcanoes and the other stuff you can do from Baku.
If we look at the sights, I would see Georgia as number one in terms of quantity. However, because of Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan would be my number one in terms of quality. Alinja Castle is in my opinion the best attraction in the Caucasus. In fact, Nakhchivan is perhaps the coolest place to visit in the Caucasus.
There are two other categories in which I would give Azerbaijan the last place among the Caucasus countries. First, Azerbaijan is the most expensive of these three countries. However, that does not mean that Azerbaijan is super-expensive in worldwide comparison. It’s still an affordable country, just not as cheap as Georgia and Armenia.
Second, I also found the food better in the other two countries. Georgia is again the clear number one here, Armenia and Azerbaijan are relatively similar. Armenia I felt was like a mix of Georgian and Turkish, while Azerbaijan was more like a mix of Turkish and Central Asian. Of course, there is a lot of overlap between these three cuisines. In all fairness, I also have to say that in Azerbaijan we didn’t prioritize food that much. We often took the first restaurant we found was rated good enough to save time.
All in all, I would rank Azerbaijan second in the Caucasus, behind Georgia and ahead of Armenia. Considering that Georgia is one of my top 25 countries and I didn’t think Armenia was bad either, that’s a solid distinction. Having all said that, I can recommend Azerbaijan to everyone who wants to spend a few eclectic days on the edge of Europe.
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