AZERBAIJAN - Travel Recommendation

Azerbaijan is a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Eurasia is located at the crossroads of Western Europe and Eastern Asia, thus the name Eurasia. Azerbaijan is the first Caucasus countries that I visited which I stayed for 4D3N. I spent 2 days exploring Baku, its capital, before moving on to Shaki and crossed the border over to Georgia.


The main international gateway to Azerbaijan is the Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku.


The modern design of the new terminal.located just beside the old terminal. We flied to Baku from Doha by Qatar Airways. Just 3 hours flight time.


If you are planning to visit the three Caucasus countries, it is best to visit Azerbaijan first before entering Armenia through Georgia. Your entry into Azerbaijan might be denied if you have visited Armenia before and the custom officer at the airport do check every single page of your passport. You can apply for tourist visa at the Azerbaijan Embassy or apply an E-Visa through one of the authorised travel agencies in Azerbaijan. After getting you E-Visa, remember to print it out and keep the visa until you leave Azerbaijan because they’ll check your visa again when you exit the country.


The Baku White City project is a redevelopment of the Black City and will be a new modern centre of Baku. Another proposed mega project to be constructed in 2015 is the Azerbaijan Tower which is set to be the tallest building in the world at 1,050m high. 


From the airport to the city is just 20km away.


You won’t miss the Heydar Aliyev Center while entering Baku City.


Nice place to take pictures.


Azerbaijani word. You’ll be able recognise the word, but you won’t understand the meaning. Heavy traffic entering the city of Baku.


It is not uncommon to see some errant drivers cut queue during traffic jams.


This is the hotel that we stayed in Baku – Amber Hotel.


It has a restaurant below which opens 24/7.


Amber Hotel’s lobby.




The room is quite spacious with equally spacious bathroom with shower.


View from the hotel room.


There are many statues of Azerbaijan’s famous people all around the city.




Supermarket nearby the hotel in Baku.


A Metro station near Amber Hotel. There are also plenty of taxis around the city. You can either hail a London Cab or a normal taxi. The London Cab charged by meter and the fare of a normal taxi is agreed beforehand. Travelling around the city is inexpensive, generally around 4-5 Manat.


The metro line of Baku.


Azerbaijan was incorporated into the Russian Empire since 1812.


After the collapse of the Russian Empire during World War I, Azerbaijan proclaimed its independence in 1918. The independence however, was short lived. Soviet Russia attacked Baku and the country was incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1920. Shown above is the independence monument of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic from 1918-1920. Azerbaijan however gained independence in 1991 during the collapse of Soviet Union.


Old Soviet Union era houses being demolished.


To make way for new buildings.


Places of interest in Baku:
Martyr’s Lane.




Flame Towers is just across the road from Martyr's Lane.
 

Icari Sahar or Old City Baku is the historical site in the city.




The Maiden Tower is of course one of the most important attractions in the Old City of Baku.


Walking is the best way to explore the Old City.




It is best if you can at least spend a whole day at the Old City.


Fountain Square is just a walking distance away from the Old Baku City.


Fountain Square is a great place for shopping and leisure.


You can get everything from affordable brands to designer brands here at Fountain Square. 




Plenty of eateries at the Fountain Square.


I definitely recommend the Firuza Restaurant.


There are many disco like this one, Kakadu Disko Klub, for those who like clubbing at night.


Well, Fountain Square. The name says it all. There are various kinds of fountains at the Baku Fountain Square.


You can see plenty of statues at the Square and around the city.


Baku Boulevard is the best place for panoramic view of the city and Caspian sea.


Plenty of benches at the Baku Boulevard.


And you can see lots of couples sitting on the benches.


And of course fountains.


Old buildings and….


……..modern buildings can be seen at the Boulevard.


Stalls selling drinks and snacks can be found along the Baku Boulevard.


No fancy restaurants at the Boulevard, but there are a few cafes where you can enjoy a light meal or a beer while enjoying the view of Caspian Sea or just people watching.


The is one shopping mall, Park Bulvar at one end of the Boulevard.


And the National Flag Square at the other end of the Boulevard. Also located at the Baku Boulevard is the Baku Ferris Wheel, also known as the Baku Eye.


Not to be missed while in Azerbaijan is the Ateshgah, Fire Temple. It is the ‘Land of Eternal Fire’ after all.


Well, you can skip the Yanar Dag if it does not interest you, but it is just a short drive from the Fire Temple. Why miss the opportunity to witness this natural occurrence of flames oozing out of the hill side. 


Diri Baba mausoleum is worth a visit for the view if nothing else.


If you have the time, you can drop by the Qutab Evi theme park along the way to Shamakhi.


The oldest and largest mosque in Azerbaijan, Juma Mosque in Shamakhi is another popular tourist attraction.


The Palace of Shaki Khan in Shaki is small but beautiful. It also has a beautiful garden where you can enjoy the scenery of surrounding mountains.




Shaki is not a big town, so it’s easy to explore the town on foot.



We stayed in Issam Hotel in Shaki. It is clean and comfortable. No complains here.


If you want to book the hotel, above is the hotel information. Their website http://www.en.issam.az/.


What to eat:
Kebab (right) which is grilled meat is a must try in Azerbaijan.


Dushbara are very small dumplings served in broth. The dumplings are chewy and the broth is salty. It is a good appetizer.


Pide is like a piza bread, Dolma is stuffed vegetable while Saj is cooked meat and vegetable on hot cast iron plate. I personally prefer saj. If I remembered correctly, this meal cost around 25 Manat for 3 dishes and 1 soup!


Another barbequed meat dish with chicken soup. Cost only around 17 manat.



Pilaf is another must try. It is mixed rice wrapped in thin bread which is baked in oven. However this dish is more suited for a group of 3-4 people. This pre-ordered meal cost us 30 Manat since it’ll take some time to prepare the dish.

Of course if you have the cash, you can try out the caviar, fresh from the Caspian Sea at 150 Euro per 100 gram.


Souvenirs:
The best place to buy souvenirs is at the Old City. I bought a fridge magnet and Maiden Tower miniature here. Tip: if you can’t bring home a big carpet, there are silk carpet as small as B5 size that you buy as souvenir.


Victory Tour is the tour company that I booked the Azerbaijan tour with. I am very satisfied with their service. You can visit their website at www.victorytour.az for more info. Take note that entering Azerbaijan needs visa unless you’re from some of the very few countries from around that region. To save all the hassle of going to Azerbaijan Embassy, I engaged Victory Tour to get a visa for me. The tour cost me USD 1,890 for two person (4D3N) excluding lunch and dinner. I recommend to exclude lunch and dinner from the tour package since eating out is not expensive in Azerbaijan. However, Azerbaijan is the most expensive place to visit compared with the other two countries in Caucasus. The tour, hotel and food doesn't come cheap, but considered reasonable by European standards.
 

Yasin is a friendly and very knowledgeable tour guide. He is very professional and speaks fluent English.  


We travelled safely and comfortably in he’s SUV.


Overall, Azerbaijani or Azeri are very friendly and helpful. It is safe to walk alone on the streets even at night.


Even though 95% of the population are Muslims, Azerbaijan is a strictly secular state. While I was there I didn’t even see a women with a head scarf. I really did feel very comfortable while in Azerbaijan. Two thumbs up! 


Azerbaijan has close ties with Europe and has been the venue for Eurovision Song Contest 2012 and will be the venue for the 1st European Games in 2015.

Azerbaijani is the official language. Most people however speaks Russian and English. A menu with translation in both Russian and English. Azerbaijan currency is Manat. Conversion is easy. 1 Manat equals to 1 Euro.


No worries while visiting place of interest, as there are translation in English. 


Even in shopping centres.


Azerbaijan has a very strong ties with Turkey.


The late President Haydar Aliyev pictures and monuments can be seen all over Azerbaijan.


He is highly regard in Azerbaijan. Now, his son, President Ilham Aliyev is the leader of the country.


Haydar Aliyev Park.


Many World War II monument is erected in Azerbaijan where approximately 400,000 Azerbaijanis out of the 800,000 Azerbaijani soldiers died fighting in this war. 


Balaken District is where the Azerbaijan-Georgia border crossing.is located.


The Caucasus mountain range.


The ‘traffic police’ roaming the streets along the way from Baku to the country’s border with Georgia. Why call the cows traffic police? Well, every time you see them, you have to slow down your vehicle.


The Caucasus mountain can be seen along the way to the border of Georgia.


The Azerbaijan customs at the border. It is quite a long walk from the Azerbaijan border to the Georgia border. If you have many luggage, best to drive over to the Georgia’s border or request someone to carry the luggage. Our tour guide, Yasin was very helpful by taking some of our luggage across the border.


This is the route that I took during my trip in Azerbaijan. Baku  (2 nights) –> Shamakhi –> Shaki (1 night) –> country border with Georgia. Overall, my trip to Azerbaijan was fascinating.