Baku

Where modernity meets ancient charm

Baku, Azerbaijan’s capital, sits on the Caspian Sea with a skyline marked by modern towers and historic stone walls. The Old City features narrow lanes, ancient mosques and caravanserais that reflect centuries of trade along the Silk Road. The city balances oil industry heritage with cultural sites like the Flame Towers and the Maiden Tower. Local cuisine includes plov, dolma and fresh seafood. Public transport connects neighborhoods, while museums showcase Azerbaijani art and history. Baku’s mix of old and new creates a dynamic urban atmosphere along the western edge of Asia.

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City in Azerbaijan

$$$

$	Cheap
$$	Medium
$$$	Expensive, upscale
$$$+	Very expensive, luxury

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Safety: 6.9

General Safety:	7
Health & medical:	7
Accessibility:	6
Tap water:	7

Read details

3/5

You’ll find English speakers in most tourist areas, hotels, and among younger locals. However, knowing a few phrases in Azerbaijani or Russian can be helpful.

Highlights Attractions Getting there Hotels Tips Travel costs Safety Articles

Last update: 12 Oct 2026

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Baku Summary

These place ratings give you a quick overview of how well a destination matches different types of trips.

‘Best for’ scores:
The specific interest scores show where this place really shines – whether it's ideal for hiking, food & drink experiences, museums or other activities. These highlights help you understand what makes the destination special at a glance.

‘Your personal’ scores:
This reflects how well a place matches your personal preferences. You can adjust the importances of travel topics or other personal requirements categories in your account settings.

‘Suited for’ badges:
These give you a quick overview of how well a destination suits specific types of travellers, to help you find the places that match your lifestyle, preferences or travel situation.

Read how our scores work

Great for modern architecture and historic culture. Walk the old city, visit futuristic landmarks, explore museums and enjoy Caspian Sea promenades.

Place score

7.3

Best at:

Walkable

Street food

Markets

Large cities

Fine dining

Personal score

Suited for

👶 7

Families

🧓 6

Seniors

💻 8

Digital Nomads

🛡️ 7

Travel Beginners

Azerbaijan – Quick facts

Guide Etiquette Holidays Other

Power Grid:	220 V, 50 Hz Plug: Type C , Type F Type C: Type F: Read about power adapters
Currency:	Azerbaijani Manat (AZN) £1 ≈ AZN 2.26
Cashless info:	Rating 3/5 Cashless payments are increasingly accepted in larger cities like Baku, but cash is still widely used, especially outside urban areas. Save with a travel credit card
eSIM providers:	Best value: Saily Flexibility: Airalo Read our in-depth comparison

Tipping:	Tipping is not mandatory, but a 10% tip is appreciated in restaurants. Tipping in taxis is optional.
Public drinking:	Public drinking is allowed in certain places, such as parks and beaches, but not in all public areas.
Public smoking:	Smoking is prohibited indoors in public spaces, but allowed in designated outdoor areas.

Novruz Bayram (March)	Public celebrations and festivals.
Gurban Bayram (Varies)	Festivals and public celebrations.

Emergency contact:	Emergency Number: 112
Taxi apps:	Yandex Taxi, Bolt
Other:	Azerbaijan is known for its rich history, beautiful landscapes, and unique architecture, with notable landmarks like the Flame Towers and Gobustan National Park.

Best times to travel

The best times to travel section shows how the months compare for a visit, so you can find the time of year that fits what you want to do.

Background colours of the months:
The colour shows the typical temperature: yellow (hot), green (mild) and blue (cold). How strong the colour is shows the travel season: full colour means high season, soft colour means shoulder season and soft-striped means off season.

Weather symbols:
Each month has one symbol showing what the weather is typically like, such as hot and sunny, freezing or a rainy or snowy season. Use them to quickly spot months that match the weather you want, or to avoid the ones that don't.

Crowdedness:
The people icon shows how busy the place usually is. The more people, the more crowded it gets.

Additional notes:
The grey info boxes point out special things worth knowing, like recurring weather issues or seasonal events.

for Baku, Azerbaijan

🌬️

Jan

🌬️

Feb

🌬️

Mar

🌬️

Apr

☀️

May

☀️

Jun

🌬️

Jul

🔥

Aug

☀️

Sep

🌬️

Oct

🌬️

Nov

🌬️

Dec

High season:	April - June, Sep. - Oct.
Shoulder season:	March, July - Aug.
Crowdedness:	8 (Very crowded)

Tap on a month for more info Hover over a month for more info

Climate details

Azerbaijan Grand Prix (Formula 1) runs on the city streets, usually mid September; hotels book out and prices rise

Strong Khazri (north) wind can blow year-round, especially in winter and spring

Novruz holiday March 20 to 24: many shops and restaurants close, city decorated, bonfires on the last Tuesday evening before

Don't miss

🏘️ Explore the ancient alleys of Baku Old City (İçəri Şəhər)
🗼 Climb the historic Maiden Tower for panoramic views
🏛️ Visit the modern Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center
🌊 Stroll along Baku Boulevard by the Caspian Sea
🧶 Discover traditional crafts at Azerbaijan Carpet Museum
🔥 Watch the Flame Towers light show at night

You've been here?

Why travel to Baku?

Baku offers a unique fusion of East and West, with its UNESCO-listed Old City, vibrant markets and the surreal Flame Towers lighting up the skyline. The city’s rich history, diverse cuisine and welcoming vibe make it a fascinating destination. However, be prepared for sometimes windy weather and make sure to respect local customs, especially regarding dress codes in certain areas.

🏯Places worth seeing

1 Azerbaijan Carpet Museum
2 Nizami Street
3 Flame Towers
4 Bibi Heybat Mosque
5 Old City
6 Center of Heydar Aliev
7 Baku White City Boulevard Development
8 Maiden Tower
9 Palace of the Shirvanshahs
10 Fire Temple Ateshgah

🎡Places for activities

1 Baku Funicular
2 Baku Olympic Stadium
3 Icherisheher
4 Bukhara Caravanserai
5 Underground Bath of Baku

🏞️Natural landmarks

1 Highland Park
2 Mud Vulcano Lokbatan

🛍️Shopping

1 Nizami Street
2 Port Baku Mall
3 Ganjlik Mall
4 28 Mall
5 Teze bazar

🎈Events

Baku Jazz Festival
Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Nasimi Festival of Poetry
Novruz Bayram (Persian New Year)
Baku International Film Festival
Maiden Tower International Art Festival
Baku Summer Music Festival
Baku Shopping Festival
International Mugham Festival
Pomegranate Festival

Explore on map

Open map view

Knowledge before you go

Dress modestly; women cover heads at mosques.
Explore Icherisheher Old City early morning to avoid heat and tour groups.
Day trip to Gobustan for ancient petroglyphs and bubbling mud volcanoes.
Ride Baku Eye Ferris wheel at dusk for panoramic views of Flame Towers lighting up.

How to travel to Baku

Baku is accessible by air through Heydar Aliyev International Airport (GYD), with connections to many major cities. There's also ferry access across the Caspian Sea and international train connections from Russia and Georgia.

Access summary

From Heydar Aliyev Airport (GYD): Taxi 20–30 min; Aero Express bus ~30–40 min.
From Tbilisi: Overnight train about 12 hours; budget-friendly sleeper option.
From Istanbul: Direct flights to Baku around 2.5–3 hours.

Check your route from anywhere

Where to stay in Baku

Baku offers a range of accommodations from budget-friendly hostels to luxury hotels. The Old City and Nizami Street areas are popular for their convenience and charm. Seaside hotels offer great views of the Caspian Sea.

Hotel recommendations

*by rating and popularity. Commissions have no influence on the rankings.

Baku Marriott Hotel Boulevard

8.6

Courtyard by Marriott Baku

8.5

Winter Park Hotel Baku

8.5

Radisson Hotel Baku

8.5

Fairmont Baku - Flame Towers

8.8

Friends Hostel

9.0

Amazon Hotel – Free Massage

7.2

Modern Hotel - Baku

7.7

Sheraton Baku Intourist

8.5

Intercontinental Baku Hotel By IHG

8.9

Explore more accommodations

How to get around Baku

Public transportation includes buses, a metro system and taxis. Baku's metro is efficient and cheap. Walking is a good option in the Old City and along the boulevard. Avoid unlicensed taxis; use apps like Bolt or Uber instead.

Budget snapshot

Costs compared to home

We calculate the average costs when travelling to destinations and compare those with the living costs at your home. With this you can get an estimate of how expensive or cheap the destination is for you.

To customise this, you can set up which location and price level are used for the calculations in your account settings.

-59 %

Daily expenses in Baku are around 59% lower than the average across United States. That means you'll spend a lot less on meals and getting around.

Exchange rate trend

The exchange rate price factor shows how expensive or cheap a currency currently is compared to its historical average. It's a quick way to see if a country is currently more or less affordable due to exchange rate changes.

-4 %

Your exchange rate (GBP to AZN) is 4% better than in recent years. That means travelling now costs around the same compared to the past.

Travel costs

To help you plan your trip, we provide estimated daily costs per person (when travelling as a pair) for different travel styles. These numbers give you an idea of what you might spend each day at this destination, including accommodation, food, transport and activities.

Additionally, we also provide average hotel costs for different travel styles to give you an estimate for the accommodation only.

Please note that these are only estimates. The real costs depend on booking times, season and other factors.

Daily cost summary

Travel style categories explained:

Backpacker:
Staying in hostels or budget hotels, cooking your own meals or eating cheap and choosing low-cost activities.

Mid-range:
Staying in mid-range hotels, eating at a mix of restaurants and casual spots and enjoying a variety of activities.

Luxury:
Staying in luxury hotels, dining out at high-end restaurants and enjoying premium experiences without worrying about the price.

	Backpacker	Mid-range	Luxury
💵 Total costs per day, including accommodation	£32	£72	£185
🏨 Accommodation per night, per person	£15	£38	£90
🍝 Food per day	£16	£32	£85
🚕 Transportation per day	£1	£3	£10

Food & Drink

🍽️ Restaurant Dinner, per person	£13
🍛 Lunch Set, per person	£6.50
🍟 Fast food combo	£6
🍝 Preparing your own food, per day	£5
☕ Cappuccino	£2.60
🍺 Beer in a restaurant, 0.5 l	£1.20

Transportation

🚌 Public transport ticket	£0.25
🚕 Taxi Ride, 10 km / 6 mi	£6
⛽ Petrol, 1 l	£0.55

Other

🎞️ Cinema ticket	£4
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's consult	£23
🤧 Cold medication	£3.90
💇 Basic haircut	£6.50

Safety information overview

General safety

Baku is generally safe for tourists. Petty crime like pickpocketing can occur, especially in crowded areas, so keep an eye on your belongings.

Health & Medical

Healthcare facilities in Baku are good in urban areas, but quality varies outside the city. Make sure to have travel insurance and bring any necessary medications.

Accessibility

Public transport and major tourist sites are moderately accessible. However, some older areas like the Old City have uneven pavements and steps.

Tap water

Tap water is generally not recommended for drinking. It's safer to stick to bottled water, which is widely available.