Around February 2019, I started monitoring where I could go in April. The main requirement for the trip was the sea and new town, which I haven't been to yet. That's when I remembered one entertainment program(where they spend their weekends with 100 dollars) about the city of Baku (Azerbaijan). After googling plane tickets and hotels in Baku, I came to the conclusion that this city was more than satisfactory for me in terms of price and quality ratio, and I immediately booked a hotel with the possibility of free cancellation. Little did I know that F1 was scheduled to take place in this city during the period of my booking.


I decided to post my road trip to the glorious city of Baku, the capital of the former union republic of the Azerbaijan SSR, and now the Republic of Azerbaijan. I hope the information I share here will be useful to everyone who wants to drive their car in Baku. Since, after all, this direction is still not particularly popular among our citizens and useful information There is very little information about road travel to sunny Baku on the Internet or it is outdated.


When the usual annual trips to relatives in the republics of Tatarstan and Bashkiria became something ordinary, and weekend trips within a radius of 200 km from Yekaterinburg became boring, I wanted something more. According to medical prescriptions, tanning and hot climate are contraindicated for us, and the horizontal position on the beach does not appeal to us as a wife, we still want to see with our own eyes how ordinary people live. I had no travel experience, a distance of 1000 km was common (Kazan, Omsk, Tobolsk). At the beginning of June 2014, I liked the trip to Abkhazia through Volgograd, Elista and Pyatigorsk. In May 2017, after planting carrots at the dacha, it was decided to go on a road trip through the Transcaucasian republics of the former USSR.


A plan to visit the Transcaucasian republics had long been hatched, beckoning rich story this region. After reading the reviews on the Caucasus travel site, we made a decision, because... we'll already cross Caucasus ridge, then visit three capitals at once and, without wasting time on trifles, relax for a week at sea. There was one more related task, but it will be discussed below.


Our journey began on August 25, 2017, we left Irkutsk at 5 o’clock in the morning, it was raining heavily all day. During the day on the road there was only one stop for lunch at the cafe “Peter’s”, we tasted delicious cheesecakes and pancakes with homemade cottage cheese and sour cream, and also had a snack of meat. Very tasty cuisine and fast service are our recommendations. We spent the first night in a car in a forest near Mariinsk. We prepared for overnight stays in the car in advance in Irkutsk before leaving: we folded the rear seats (one of the advantages of Mazda - the seats fold out into a flat area), laid out mattresses with bed linen. All the main things were loaded into the trunk on top of the car, and the cabin contained only the essentials. On the first day, 1423 km were covered.


In the first part of our journey, we got from St. Petersburg to Azerbaijan. Along the way we saw some of the museums and attractions central Russia, drove through the steppes of Kalmykia and walked through ancient Derbent in Dagestan. Finally, the border of the first of the Transcaucasian countries on our way was left behind, and the most difficult for autotourists. Now we have to literally connect three ancient Transcaucasian capitals with a route thread in just three days and see something else along the way.


An interesting trend has been observed recently. Information about travel to the former republics of the USSR began to appear more and more often. On the one hand, it is interesting to look at the life of our neighbors, but on the other hand, the dollar has not returned to 35 rubles, and travel lovers are constantly looking for a reasonable alternative to expensive trips.
Azerbaijan appeared on my travel wish list relatively recently. You could say it was spontaneous. Quite by accident, I found out that every year on May 10 a grand flower festival is held in Baku. “Why not,” I thought and set up daily monitoring of the cost of air tickets for the desired destination.
So...How to plan a trip to Azerbaijan? What should you pay attention to first when going to Baku?


1. Facilitated visa regime

Russians for tourist trip For a period of less than 90 days, a visa is not required. At the border they don’t ask for hotel reservations, health insurance or material support. All you need is a passport.
If you stay in Azerbaijan for more than 10 days, you will need to register with the migration service. However, the hotel can easily handle this issue.
This is the first plus - ease of entry into the country and savings on a visa.

2. Airport

Main air gate countries - Baku Airport named after Heydar Aliyev. S7, Utair and Aeroflot fly from Russia to Baku. Also, regular flights carried out by Azerbaijan Airlines.
In order to “catch” interesting flight prices, the most convenient way is to subscribe to Aviasales. My tickets cost me 12,500 rubles, but, for example, now there are “delicious” Moscow – Baku air tickets for October 2016 – March 2017 for 6,700 rubles. (round-trip fare).
The H1 express bus runs from the airport to the city center. This is the most optimal transfer option. A ticket costs only 1.3 manats and is bought from a special machine. The express stops directly opposite the arrival terminal.


3. Hotel

Everything is fine with housing in Baku. If you like to feel at home when traveling, choose AirBnb; if you don’t like making your bed, book a hotel on Booking or through any other booking site.
I recommend renting housing closer to the old city (Icheri Sheher), and even better - within walking distance. Hotels in the historical part cost a lot of money, so to save money, you can consider a hostel for accommodation (about 18 manats per day).

4. Time difference

The difference is small, only 1 hour, but it is there. When it is 7 am in Moscow, it is already 8.00 am in Baku. It is better to immediately change all clocks to local time so as not to get confused.

5. Currency exchange

The national currency of Azerbaijan is the manat. The current rate is ≈ 45 rubles for 1 manat, but the rate is currently not stable, so it is better to clarify the information immediately before the trip.
You can safely travel to Azerbaijan with rubles. Here is the second positive point.
Of course, both dollars and euros will be easily exchanged for you, but when buying currency in Russia and exchanging it in Baku, you can lose due to the difference in rates.
As such, exchange offices have been abolished in Azerbaijan. Money can only be exchanged at a bank. If you arrive in Baku on the eve of the weekend or holidays, be sure to play it safe and exchange money at the airport. There's a pretty decent exchange rate there.
There are a lot of ATMs in Baku, almost at every step. As a last resort, you can withdraw cash there.
Two currency exchange points are open on weekends:

  1. Bank of the Republic, near the funicular (almost on the seaside boulevard)
  2. on Fuzuli Street, not far from the 28 May Square.

6. Public transport

Baku has two large metro lines and many buses. A one-time trip costs only 0.2 manats. Converted to rubles - about 10 rubles. The third obvious plus!
The metro uses two types of special cards. Plastic for 2 manats and paper (disposable) for 0.2 manats. It is profitable to buy a card for 4 trips; the total cost of the card will cost 1 manat.


There are different buses in Baku. In more modern “models” payment is still made in the same transport card. On older buses, including intercity buses, the driver needs to pay the fare.
The funicular cannot be called public transport, but it operates absolutely free. Nice as hell. :)

7. Food

The religion of the country leaves some imprint on local cuisine. For example, in Azerbaijan they don’t eat pork, but there are a lot of lamb dishes on the menu. For Russian people, Azerbaijani cuisine will not seem very specific, because many dishes have been known to us since childhood - dolma, pilaf, lula kebab.
Be sure to try kutab - flatbread stuffed with meat, herbs or cheese. It is served in almost any cafe and costs 0.5 - 1 manat.
In Baku they drink tea from small glass cups called “armud”. If you are offered jam for tea, first ask about its cost.
In many cafes you can pay by bank card, but it’s better to play it safe and always have some cash with you.


8. Security

It so happened that I went to Azerbaijan alone. I can safely say that Baku is a safe city for a girl. Azerbaijanis are very friendly towards tourists - they give directions, optimal bus routes and just enjoy talking. They definitely ask what city you came from and have heard very well not only about Moscow and St. Petersburg. :)
Also, there are a lot of police on the streets in Baku.

9. Language barrier

He's gone. :) Absolutely everyone understands Russian and speaks it at least a little. I didn't have to use my limited knowledge of English at all.
This is a huge positive moment for those who are afraid to go on an independent trip due to lack of knowledge of the language.

10. Local color. Sights of Baku

Baku surprises with its architectural mix. The heart of the city is Icheri Sheher (old city). So cute narrow streets, where Nikulin cursed and fell, and then Mironov. Here you need to dissolve and just get lost. Just don't forget to check out your local ones. souvenir shops, they are here with the subtlest touch of antiquity.


What to do in the old town? Be sure to climb Maiden's Tower, look into the art salon of local artist Ali Shamsi and take a cinematic photo near the treasured “damn it” door. You can also go to an ancient bathhouse and look into the unique Museum of Miniature Books.

My report on Baku is written in the form of friendly instructions and is full of subjective, practical comments based on my own experience. Consists of three parts. The first, which is presented below, is devoted to various practical issues that may arise for those who are planning to visit the capital of Azerbaijan in the near future. The third part will also come in handy in this case; it is dedicated to restaurants and bars in Baku. And the second is a large photo report on the sights, and it may be of interest even to those who have not yet made a final decision. You will find links to these parts and other useful resources at the end of the post.


Almost every journey begins at the airport. Having left the plane and gone through all the controls, you are instantly immersed in a new, unfamiliar environment. Getting to know her, like it or not, you have to start with currency exchange. The Azerbaijani Manat exchange rate is approximately equal to the Euro, which makes it very easy to understand the cost of everything around.

Having obtained local money, again, whether you like it or not, you will have to take it to the taxi drivers. Oh, these Azerbaijani taxi drivers! So familiar to any Muscovite, they, of course, slightly soften the immersion in a foreign culture, creating a deceptive feeling that you have never left. Out of ignorance, we gave the first taxi driver we came across 40 manats to the center. Don't repeat our mistakes! Now it will be the most main information, which you need to remember if you are going to Baku; the rest, if anything, you’ll figure out somehow along the way. You've probably already watched both episodes of "Heads and Tails" about this city and are aware that English cabs were purchased in Baku for Eurovision. So, this is not just a fun attraction where you can ride once for show, as we first thought. This, in the end, turned out to be the most important means of transportation on our journey. They deliver strictly according to the meter, and their price tag is much more humane than that of private traders. So, the journey for us, already experienced, to the airport from the hotel cost 13 (!) manats. Where can I find them, these cabs? In general, they constantly scurry back and forth, and are constantly on duty at the main points. But, just in case, it’s better to get a couple of other business cards - almost every taxi driver has them. How to find them? Well... they look like this:

That is, just like the English ones, only purple.
What are their advantages, besides prices? They are very spacious, and the lack of trunk is more than compensated for by this. If necessary, six people can climb into the cab: there are additional reclining seats. The salon has air conditioning. And on top of that, there is a button that turns off the driver if we don't want to listen to him. Great!
In general, you see an “eggplant” - take it!

Well, since we're talking about local people, it's time to talk about some features of communication. The first and most important thing is the language. In a country that has changed its alphabet 4 times over the past century, this is difficult. Many people, especially the older generation, speak Russian, some better, some worse. And almost no one speaks English, not even young people. So I recommend having a hotel business card or a note with the address of the place you are going to. Well, or at least remember some names that you can focus on when talking with a taxi driver or asking passers-by. In general, if you are going to walk a lot, I still recommend downloading some offline maps to your phone. For example, I use the CityMaps2Go application. They really can find almost all corners of the world, and you can make your own marks, which is very convenient.

Second. National characteristics . Despite the fact that the city looks very modern, and young people in Baku dress in a European style, do not forget that you are in a Muslim country. So, it is not customary to address a stranger here. This works not only in the sense that you shouldn’t really impose your communication on strangers, but also in the opposite direction. If you're traveling as a heterosexual couple like we did, you'll have to accept that the only people you'll talk to will be the man. Well, that is, not a stupid and offensive ignore - no, everything looks, basically, very polite and harmless. For example, it is useless for a woman to try to explain to a taxi driver where to go. You will kill a lot of time, you will give up, and he, it turns out, is just waiting for your husband to say his word. Because here, traditionally, all decisions are made by a man.
In a restaurant, the waiter will always address the man and leave the last word to him. Well, that is, it’s not that he doesn’t listen at all to what the woman tells him, but he will direct all clarifying questions when writing down your order to the man and look only at him. And, by the way, almost everywhere only men work as waiters. During the whole time we met only one girl waitress.
Apparently, for these same deeply rooted traditional reasons, in establishments In general, you rarely meet women. Especially in places with a strong national bias. And especially in bars. Here I must make a reservation that establishments of the Ginza level here are already considered premium, and people don’t just go there, but gather for a reason. Therefore, meeting expensively dressed Azerbaijani women there is not uncommon. Families go there. And family, by the way, is valued above all else here.
But more about food and restaurants later.

Cloth. The men's dress code for Baku is very well described in this GQ article. In short, they love and appreciate expensive brands and jackets, and dislike shorts.
I can give advice to girls based on own experience. First. Short skirts and shorts are best left at home. Not that it is prohibited or not practiced here, but it can make you feel uncomfortable. Believe me, you will already attract attention and catch the eye. I can say the same about the neckline and other similar things.
Second. The wind almost always blows in Baku. Draw conclusions.
Third. Paving stones. All Old city paved with it. So we leave the heels for the evening or for walks along the embankment (attention, very strong wind!).
Well, in fact, it doesn’t hurt to always have a scarf with you for all occasions. If it’s cold, you’ll wrap it around your neck, if it’s hot, you’ll put it on your head, if you go on a tour of the mosque, it’ll be on your face (I’m kidding, I haven’t seen tours of mosques there. I’m kidding again).


By the way, about the weather. On May holidays While we were there, it was really hot for only one day. The rest of the time the scorching sun was compensated by the cool wind. Accordingly, sun cream will not hurt, a jacket too, as well as sunglasses. I already talked about the constant wind.
Sea. The sea is warming up slowly. There are no equipped beaches within the city. Or rather, there are none at all: the entire Baku Bay of the Caspian Sea is dressed in the granite of the Primorsky Boulevard, along which everyone loves to stroll very smartly.


Here, as you understand, exposing your bikini is somehow not comme il faut. So for the beaches you have to go outside the city. Fortunately, there are plenty of specially designed beach complexes and villages here. The best beaches are considered to be on the northern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, on south coast which Baku is located. The sea is cleaner there, they say. We visited only one such place, and it is located almost within the city. It looks quite tempting for an escape from the summer stuffiness of the city.

If, after all, you came to Baku for the sake of Baku, and not the beaches, then I personally would recommend choosing accommodation in the area of ​​Torgovaya Street, also known as Nizami.
It’s definitely not worth settling in the Old Town: it is, most often, unreasonably expensive and inconvenient. A taxi can’t get there, tourists always shy away, and in the evening everything dies out.

Large hotels, such as Hilton or Four Seasons, located on Primorsky Boulevard, are, of course, good in their own way, but they are expensive and not interesting in themselves. For color and hospitality, go to local small hotels. Depending on the price and location, the color-comfort ratio will naturally vary. And, of course, you shouldn’t settle too far from the center, where the search for a place for a successfully overslept breakfast may take a long time. And it will be almost impossible to find decent coffee.

In general, everyone in Baku drinks all the time tea. They put just about anything in it - from the already familiar thyme with lemon to overly fragrant cloves. And for sugar they often give something similar to our “Cow”. Iranian black tea is especially appreciated by locals. I strongly recommend, if the weather permits, to drink tea in outdoor cafe at the Maiden Tower. Be sure to try the local baklava and jam, whatever you want. By the way, tea in Baku is made in samovars. I have never seen so many samovars even in Tula.


Yes, there are a lot of cats in Baku. The old city, also known as Icheri Sheher, where you will undoubtedly go first, I remember, first of all, for its narrow stone streets and cats, businesslikely inspecting their possessions. This makes it very similar to old Mediterranean towns.

But we’ll talk about the sights later, and now let’s get back to practical things. The first thing that will catch your eye in the Old Town are the carpets laid out and hung everywhere right on the streets. This is all for you: it would hardly occur to locals to buy such things here at “tourist” prices. But we will have to if we want to bring locals home from our trip souvenirs. Carpets are laid out on the street to demonstrate the quality of the product - you can safely walk on them. The price depends on the size, quality and material from which the carpet is woven. There are not many other souvenirs, so be prepared for the fact that by the end of the third day of wandering around the city, the idea of ​​​​buying an Azerbaijani carpet will seem quite reasonable to you.

For more healthy shopping, head to market. Well, really, what is an eastern city without a Bazaar? Within walking distance from the center is the so-called New Market, or Taize Bazaar. We walk into the depths of the market, find sellers of fresh sturgeon and ingratiatingly ask if there is caviar. They look at you appraisingly, and then take you to a room with a table, a refrigerator and walls covered with branded government caviar labels. Usually sellers have a couple of varieties in stock - for example, sturgeon and beluga. Everyone will give it a try. They will roll up the jar right in front of you. The price varies from 80 to 110 manats per jar. You can freely export one 100-gram jar per person from the country.

We managed to get a jar of beluga caviar (it has larger and lighter eggs) for 100 manats. To go on this fishing trip fully armed, I suggest reading information on this topic in advance. The most important rule: the lighter the black caviar, the more valuable it is, no matter how strange it may sound.

What else interesting is there on the market?
The first is, of course, pomegranates, which are undoubtedly one of the symbols of Azerbaijan.


In the spring, grenades, as you understand, are no longer the same. That’s why they don’t just eat them, but make juice from them, diluting it generously with water. Be careful, the strong acidity of this juice will quickly whet your appetite. In addition to freshly squeezed juice, Narsharab pomegranate sauce, which is traditionally served with fish here, is highly valued.

Secondly, these are delicious Baku tomatoes and others seasonal fruits and vegetables. We didn’t have much luggage with us, so we stocked up well on the last day before departure. For such thrifty tourists, they sell wonderful wooden boxes with a carrying handle and with a beautiful inscription “Baki” - a really great souvenir, in my opinion. Boxes cost 8-18 manats depending on the size. Prices for vegetables greatly depend on your own charisma and the mood of the seller. But in any case, they are several times lower than the prices for the same products in Moscow markets. But it's not about the prices! Do not deny yourself the pleasure of bargaining and shopping at a real oriental bazaar!

While they are carefully putting everything in boxes for you and filling them with lids on top, walk through the rows.
The third thing you need to buy here is jam made from whole walnuts. If this is a new product for you, then I’ll explain: they make it from still young “milk” nuts, so they eat them straight with the shell. Unfortunately, most likely no one here will let you try the jam. Therefore, I advise you to try different varieties in some cafe in advance in order to go here for specific types.

The fourth is, of course, local spices and herbs. I think the main things to look out for are thyme and sumac. If with the first, most likely, everything is more or less clear, then the second is worth dwelling on in more detail. Sumac is essentially ground dried barberry. It can often be seen on the table along with salt and pepper in local cafes. It has a pleasant sour taste, so it goes well with meat dishes and cheese.

As for the local cheese, to be honest, I was not impressed. Almost all of its types, with names that are difficult to remember, end up looking like very salty cheese. I liked only one type - soft curd cheese, which we were served rolled in small balls in sumac. But this is in a restaurant. And we are returning to the market.
It remains to note only a couple of products that need to be taken from the market - these are flat cakes. Why a couple? Because the flatbreads here are both regular tandoor and fruit. We read about the latter in the article I mentioned and were already desperate to look for them: none of the sellers stubbornly understood what we needed. Until one of the more experienced customers told us that, most likely, they mean homemade marshmallow, which is rolled out into thin flat cakes here from apples and cherry plums.
At this point, you can probably finish with the market and go to the supermarket for the rest of your tasty purchases. There you need to buy baklava and various Caspian fish delicacies, except caviar. Pomegranate sauce is also probably better to buy there, just ask the sellers which one is made in Azerbaijan.

Which difficulties may occur with the products? Already in Moscow at the airport, when we received our luggage and headed towards the exit, a certain employee stopped us and asked for certificates for imported products, which, naturally, we did not have. According to him, any products imported from Azerbaijan are subject to certification. if there are no certificates, then you need to send it for examination, which will take at most 1 month. I don’t know how this is done correctly, but after a short argument about the fact that we are not going to sell this, we simply went on our way when the employee was distracted by other happy owners of beautiful Baku boxes.

Concerning other purchases, then you, of course, can go shopping on Torgovaya Street (Nizami) or more glamorous brands on Neftchiler (aka Neftchiler Avenue, which runs along the embankment), but something tells me that you won’t be surprised with rags.
What else catches your eye on the streets of Baku is the abundance of interior shops. It is clear that the city is actively being built.

Construction- this is the trouble and joy of modern Baku. Joy - for the population of a country prospering from oil money. And the trouble is for them and for you and me, tourists, for whom less and less of this city retains its authenticity and antiquity. It pleases the eye when, behind the facades lined with light local sandstone, you can hardly recognize the typical Soviet buildings that ruined the appearance of more than one beautiful city.

But it’s even more sad when you see that even the streets of the Old City are gradually filled with “new buildings”, and no one is monitoring the safety of the old houses, because they are lived mainly by poor old people, who, by the way, only consider themselves real Baku residents, and some of them even remember how the filming of “The Diamond Arm” took place here.

But I’d better write about the sights separately, because this relates more to the functional part than to the organizational one. And in this article I will finally touch upon sources of information, which we used and what we managed to dig up about Baku, since we could not find a paper guide in our chaotic preparations.
1. The same article in GQ called “Why you need to go to Baku right now.” From there we got almost all the leads on the restaurants that we ended up visiting.
2. The two releases of “Heads and Tails” I mentioned - one when they were there before Eurovision, the other after.
3. “Restless Night” program of the “Planet” channel about Baku, which can be found on YouTube and tips for Baku from the same author.
4. We found information about excursions in information center near the Maiden Tower. There we met a friendly woman who spoke good Russian, and then a private guide, Ali, YouTube star, who blew our minds with the stream of his motley consciousness that does not stop for a minute, consisting of a mixture of data pulled from everywhere, rumors, legends and outright nonsense mixed with fragments of his colorful biography.
5. Just in case, once again a link to my favorite application with offline maps.

Part 2.
Amazing Azerbaijan, a country from which I expected less, but received more

A country that in my mind consisted of kishlaks and small villages and was some kind of outback. But in fact, now it is a dynamically developing country, which pleasantly surprised me and which would definitely be interesting to travel around. Wonderful people live here with a great love for building fences :) And here you can also try delicious tomatoes and other vegetables and fruits. I hope my propaganda will not be in vain, and I think we will come back here again :) But our goal is Georgia, so Azerbaijan is only passing through, although for some people a trip like ours is considered a full-fledged vacation :)
List of attractions of Azerbaijan for independent visiting (see at the end of the report).

... Now the moon is floating over the quiet sea,

And the night waves tell me

What are you, Baku, both in joy and in sorrow

Forever my beloved blood brother.

We will never part with you forever,

We are bound by a common destiny,

Let him speak of our eternal brotherhood

Caspian triumphant surf.

Rasul Gamzatov


Gobustan Nature Reserve / Petroglyphs in Azerbaijan

This reserve is definitely a must visit. Azerbaijan has invested a lot of money and effort into this reserve and it is really cool. The way everything is decorated in it, what kind of museum is located in this place, its technical equipment - all this meets the highest European requirements. Overall recommended.




















After the reserve we headed towards the border with Georgia. Of course, we didn’t see all of Azerbaijan, but our goal is not it, but Georgia. We examined all the complexly located objects around Baku, so that later we could simply fly here by plane and wander around the city without a car. But as promised, here is a list of the remaining attractions of Baku, which in my opinion are worth visiting:

List of other attractions in Baku:

You should start exploring Baku from the historical part of the city - the Old City.

1. Old town of Icheri Sheher (Icheri Sheher metro station)
2. The place where The Diamond Arm was filmed ( st. Kichik-Gala, 8/1)
3. Palace of the Shirvanshahs (Opening hours: 10.00-18.00 seven days a week)
4. Bathhouse Gadzhi Gaib
5. Maiden Tower of Gyz Galasi
Next, we leave the old city and go towards Primorsky Boulevard. There is a small system of walking water canals on the boulevard. In the summer they float on gondolas.
6. Little Venice in Baku
7. Carpet Museum
The Carpet Museum is another architectural landmark, located on the embankment immediately behind Little Venice, across the road from the funicular.
8. Funicular to the observation deck.
If the funicular works, then good, but if not, then there is a staircase to the left of it. Follow it vertically upward for 15 minutes to get to Nagorny Park
9. Nagorny Park. Blue Mosque(Turkish mosque in Baku)
It may not be worth going here specifically for it, but if you’re in Nagorny Park, you can come and have a look.
10. Towers of Flame.
Flame towers are the most high buildings countries, visible from anywhere in Baku. A unique symbol of the city.
11. Bibi Heybət Mosque
12. TV Tower
13. Heydar Aliyev Center
14. Teze Pir Mosque
(The list of Baku attractions is more like a note for yourself for the future, but maybe it will be useful to someone)
Update from 01/26/18
15.







At the end of May 2018, a group of nine tourists (8 women and one man) challenged themselves: could they drive around three countries and one republic without going crazy from the impressions? In 17 days they visited Dagestan, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. This story is about the Republic of Azerbaijan.

More than 9 million people live in Azerbaijan. It is a secular state, the majority of whose residents profess Islam. Today, thousands of tourists flock there to see the place where the East meets the West. In addition, Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, is included in the list of the most beautiful cities peace.

Baku is called the city of lights and the city of winds. I called it the white city. Look how white everything is around - like a stone desert.

We spent three days in Azerbaijan at the end of May. We looked for a booked hostel on Babek Avenue, but never found it. But they found a prince on a white horse, a friend and son-in-law. But let's not get too far ahead of ourselves - let's talk about everything in order.

Suitcase, money, passport, key. What do these words have in common? That's right, travel! The journey begins with preparation.

We prepared for the trip for two months: we gathered a group, plotted routes, studied the sights - no one from our company had been to Azerbaijan before.

A group of tourists leaves Nizhny Novgorod. Baku is 2213 km away or approximately 5 days, 5 hours and 5 minutes.

Making a plan

When going on a long road trip, it is important to plan everything down to the smallest detail. How to get there, where to sleep, what to eat, what to take, where to go? We tried to answer these and other questions in advance.

  1. How to get there? We studied maps and reviews from other travelers to plan our route. For example, they will not be allowed into Azerbaijan after Armenia. Because there is a conflict between countries. Would we have known about this if we had not read a good hundred reviews a couple of months before the trip? Is not a fact! Read reviews from previous travelers in advance.
  2. How much should I take? We decided to collect 20 thousand rubles per person - this is money for gasoline, overnight accommodation, a common table and unforeseen expenses. It turned out to be 180,000. We divided the amount by four, since this is the budget of 4 countries, and in the end 45,000 went to Azerbaijan. This amount was quite enough for our group: we didn’t indulge in luxury, but we didn’t deprive ourselves of excursions and wine.
  3. Where to sleep? We booked a hostel in advance, but were unable to get there. We'll talk more about this later. However, our case is rather an exception, so we recommend that everyone else book beds in advance. Moreover, the money was returned to us.
  4. What is? We decided that we cook on our own twice a day and visit a cafe once - so we try local food, and do not go bankrupt in the process. Who is responsible for cooking and who is responsible for washing dishes was also discussed in advance.
  5. What to take? Our vacation was more sports than beach or entertainment. And the things in the suitcase were selected based on this remark: sneakers, shorts, comfortable clothes.
  6. Where to go? We looked at the sights of Baku in advance and decided that for our first trip it would be enough for us to see the city center - Baku is included in the list of the ten most beautiful cities in the world - the old city and the Caspian Sea. We don’t spend money on a guide - we Google and read.

Light snack at a gas station on the way to Azerbaijan. Still on the Russian side.

Note: The Republic of Azerbaijan is a Muslim country. They look bad at exposed ankles and cleavage. If you want to avoid sidelong glances, choose your wardrobe more carefully.

We were in Azerbaijan at the end of May. The thermometer had not yet reached its maximum height, and we were not hot in knee-length trousers and sundresses. However, in the city center there are many locals who, for the sake of world fashion, allow themselves to wear shorts and other revealing looks.

Useful applications

Today, the Internet is replete with an abundance of applications for travelers: from Google maps to virtual guides. We have collected the top 10 most useful in our opinion:

  1. Diary. You can write everything down here so you don’t forget anything.
  2. Calculator (the one on your mobile phone will do). Will help you create a travel budget.
  3. Translator . When translation difficulties arise.
  4. Calculation of fuel consumption. When traveling on your own, it is very important to know how much money you will spend on gasoline. We know in advance how much a plane or train ticket costs. You can also calculate the cost of a car ticket.
  5. Google Maps . Moreover, our experience shows that it is better to download them rather than use them online. Different situations may arise on the road; it is better if you have a good compass up your sleeve.
  6. Currency Converter . Convert manats to rubles, rubles to manats, dollars to rubles, manats to dollars - in order not to get confused with all this, you need a currency converter.
  7. - on aggregators you can find accommodation to suit your budget and taste.
  8. Audio tour. The guide in your pocket automatically begins to talk about objects as you approach them.
  9. audio guides have also been selected, excursion routes, and the service also connects strangers for joint trips so that you can save money.
  10. Couchsurfing - people invite you to stay with them for free.

Azerbaijanis use the Latin alphabet, but in Soviet times they wrote in Cyrillic.

In addition to services, you can look in advance at the websites of local museums, cinemas, shops to understand the average cost of services in the country, book tickets and, based on reviews, figure out in advance whether it’s worth going there.

  • State Museum of Musical Culture of Azerbaijan

How to prepare a car for travel?

At independent travel It is very important to check your motor and wheels in advance. This will be done best in special diagnostic centers. We would not recommend relying on chance. On the way to Azerbaijan they will meet mountain roads, serpentines and horsemen. Do you want to take risks?

In general, when talking about preparing a car for a trip, we would divide it into three points.

  1. Checking the "health" of the car.
  2. Checking documents: passport, driver's license, property rights - everything should be at hand. You should also make sure that you have paid your car tax and have no outstanding fines. Otherwise, the border may not be opened for you.
  3. First aid kit. There should always be a first aid kit in the car - this is a priori, a fact!

We had two Nissan cars and three drivers for nine of us. When traveling around the city, a personal car is more of a plus than a minus. But it’s more convenient to get to the resort by plane or with fewer passengers. We drove quite tightly. But, as they say, in cramped conditions, don’t be offended. To warm up, we made green parking lots.

Green parking lot in an almost lavender field.

Salam Azerbaijan [Hello, Azerbaijan]!

Border crossing

Azerbaijan has five land borders: with Russia, Armenia, Turkey, Georgia, Iran and Armenia. The border between Armenia and Azerbaijan is closed - there is a conflict.

Of the three borders that we crossed during our trip, Azerbaijani customs officers are the fiercest. At first, they asked us for a long time whether we were really Russians - each of the nine, as if they couldn’t tell by their faces! Then they clarified whether we maintained relations with Armenia, why we were going to Baku, etc.

In conclusion customs control asked to empty the entire trunk! And we were driving from the Izberbash Brandy Factory and were already quite loaded. It was very difficult for us to empty the trunk. Only the compliment made by the customs officer somehow brightened up the impression of the border.

Long, difficult, hard! We didn't like the border!

Watching the sunrise in the car

Search for a hostel, or sightseeing auto tour of Baku

As soon as we entered Azerbaijan, the adventure began. The Internet there is generally expensive, and in roaming mode it’s a direct path to ruin. Our money in our mobile account was immediately eaten up by online Google maps. In a foreign country we were left without maps and without the Internet. We got to Baku blindly.

Note: Internet in Azerbaijan is expensive, but almost every establishment has free Wi-Fi.

On the website where we booked a hostel from home, it was said that Babek Avenue is located a few kilometers from the city center. We drove into the center and started looking for Babek on the signs. Signs indicated to go straight. We went straight - we arrived in the wrong place. We went back - again we arrived in the wrong place. As a result, we drove around half of Baku - there is no Babek Avenue!

Azerbaijani streets. Center

We stopped at the store. Those who smoke smoked, calmed down and began asking passers-by: “Excuse me, how can we get to Babek?” It turned out that passersby did not understand Russian. Someone was smoking nervously, someone was reading indifferently (this is the author), and someone was looking out for passers-by who could help us. He came to the rescue.

- Excuse me, you are looking at me like that, do you want to know something?

- Yes. But we will speak Russian.

- No problem.

We explained the situation. Nice young man... Remember that there were eight of us women? And the six older ones began vying with each other to talk about this to the two younger ones, so that the latter would come out and show themselves. But we didn’t want to get out of the car. Fortunately, the young man did not refuse to help us. But the fact that he found a wife in this way is a completely different story.

The streets, the houses - everything is beautiful.

There is a very aggressive movement in Azerbaijan. Cars fly like lightning flashes. That is why, just starting to follow our new acquaintance, the third car quickly fell behind the first two. At one of the turns, other cars simply didn’t let us through, and when they did, our trail disappeared.

We returned to the store parking lot to find a new guide. This time we found him quickly - he was a middle-aged Azerbaijani who, in fact, was in a hurry to get to work, but could not refuse us. He rode ahead, cutting across the road, and we tried our best to keep up with him. But Babek is still gone.

It turned out that it was quite difficult for Azerbaijanis to find our address. The driver-guide stopped every few kilometers to clarify the route. We drove for another half hour through traffic jams and thorns and were already somewhere very close when an SMS arrived on the phone from an unfamiliar number:

"Go to the Botanical Garden"

We signaled to our guide to stop. He got out of the car, listened to us, sighed heavily, but didn’t give up halfway. He just said the legendary phrase:

Oleg, I noticed that you are driving a little slowly.

From the Botanical Garden

When we got to the Botanical Garden, part of our group was there, making an order for lunch at a cafe on the territory of the Botanical Garden. We thanked the man who drove us around the city for free, and said goodbye to him, giving him a box of chocolates WITH LIQUOR!

It was later that we learned that most of the Azerbaijanis obediently follow the Koran and do not drink wine. That is, sweets with liqueur are generally not a suitable option for thanking someone.

Note: Most Azerbaijanis do not drink, do not eat pork, and pray five times a day.

While half of the group was looking for Babek, the other was investigating. It turns out that the address we need on the avenue is not 10 minutes from the center, but in the middle of nowhere. That is, it really begins near the center, and ends unknown where. But this is not the worst thing: for a month and a half now they have not provided housing for tourists! But there was either a glitch on the site, or some other misunderstanding...

National character

Our new young acquaintance, whose name is Samir, left us for lunch and returned to work. He promised to arrive in a couple of hours and during this time to find a suitable one for us inexpensive option for accommodation for three days.

The cafe was a long narrow street with separate guest rooms hidden on the right and left. Azerbaijanis generally like to be alone.

Cafe near the Botanical Garden

We ordered some local dishes. Over lunch we discussed the Baku driving style, the locals who are so willing to help if they understand Russian, plans for the remaining two days, because half past twelve was already coming to an end, and we still hadn’t unloaded our suitcases.

There are many European-style establishments in Baku, but it is much more interesting to visit those filled with oriental flavor: with carpets, armouds and oriental sweets.

Then we spent two hours in Botanical Garden, walking along the paths, looking at the exhibition of roses and other plants, taking photographs, reading... In other words, whoever could while away the time. We even started to worry, maybe we shouldn’t wait for Samir, but go looking for housing ourselves?

Blooming water lilies

Rose exhibition

However, exactly two hours later the phone rang. Samir said that he had found an apartment for us, now they are preparing it, and he is already on his way to pick us up.

This is where the story with Babeko ends, and the story of love, oh, vacation, of course, begins.

We wait a couple of hours and have already climbed every tree in the Botanical Garden.

On the way to the rented apartment we stopped in Icheri Sheher - the old city. But we decided to explore its sights another time. We just went into the store, bought it using a magnet, and went to look at the apartment.

Carpets are the property of the republic, each one is like a work of art.

We wanted to quickly take a shower, change clothes and feel like a human being. It was the second day since we were on the road.

They found an excellent apartment for us. Three rooms almost in the central part of the city on the 19th floor. The view from the window is stunning: the famous Baku flame towers are at arm's length from us. There was one thing: there weren’t enough beds in our new apartment for everyone. Some had to sleep on the floor.

The Flame Towers are on the list of attractions for which thousands of tourists from all over the world travel to Baku.

Our new acquaintance, already almost a friend, left us to settle down and went back to work. Yes, it’s not for nothing that Azerbaijanis are considered one of the most hardworking peoples. This applies only to men; women, as a rule, do not work there at all.

We were left alone: ​​we washed ourselves, shared rooms, went to the store. From local products, we bought a bottle of pomegranate wine, cheese (be sure to try Azerbaijani cheeses!), and fruit.

Oriental sweets for tea

We started preparing dinner. An hour later Samir came to us with rice and chicken for Kurdish pilaf.

Azerbaijan has a rich ethnic composition. Our new friend is a Kurd.

This is interesting: In different regions of Azerbaijan, cheese is prepared according to different recipes. Here you can try the whole variety of Caucasian cheeses. Hard and like you're eating butter. My favorite was Motal - the most delicious and most expensive cheese in the country.

We persuaded Samir to cook pilaf next time. In the meantime, they sat him down at the table, put naval pasta in front of him, and poured him some Russian cognac. Samir squirmed, but drank. We asked him about the sights of Baku, about Azerbaijani traditions, about whether they still have patriarchy. The first evening in Baku was coming to an end. In the morning she was waiting for us big excursion around the city, and it turns out that our new friend has a birthday tomorrow.

Icheri Sheher and other reasons to come to Baku

The morning was leisurely. From 9 o'clock everyone began to wake up, prepare breakfast, and prepare themselves to go out. Baku - modern city With developed infrastructure. And since we took a sightseeing car tour yesterday, today we decided to go for a walk. Our house was 10 minutes from the metro.

Our friendly company is going to Icheri Sheher

Please note: d Traffic in the Baku metro is circular. Before the train arrives, a board lights up indicating which direction the train is traveling.

Icheri Sheher metro station. Very soon we will see the old city

We left the subway and almost immediately the wall began. Once upon a time, behind this wall there was the city itself, and even earlier - the entire state.

Historical reference: Icheri Sheher, or “fortress”, or “old city” of Baku. Here is the palace of the Shirvanshahs, here is the Maiden Tower, here Nikulin said “damn it.” A large fortress wall, behind which is located the whole city, or, as it is also called, the inner city.
The first mention of Icheri-Sheher dates back to the 5th century. Today, the Old Town is a unique historical ensemble, where tourists from all over the world come and where real residents live. The locals also call them serfs. Their total number is about 1300. And they have their own measures.

At first it seems that Icheri Sheher is very small, but in reality it turns out that even a whole day is not enough to explore it.

Icheri-Sheher Scheme

5 must-see attractions in Icheri Sheher

1.Maiden's Tower. 28 meters of a huge stone cylinder on a ledge of a coastal cliff. In the old days, the city ended here and the sea began. The purpose of the tower is unknown.

There are many legends about its construction. According to one of them, the Shah decided to marry his own daughter. Then the girl, in the hope of dissuading her father, asked to build his tower and wait for the completion of construction. The Shah complied with the request. Then the girl went upstairs and threw herself from there into the sea.

There are always crowds of tourists near the Maiden Tower, and entrance to it is paid - about 4 manats.

We didn’t go to the Maiden Tower: it’s a waste of money and the queue is too long.

2."Damn it." Many famous Soviet films were filmed in Icheri Sheher, among them “The Diamond Arm”. In the Old Town there is a cafe “Damn it,” and at the place where Yuri Nikulin said the legendary phrase, hundreds of tourists wipe their pants every day.

There is a sign attached to the place where the movie was filmed, so you won’t confuse it with anything else.

Local residents show photographs of film stills and offer to navigate through them.

3. Palace of the Shirvanshahs. The complex, which includes the Divan Khan, the tomb of the Shirvanshahs and the palace mosque, built from the 13th to the 16th centuries. The construction is associated with the transfer of the capital of the Shirvanshahs from Shemakha to Baku. Shirvan is a historical region in Transcaucasia from Derbent to the Kura River delta. Currently, it is part of the territory of Azerbaijan.

You can enter the territory of the palace, but we chose a different course - we went to the market.

Street trading - you don’t even need tables, all the goods are on carpets.

I remember the stories of Sinbad the Sailor, here they are - the colors of the east.

4. Shops and street trading in Icheri-Sheher. We got the impression that all 1,300 inhabitants of the fortress city were exclusively merchants. There are so many of them on the streets! They offer everything from oriental sweets to carpets. We liked one lamp, but it was very expensive, having decided that the Genie, who would grant three wishes, would probably not fly out of it, we put the lamp in place and began to try on national hats.

Papakha. What do you think of the new hairstyle?

5. Baths of Icheri-Sheher. Oriental baths resemble oriental mosques - just as round and beautiful. No match for our black baths. Recessed into the ground, only the entrance halls are visible from the outside.

Can you really say that this is a bathhouse?

We liked Icheri Sheher, every street and every house there - World Heritage: the streets are narrow, the people are friendly, the locals not only want to sell something on, but are also willing to talk for hours about their city for free. So you can save on a guide and, without a twinge of conscience, ask passers-by and merchants about their national heritage. Be sure to try oriental sweets at the market.

On the red carpet - this is actually the entrance to the carpet museum.

Beautiful panorama, on the left is the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum.

There are 6 embassies in Icheri Sheher.

Having walked several kilometers and worn out our legs, we sat down on a bench and watched. Opposite, men were playing street chess. This is generally accepted among Azerbaijanis; here on every side street you can meet men playing cards or backgammon at a table. And women stay at home.

On the streets of Baku you can meet groups of men playing chess, backgammon or cards.

Representatives of the fair sex walking along the streets were divided into three categories:

  1. Completely naked are mostly young people. In tops with exposed navels and shorts that cut to the fifth point.
  2. Moderately naked - these are the majority. Girls in knee-length dresses look like they are going to the theater.
  3. Completely closed. Yes, you can still meet women in burqas on the streets of Baku.

Baku Sydney

Street sculptures Baku

Having rested a little and waited for our Azerbaijani friend Samir, we hit the road again. This time we passed by Baku Boulevard, flame towers, the Philharmonic (do you know that Muslim Magomayev was an Azerbaijani?), past the site where the Rally took place, past Torgovaya Street.

Baku is considered one of the most beautiful cities not only because here the East meets the West, but also because historical Center was built around the same time. The city is architectural ensemble, every building is worthy of praise!

Went up the funicular to Nagorno-Karabakh - the best Observation deck, from where you can see the whole of Baku.

We walked along the Alley of Martyrs, or Alley of Glory in Russian. Completely tired. The day rolled smoothly towards evening. Samir offered us a ride, and - attention! - nine people and one driver got into a white Toyota and drove home.

Samir is a traffic cop, so we could afford it. He was the only traffic police officer with whom we managed to “make friends.” It is clear that after meeting with him we had no unpleasant situations on the road to Baku.

We started preparing dinner, some were getting ready, because Samir, with the permission of the adults, invited two young girls to the restaurant for his birthday. When he arrived again, we congratulated him by giving him a Russian souvenir - a bottle of vodka hidden in a matryoshka doll and left for Hollywood - one of the coolest clubs and restaurants in Baku.

In “Hollywood” everything is expensive and rich: golden toilets and sinks, a lot of red, luxuriously dressed and carefully made-up women. We rented a separate room with karaoke, and that’s where our knowledge of “Hollywood” ended.

In the restroom of one of the restaurants in Baku

Remember, I already said that Azerbaijanis like to sit in little rooms? This is the same as sitting in the kitchen in Russia. It’s just that in Baku guests are taken not to a house, but to a restaurant.

Interestingly, their prices for “sit in a restaurant” are not high. For 30 manats, which is about 1,200 rubles in our money, we are ready to close the room. And, what we didn’t know before, but this will come in handy, in Baku there is not much difference in the menu between luxury establishments and shacks. Unless the cost of tea will be different. In elite establishments, just drinking tea costs 30 manats.

Miami Beach on the Caspian Sea

The Caspian Sea is turquoise green

In Azerbaijan there is the Caspian Sea. It differs from Black in its characteristic turquoise-green color. Most cool beach in Baku - Miami Beach. That's where we went on the third day of our journey. By bus, because there are racers all around and because we drove around Baku a year in advance on the first day. In addition, public transport in Baku runs well in all directions.

We liked the beach. They say it is very expensive there during the season. But we were there at the end of May, when it was not the season: entry, sunbeds, and houses were still free.

The coolest beach in Baku Miami Beach

If you imagine a little, you can imagine that we are in Bali.

We spent the whole day on the beach, relaxing, sunbathing and running for beer.

This is the most delicious beer in Baku - be sure to try it.

In the evening, someone was packing their bags - in the morning we were leaving for Georgia, and someone else went on a night walk again. This time at karaoke: sing Emin, dance “jeirani” - a folk dance of Azerbaijan, drink pomegranate wine.

Time stop - I don’t want to leave Baku

Results of the trip

A few words as a summary about your vacation in Azerbaijan:

  1. People friendly. The majority professes Islam, and according to Islam, helping for free is considered a good deed.
  2. Money- Azerbaijani manat is equal to approximately 40 rubles. It is very profitable to buy fruits; they are sold there in gapiks, kopecks in our language, and usually cost less than 1 manat.
  3. Entertainment- carousels, cinemas, and in Russian, theaters, excursions, cafes - there is everything!
  4. Language- Azerbaijani. The percentage of Russian speakers is 50/50, decreasing with distance from the center. All schools study Russian, English and Azerbaijani languages.
  5. Movement - very aggressive movement. It’s more convenient to get to Baku by car; it would be good to go out of town or visit other big cities, but in Baku itself, if you are not a horseman and are not going for thrills, it is better to travel by public transport or taxi. The price for a taxi is from 2 manats, that is, from 80 rubles. The metro costs 30 gapiks, less than 20 rubles, the same amount for bus fare.

If you have not yet chosen where you will live and want to save money when booking, we recommend using the RoomGuru service. Firstly, there are hotels, apartments and guest houses from many different booking engines and you won't miss out on a worthwhile option. Secondly, you can immediately compare prices for one place in different services and book where it is cheaper (this is not always Booking!).