12 Excellent Things to Do in Baku on a Weekend

Azerbaijan’s capital prides itself on a mixture of modern and old architecture, making it an exciting city in the region to visit. Baku’s trendy buildings are ideally positioned among its century-old buildings and towers. Dozens of parks scattered across the city offer excellent relaxation time during your walks in the city. For a short weekend trip, the post provides various things to do in Baku.

How to get to Baku

Depending on where you are living, it shouldn’t be a problem getting to Baku. Baku Heydar Aliyev International Airport serves dozens of airline companies operating to and from Baku worldwide.

Many travelers who are traveling to Georgia like to add Baku to their itinerary and vice versa. Tbilisi Baku marshrutka (minibus) runs daily from Ortachala Central Bus Station at 5, 6, 6:30, and 7 p.m. The ticket costs 30 GEL. The journey is a bit long, though, around 7- 8 hours.

There’s also a daily overnight Tbilisi Baku train that leaves from Tbilisi Railway Station at 8:35 p.m, taking around 12 hours. The train ticket costs between 35-84 GEL, depending on the class. For more detailed information on this train journey, read Emily’s post – Tbilisi to Baku by overnight train.

12 Top Things to Do in Baku, Azerbaijan

Baku is an immaculate city with buildings painted or constructed with similar beige colors, making it look elegant and straightforward. Even though there is heavy traffic in the city, it still feels quiet during the day. In the evenings, it becomes even more peaceful with a few locals walking in the dark.

Azerbaijan’s capital tries to offer as much as possible to its visitors. However, the cultural and architectural sights are limited. The majority of Baku attractions consist of museums, modern architecture, parks, and other landmarks outside of the city, including the fire mountain Yanar Dag.

Icheri Sheher or Old Town

One of the first things to do in Baku is to learn about its history. Baku’s Old Town, or Icheri Sheher, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and used to be the medieval capital of the Shirvan Shahs. Start with visiting the 12th century Maiden Tower, then continue your way towards the 15th century Palace of Shivan Shahs through narrow streets full of traditional carpet weavers and souvenir shops.

One of the places to visit in Baku is the Maiden Tower, a museum showcasing the city’s development over the centuries. Each floor represents a milestone in Baku’s history.  From the top of the tower, you can enjoy the view over the Caspian Sea, old town, and the Boulevard.

• Opening Hours: Every day from 9 a.m to 6 p.m
• Entrance Fee: Adults – 10 AZN, Students – 5 AZN, Guided Tour – 20 AZN

The Palace of Shirvan Shahs is a complex consisting of the main building, a small stone pavilion – Divanhane, mosque, tombs, remains of the bathhouse, and a mausoleum. The two-story main building presents cultural jewels of the country preserved from ancient times.

• Opening Hours: Every day from 10 a.m to 6 p.m
• Entrance Fee: Adults – 10 AZN, Students – 5 AZN

Miniature Literature Museum

Another cool thing to do in Baku is to visit the miniature books museum. It’s one of a kind in the world and represents a private collection of Zaria Salahova. She collected 6,500 books from 65 different countries.

The museum was opened to the public in 2002 and is free to enter. Together with famous literature masterpieces, the museum holds scarce editions as well. Here, you can find the 17^th century Quran, a book published in the 13^th century by a descendant of Johannes Gutenberg, and books so tiny that they require a magnifying glass.

• Opening Hours: Closed on Thur and Mon. Rest: from 11 a.m to 5 p.m
• Entrance Fee: FREE

Flame Towers

The icon of Baku attractions is its skyscraper trio 182 meters in height, making it the country’s tallest building. The towers represent Azerbaijan’s long history of fire worshipers.

Those buildings have around 130 residential apartments on their 33 floors, a hotel with 250 rooms, and 61 serviced apartments. Additionally, it has offices of various organizations.

The towers’ facades are like screens using more than 10,000 LED lights to lit up after dusk. It shows a small display of fire and the national flag of Azerbaijan.

Baku Funicular

Opened in 1960 during the Soviet rule, Baku Funicular is the first and the only one in the country. It takes you from Neftchilar Avenue to Martyr’s Alley. It’s a fantastic spot to have Baku’s panoramic views from here and admire the Flame Towers up close.

• Opening Hours: Every day from 10 a.m to 10 p.m
• Entrance Fee: 1AZN

Martyr’s Alley

One of the top things to do in Baku is to visit the Martyrs’ Alley and the Eternal Flame Memorial. Memorial honor more than 100 Azerbaijan demonstrators shot by the Soviet army in the shocking Black January. The area before was a Muslim cemetery from WWI, but it transformed drastically into a Soviet amusement park in the past couple of years.

Bibiheybat Mosque

Bibiheybat Mosque, located a bit far from the tourist places to visit in Baku, is an important mosque. What you see today is a recreation of an old mosque of the same name built by Shirvanshah in the 13th century. In 1936, Bolsheviks completely destroyed the mosque.

Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum

Azerbaijan culture is known for its gorgeous carpets, and visiting the Carpet Museum would be on your list. Opened in 1967, it also is the world’s first of such museums.

The facade is quite unique. It represents a rolled carpet adorned with traditional motifs. When inside, you’ll learn more about the culture of carpet weaving and its different techniques used at different times. The museum has the biggest collection of Azerbaijani carpets.

• Opening Hours: Tue-Fri: 10 a.m to 6 p.m; Weekends: 10 a.m to 8 p.m
• Entrance Fee: Adults – 7AZN, Students – 3 AZN

Mini Venice

One of my favorite things to do in Baku was this so-called ‘Little Venice,’ an artificial canal connecting several islands with beautiful arches. Gondolas and personal indeed look like the ones you see in Venice. A 6-8 minute ride in a gondola is the perfect way to unwind for a bit and enjoy warm sunlight.

• Opening Hours: Everyday 10:30 a.m to 11:30 p.m
• Entrance Fee: Adults – 4 AZN

Nizami Street

Nizami Street is the most significant pedestrian street featuring different shopping and entertainment venues. Named after a local poet, the street is the main shopping district covering 3.5 km. As you walk along this long street, make sure to look at the architecture. You can find baroque, neo-renaissance, and neo-gothic buildings here.

And once here, don’t forget to check out Fountain Square. The area features several different fountains starting from Nizami Street to the walls of the old city.

Baku Boulevard

A 3.5km long Baku Boulevard is one of the most popular places to visit Baku for locals and city visitors. Walk along the promenade and enjoy the views of the Caspian Sea and the Flame Towers. The boulevard is also home to an amusement park, various cafes, bars, Baku Eye (the Ferris Wheel), National Flag Square, and many more interesting places.

Heydar Aliyev Center

This huge building with unique architecture is home to a conference hall, a gallery, and a museum. Named after the third president of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev, the museum showcases his work and life and the history of Azerbaijan.

• Opening Hours: Tue-Sun 11 a.m to 7 p.m
• Entrance Fee: Adults – 15 AZN

Eat like a local

Azerbaijani cuisine is very similar to Turkish and Iranian. The vegetables and greens are seasonal, and the cuisine is quite meaty. The most famous meal here is a plov – a rice dish with saffron spice and other greens. Dried fruits and walnuts are most common in Azeri meals. Kebabs, shashlik, and lahmajun are also very common, along with other neighboring countries’ meals.

When looking for a place to eat like a local, search for the least attractive and posh-looking venue. Those are the places that offer real authenticity of the city and its cuisine, with a friendly staff to help you out in tasting the country’s essential meals.

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