Azerbaijan

Reasons to go:

1. Baku

1.1 Central Baku
  • Azerbaijan State Museum of Art is awesome. I enjoyed the Azerbaijan art wing (I especially enjoyed works by Tahir Salahov, painter famous for depicting lives of oil workers), the international art wing (also for its architecture) and the temporary exhibitions.
  • Beautiful buildings: The Azerbaijan Government House, Old Baku train station (40.37961, 49.847664; it used to be world’s largest KFC, now it’s been converted to Azerbaijan Railway Museum), Akhundov National Library, Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre, buildings around (40.375305, 49.844357), National Museum of History of Azerbaijan (if you have time, visit the Oriental Hall inside), this building (40.369297, 49.838556), Nizami Museum of Azerbaijani Literature, Prosecutor General’s Office of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Saadet Sarayi, Ismailiyya Palace, Baku City Executive Power, Baku State Philharmonic Hall, Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Art Gallery Hotel (40.366553, 49.837983). On the day I visited, most of these buildings had their doors locked; do try to peak inside as many of them as possible. Locals know that these impressive architectural gems are of interest to tourists, so you might get a chance to explore some of the interiors. These buildings are also lit up beautifully after dark.
  • Seaside National Park, including Crescent Hotel (not yet finished), viewpoint (40.366899, 49.844624), beautiful cafe building (40.367672, 49.842316), Swans Fountain, Mini Venice is funny, Beynəlxalq Muğam Mərkəzi (especially good when lit up in the evening), Azerbaijan Carpet Museum (must see on the outside, I didn’t visit the inside) and Dəniz Mall (interesting building).
  • Gazelli Art House Baku - an exciting private contemporary art gallery, free to visit. The door might look intimidating, but do enter - it is worth it.
  • Nice parks: Molokan Gardens, Philarmonia Garden, White Fountain Park, Park Sahil (the fountain is lit up beautifully in the evening), Fountains Square, Heydar Aliyev park. Central Park is on my wishlist.
  • Təzəpir məscidi (mosque) is on my wishlist.
  • Sheet music on the pavement outside Nizami Cinema (40.375348, 49.843858).
  • Nizami pedestrian street.
  • Food: Passage 145 is ok, Firuze restaurant and Dolma Restaurant are probably also ok.
  • Coffee: 42 Coffee Roasters and United Coffee Beans (several locations). Zloy Coffee is remarkable bad.
  • To explore wines of Azerbaijan, I’d try KEFLI Local Wine & Snacks.
1.2 Baku Old City
  • ★ Juma Mosque - not big, but magnificently beautiful inside.
  • Walk along the inside of the city wall to see Gosha Gala Gapysy (40.368765, 49.836295; the old entrance to the city), the filming location of The Diamond Arm (40.364017, 49.833294), this old building and a view of the Flame Towers (40.365169, 49.835551), and Maiden Tower.
  • Explore the narrow streets in the middle of the old city to find Vögel und Blumen street art (40.365746, 49.834078), old gateway (40.366046, 49.833842) and more.
  • I skipped climbing the Maiden Tower and visiting the alace of the Shirvanshahs, but perhaps I shouldn’t have.
  • Qaynana Restaurant - I was very skeptical based on location, but it is truly a great restaurant.
  • It is best to explore Baku Old City very early in the morning, before all the sales agents hit the streets hunting for tourists.
1.3 Highland Park
  • Take the stairs or the funicular from (40.360318, 49.833387) up to the Flame Towers. Especially great around sunset.
  • Shahidlar Monument in the evening is an impressive sight.
  • Great view of Baku from this viewpoint (40.356743, 49.830547). In the evening this lit up staircase (40.358501, 49.829845) looks beautiful.
  • From Highland Park, you could continue Alley of Honor cemetery, Mərkəzi Nəbatat Bağı (botanical garden), Chemberekend Park and Huseyn Cavid Park with the view of Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences. All of these are on my wishlist.
1.4 South of State Flag Square
  • Yarat Contemporary Art Centre is on my wishlist. From there you could walk north to the Old Steam Train (40.33956, 49.841762), State Flag Square and Baku Crystal Hall that lights up at night.
  • The World’s First (1846) Industrially Drilled Oil Well (40.334451, 49.832556) in the park in front of the Baku Aquatic Palace. There are two nodding donkeys next to it. You could see more donkeys at (40.331189, 49.82915), (40.323099, 49.826957), (40.323399, 49.828948) and (40.330851, 49.841399). I believe this is part of the Bibi-Heybat Oil Field.
  • On my wishlist is visiting beautiful Bibiheybat Mosque and seeing the view from Bibiheybat Lighthouse (40.306053, 49.816308).
  • From Shikh Beach (40.299813, 49.773411) you can walk out to (40.296399, 49.772146) for a good view of a SOCAR facility.
1.5 Everything else
  • ★ Heydar Aliyev Center is the most iconic building in Baku. The ticket includes access into the building (unmissable architecture and great artworks by Lorenzo Quinn, Daniel Wurtzel, etc.), several temporary art exhibitions, Mini-Azerbaijan exhibition (models of the most exciting buildings in the country - don’t miss this tucked away area), Heydar Aliyev Museum (I missed it because the temporary exhibitions were so good) and some permanent exhibitions (I missed these too). When I visited, there was a separate ticket for a vintage car exhibition in the basement. The building looks beautiful in the evening too. Mama Meri restaurant nearby (Georgian and Azerbaijani food) is awesome. Don’t miss the beautiful building of Azerbaijan Academy of Arts.
  • Driving along Heydar Aliyev Avenue from Heydar Aliyev Center to (40.417163, 49.908028) - loads of exciting architecture, including Azerbaijan State Academy of Arts (40.396817, 49.872551) and SOCAR HQ (40.405543, 49.88369).
  • ★ Heydar Mosque (40.429316, 49.824338) lit up in the evening looks magical. It is probably beautiful inside too, but if you have to choose between visiting during opening hours or late in the evening, seeing it lit up is the main atraction. There is a large free parking. Nearby, we ate well at Akdeniz Lahmacun restaurant (Turkish and Azerbaijani food) popular with locals.
  • Absheron neighbourhood (Khirdalan station) - the residential area around Heydar Aliyev Park (40.452405, 49.746163) is great. Borani (Xırdalan) restaurant has a slight McDonald’s feel to it, I didn’t want to like it, but I have to admit that the food was good and locals seem to love it.
  • I’d like to see the eyes of the Monument To Richard Sorge (40.390453, 49.836607) light up in the evening.
  • Yaşıl Bazar (market), Baku Nobel Heritage Fund (building and museum) and Gənclik Park are on my wishlist.
  • To see what it’s like to live outside Baku, I was advised to visit Lokbatan.
  • Museum of Modern Art (40.378095, 49.864606; not free) has an interesting layout. You are surrounded by art works as you enter and it felt like an assult on my senses. But the intensity soon weared off and I didn’t like any of the art works. Nearby, Victory Park has a great architectural viewpoint (40.376179, 49.865905); and Military Trophies Park (40.376656, 49.873841; probably not free to visit) is on my wishlist.
Baku notes:
  • Most things are beautifully lit up in the evening, so plan to revisit the Old City, the city center and your favourite buildings after dark.
  • Bolt taxi app works (I used it in card payments mode). I was told Uber AZ is more expensive, but I couldn’t install it in the first place.
  • The metro is tap in only, you don’t need to tap out when you leave. I didn’t find a way to buy a single ticket, so instead of buying a metro card I asked a local to tap me in. I saw 5 metro stations and all of them were beautiful and very different from each other. Next time I’ll buy a metro card and use this blog post to find the most exciting stations. For example, Nariman Narimanov, Nizami, Khalglar Dostlughu and Ulduz.
  • Borani restaurants (several locations) have a slight McDonald’s feel to them, but they are popular with locals, the food is good and there are more than average number of vegetarian options.

?. Absheron Peninsula

  • ★ Oil fields east of Balakhani. This is not intended to be a tourist destination; some of the views of oil fields are obstructed by temporary walls and rows of trees are being planted along the roads which currently have great views. When I visited, there were great views of nodding donkeys along Binagadi-Balakhani Hwy from (40.462105, 49.940456) to (40.462748, 49.931068). Driving this unpaved road from (40.462869, 49.959315) to (40.469642, 49.956751) and back was the best. Other good views are dotted around the area - (40.460123, 49.96898), (40.434599, 50.019711), (40.42399, 50.01083) and (40.420317, 50.009679). Great views of old oil derricks from (40.453338, 49.992167), (40.458417, 49.989913) and (40.463087, 49.989235).
  • The Oil Rocks, Neft Daşları (40.237786, 50.858158), would be the most exciting place to visit. The best view that I found in that direction was from (40.419862, 50.366218), past the helipads (40.418492, 50.357001) where SOCAR employees are shuttled to and from oil rigs. I spoke to a local government official in Pirallahi (40.467033, 50.328663) and he confirmed that there is no access to the Oil Rocks, and only SOCAR could grant a permision to visit, not the government. If you don’t manage to arrange access before arriving in Azerbaijan, try your luck at SOCAR HQ (40.405543, 49.88369). To learn more see the CNN article and for some increadible pictures look at articles in Russian here, here, here and here.
  • Ships graveyard on Nargin island (Ostrov Beyuk Zirya) also looks interesting. See this page and this one. I didn’t manage to find anyone who could arrange a tour.
  • ★ Absheron National Park. At the entrance (40.296658, 50.348879) you’ll have to show your passport and pay a small fee. From there you drive to the first parking (40.241173, 50.365991) where somebody will tell you if you can continue to the secod parking (40.216433, 50.369663), from which it is a 2km walk to the very tip of the peninsula. It must be great when the weather is nice; but it was horrible weather when I visited and I absolutely loved the experience.
  • Mir Mövsüm Ağa Məscidi in Shuvelan Cemetery (40.487643, 50.20389) - the shiny interior of this mosque is unique, do not miss it. As a bonus, it is surrounded by a fun to explore cememtery. I suspect that an older mosque nearby (40.516423, 50.111984) might have a similar interior.
  • Yanar Dag - a natural gas fire that’s been burning for thousands of years. I’ve seen similar places in Turkey, but if you haven’t - this is your chance (not free). Would be cool to visit after dark, ask around for opening hours.
  • Historic Balakhani village has been set up for tourist visits, complete with Art Cafe Balakhani and Muezza Coffee by Esra. I didn’t visit, but it might be interesting to explore the narrow streets and the Balaxanı Qəbiristanlığı (cemetery), and to compare it to nearby Ramana village.
  • Atashgah Zoroastrian Fire Temple was converted into a museum in 1975 (not free). To learn about Zoroastrianism and Hinduism in Azerbaijan, I wish I would have watched a YouTube video instead of visiting this museum.

?. Nakhchivan exclave

  • Architecture: ★ Mausoleum in Garabaghlar (39.430255, 45.192509) is the most beautiful and it is impressive inside too, so try to visit during opening hours or with a guide who knows the phone number of the guy who has the keys. Momine Khatun Mausoleum (39.204885, 45.406515) was my second favourite, also impressive inside and there is a ram gravestone collection outside it. Three smaller ones: Noah’s Mausoleum (39.195781, 45.412649), Yusif ibn Kuseyir Mausoleum (39.2018, 45.414167) and Huseyn Javid Mausoleum (39.214611, 45.412394).
  • ★ Ilandag mountain. The road is paved until (39.138898, 45.664725), the unpaved road continues until Gal village (39.120906, 45.746359), from there it is an off-road drive to the start of the hike (39.135381, 45.7314). The total elevation gain of the hike past the viewpoint (39.132605, 45.722552) and up to the top (39.136488, 45.715713) is only 600 meters, but it is loose rock all the way - I found it extremely challenging. I wouldn’t recommend this on a bad weather day, but when the visibility is good this hike offers unbeateable views throughout. Local mountain guide is a must for this hike.
  • Əlincə Qalası fortress (Alinja Castle) is an interesting place to visit. From the parking (39.19669, 45.688083) it is a 300 meter climb up the stairs. In the morning we saw a lot of birds and a mountain goat. At lunch time a local family cooks vegetarian lunches by the car park. On the way here you could stop for a tea at a local not-for-tourists tea garden (39.148623, 45.651826).
  • Batabat lakes are where the locals come for a picnik on a warm summer weekend. By car you can stop at this lake (39.53164, 45.788835) and this one with a natural spring (39.544181, 45.803624). There is also a third lake and opportunities for long hikes. Don’t miss the view of the dam (39.380107, 45.486165) on the way to Batabat lakes.
  • Duzdagh Physiotherapy Center (39.286064, 45.32009) in an old salt mine. I almost skipped this one, but I’m so glad I didn’t - the drive here from the main road is geologically very exciting. Perhaps I should have asked if it is possible to stay there overnight.
  • There is more to explore in Nakhchivan city. Still on my wishlist are Nakhchivan Museum of Battle Glory (39.227889, 45.407864), Khan’s palace, Iran mosque (39.210982, 45.40387), Şəhər qəbiristanlığı cemetery (39.199114, 45.411552), The National Flag Square.

Notes:

  • It is possible to see most of Nakhchivan in 2 days. On the first day with a normal car you can climb Əlincə Qalası and spend the rest of the day exploring mausoleums (Duzdagh Physiotherapy Center is on the way to Mausoleum in Garabaghlar). On the second day with a 4x4 car (Lada Niva is favoured by locals) you can climb Ilandag mountain (that’ll destroy your legs) and spend the rest of the day driving to Batabat lakes and relaxing there.
  • Aliheydar Pashayev aliheydarp@yahoo.com from Nakhchivan Travel arranged our cars, English speaking guides and a mountain guide for climbing Ilandag. Alternatively, you could reach out to Aftandil http://wa.me/994709140336, a talented young guy whose dream is to make Nakhchivan into an adventure sports destination.
  • Batumi restaurant (Georgian food) inside Saat Meydani Nakhchivan hotel is ok and has some vegetarian options.
  • There is a well stocked Araz Supermarket around (39.154713, 45.661914) and probably many more.
  • Access to Nakhchivan exclave from the rest of Azerbaijan is currently by air only. There are frequent flights to/from Baku and a once a week flight to/from Ganja. The flights go over Armmenia, and avoid Nagorno-Karabakh area. Fresh and cheap qutabs in Terminal 2 of Baku airport were a pleasant surprise.

?. Around Ganja

?.1 Ganja
  • Walk through Ganja Old City: Start in Heydar Aliyev Square (40.6803, 46.360008) flanked by architectural gems - The State Science Academy, Executive Power of Ganja City (Ganja City Hall) and Ganja State Philharmonic Hall. Visit Alexander Nevsky Church and Xan Bağı (Khan Garden). Follow Cavadxan (pedestrian Javad Khan Street) through the old town; I loved the beautiful multi-functional benches. As you come to the river crossing, there are more architectural gems - Mahsati Ganjavi Museum, Dram Teatr and Kukla Theater. For coffee, try Orange Cup (new location), SanCrema Coffee and Bakery or Kucali CoffeeShop.
  • İmamzadeh İbrahim mosque (40.714656, 46.424813) is beautiful and is home to a large population of swallows. As you take your shoes off to enter the mosque, you can also use the door on the right (usually kept shut, but not locked) to go upstairs for a magnificent view of the dome. The mosque is surrounded by a cemetery, and across the parking there is a park where you could picnik.
  • Heydar Aliyev Park has the Triumph arch (40.690044, 46.329363) and Heydar Aliyev center (40.684625, 46.323793). I believe it looks even better when lit up in the evening.
  • Nizami Ganjavi Mausoleum (40.685511, 46.432728) and the nearby artwork (40.685789, 46.431733) are nice to visit. If you’ve noticed that many things in Azerbaijan are named aften Nizami, you might want to explore Nizami Gandjevi Museum (40.683538, 46.431768) across the road to learn more about him.
  • I enjoyed exploring Səbiskar Qəbristanlığı cemetery (40.66813, 46.348638). And/or you could try Şəhidlər Xiyabanı cemetery (40.660494, 46.295336).
  • Şah Şadlıq Sarayı is probably the best restaurant in Ganja.
?.2 Drive to Dashkasan
  • Driving from Ganja to Dashkasan we found several exciting infrastructure viewpoints - (40.634685, 46.231635), (40.542395, 46.115737) and (40.537224, 46.097191). We u-turned at (40.519422, 46.082164) and did not find a view of Daşkəsən Dəmir Filiz MMC iron ore mine (40.514289, 46.084124).
  • There is a beautiful abandoned mining cable car system. You can see one of the stations (40.545317, 46.092909) from (40.545519, 46.104717). For a closer look we drove off-road from (40.540543, 46.092452) to (40.543589, 46.091135).
  • A great viewpoint of Bayan village (40.551994, 46.151833) is not to be missed.
  • Some exting geology is visible from this viewpoint (40.520436, 46.090296).
  • On my wishlist is to explore this area further - Namərdqala (40.547707, 45.901074), Çarekvəng monastırı (40.533364, 45.885467), Koroğlu qalası (40.48909, 45.752824), Abandoned Sabatkechmaz Railway Bridge (40.5086, 45.735513), etc. Unfortunately Lesser Caucasus mountains get in the way and some of these are a long hike away from a road.
  • If Goyazan mountain (41.087615, 45.184259) can be climbed, I’d like to climb it.
?.3 Goygol National Park
  • At the entrance (40.437726, 46.338518) you’ll have to show your passport and pay a small fee. Then you drive to the parking (40.418586, 46.32924) and walk to the viewpoint of Goygol lake (40.414443, 46.327376).
  • The main attraction is Maralgöl lake. In summer (from May 1st until October 31st), I was told, there are mini-buses shuttling tourists to Maralgöl lake, and you can also hike to it. There is no official access to it in winter. Numerous locals told me that I should have asked around - there is always somebody who can (illegally?) drive you to the lake if you pay enough. Without access to Maralgöl lake, I would recommend visiting Goygol National Park.
  • You’ll probably pass Goygol, a charming German village, on your way. St. John’s Church (40.587554, 46.319081) is a great starting point for a little exploratory walk.
?.4 Mingachevir Dam
  • To see this huge dam you can drive through (40.791936, 47.037642) to the beach and walk out to (40.79556, 47.038746). Avoid this entrance (40.793322, 47.039736) to a slum.

?. Around Sheki

  • The Palace of Shaki Khans (41.204415, 47.197592; not free) located inside the Shaki Castle (41.202868, 47.195749; free) is the main reason to come to Sheki. There is a strict no photos policy inside and, to ensure compliance, they herd visitors into groups and briskly shepard them through all the rooms and out of the palace. This unique palace is definitely worth a visit, just keep in mind that your visit will be very short. If you cannot visit the palace, see it from the outside and then visit House of Sheki Khans (41.202575, 47.190083) that has a couple of rooms that are very similar to the palace. If you’ve visited the palace, there is not much point to visit House of Sheki Khans - it is very similar, there is less to see but the ticket price is the same, the visit is equally short and supervised, and photos are not allowed. The highlight for me was a portrait of a married woman, whom the painter fancied but was not allowed to paint, so he painted watermelons, cherries and cucumbers instead, to convey that she was very sweet. It also shows that cucumber was considered a dessert back then.
  • The rest of Sheki: Karvansaray (now a hotel) is free to visit, and there is Illy Espresso House nextdoors. I also enjoyed seeing the abandoned Albanian Church (41.202226, 47.174407) and the Buta Çay Evi cafe in the park (41.202126, 47.175667) where locals play backgammon and chess. View of Sheki from the World War II Memorial on the hill and Təzə Bazar (market) are on my wishlist.
  • I didn’t make it to Kiş village, but it would have been nice to see the not abandoned Albanian Church (41.249005, 47.193284), Galarsan-Gorarsan Fortress (41.263496, 47.228633) and the cemetery.
  • Qakh village: Kurmukhi Church on the hill (41.388979, 46.921311) looks awesome. Drive through (41.400645, 46.927215) is beautiful. Qakh itself has a pretty mosque (41.417081, 46.909822) and a pretty church (41.425629, 46.943584). Galacha Tower (41.465472, 47.055821) in Ilisu is a short hike from (41.467716, 47.059904) and offers great views.
  • Nohur for-tourists lake (40.955056, 47.877836) is a decent substitute for Goygol lake (but not Maralgöl lake). On a sunny day the lake looks beautiful and the atmosphere around it feels festive - restaurants, souvenir stalls, horse rides, boat rides, etc. Parking is not free.
  • There is a pretty forest around here (40.917998, 48.008431) with restaurants and space for picniks. This would be my top choice for where to stop for lunch.

?. Around Shamakhi

  • Lahich, the coppersmith village: from (40.848424, 48.385782) you can head south along the tourist street to (40.845629, 48.380865) or north into more residential area (40.850718, 48.390845). Both are interesting. I visited at around 19:00, when most for-tourists shops were closed (revealing beautiful architecture normally covered in souvenir displays), and it was nice. If you visit during the day, you’ll hear the characteristic coppersmith sounds of hammer and anvil.
  • Not far from Lahich, there is some exciting geology - see viewpoints (40.841003, 48.348403) and (40.840489, 48.355156).
  • Drive through Pirqulu State Reserve between (40.879035, 48.439189) and (40.839247, 48.537309) is magnificent. Around sunset it looks extra magical. I believe hiking in this remote area during the day would be more enjoyable than in the populated area around Sheki. Don’t miss some interesting geology around (40.851391, 48.503671).
  • Shamakhi Astrophysical Observatory (40.782438, 48.601913). Səbahəddin Alışov http://wa.me/994513513644, a PhD student at the observatory, gave us a tour of a big telescope at night (spectacular view of Jupiter, but smaller planets were a bit blurry), and a tour of the museum (meteorites!) and the huge telescope the next morning. We stayed in one of the cottages (40.783948, 48.594308) on the observatory territory, rented out by Nariman http://wa.me/994505802232, a senior scientist at the observatory. Both told us that the best time to visit is in July. Message Nariman at least a week in advance to arrange the accomodation and the tour (he gives tours only in summer, around July); he speaks Russian, I didn’t test his English. Alternatively, message Səbahəddin in English and he’ll arrange the accomodation and the tour (any time of the year).
  • Jummah Mosque (40.626855, 48.643874) in Shamakhi is very beautiful inside.
  • ★ Yeddi Gumbaz Mausoleum (40.620475, 48.635476) in Qəbirstanlıq Şəhriyar cemetery is magnificent. There are three small mausoleums you can enter and the surrounding cemetery is fun to explore.
  • Diri Baba Mausoleum (40.532562, 48.942035) is to be avoided. The entrance ticket includes the mausoleum (uninteresting), some tiny caves (utterly uninteresting) and a walk through an old cemetery (beautiful, very similar to Qəbirstanlıq Şəhriyar cemetery in Shamakhi, which I enjoyed more).

?. Mud Volcanoes land around Gobustan

  • ★ Mud volcano family off M4. Park around (40.477487, 49.450124) and walk up to (40.480215, 49.447761). All the tourists are looking for mud volcanoes around Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape, so you’ll most likely have some quality one-on-one time with these ones. There is nobody looking to profit from these and there is no police, so it is really enjoyable.
  • ★ Currently the most popular mud volcano family. Drive along the unpaved road from (40.078869, 49.363353) to (40.008895, 49.372703) and walk up to (40.005695, 49.370796). There you’ll see many volcanoes, some with very big craters, loads of tourists, friendly police and a view of a huge solar farm. If it has been raining recently or if you don’t fancy taking your car for an off-road drive, you’ll find locals here (40.086943, 49.385882) offering to drive you to the volcanoes. Scams are common, so make sure to first agree which volcanoes and the final price. If you decided to drive it yourself, like we did, you might be stopped at (40.086943, 49.385882) and told that you won’t be able to reach the volcanoes (because your car is bad, you are a bad driver or you don’t know where the volcanoes are) - just tell them you are going to the Mud Volcanoes Tourism Complex.
  • We drove from (40.139463, 49.269262) to these volcanoes (40.123379, 49.235744), which appeared to be extinct. But it is a lovely hiking area with no tourists.
  • If you are in need of more mud volcanoes, proceed to Mud Volcanoes Tourism Complex (40.184928, 49.237492; not free). There are small mud volcanoes you can view from a walkway and there is a museum with some interesting skeletons. I skipped it.
  • Mud volcano family that is currently sort of off-limits (39.996466, 49.402896). We drove through (39.969462, 49.396274) to (39.996223, 49.398325) where police told us that it is illegal to drive or walk to these volcanoes. We offered to pay for access but they refused. Tours to these volcanoes depart from (40.067216, 49.40665) and we saw these tours passing the police and heading to the volcanoes. When I asked the police about these tours, they explained that visiting these volcanoes is not legal and they are here to protect something (the volcanoes? the tourists? the business model of the locals running the tours?). I asked the drivers heading to the volcanoes about the tours they were offering, but the police intervened telling the drivers that it is not legal for them to talk to me. The drivers told me to meet them at (40.067216, 49.40665) so they can drive me back here as part of their tour. Very strange. The police confirmed that I can legally visit any other mud volcanoes in the country, just not these ones.
  • There are about 350 mud volcanoes in Azerbaijan. Some are more active than others, some are bigger than others, some are alone while others have a whole family. Look on Google maps satellite view and OpenStreetMap and ask locals in Baku or another city nearby (just not around Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape where everyone will want to sell you a tour).
  • Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape, not free. Drive through (40.086943, 49.385882) where the police will try to sell you a mud volcano tour, buy the tickets here (40.097465, 49.3838) and maybe pop into the museum for a moment, then park at (40.110858, 49.378035) where the walk starts. The petroglyphs are nice, but I enjoyed the landscape and the birds even more.
  • Sofi Hamid cemetery. Park around (40.222881, 49.424027) and walk to about (40.2228, 49.421875). There are a lot of colourful graves, I’ve not seen anything like this anywhere else in Azerbaijan.

?. Beyond Sumqayit

  • ★ Besh Barmag Mountain - a beautiful mountain in a beautiful setting with great views. Drive through (40.985767, 49.206253) to (40.954642, 49.229008) and take the staircase up to (40.957411, 49.232486), it is about 100 meters up. You don’t want to miss the great views from the top, if the mountain is covered in clouds, go to Candy Cane Mountains first and then come back.
  • ★ Candy Cane Mountains. All the tours stop at (40.86731, 49.213713), this area is not the prettiest but the most damaged by the footsteps. So if you want to walk on these fragile mountains, I’d say this is the area where you’ll have the least impact. I walked through (40.870434, 49.213851) to (40.871955, 49.212712), leaving the tourists behind and enjoying some quality one-on-one time with these beautiful mountains. To enjoy the views without stepping on the mountains, the whole road from (40.86731, 49.213713) to (40.883159, 49.178051) is pretty. Then the mountains loose their red stripes and everyone looses interest, but the road from (40.901214, 49.159504) to (40.908241, 49.134237) is lined with pretty white mountains.
  • Altiaghaj National Park. Free, no entrance gates. This picnik area (40.886078, 49.005344) in a beautiful forest was very popular with locals on a Sunday. This would be my top choice for where to stop for lunch. For a great view, drive to (40.884544, 48.999011) where the road pops up above the trees.
  • You could continue to Chirag Gala (41.087543, 48.931903).
  • Don’t miss the Yaşma külək parkı (wind farm) at (40.726521, 49.433885) - it looks different from the others. And driving past SOCAR Carbamide plant you can spot old “balls” infrastructure.
  • Coffeechy in Sumqayit has nice coffee and a chess room.

?. On my wishlist

Notes:

  • Getting a visa was fast and easy. You have to register if visiting for more than 15 days.
  • Sim card: I purchased Azercell in Baku airport and it worked well everywhere, including Nakhchivan. Register your phone if visiting for more than 30 days.
  • I tried Pasha bank, Birbank and ABB ATMs and none of them charged for withdrawals.
  • My EU chargers worked everywhere.
  • I found protein bars and bean cans without sugar in Bravo supermarkets. Araz and Bolmart supermarkets also look good. Try Rahat Gourmetmarkets for things like collagen bars and Scottish fizzy drinks.
  • … I enjoyed free not paid. opposite of what you pay is what you get ….
  • Renting an all wheel drive car is a good idea, as many interesting things will tempt you to drive (not far) off the paved road.
  • Locals use Waze app for navigation, instead of Google maps.
  • Nagorno-Karabakh area is off limits. Don’t try a casual visit, if you want to explore the area you’ll need a solid plan.
  • The official summer is from May 1st until October 31st; some things are closed for winter during November-April. Many museums close for lunchbreak between 13:00 and 14:00. Most hotel breakfasts start at 8:00, so I skipped most of them to make the most of my days.
  • Albanian Churches in Azerbaijan got their name from the Ancient Greek name Albanía, they have nothing to do with the country of Albania.
  • I found blogs by Against the Compass and Emily Lush very useful.
  • Food: I love how cherries are in everything, even in winter. Baku salad (tomatoes with cherries) is the best thing. Balli tort (honey cake) is everyone’s favourite, so do try it. I should have tried Feijoa juice. Vegetarian options in Azerbaijan cuisine - qutabs and dairy. If you are struggling to find vegetarian options, try Georgian and Turkish restaurants.
  • Before you arrive, learn about the history of oil industry in Azerbaijan.
  • Most parking is free, most toilets are free and nobody asked for tips. My time in Azerbaijan was not only exciting, but also enjoyable.