Baku is known as the Pearl of the Caspian Sea. The city in Azerbaijan has a lot of advanced building projects that are on par with those in Dubai. A few years ago, they even made the list of towns that host Formula One races.
Even though the city grew and changed quickly, it never forgot its roots. The city has parts that are Persian, Ottoman, and Soviet, and they all work well together. The city’s bohemian area in the middle adds a bit of Europe with its growing cafe culture. Most likely, you’ll start your trip to Azerbaijan in Baku. Have no idea what to do? You should do these things in Baku.
Don’t miss out on the best deals. Make early bookings for places to stay and tours. Here are some ideas.
20 THINGS TO DO IN BAKU
- Take a walking tour to see how different the old and new parts are.
Things to Do at the Baku Mosque of the Martyrs
In the central business district of Baku, Azerbaijan, the Mosque of the Martyrs and the glass towers show how old and new can go together.
Baku is spread out along the coast of the Caspian Sea, but most of the city’s sights are in the center, which is easy to get around on foot.
From anywhere in the city, you can see how different the old buildings, the modern housing projects that look like they came from Dubai, and the Soviet concrete apartment blocks are.
You will learn everything there is to know about Baku if you go on this tour.
A local guide will show you important places and tell you about their history and significance.
Not a lot of time? A full-day tour of Baku’s city centre will show you the most important parts of the city. They will show you the most important parts of the city, feed you lunch, and give you a chance to see the best of the city in one day.
2: Take a look at Old Town
At Baku Shirvanshah Palace, things happen
Shirvanshah Palace is one thing to do in Baku. The house became a mosque in the 15th century.
The modern towers of Baku make it easy to miss the city’s old town, but you shouldn’t.
It is on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites and goes back to at least the 12th century. It is one of the world’s best-preserved towns from the Middle Ages.
Over the years, many different countries have been in charge of Baku. You can see a mix of Persian, Arabic, Ottoman, and Russian architecture in the city’s historic center.
The beauty and simplicity of Shirvanshah’s castle will blow your mind.
It is the most important part of this walled city and was home to the Shirvanshahs, one of the many families that ruled the area for hundreds of years.
The Shirvanshah’s house is in Baku, Azerbaijan, at 9R8M+CCX. You can sign up for a walking tour of the old city here.
3: CLIMB THE HISTORIC MAIDEN TOWER
Things to do in Baku
Climbing the Maiden Tower is one of the most well-known things to do in Baku.
The Maiden Tower is one of Azerbaijan’s most famous sights.
You can see it in pictures and on Azerbaijani money, but the most important thing is that it stands tall and keeps an eye on the old town.
Others say it was a watchtower, while others say it was a telescope.
People have been writing plays and stories about it for hundreds of years because it is so strange.
Today, people can go to the top of the tower and see a museum about how Baku has grown and changed.
Find out where the tower is and how to get there.
The Maiden Tower is in the middle of Baku’s famous old town, right off of Neftchilar Avenue.
4: DRINKING AZERBAIJANI TEA
Things to do in Baku at night
In Baku, you can try some of the local tea.
Tea is the most important drink where I live.
If you walk down any street in Azerbaijan, you will see at least one or two small bars with older people drinking “cay” (chai) out of little hourglass-shaped cups.
In Azerbaijan, drinking black tea with sugar is one of the most popular things to do. If you stay long enough, an Azerbaijani might invite you to join them. They are very friendly and love having guests.
If you’ve been to Turkey, Iran, or Jordan, you know how they drink tea there.
The country of Azerbaijan makes a lot of tea.
You can get their world-famous Azercay in any store.
You can get a cup of tea in many places in the city, and most restaurants give you one for free when you finish your meal.
A good pick is the Summer Tea House in Huseyn Cavid Park.
Just be careful in places where many people go. Since they don’t always have options, find out how much a cup of tea costs before you order it.
The Summer Tea House is at 9RF9+53C, Alaskar Alakparov, Baku, Azerbaijan.
5: EAT PLOV AND DOLMA AT DOLMA
What can you do for fun in Baku?
Traditional dolma
Dolma is one of Baku’s most well-known spots, both to guests and to people who live there.
It’s one of the friendliest and most beautiful places in the country, and the food is the best.
They serve plov and dolma, which are the two dishes you must try before you leave Azerbaijan.
Even though these two foods are popular all over the Middle East and Central Asia, every country makes them differently, and Azerbaijan makes them the best.
Plov is a rice-based dish that takes a long time to cook in a big pot with meat, veggies, and spices.
What makes Azerbaijan different? There are a lot of sweet dried fruits in it.
Grape leaves are used to wrap up rice, ground meat, and spices.
53 Ul. is the location of the restaurant. Istiglaliyat, Baku, Azerbaijan
6: VISIT THE CARPET MUSEUM
What to do at the Baku National Museum Centre in Azerbaijan
Going to museums is one of the best things to do in Baku. The Azerbaijan State Museum Centre is the best place to start.
Want to find things to do in Baku near the water? The carpet museum is the best pick.
If you can’t find it, it’s the big blanket-shaped building.
When you go inside, you’ll find a gallery full of beautiful designs and colours that show how Azerbaijani carpets have changed over time.
More than a thousand flat-woven and pile rugs from all over the country are on display at the museum.
You’ll learn about the different kinds and the history of making rugs in the area.
You can learn more and plan your trip here.
The Azerbaijan Carpet Museum is at 28 Mikayl Hüseynov Prospekti, Bak 1000, Azerbaijan.
7: Take the road along the water.
Baku’s best things to do
It’s nice to walk along the seaside road on the Caspian shore in the summer.
A few kilometers of well-built promenades along the Caspian Sea are great for a quiet walk in Baku.
People from the area will be out and about with their families and friends, playing games and having a good time.
Sit on a bench in the shade or on the concrete steps that lead to the water and watch people go by.
There are a few tea shops in the area, but again, ask about prices before you buy!
During the warmer months, you can get Turkish ice cream, which is a famously sweet treat that comes with a bit of teasing and shame.
You can get to the water from different parts of the city, but the best place to start is Dnizknar Milli Park, which is at 92 Neftchilar Ave. in Baku, Azerbaijan.
- SEE THE FIRE TOWERS
Things to do in the Baku Flame Towers
The Flame Towers near Mountain Park are one of the most interesting things to see or do in Baku.
There are three tall buildings that make up the Flame Towers. You can see them from almost anywhere in the city.
They show how fast Azerbaijan has grown and changed since it got oil.
They can be hotels, shops, or high-end apartments.
It’s easier to get into this hotel if you have a reservation, but if you don’t, you can still talk the guards into letting you in.
The top floors have a great view of the city, but there are other places to look at the city if you can’t get in.
The real show starts when it gets dark. Every night, the flame towers in Baku put on a free light show that often uses the colours of the country.
The Flame Towers are in Azerbaijan’s city of Baku. They are at the corner of Mehdi Huseyn Street and Parliament Avenue.
9: VISIT THE HEYDAR ALIYEV CENTRE
Things to do at the Baku Heydar Aliyev Centre Red wine glass with a city view
The shows at the Heydar Aliyev Centre are one of the best things to do in Baku.
It’s hard to say which new building in Baku is the most interesting, but it might be the Heydar Aliyev Centre.
Heydar Aliyev was the father of Azerbaijan and the country’s first president after it broke away from the USSR and became independent. The government built this wavy, white building from the future to honour him.
Inside is a museum about his life and work, as well as a culture centre with exhibits and live performances.
You can look at it from the park next to it if you don’t have time to go inside.
Visit the center’s website to find out what shows and events are coming up.
The Heydar Aliyev Centre is at 1 Heydar Aliyev Ave., Baku 1033, Azerbaijan.
10: Take a short day trip to Gobustan.
Things to do in Baku Gobustan include looking at the rocks.
Gobustan is a fun place to visit from Baku, Azerbaijan.
Just outside the city borders of Baku is a landscape that has nothing to do with the futuristic city.
As you leave the highway and drive into Gobustan (also called Qobustan), the scenery starts to look more like the moon.
The ground below this place has a lot of natural gas, which shows up as little mud mounds all over.
Most of the world’s mud volcanoes are in Azerbaijan, which has the most of them.
The word “volcano” might scare you, but these are just small mud pools where gas bubbles rise to the top and splash around.
You can’t miss Gobustan National Park, which has old petroglyphs and is like an open-air museum.
It can be hard to use public transport to get to Gobustan. As a tourist, you shouldn’t take a taxi either, because drivers have been known to ask for more money when they drop you off in the middle of nowhere.
Tours usually take you to both the mountains and the park because they are so close to each other. The English versions of the official guides are easy to understand and speak. Find out more here.
11: SEE A RARE Zoroastrian Temple
Things to do in Baku Atashgah, a Zoroastrian town
Zoroastrians honoured fire at the old stone temple of Atashgah in Baku, Azerbaijan.
On the edge of town is an old temple that looks more like a castle.
Since it was built a thousand years ago, both Zoroastrians and Hindus have used the Atashgah Fire Temple as a place of prayer.
It is one of the best examples of religious building from the Zoroastrian faith. Except for a few places, Zoroastrianism isn’t a very common religion today.
It’s a big place with a fire that has only gone out once, in 1969.
This tour takes you to places in Baku that are hard to get to, like Atashgah, Gobustan, and a few others.
The Fire Temple is in Surakhani Town, AZ 1049, on Atamoghlan Rzayev Street.
12: Swim in the Caucasus Sea
Things to do in Baku in December: See the bay and city from above
The capital of Azerbaijan is Baku, which is on the Caspian Sea.
Baku might not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of a beach trip, but in the summer, its beaches are full of people.
Remember that many of them are private, but they are well-kept and cheap to get into.
Most of them open on May 31 and stay open until September or October every year.
One of the best things about going to the beach in Baku is seeing a Soviet-era drilling station off the coast from Shikh Beach.
Even though there is a lot of equipment here, it is safe to swim.
You can also go to Crescent Beach, Bilgah Beach, Amburan Beach Club, and SeaZone Beach.
13: Go to Yannar Da to see the flame that never goes out.
On the edge of Baku is a fire temple, and on the other side of town is a strange light that never goes out.
Yanar Da, whose name means “fire mountain,” used to be a place where natural gas leaked out of the ground.
It may have caught fire by mistake many years ago, and the 10-meter-long wall of fire has been burning ever since.
People who want to see Turkmenistan’s ‘Gateway to Hell’, a fiery crater made when a Soviet drilling rig hit a huge underground natural gas cavern by accident in 1971, may find this an easy and good choice.
There are a lot of gas sources under the ground in Azerbaijan, so there are a lot of natural fires there.
The fire mountain is near the town of Digah, which is close to Baku.
Even though you can’t get there directly by public transportation, cabs are cheap and can take you there.
It’s a beautiful sight to see the fire at night from a nearby teahouse.
14: GO TO THE BAKU FORMULA 1 RACE
Baku has one of the most exciting F1 races every year.
It’s one of their many street circuit races, so instead of a normal track, drivers will speed through downtown Baku.
The race is one of Azerbaijan’s most important events, and it draws a lot of people.
It usually happens in the spring or early summer, when there are also a lot of free outdoor events, such as music.
Find out everything about Formula 1 Baku that you need to know right here.
15: VISIT MASSIVE MOSQUES
baku azerbaijan
You might be wondering what to do in Baku. There are many interesting things to see in the Azerbaijani city.
Azerbaijan is a Muslim country, but the city of Baku has a few impressive and well-known churches.
Some are close enough to walk to the old town, while others are far away but worth the trip.
The Bibiheybat mosque is a copy of a mosque from the 13th century that the Bolsheviks took down. It is close to the highway and just a short walk from the city heart.
It has beautiful sandstone minarets and domes that rise high above the sea in the background.
There are a few old churches, like the Juma Mosque, in the old town.
Even though it’s not as big as Bibiheybat, the inside is covered floor to ceiling with intricate designs.
Going south from Baku, the Bibiheybat Highway goes through Bibiheybat.
In Baku’s old town, which is full of history, the Juma Mosque is close to the Maiden Tower.
16: Chill out in a Bohemian District bar.
Old Town Street is one of the things to do in Baku City, Azerbaijan.
Walking around the streets of Baku’s old town is one of the best ways to get a feel for the city.
When you walk around Baku, you might think you’re in Moscow, Istanbul, or Tabriz, but just north of the old town is a place that looks more like Paris.
Malakan Garden is the centre of the area. Take the subway to the Sahil stop to get there.
European streets are full of shops, cafes, and museums like the National History Museum.
It’s also a great place to meet up with friends because there are a lot of drinks and treats to choose from.
United Coffee Beans makes every kind of coffee drink you can think of and has a lot of places to hang out on different floors.
Malakan Garden is at 6 Uzeyir Hajibeyov St., Baku 1000, Azerbaijan.
The National History Museum is at 4 Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev St., 1005, in Baku, Azerbaijan.
United Coffee Beans is at 6 Yusif Mammadaliyev St. in Baku, Azerbaijan.
17: Spend the day in a public park.
Things to do in Baku at night
There is an active mud volcano with a mud flow in Azerbaijan’s Gobustan National Park.
Azerbaijan is a small country.
If you leave the city and go in any direction, the scenery changes a lot, from the sea to mud volcanoes and deserts to rocky, snow-capped peaks in the north and humid, jungle-like conditions in the south.
If any of these places look like fun places to visit, you’re in luck.
The country has a lot of beautiful national parks, and Baku is just a short drive away from them.
Gobustan is just outside of the city, and Shirvan National Park is a little farther south.
It is a large place with many wetlands, forests, and animals.
If you like mountains, go north to Gabala and Shamakhi, which are in the high North Caucasus mountains that run through both Russia and Georgia.
On this walk, a guide will show you the best places.
18: Shop at an old-style market.
Things to Do in Baku on TripAdvisor
At a local market, you can buy old-style hats from Azerbaijan.
There are still bazaars in places that used to be part of the Soviet Union.
You can find them in most big and small places, and even in posh, modern Baku.
At the Yaşl (green) market, you can buy all the delicious food you want.
It’s right outside the central train station and has what seems like an endless number of stands selling fresh fruits and vegetables.
If you come from a place in the West where food is grown in farms, you will be amazed at how much flavor a simple cucumber or plum can have.
Some stands will sell nuts, dried fruits, traditional sweets, and meat at very low prices and better quality than you can find back home.
In Baku, Azerbaijan, the Yaşl market is on Khatai Avenue, right next to the train station. Try this shopping tour of Baku.
19: Honour Azerbaijan’s heroes
Activities in Azerbaijan
In Baku, Azerbaijan, you can take a guided tour of the city square at night.
The best view of Baku is from the calmest, most serious place in the city.
From the busy city centre, you can get to Highland Park and Martyrs’ Lane by going uphill in the direction of the flame towers.
This place is a memorial to Azerbaijanis who died in the war, and it also has the best view of Baku.
Since the area is so serious, it is one of the quietest and most peaceful places in Baku.
Martyrs’ Lane is at Mehdi Huseyn St., Baku 1006, Azerbaijan.
- TAKE A FERRY TO A CASPIAN SEA ISLAND
You can take a boat to a few islands near the coast of Baku.
There are a lot of ships going back and forth between Baku, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan. This keeps transport companies busy in the Caspian Sea.
You probably won’t have time to do that, but you can go to Boyuk Zira Island.
This is the biggest island, and you can easily get to it by boat from the centre of Baku.
On the island, people who like to watch birds like to go.
There are a few small nature parks and guest houses for people who want to stay the night.
If you get a chance to go there, don’t miss the lighthouse and ship graves.
When you are in Baku, go to the Yacht Club on the pier to find out about the island boat. The dock is at 131 Neftchilar Ave. in Baku, Azerbaijan.
