Baku itinerary
7 days, hour by hour · AzerbaijanOctober–May
- Days
- 7
- Stops
- 34
- Per day
- ≈ 90 AZN
- First stop
- 09:00
Short answer
The TripWalkers Baku itinerary runs 7 days and lays out 34 stops, hour by hour, for October–May. The first three days:
- Day 1 Old City and Boulevard
- Day 2 Heydar Aliyev and the Carpet Museum
- Day 3 Gobustan and mud volcanoes
Staying less? Start with the first days — TripWalkers uses the opening days of this plan for shorter trips too. Days 3, 4 and 5 are day trips out of the city. Food, entry fees and local transport come to about 90 AZN a day (excluding accommodation and flights).
Day 1 · 09:30–17:30
Old City and Boulevard
Landmark
Icherisheher Eski Şehir
A walled 12th-century city and UNESCO site: narrow lanes, the location where the film Brilliant Hand (Elmas Kol) was shot, and carpet sellers.
FreeLandmark
Maiden Tower
A mysterious 8-storey tower (Zoroastrian, perhaps?). From the top you can see the Caspian Sea and the Flame Towers.
≈ 15 AZN per personCulture
Palace of the Shirvanshahs
The 15th-century palace of the Shirvanshahs, with a mausoleum, a divan house and a hammam.
≈ 15 AZN per personFood
Firuze Restoranı Eski Şehir
Azerbaijani cuisine: kutab (thin stuffed flatbread), piti (lamb and chickpea stew) and saj (meat and vegetables cooked on a griddle).
≈ 25 AZN per person- 1 h 30 min · travel, break, free time
Nature
Baku Boulevard
A 3.7 km promenade (1909) along the Caspian shore, with a Ferris wheel and gondolas in Little Venice. After 20:00 take the funicular up to Highland Park and watch the Flame Towers light show.
Free
Plan B — if it's crowded or closed (2)
- Sehirli TendirTandir bread (baked in a clay oven) and kutab, on an Old City street.
- Museum of Miniature BooksGuinness record-holding miniature books. Free entry; an alternative to the palace.
Day 2 · 10:00–19:30
Heydar Aliyev and the Carpet Museum
Landmark
Heydar Aliyev Center
Zaha Hadid's wavy white masterpiece, with a classic car exhibition. Photographing the exterior is free.
≈ 15 AZN per person- 30 min · travel, break, free time
Culture
Azerbaijan Carpet Museum
A building shaped like a rolled carpet, on the Boulevard, with weaving demonstrations.
≈ 10 AZN per personFood
Nargiz Restaurant Bulvar
Azerbaijani food with Caspian views: dolma and kebab.
≈ 20 AZN per personShopping
Nizami Street Torgovaya
A pedestrian shopping street lined with 19th-century oil baron buildings.
Free- 2 h · travel, break, free time
Landmark
Baku Crystal Hall & Flag Square Walk
The Eurovision 2012 arena. Watch the sunset at the end of the Boulevard.
Free
Plan B — if it's crowded or closed (2)
- Museum of Modern Art BakuAzerbaijani modern art; an alternative to the carpet museum.
- Paul's Bakery Fountains SquareCoffee and pastries on the square.
Day 3 · 09:30–18:30Day trip
Gobustan and mud volcanoes
Culture
Gobustan Rock Art
60 km south (tour about 40 AZN, or take a taxi). More than 6,000 rock carvings up to 10,000 years old, a UNESCO site, with a museum.
≈ 10 AZN per personNature
Gobustan Mud Volcanoes
Azerbaijan has half of the world's mud volcanoes: bubbling cones of cold mud, reached by old Lada.
≈ 10 AZN per person- 30 min · travel, break, free time
Culture
Bibi-Heybat Mosque
A mosque on the Caspian shore, destroyed by the Soviets and later rebuilt, set among oil pumpjacks.
FreeFood
Qobustan Yolu Balık Lokantası
Caspian fish (kutum) and levengi (stuffed fish or chicken), on the way.
≈ 20 AZN per person- 2 h 15 min · travel, break, free time
Nature
Yanar Dag
A gas-fed hillside that has burned continuously for 60 years, tied to Zoroastrian tradition. Striking in the dark of evening, 25 km north.
≈ 5 AZN per person
Plan B — if it's crowded or closed (2)
- Ateshgah Fire TempleThe Surakhani Zoroastrian-Hindu fire temple, in the same direction as Yanar Dag. Visit instead of it or as an addition.
- Qala Köy RestoranıTandir and saj next to the ethnographic village; an alternative to the roadside restaurant.
Day 4 · 09:30–17:30Day trip
Absheron: Ateshgah and Qala
Culture
Ateshgah of Baku
The Surakhani fire temple (17th-century Hindu-Zoroastrian), with a natural gas flame and pilgrim cells.
≈ 5 AZN per person- 30 min · travel, break, free time
Culture
Qala Archaeological Ethnographic Complex
An open-air museum village on the Absheron peninsula, with a fortress, tandir ovens and camels.
≈ 5 AZN per personLandmark
Mardakan Fortress & Town
A 14th-century fortress and arboretum, plus Yesenin's house.
FreeFood
Mardakan Balık Tavernası
Grilled fish in a seaside town.
≈ 20 AZN per personNature
Bilgah Beach
The winter Caspian wind and a walk along the shore.
Free
Plan B — if it's crowded or closed (2)
- Amburan Beach ClubA beach club with sun loungers, in Bilgah.
- Gala Köyü ÇayhanesiTea in pear-shaped glasses with jam, in the village.
Day 5 · 10:30–16:00Day trip
Sheki (long day) or Gabala
Culture
Sheki Khan's Palace
4 hours from Baku (early tour or car; staying overnight is ideal). A palace built in 1762 with shebeke stained glass, a UNESCO site, built without nails.
≈ 5 AZN per personLandmark
Sheki Caravanserai
An 18th-century caravanserai hotel, with a courtyard and vaults.
FreeFood
Şeki Piti Öğle Gagarin
Sheki's piti soup served in an earthenware pot (the ritual: first dip bread in the broth, then mash the meat). Try Sheki halva too.
≈ 12 AZN per person- 30 min · travel, break, free time
Culture
Kish Albanian Church
A Caucasian Albanian church (legend dates it to the 1st century), linked to Thor Heyerdahl's theory, in the village.
≈ 2 AZN per personShopping
Şeki Halva Atölyesi
Sheki halva to take home, on the way back (Baku 20:00).
Free
Plan B — if it's crowded or closed (2)
- Gabala Tufandag Cable CarA Caucasus mountain cable car and Lake Nohur; closer than Sheki (3 hours), so a good alternative.
- Lahıc Köy ÇayhanesiTea and kebab in a cobbled coppersmith village; an alternative on the road to Sheki.
Day 6 · 09:00–21:00
Yasamal and modern Baku
Food
Taza Bazaar
A local market: pomegranates, saffron, sumac, cheese tasting and dried fruit.
≈ 10 AZN per person- 1 h 30 min · travel, break, free time
Landmark
Baku Funicular & Martyrs' Lane Daytime
See Martyrs' Lane and the Eternal Flame by day, plus the Turkish Martyrs' Mosque.
FreeFood
Sumakh Restaurant
Stylish Azerbaijani cuisine: saj and kutab, in Khagani.
≈ 30 AZN per person- 1 h 30 min · travel, break, free time
Nature
Baku Sea Boat Tour
A 1-hour Caspian boat tour from the Boulevard, with the skyline views.
≈ 10 AZN per person- 2 h · travel, break, free time
Food
Nizami Cinema & Passage Cafes Evening
Seaside Park and the tea houses of Torgovaya, with shisha.
≈ 15 AZN per person
Plan B — if it's crowded or closed (2)
- Stone Chronicle MuseumA museum of stone inscriptions, on the Boulevard.
- Çay Bağı 145 Eski ŞehirTea and jam in the Old City, in the Azerbaijani tea tradition.
Day 7 · 09:00–13:00
Boulevard morning and a gentle farewell
Nature
Little Venice Boulevard Morning Walk
Canals with gondolas and morning calm.
FreeLandmark
Mugham Center
A building shaped like a tar (a stringed instrument), on the Boulevard. See it from outside.
FreeFood
Qaynana Restoranı Kahvaltı
Azerbaijani breakfast: clotted cream, honey, tandir bread and kuymak (a cornmeal and cheese dish), next to Fountains Square.
≈ 15 AZN per person- 45 min · travel, break, free time
Landmark
Baku Airport Bus H1
The H1 bus runs from 28 May and takes 40 minutes (BakıKart). Time to say goodbye.
≈ 2 AZN per person
Plan B — if it's crowded or closed (2)
- Ali and Nino Kitapçı KafeBreakfast in a bookshop cafe, in the city of the novel.
- Government HouseA giant Stalin-era building on Azadliq Square. See it from outside.
Good to know: 6 things that make a Baku trip easier
- BakıKart (metro/bus 0.50 AZN); Bolt taxis are cheap. Take the H1 bus to the airport. For Gobustan and Sheki, join a tour or hire a car.
- Winter is windy at 2-8°C; March brings Novruz (spring festival, fire jumping). April-May and September-October are ideal, and Sheki in autumn is golden.
- Turkish citizens get 30 days visa-free (with ID card from 2025). 1 manat ≈ 0.6 USD; kutab 2 AZN, piti 8, restaurant meals 20-30, museums 5-15; tip 10%.
- The Flame Towers light up after 21:00; Yanar Dag is best in the evening; Heydar Aliyev Center is closed on Mondays.
- Piti, kutab, plov (shah plov), dolma, levengi, Sheki halva, pomegranate juice, tea in pear-shaped glasses with jam.
- Turkish is understood (Azerbaijani Turkish); Russian is widely spoken. An oil city: look for the pumpjacks at Bibi-Heybat.
Spending: ≈ 630 AZN per person for 7 days
- Food300 AZN
- Entry and tours120 AZN
- Local transport150 AZN
- Other60 AZN
Excludes accommodation and flights. 2026 price estimate, per person.
We did the planning. You just pick the dates.
TripWalkers rebuilds this route around your number of days, budget and pace — on a map, day by day, in your pocket.
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Frequently asked questions
How many days do you need in Baku?
This itinerary is built for 7 days. With 3 days, do the first 3 — TripWalkers uses the opening days of the plan for shorter trips too. The day trip is on day 3, 4 and 5; skip it on a short stay.
How much does a day in Baku cost?
In this plan, food, entry fees and local transport come to about 90 AZN per person per day. Accommodation and flights are not included. Figures are 2026 estimates.
What time should you start the day in Baku?
The first stop is at 09:00. Most days start early so you arrive before the crowds, and evenings end with dinner.
Which season is this itinerary for?
This page covers October–May. There is a separate plan for June–September: opening hours, the sea and the weather change the route.