Baku

·         Be wary of the touts

·         Do not entertain the beggars.

·         Always carry with you a first aid kit.

·         Do not let anyone cheat you.

·         Sit only in a prepaid taxi. If you are unable to find a prepaid taxi, you must always negotiate the fare before hiring the taxi.

·         Do not indulge in any form of physical or verbal fights with anyone.

·         Always carry with you at least one proof of your identity.

·         Drink only bottled mineral water.

·         In case you suffer from any medication, make it a point to carry with you all the necessary medications.

·         Always keep your passport safely.

·         Make sure you have a pre made photo copy of your passport.

·         Do not trust anyone with your valuables or cash.

·         Do not leave your baggage containing cash and valuables in the hotel room.

·         Enquire about the room safe before booking a hotel.

·         Do not click a picture in the religious place without the permission from the authority.

·         Never film without permission.

·         Dress only in accordance with the prevalent cultures and traditions.

·         Learn a few words from the local languages. This shall remove the communication barrier that you may encounter in a foreign country. 

·         Keep away from drugs. 

The legal age for drinking in Baku is 18 years. 

Shirvanshahs’ Palace

Shirvanshahs’ Palace is situated behind the Old Town’s city walls. This palace is just one of the oldest symbol of Baku and is an important tourist attraction. The palace was built in the 15th century during the time when Baku was labeled the capital of the Shirvanshahs kingdom. It is one of the only few good old buildings remaining in the Baku city. Listed as the UNESCO World Heritage Site in the year 2000, the palace can be reached via foot from the “Icharishahar” metro station.

You’ll have to pay a small entry fee to enter the palace. The fee is as follows:

4 AZN for foreigners
2 AZN standard price for locals
0.60 AZN for students

The Maiden Tower

The Miaden Tower is another top sightseeing attraction of the city. Going by the statistics, it is also the second most visited building of Baku that is located near the airport. Just as you reach the top of the tower, you’ll be presented to a phenomena view of the city and its beauty.

You’ll have to pay a small entry fee to enter the palace. The fee is as follows:

4 AZN for foreigners
2 AZN standard price for locals
0.60 AZN for students

Martyrs’ Lane And Flame Towers

At the time of the Soviet Union, this alley was known as the Kirov Park. Christened after the Soviet Bolshevik leader, the Martyrs’ Lane And Flame Towers is a symbol pf pride of Azerbaijan and its independence. Post the massacre by the Soviet Troops in the year 1990, the park became an alley of martyrs. From here, you can also get phenomenal view of the Baku Bay. There is no entry fee to view this beautiful tourist attraction.

Baku Boulevard

Baku Boulevard is officially referred to as the Seaside National Park. It offers the most striking night view of Baku. From here you can get a good view of the Caspian Sea, making it an important place to see especially for the tourists. When you take a stroll here, you can come across the restaurants, shopping malls, business centers, chaykhana’s and restaurants. If you are done with the hot weather here and wish to grab some fresh air from the sea, you can take a stroll at the Baku Boulevard. The best thing to do at the Baku Boulevard is taking a boat ride.   
History Museum

History Museum of Baku once used to be the family house of Zeynalabdin Taghiyev which was a renowned Azerbaijani oil magnate. The museum is divided in 3 sections. First section here presents the medieval and the prehistoric objects varying from military objects, tombs, ancient coins, human bones and clothes. Second section of the museum has the human bones. Third and the final section holds the the mansion of Taghiyev family.

You’ll have to pay a small entry fee to enter the palace. The fee is as follows:

5 AZN for adults
2 AZN for students

Free for everyone on the last Monday of every month

Old Oil Fields

The reputation of Baku as the New Industrial Revolution capital started post the robust foundations of oil fields in 1872. They are located on the outskirts of the villages of Ramana, Balakhani and Sabunchu. In just a span of few years, the oil bearing parts of the Absheron became one of the most massively populated region of the city. During that time over a 100 wells were drilled and on the 1st stage over 40 small firms operated from the outskirts of Balakhani. The principal problem of the oil industrialists during that time was relating to the transportation of oil from Balakhani to Baku. In the year 1877, a pood of oil costing 3 cents as well as the transportation to the city costing 20 cents was spent. Before this, in the year 1863, a professor chemist, Mendeleev recommended a construction of an oil pipeline during his visit to Baku however the volume of production wasn’t big then and this is the reason the proposal never worked out. Further, in the year 1877 this problem became so critical that the owner of the pipeline from Balakhani to Baku almost became a monopolist of oil-bearing regions of Absheron. Given the vast history of these oil fields, you really must visit this tourist attraction once during your tour to Baku.   

Carpet Weaving 

One of the oldest and the most widespread form of folk art and craft in Azerbaijan is Carpet weaving. In the year 2010, this art of Azerbaijani carpet weaving was included in the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity Representative List. You can find 7 major carpet weaving schools that are distinguished by composition, palette, patterns, colours and techniques in Azerbaijan. These include the Gazakh School, Baku or Absheron School, Karabakh School, Quba School, Ganja School, Tabriz School and Shirvan School. For those who wish to explore the splendour of the Azerbaijani carpets, a tour to the best sightseeing attraction of Baku, Azerbaijan Carpet Museum is necessary. You can find the rarest pieces of art here. The museum was majorly established for displaying carpets as well as the carpet items as well as stocking and researching on carpets and the applied arts. This museum also has the largest collection of the Azerbaijan carpets in the world. Shopping for these souvenirs is indeed one great thing to do.         

Gobustan and Mud Volcanoes

Baku is also famous for its 6,000 mysterious rock paintings, unique active mud volcanos and the scripts describing people and animals. Together all this define the archaic artistic reserve Gobustan or rather just Gobustan. It is also one of the rarest and unique monuments of the world culture. This also happens to be one of the first centres of human civilization. The reserve here is basically a flatland which is located around 37 miles to the south of the city. Part of this, is a cultural view of drawings on the rocks at an area of 1325 hectares. You can also check out some unique learnings about the inhabitants of the region from the stone age as well as the later ages that is preserved in the Gobustan mountains.

Baku Museum of Miniature Books

The Baku Museum of Miniature Books has several thousands of fairy sized books which also includes the miniature editions of the works of Chukovsky, Dostoyevsky, Pushkin and Gogol. Books here originate from across the globe and are written in a couple of languages such as German, English, Azeri and Russian. One of the oldest book of the museum is the miniature copy of Quran that has been in existence ever since the 17th century. On the other hand, the smallest time here is the Russian Book, The Most Miraculous Thing. Surprisingly, you can only read this book using a magnifying glass. It is the first and by far the only museum of Azerbaijan and the world that stocks miniature books.

Wine Routes

You definitely must try and not miss out on the richest wine tradition areas of the country. The Azerbaijani wine is produced in multiple regions here. Before the 20th century, Azerbaijan had a sprawling wine industry which has been in existence ever since the second millennium BC.

Cuisine

Food here has long been appreciated both in the East as well as in Europe. It has been praised in several ancient sources drafted by travellers and historians. Cuisines here are original and add a national character that manifests itself in specialized cooking traditions and techniques of the Azerbaijanis. Given the composition of a plethora of dishes, it is among the healthiest and diverse spot for cuisines and dishes. You can find a huge array of meat, fish as well as vegetable specialties complemented by the savoury spices and soft greens.

Equestrian Pursuits

Baku has more than 260 breeds of horses in the world. Azerbaijan is famous for 2 of them i.e. the Dilboz and Karabakh pack horses and mountain saddle which is regarded as the pride of the Azerbaijan. The literature of Azerbaijan also presents a variety of legendary of national horses such as Bozat of another hero, Gachag Nabi or Girat of national hero Koroghlu. All throughout the history, horses have always come to the rescue of their masters by protecting them from danger. Azerbaijan is also known to have adequate climate and geographical conditions for the equestrian breeding and development. First existence of the horses can be traced back to the 5000 BC.