Tours in Azerbaijan

Start in Baku, because almost everyone does. Walk through the gate into the Old City and the noise of the traffic drops away. The lanes are narrow and twist back on themselves, the stone is warm in the afternoon, and you will lose your bearings within minutes. That is fine. Somewhere in there is the Maiden Tower, and somewhere near it the Palace of the Shirvanshahs. Look up often, because the wind off the Caspian comes down these alleys and you can feel which way the sea is.

Then step outside the walls and the city changes character completely. The Flame Towers stand over the bay and are best seen from Highland Park at dusk, when the lights start to move. Down below, the Seaside Boulevard is where Bakuvians actually spend their evenings, strolling, eating ice cream, watching the water. Little Venice has its canals and its small boats, and Nizami Street is where you go for shopping and a coffee. The Heydar Aliyev Center is a building you read with your eyes more than your feet, all curves and no corners, and it looks different from every side.

Baku is only the doorway, though. Beyond it the country opens up. Sheki in the north is a town of stone lanes, caravanserais and sweet, sticky halva. Gobustan sits out on a dry plain not far from the capital, with rocks, mud volcanoes and a sense of very long human presence. Lankaran and the south are green and humid, with tea and citrus. Up in the mountains, Quba and the villages around Khinalug feel like another climate and another pace. Plov, dolma and strong black tea turn up wherever you stop.

We currently run a private day in Baku, by car, with a driver who knows the city. If you want to reach Sheki, Gobustan or the mountains, ask. A local guide can build that trip around you.