Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan6 guides across 1 destination — where to go, when, what it costs and what to eat.
Destinations in Azerbaijan
Practical essentials for Azerbaijan
Azerbaijani manat (AZN)
Azerbaijani; Russian is widely understood and English is common in Baku's hotels and restaurants.
Type C/F, 220V 50Hz
Buy a BakiKart at a metro station or bus stop for Baku's metro and buses; contactless bank cards are still only being trialled at the gates.
Not obligatory but welcomed — around 10% in restaurants, after checking whether a service charge is already on the bill.
Baku's tap water is treated, but visitors are advised to drink bottled water.
Right-hand side; carry a 1968 International Driving Permit alongside your national licence.
112 (unified); 102 police, 103 ambulance, 101 fire
Country-level guidance, checked against official sources. Currency, fares and entry rules change — confirm anything time-critical before you travel.
Recent stories from Azerbaijan
Baku in 24 hours for the time-poor
Medieval walls at breakfast, Zaha Hadid by lunch, flaming skyscrapers after dark: a one-day route through the Caspian's most surprising capital.
Saffron, Smoke and Sour Plum: Eating Baku From the City Wall Outward
Baku's cooking gets cheaper, better and more local the further you walk from the Maiden Tower, and this is the route outward, from the caravanserai courtyards to the nine-hour lamb of Narimanov and the fish shacks of the Absheron.
Sleeping well in Baku, whatever your budget
Flame Tower suites, beaux-arts luxury beside the medieval walls, seafront high-rises and Old City guesthouses — matching Baku's beds to your budget.
Where to Stay in Baku: Neighborhoods and the City's Famous Hotels
Old City atmosphere, seafront grandeur or a room inside the Flame Towers? A neighborhood-by-neighborhood guide to sleeping well in Baku.
Baku Quarter by Quarter: Where to Sit Down and What to Ask For
The walled city, Fountain Square, the Boulevard and the Green Market each feed you differently, and the same plate of dolma can cost three times as much four hundred metres apart.
The best day trips from Baku: fire, mud and mountain villages
Ancient petroglyphs, burning hillsides, bubbling mud volcanoes and Silk Road villages — the Absheron Peninsula and the Caucasus foothills put remarkable day trips within reach of Baku.