3 days in Baku

Day by day

1. Day 1: Old City (İçərişəhər) and Maiden Tower

   Old City (İçərişəhər), Maiden Tower and Palace of the Shirvanshahs, then Flame Towers in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Old City (İçərişəhər)

      Baku's walled historic core, UNESCO-listed with the Maiden Tower and the Palace of the Shirvanshahs, is a maze of stone lanes, caravanserais, mosques and small museums.

   2. Late morning

      Maiden Tower

      Visit late in the afternoon for warm light on the Boulevard from the roof.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Plov

      Traditional restaurants in the Old City and around Fountain Square; shah plov is often ordered for groups.

   4. Afternoon

      Palace of the Shirvanshahs

      The 15th-century palace complex of the Shirvanshah rulers stands at the highest point of the Old City and includes the palace, a mosque, a mausoleum, a bathhouse and a divan-khana pavilion with carved stonework.

   5. Evening

      Flame Towers

      Watch the light show from the Boulevard or the Old City walls after dark.

2. Day 2: Heydar Aliyev Center and Highland Park and the funicular

   Heydar Aliyev Center, Highland Park and the funicular and Baku Boulevard, then Fountain Square and Nizami Street in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Heydar Aliyev Center

      Walk around the outside first for photos, then decide whether to go in; the exterior is the highlight.

   2. Late morning

      Highland Park and the funicular

      Highland Park (Dağüstü Park), next to the Flame Towers, has the best panorama over the bay, the Boulevard and the Old City.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Dolma

      Most traditional restaurants; Azerbaijani dolma-making is recognised by UNESCO.

   4. Afternoon

      Baku Boulevard

      Walk it in the evening, when families come out, the air cools and the Flame Towers light up.

   5. Evening

      Fountain Square and Nizami Street

      Come in the evening, then walk through the Old City gates for dinner.

3. Day 3: Azerbaijan Carpet Museum and Ateshgah Fire Temple

   Azerbaijan Carpet Museum, Ateshgah Fire Temple and Yanar Dag, then Fountain Square area in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Azerbaijan Carpet Museum

      Housed in a building shaped like a partly rolled carpet on the Boulevard, the museum displays carpets from Azerbaijan's weaving regions, as well as embroidery, jewellery and metalwork.

   2. Late morning

      Ateshgah Fire Temple

      Combine it with Yanar Dag in the late afternoon and stay for sunset at the burning hillside.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Qutab

      Bakeries, cafés and restaurants across the city; order several fillings to share.

   4. Afternoon

      Yanar Dag

      A hillside on the Absheron Peninsula, about 25 km north of the centre, where natural gas seeping from the ground has burned continuously for decades.

   5. Evening

      Fountain Square area

      Pubs, bars and live-music venues in the streets around the square and Nizami Street.

Before you go

If it rains

• Swap in Museum of Miniature Books (Old City (İçərişəhər)): Look for the smallest books in the centre cases; staff can point them out.
• Swap in National Museum of History of Azerbaijan (Fountain Square and Nizami Street): Ask for directions to the oriental hall and the ballroom-style rooms; they show the scale of oil-boom wealth.
• Swap in Baku Metro stations (Fountain Square and Nizami Street): Buy a BakuCard and ride a few stops between Sahil, Nizami and İçərişəhər to see the station décor.

Where to stay for this itinerary

With 3 nights, Old City (İçərişəhər) keeps most of this route within easy reach. For a calmer or cheaper base, Seaside Boulevard and Neftchilar Avenue ($$$$) suits luxury, couples and families. Compare every area.

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 13–16 hours of visiting over 3 days, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 9.3 hours in December to 15 hours in June, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

More or fewer days

• One day in Baku
• 2 days in Baku
• 5 days in Baku

Questions travellers ask