Dates Visited: July 19 2022 – July 23 2022
Arriving
Heydar Aliyev International Airport (GYD)
GYD is the main gateway into Baku and Azerbaijan as a whole – it’s a pretty sweet looking airport – modern architecture that blends in with the rest of the city’s modern vibe. It was also rated as a Skytrax 5 star airport and definitely lives up to that standard – clean, efficient and in order.
Immigration/Customs
I purchased an e-Visa to enter Azerbaijan online at https://evisa.gov.az/en/ for 25 USD and it was emailed to me in about 3 business days. Bring a paper print out with you as it will be checked before boarding and on arrival to GYD. The “Foreigners” line was about 25-30 minutes long when I landed. Passport formalities were quick and uneventful – you’ll be stamped in and then proceed without further hassle.
I also saw signs for Visa on Arrival but I did not investigate further. Your mileage may vary here, depending on your nationality.
Customs did not stop anyone for secondary bag X-Rays when I was there – seems like a pretty straightforward process.
Lounges
There are a few Priority Pass accessible lounge at GYD but all of them seem lackluster in some way or another. I went to the Absheron lounge which did not have hot food, it was a tiny lounge with cold drinks and snacks and no connected bathroom (must walk 10-15 meters from lounge). The only good lounge is the AZAL Business lounge which requires a biz-class ticket on AZAL, it is not open to Priority Pass holders.
Currency
Azerbaijan uses the manat which come in (1,5,10,20,50,100, and 200) notes. I never saw the 200 manat in circulation while I was there, it looks like 100 is the largest that’s in common circulation.
The rate to exchange US Dollars (as of July 2022) seemed to hover between 1.60 and 1.70 manat in the airport or city center. Credit cards (Visa/MC) are generally accepted at most restaurants, shops, malls, hotels so I did not find myself using cash for much of my stay. Good idea to take 50-100 manats though just in case.
ATMs are abundant throughout the city and they took foreign debit cards without hassle.
Apple Pay (with my U.S. credit cards) was also functional in supermarkets/restaurants/hotels.
Taxis/Rideshare/Local Transportation
Taxis are readily available on the street but out of concerns of the language barrier/being ripped off, I stuck to the Bolt app which is commonly used in Europe as an alternative to Uber. Drivers on Bolt have a varying ability of English but they’ll get you to where you need to go. Credit cards are accepted on Bolt but beware some (1 out of 25 rides I took in Baku) drivers might try to convince you to cancel the transaction on Bolt and pay them under the table in cash, proceed at your own risk here. Pretty common tactic globally.
SIM Cards/Wi-Fi
Coming out of immigration, you’ll see SIM card kiosks by the exit of the airport. SIM cards are not cheap in Azerbaijan but they’re also not unreasonably expensive. I was able to get a 5GB sim card from Azercell for 24USD which is of course more expensive than what you would pay in the city center. WiFi at the airport is free and available. 4G speed and coverage will suffice.
Sightseeing
Flame Towers
One of the icons of Baku, it’s a trio of skyscrapers that sort of resemble a flame hence the country’s motto – “The Land of Fire”. When I visited, the mall promenade was under construction but these towers are for apartments, a luxury hotel, and offices. Nice to take photos of but as of July 2022, you couldn’t really go in any of the towers save for the Fairmont hotel lobby.
Highland Park/Baku Panoramic View
Free admission – purely a photo spot to take pictures of the city skyline. To locate this area, use Google Maps as there are no marked signs.
Baku Funicular
1 manat each way and the ride takes about 5 minutes, a convenient way to get up the hill.
Baku Metro
In classic Soviet fashion, this is a very deep metro system under the streets of Baku. Photos are technically not allowed but this is one of the most beautiful metro stations in Baku (Nizami)
Azerbaijan Carpet Museum
One of the unique attractions to Baku – I’ve never seen a carpet museum elsewhere on my travels. You get 3 floors of purely carpet exhibits and you come out having learned a lot about the carpet trade in Azerbaijan. A well-designed museum for sure and even if you don’t go in, the outside is photo-worthy in of itself.
Maiden Tower/Palace of the Shirvanshahs
The Maiden Tower is a nice place to climb for good views of the city but keep in mind it’s narrow and a spiral staircase. There is also no A/C so beware the temperatures. The Palace complex is a restored artifact from the 15th Century – good for history buffs. Admission is about 10 manats when I visited.
Heydar Aliyev Center
Another futuristic modern architecture icon of the city, serves as a convention/expo center/art museum/community center inside and a green picnic park area outside. Unfortunately, I arrived after business hours so I did not get to see the inside but this is a good photo backdrop with the I Heart Baku sign as well.
Day Trip to Gabala, Sheki, Shamakhi
I spent one of the days in Azerbaijan on a day trip tour to Gabala, Sheki, Shamakhi. While we were running behind schedule and didn’t make it to Sheki in time to see the main attraction of the palace – we had some memorable stops at Juma Mosque and Nohur Lake.
Food/Drink
My first meal in Baku was at Sumakh where I sampled local Azerbaijani fare such as lamb dumplings in pomegranate sauce, saj which is a deep fried protein dish (beef, veal, chicken, lamb) with potatoes and peppers and their specialty grilled chicken. English menu was available and all of the dishes were reasonably priced.
Lots of stairs to get to the terrace for this restaurant but the views are well worth it. Small tea house restaurant serving a wide selection of domestic/imported teas and a mix of Western/local cuisine. Adventurous eaters can try the pan fried lamb kidney/heart/liver with potatoes dish – my favorite. The lamb with pomegranate sauce was also noteworthy.
Another delicious Azerbaijani restaurant – I enjoyed the lamb chops here, pilaf with greens, and the samsa-like meat pastry as well.
Accommodation
I had a handful of IHG points I wanted to redeem on this long trip and I found the IC Baku at 24,000 points/night and with a special fourth night free offer from my credit card, it made sense to take the plunge on this. For 72,000 points, I received four nights of the King Bed club suite at a brand new IC hotel. The hotel was barely one year old and everything felt brand new and high tech. Room controls were all technology based and modern. Service standards was up to brand’s high bar.