If there was ever a city that surprised me, it was Baku in Azerbaijan. Not only is the capital home to the iconic Flame Towers that light up the city’s skyline at night, but it also boasts a Caspian Sea coastline, a UNESCO-listed walled city and a shopping boulevard that wouldn’t be out of place in Paris.
The fact that you can sort an e-visa and book FlyDubai flights from Dubai to Baku on a Friday morning (6.45am) and be in the Azeri capital by 9.45am makes it all-the-more appealing for a quick city break. The early Friday flight gave my friend and I a 36-hour window to explore Baku and get a plane back to the UAE, landing in Dubai at 9pm on Saturday night… with absolutely no time difference between the two cities!
Here’s how we spent that 36 hours…
The Flame Towers… for breakfast
Even though we didn’t need to take any annual leave days from work, we were in ‘holiday mode’ from the moment we landed in Baku with our one little backpack each. We took a taxi from the airport to our hotel (Intourist Hotel Baku – more on that later!), dropped off our bags and headed straight back out to explore the city… starting with a Prosecco breakfast at Fairmont Baku in the Flame Towers... because, why not?!
The Flame Towers are Baku’s iconic trio of buildings that stand atop the city, and they definitely steal the show when it comes to the Baku skyline – especially at night. You can catch a funicular and ride from the bottom of Baku to the top for a view of the city and a visit to the towers, but we decided to walk the whole thing for a bit of morning exercise.
Baku’s Old City
While I would like to tell you that the wine ended after the Prosecco breakfast, that would be a total lie. To be quite honest, the weekend was, essentially, a self-guided wine-tour through the city. We saw Baku in its entirety, but with each new stop-off along the way came the chance to soak up the city atmosphere over a glass of grape.
By far, one of the top things to do in Baku is to wander through the Walled City of Baku, a glimpse of which has been captured in my accompanying photos.
This UNESCO-listed Old City is the historical core of Baku, and you can wonder through the cobbled alleyways to see the architecture and key landmarks, much of which has been preserved with its 12th-century character. The Old City is steeped in history and culture, which was definitely a talking point as we sat on the terrace of an old building-turned-pub and sipped a glass of vino while overlooking the walkways below.
Cobbled Streets and Local Culture
Taking a walk through the alleyways of Baku’s Old City is a little bit like stepping back in time, especially when you compare it to the contemporary architecture of Baku’s Heydar Aliyev Center, which has come to be a symbol of modernity and innovation in Azerbaijan. We came across street-stall vendors selling hats, rugs and art work out of the back of old cars with the same charm that we experienced from Azeri’s we met all over the city.
The thing about Baku’s Old City is that you don’t need to know where you’re going. It’s small enough in size that you can wander through the streets and backtrack on yourself to ensure you don’t miss any hidden gems along the alleyways.
Make sure you stop off at one of the many Azeri restaurants to sample the local dishes, the wine, the famous black tea and the warm hospitality of the people. We made sure we took ‘breaks’ at various intervals throughout the day to enjoy all the little quirks of the city.
While the view from the top of Maiden Tower gives you panoramic views of the Old City and the Baku Boulevard, I wasn’t overly impressed with it, and neither was I impressed with the Palace of the Shirvanshahs… two of the not-to-be-missed landmarks that are noted on the city maps. However, the maze of cobbled streets and old-school cars was more than enough to quench my curiosity to discover the city.
Bay of Baku
Later in the day, after leisurely exploring the Old City, we made our way to the Bay of Baku, which is a wide, curving coastline that stretches the length of the city. You can walk along the waterfront, check out the Baku Eye ferris wheel and take a look inside the Park Bulvar Mall. We took a walk along the pier and then hugged the coastline back to our hotel for the evening.
Sunset Boulevard
When we booked our quick getaway to Azerbaijan, we wanted a central location that would allow us easy access to discover the city on-foot; we also wanted something that wasn’t extortionately priced. That said, we booked into the Intourist Hotel Baku; it’s a contemporary boutique hotel along the Caspian Sea and cost just over AED 200 for the night.
The hotel was artsy in style and, more importantly, it had a lovely outdoor terrace that was perfect for sundowners and a cheese board. By the time we had had a bite to eat, we were exhausted from our day of exploration, so we hit the pillow for the night.
Downtown Baku
Saturday morning in Baku was spent enjoying breakfast before hitting parts of the city we had yet to explore. One of the main areas that we discovered was Nizami Street, a famous shopping avenue in Baku that is buzzing with life. Taking a walk along the pedestrianised street is a gentle reminder of Parisian life; we were walking among baroque, renaissance and Neo-gothic buildings that are home to high-end stores, stylish restaurants and hotels. Two other districts that we discovered before leaving Baku were Fountain Square (not very fountain-y) and Winter Boulevard, which – to me – had an imposing governmental presence amidst its poorer, surrounding side streets.
Azerbaijan Carpet Museum
I didn’t mention it earlier, but while we were in Baku, we did visit the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum. The building itself is the design of one gigantic roll of carpet, and I’m guessing that this is why it made the Trip Advisor list of top things to do in Baku… because I really couldn’t see any other reason for it featuring?
Interestingly, Azerbaijan is famous for weaved carpets and rugs; handwoven carpets are considered a national treasure and the Museum celebrates this carpet culture. Now, if that’s your thing, by all means check it out, but expect to walk through an actual museum that educates you on rugs. The most interesting part for me was seeing the local lady (pictured above) creating the intricate patterns by hand, but she was at the base of the elevator that led to the museum.
… And that’s the city in a 36-hour nutshell! While Baku certainly preserves its past, it is a city at the forefront of architectural design, and that’s what I found really fascinating. Even the external glass concaves and wooden cocoon cafés at Heydar Aliyev aiport terminal will also impress you as you depart for Dubai! Make it a point to utilise one of your weekends to take a quick trip to Baku this year!
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