Language · 11 published
Country guide
Azerbaijan lies on the boundary between Western Asia and Eastern Europe, in the South Caucasus, with the Caspian Sea along its entire eastern edge and Iran to the south. Baku is both the capital and the largest city. The country is not one continuous block. The exclave of Nakhchivan is cut off from the rest by Armenian territory, and it holds the only stretch of border Azerbaijan shares with Turkey. Georgia is the neighbour to the northwest and Russia's republic of Dagestan to the north. It is one of six independent Turkic states, and the first secular democratic Muslim-majority state in the world, declared in 1918.
Every city catalogued in this country so far, ranked by how much there is to see.
Photograph · Ludvig14 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.
100 places match
Category
Typical visit duration
İçərişəhər
Baku Old City, locally called İçərişəhər, is the walled medieval core of Azerbaijan's capital. This living historic district contains the UNESCO-listed Palace of the Shirvanshahs, the Maiden Tower, mosques, baths, and caravanserais.
Qız Qalası
The Maiden Tower, known locally as Qız qalası, stands as Baku's most recognisable medieval landmark and the emblematic monument of the UNESCO-listed Old City. This enigmatic stone tower has no production match in existing records, adding to its enduring mystery.
Şirvanşahlar Sarayı Bakı
The Palace of the Shirvanshahs is a fifteenth-century royal complex forming the architectural centrepiece of Baku's Old City, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Heydər Əliyev Mərkəzi
The Heydar Aliyev Center is a cultural complex in Baku designed by the late Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid. Completed in 2012, the building is celebrated for its fluid, curvilinear form that deliberately avoids straight lines and sharp angles.
Dənizkənarı Milli Park
Baku Boulevard, known locally as Bakı Bulvarı, is a long Caspian waterfront promenade that serves as Baku's principal public leisure corridor.
Qobustan Qayaüstü İncəsənət Mədəni Landşaftı
Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape is a UNESCO World Heritage site located south of Baku. The protected area encompasses a vast collection of rock engravings, ancient human settlements, and archaeological remains spanning multiple historical periods.
Azərbaycan Xalçası Muzeyi
The Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum is a purpose-built institution in Baku dedicated to the preservation and display of Azerbaijani carpet weaving heritage. Its distinctive architecture resembles a rolled carpet, making it a recognisable landmark along the Caspian Sea waterfront.
Dağüstü Park
Highland Park, known locally as Dağüstü Park, is Baku's principal elevated viewpoint. It sits on a hill overlooking the Caspian Sea bay, the Boulevard promenade, and the city skyline, with the Flame Towers immediately adjacent.
The Ateshgah Fire Temple is a religious-historical complex and museum located in Surakhani, on the outskirts of Baku.
Yanardağ
Yanar Dag is a continuously burning natural-gas hillside on the Absheron Peninsula near Baku, Azerbaijan. The flames emerge from the ground where natural gas seeps through porous rock and ignites upon contact with oxygen.
Flame Towers are a trio of skyscrapers in Baku, Azerbaijan, completed as a distinctive modern landmark on the Caspian Sea waterfront. The local name Alov qüllələri reflects their flame-shaped design, which references Azerbaijan's historical identity as the Land of Fire.
Milli Azərbaycan Tarixi Muzeyi
The National Museum of History of Azerbaijan is Azerbaijan's principal history collection, housed in an ornate former mansion.
Fountains Square is a central public space in Baku, Azerbaijan, known locally as Fəvvarələr Meydanı. The square functions as a pedestrian gathering point and downtown landmark.
Azərbaycan Milli İncəsənət Müzeyi
The Azerbaijan National Museum of Art is the country's premier institution for fine arts, housed across two adjacent historic mansions in central Baku. Its local name is Azərbaycan Milli İncəsənət Muzeyi.
Şəhidlər Xiyabanı
Martyrs' Lane is a hillside memorial cemetery in Baku, Azerbaijan, known locally as Şəhidlər Xiyabanı. It commemorates victims of Black January 1990, when Soviet forces suppressed an independence movement in the city, as well as casualties from the Nagorno-Karabakh conflicts.
Səadət Sarayı
The Palace of Happiness, locally known as Səadət Sarayı, is a Neo-Gothic mansion in Baku, Azerbaijan. Built during the oil boom era, it was originally the Muxtarov mansion.
Ismailiyya Palace is a Venetian Gothic building constructed during Baku's oil boom era. The palace was commissioned by Agha Musa Naghiyev in memory of his son Ismail.
Nizami Gəncəvi adına Milli Azərbaycan Ədəbiyyatı muzeyi
The Nizami Museum of Azerbaijani Literature is a national museum dedicated to the literary heritage of Azerbaijan. Named after the 12th-century poet Nizami Ganjavi, it occupies a prominent landmark building located near Baku's Old City.
Bibi Heybət Məscidi
Bibi-Heybat Mosque is a rebuilt Islamic shrine mosque located on the Caspian Sea coast near Baku, Azerbaijan. Its local name is Bibiheybət məscidi. The site is a major pilgrimage destination associated with a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad.
Heydər Məscidi
Heydar Mosque, known locally as Heydər məscidi, is a monumental modern mosque in Baku, Azerbaijan. It stands as one of the city's largest religious buildings and serves as a prominent landmark in the northern part of the city.
Kiçik Venesiya
Little Venice, known locally as Kiçik Venesiya, is a compact leisure landscape situated along Baku's waterfront boulevard. It consists of a network of artificial canals, small islands, and connecting bridges designed to evoke the atmosphere of Venice, Italy.
Bakı Gözü
The Baku Ferris Wheel, known locally as Bakı Gözü, stands as a prominent observation wheel on Baku Boulevard along the Caspian Sea waterfront. It serves as a landmark attraction offering elevated views across the urban coastline.
The International Mugham Center of Azerbaijan is a purpose-built performance venue dedicated to mugham, a traditional Azerbaijani musical form recognized by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
YARAT Contemporary Art Center
YARAT Contemporary Art Space is Baku's leading contemporary-art organisation. Its local name is YARAT Müasir İncəsənət Məkanı. The organisation operates from a converted waterfront industrial building, repurposing former industrial infrastructure for cultural use.
Museum of Modern Art
The Baku Museum of Modern Art, known locally as Bakı Müasir İncəsənət Muzeyi, is a dedicated institution for Azerbaijani avant-garde and contemporary art.
Miniatür kitab muzeyi
The Baku Museum of Miniature Books, known locally as Miniatür Kitab Muzeyi, is an unusual museum situated within Baku's Old City. It holds a specialist international collection devoted entirely to miniature editions of books.
Nobel Qardaşlarının Ev-Muzeyi
Villa Petrolea is the restored residence of the Nobel brothers, Swedish industrialists who established a major presence in Baku during the late nineteenth century oil boom.
Müslüm Maqomayev adına Azərbaycan Dövlət Akademik Filarmoniyası
The Azerbaijan State Philharmonic Hall is Baku's premier classical-music venue, housed in an ornate early twentieth-century building. Constructed during the oil boom era, it stands as a significant architectural landmark reflecting the wealth and cultural ambitions of that period.
Filarmoniya bağı
The Philharmonic Garden is Baku's oldest public garden, forming a shaded green corridor between the Azerbaijan State Philharmonic Hall and the historic walls of İçərişəhər, the Old City.
Hökumət Evi
Government House is a monumental government building in Baku, Azerbaijan. Its local name is Hökumət Evi. The structure features a prominent arcaded facade and occupies a significant position anchoring Azadlıq Square at the eastern end of central Baku's seafront boulevard.
Dövlət Bayrağı Meydanı
National Flag Square is a vast ceremonial plaza situated on the newer stretch of Baku Boulevard along the Caspian Sea waterfront. Its defining feature is the monumental flagpole that once held one of the world's largest national flags.
Bakı Kristal Zalı
Baku Crystal Hall is a multipurpose indoor arena located on the waterfront of Baku, Azerbaijan. The venue was constructed to host the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest and has since become a prominent event space in the city.
Azərbaycan Dəmiryol Muzeyi
The Azerbaijan Railway Museum, known locally as Azərbaycan Dəmiryol Muzeyi, is a museum in Baku dedicated to the history of rail transport in Azerbaijan. The institution occupies a building mapped on OpenStreetMap under way identifier 195589273.
Daş Salnamə Muzeyi
The Stone Chronicle Museum, known locally as Daş Salnamə Muzeyi, is a waterfront museum in Baku dedicated to Azerbaijan's stone heritage. It collects and displays carved stone monuments and archaeological material that document the nation's epigraphic and sculptural traditions.
Hərbi Qənimətlər Parkı
Military Trophies Park, known locally as Hərbi Qənimətlər Parkı, is an open-air state military display located in Baku, Azerbaijan. The park presents equipment and installations captured during the 2020 Second Karabakh War.
The Flame Towers are three flame-shaped skyscrapers dominating Baku's contemporary skyline, forming the city's most visible modern ensemble.
Bakı Funikulyoru
The Baku Funicular, known locally as Bakı Funikulyoru, is a hillside railway connecting the Caspian Sea boulevard area with Highland Park above.
Dədə Qorqud parkı
Dede Gorgud Park is a large landscaped public park in Baku, Azerbaijan. Its local name is Dədə Qorqud Parkı.
Bakı Zooparkı
Baku Zoo, known locally as Bakı Zooloji Parkı, is a national zoological park in Azerbaijan's capital. It was rebuilt and now sits beside Dədə Qorqud Park.
Bakı Televiziya Qülləsi
The Baku TV Tower, locally known as Bakı Televiziya Qülləsi, is a telecommunications and observation tower in Baku, Azerbaijan. It stands as one of the tallest structures in the country and serves as a prominent landmark on the city's skyline.
Yashil Bazaar, known locally as Yaşıl Bazar, is Baku's best-known produce market. It functions as a concentrated commercial hub where visitors encounter a wide spectrum of Azerbaijani food culture.
Şərq Bazarı
Sharg Bazaar is a restored domed bazaar in Baku, Azerbaijan, known locally as Şərq Bazarı. It represents a modernised interpretation of a traditional eastern market hall.
Müqəddəs Qriqori kilsəsi
St. Gregory the Illuminator's Church is an Armenian church located in Baku, Azerbaijan. Known locally as Müqəddəs Qriqori kilsəsi, it stands as a significant religious and historical monument in the city.
Təzəpir Məscidi
Taza Pir Mosque is an early twentieth-century mosque in central Baku, Azerbaijan. Its local name is Təzəpir məscidi.
Məhəmməd Məscidi
The Muhammad Mosque, locally called Məhəmməd məscidi, is an eleventh-century mosque and minaret located within İçərişəhər, Baku's fortified Old City. Also known as Sınıqqala, it represents one of the oldest securely dated monuments in this UNESCO-listed historic core.
Qoşa Qala Qapısı Bakı
The Paired Fortress Gates, known locally as Qoşa Qala qapısı, constitute the ceremonial main entrance through the preserved Old City walls of Baku, Azerbaijan.
The Bukhara Caravanserai is a compact fifteenth-century courtyard inn in Baku's Old City, known locally as Buxara karvansarası. It stands as tangible evidence of Baku's historical position along trade routes connecting the Caspian Sea with Central Asia.
Rəşid Behbudov adına Dövlət Mahnı Teatrı
The Rashid Behbudov State Song Theatre is a performing arts venue in Baku, Azerbaijan, named after the celebrated Azerbaijani singer and actor Rashid Behbudov. It operates under state patronage as a dedicated theatre for song and musical performance.
The Underground Bath of Baku is a historical bathhouse situated in the capital of Azerbaijan. It represents a traditional hammam structure embedded below street level, characteristic of regional bathing culture that developed over centuries in the South Caucasus.
Multani Karvansaray
Multani Caravanserai is a medieval caravanserai in Baku's Old City, historically associated with merchants from Multan in present-day Pakistan. Caravanserais served as roadside inns for traveling merchants along trade routes.
Hacınskinin Evi
The Baku Marionette Theatre, known locally as Bakı Marionet Teatrı, is a specialised performance venue situated within Baku's historic Old City. It distinguishes itself through its dedication to marionette puppetry, presenting Azerbaijani musical works through this traditional art form.
Azad Qadın heykəli
Fəvvarələr Meydanı
Opera və Balet Teatrı
The Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater is a historic performing arts venue in central Baku. Built during the oil boom era, its ornate architecture reflects the wealth and cultural ambition of that period.
Əliağa Vahid heykəli
Azərbaycan Döylət Akademik Milli Dram Teatri
The Azerbaijan State Academic National Drama Theatre is Azerbaijan's national dramatic stage and one of central Baku's principal performance institutions. It presents the country's theatrical canon and serves as a cornerstone of Azerbaijani cultural life.
Mehdi Hüseynzadənin Heykəli
Muzey Mərkəzi
The Museum Centre in Baku occupies a building that formerly served as the Lenin Museum. Its local name is Muzey Mərkəzi. The structure represents Soviet-era architecture repurposed for contemporary cultural use.
Göy Məscid
Azərbaycan Dövlət Kukla Teatrı
Heydər Əliyev Sarayı
Heydar Aliyev Palace is a major Soviet-era concert palace in central Baku, Azerbaijan. Built during the Soviet period, it remains one of the city's most significant cultural venues.
Cəfər Cabbarlı heykəli
Böyük Şor gölü
Nikola Tesla
Dovlət Pantomima Teatrı
Bəylər Məscidi \ İçəri Şəhər
Müqəddəs Mürdaşıyan Zənənlər Başkilsəsi
Holy Myrrhbearers Cathedral is a restored Russian Orthodox cathedral in Baku, Azerbaijan. Its local name is Müqəddəs Mürdaşıyan Qadınlar Kafedralı. The building serves as the seat of Baku's Orthodox diocese and stands as a substantial early twentieth-century religious landmark.
Xocalı soyqırımı memorial
The Synagogue of Mountain Jews serves Baku's Mountain Jewish community, one of the oldest Jewish populations in the Caucasus region. Mountain Jews, also known as Juhuro, have resided in Azerbaijan for centuries with distinct linguistic and cultural traditions.
Aga Mikayil Hamamı
Xəqani bağı ( Malakan bağı )
Khagani Garden, known locally as Xaqani bağı, stands as one of central Baku's oldest compact gardens. It occupies a small footprint amid nineteenth-century streets and civic buildings, offering visitors a leafy pause from the surrounding urban environment.
Azərbaycan Dövlət Rus Dram Teatrı
Paraşüt Qülləsi
Üzeyir Hacıbəylinin ev-muzeyi
The Uzeyir Hajibeyli House Museum is the preserved former residence of Azerbaijan's foundational composer, located in Baku. Uzeyir Hajibeyli created the first opera in the Muslim world and established Azerbaijani composed classical music tradition.
Zəfər Parkı
Bakı Türk Şəhidliyi
Tahir Salahovun ev muzeyi
Gənc Tamaşaçılar Teatrı
Bakı Dövlət Sirki
Koroğlu heykəli
Şah İsmayıl Xətainin heykəli
Rixard Zorgenin abidəsi
Bülbülə gölü
Taras Şevçenkonun heykəli
Niyazinin ev-muzeyi
Sabir parkı
Şəhidlər Məscidi
Bəhram Gur
Yaşıl Teatr
Əşkinazi yəhudilərinin Bakıdakı sinaqoqu
2-ci Fəxri Xiyaban
Gülüstan Sarayı
Xalq Təhsili Muzeyi
Müqəddəs Məryəm Ananın Miladı kilsəsi
Yasamal Qəbiristanlığı
Səməd Vurğun Bağı
Source: OpenStreetMap contributors, Wikidata ·
Six to nine days can cover Baku, Gobustan or Absheron and one overnight route toward Sheki or the mountains. Western Azerbaijan and remote villages add real road time, so do not schedule them as casual extensions from a three-day capital stay.
Check Azerbaijan’s official ASAN Visa portal against your nationality and intended entry date. The service states the applicable electronic-visa process; border access and passport conditions should be confirmed there rather than inferred from a previous Caucasus trip.
Baku has metro and bus services, while rail and coaches connect selected cities. Rural monuments and mountain areas often need a hired driver or car; verify current road and boundary-area access before setting out, since the shortest mapped route may not be open to visitors.
Late spring and early autumn generally balance Baku walking weather with regional travel, but the Caspian coast and highlands do not share one climate. Build dates around the highest or most exposed leg and check official access information for mountain roads.
Prices are recorded in Azerbaijani manat. Keep some AZN for smaller regional businesses and use regulated banking or exchange channels; in Baku, confirm the final manat amount before accepting a card terminal’s optional foreign-currency conversion.
Dial 112 for the recorded emergency service and expect Type C or F plugs at 220 V. Tap-water advice is Not recorded, so ask the accommodation or local utility; also retain current official guidance for any journey near restricted boundary areas.
