Astonishing buildings. Oil money has been lavishly spent all over this city of 2 million.
The city was kept very clean and green by a visible army of workers.
Really genuine people. Everyone we met was so polite and kind and welcoming.
We even got help from an important embassy official who saw us looking a bit lost on the streets.
We wanted to come by train from Tbilisi but the land border crossing was temporarily closed with Georgia.
Not sure why, but we flew instead.
Tip! Buy your 39 AZN Sim cards at the airport. They are much cheaper than in town.
We were at Yanar Dag (Fire Mountain) by Bolt (rideshare) 15 AZN / 45 minutes by 10am
Before any tour buses arrived so had this place to ourselves.
Surprised by the heat of the flames and the smell of gas and views over the oil fields.
‘Donkey’ / Pump jack machines slowly moving up and down, pumping oil up, were everywhere.
Another Bolt back into Baku to Heydar Aliyev Centre. Another astonishing building inside and out.
Cost 15 AZN and was worth it. Modern art mixed with history and hard to describe.
Absolutely a ‘do not miss’ if in Baku.
Day 2 we took another Bolt (50AZN, 90 mins) to the bubbling Mud Volcanoes at Gobustan.
The final few kms were on a very rough road.
The mud volcanoes were intersting but not exciting. They just gently bubbled.
The regular tour groups get taken by bus to the start of the bad road and then tough old Russian Lada vehicles or brave local taxis do the final bit.
On the way back to Baku we went to see the Rock Art.
9,000 years old drawings and carvings (10 AZN) and quite clear pictures of bulls, boats, and people.
This was a good 60 minute stop with a museum included.
We paid 150 AZN for the 4 hours our Bolt Driver drove us over 200km round trip…for two people. Great value but he was such a typically genuinely open Azerberjan man it was a pleasure to be with him.
Walking around the foreshore of Baku and Fountain Square area is a delight, even more so in the evening.
We spent 4 days in Baku and loved it. Even did our laundry at Speed Queen laundromat (20 AZN) before flying back to Tbilisi and from there a flight to Yerevan in Armenia.
