How many days in Baku? 3 days, Old City to mud volcanoes
By Tony Panopoulos · travel-agency planner in Greece · Updated
Baku packs three cities into one: the walled medieval Icherisheher, the oil-boom mansions of the early 1900s and the glass-and-LED skyline of the last twenty years. Three days is right. Two cover the city on foot and by metro; the third goes 60 km south-west to the Gobustan petroglyphs and the mud volcanoes, and comes back past the burning hillside of Yanar Dag after dark.
Short answer
Two days is enough for the Old City, the Boulevard and the Heydar Aliyev Center. The third day adds Gobustan, the mud volcanoes and the fire temple at Ateshgah.
The 3-day plan, day by day
Day 1: Icherisheher, the walled Old City
Morning. Enter the Old City through the Double Gates (Qosha Qala) and climb the Maiden Tower (about 15 AZN), a 29-metre stone cylinder whose age is still argued over, for the view across the Caspian. Allow an hour.
Afternoon. Walk 5 minutes to the Palace of the Shirvanshahs (about 15 AZN), the 15th-century royal complex with its mosque, mausoleum and bathhouse. Then lose yourself in the lanes around the caravanserais and the carpet shops of Kichik Gala Street.
Evening. Dinner inside a restored caravanserai such as the Multani or a terrace restaurant near the walls; plov and kebabs with a pot of black tea cost about 20-35 AZN per person.
Icherisheher is a UNESCO site and a living neighbourhood: around 1,300 families still live inside the walls, so keep voices down in the residential lanes.
Day 2: The Boulevard, Flame Towers and Heydar Aliyev Center
Morning. Walk the Baku Boulevard (Denizkenari Milli Park), which runs about 3 km along the bay. Stop at the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum (about 10 AZN), housed in a building shaped like a rolled carpet.
Afternoon. Take a taxi (about 6-8 AZN with Bolt) to the Heydar Aliyev Center by Zaha Hadid, a single white curve with no straight lines (about 20 AZN for the exhibitions; closed Mondays). Then walk Nizami Street and Fountains Square, lined with oil-baron architecture.
Evening. Ride the funicular from the Boulevard (about 1 AZN) up to Highland Park and the Martyrs' Lane at sunset, facing the Flame Towers, whose LED skins show moving flames after dark.
Pay the metro and buses with a BakiKART card (a 2 AZN deposit, rides about 0.60 AZN), sold at metro machines.
Day 3: Gobustan, mud volcanoes and the fire of Absheron
Morning. Drive about 1 hour south to the Gobustan National Park (about 15 AZN with the museum), where more than 6,000 rock carvings show hunters, boats and dancers from up to 12,000 years ago.
Afternoon. Continue 10-15 minutes by Lada taxi on dirt tracks to the mud volcanoes, small grey cones that burp cold mud. In the late afternoon, head to the Absheron Peninsula for the Ateshgah fire temple in Surakhani (about 10 AZN), a former Hindu and Zoroastrian pilgrimage site.
Evening. Finish at Yanar Dag (about 10 AZN), a hillside where natural gas has burned continuously for decades; it is most striking after dark. Back in Baku by 21:00.
Public transport to these sites is slow; a group tour (around 40-70 AZN) or a private driver for the day (around 120-180 AZN per car) saves hours.
Only have 2 days?
With 2 days, do Day 1 and Day 2 and visit Yanar Dag on the evening of Day 1 by taxi (about 30 minutes each way). You lose Gobustan and the mud volcanoes.
Got extra days?
A 4th day can go north to Shamakhi and the Diri Baba mausoleum, or further to the silk town of Sheki (about 5 hours by road) with its painted Khan's Palace and a night in an old caravanserai. In winter, Shahdag ski resort is about 3 hours away.
Where to stay in Baku
| Budget | Area | Why | Typical double/night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | Sahil / Fountains Square | Hostels and small hotels in walking distance of the Old City and the Boulevard. | 40-80 AZN |
| Mid-range | Icherisheher (Old City) | Boutique hotels inside the walls, quiet at night, 5 minutes from the Maiden Tower. | 100-200 AZN |
| Mid-range | Nizami Street / 28 May | Close to the main train station and the airport bus, many restaurants. | 90-170 AZN |
| Comfort | Flame Towers / Bayil | Five-star towers with bay views; a short taxi ride to everything. | 250-500 AZN |
Getting around
Central Baku is walkable: the Old City to Fountains Square is 5 minutes, and to the Carpet Museum 10. The Baku Metro, with its Soviet-era marble stations, is cheap with a BakiKART. Bolt and Uber are inexpensive and avoid haggling; most rides in town cost 4-8 AZN. From Heydar Aliyev International Airport, the H1 Aero Express bus runs to 28 May station (about 1.30 AZN, 30-40 minutes), and a Bolt ride is about 20-30 AZN.
What to eat in Baku
Azerbaijani food is built on rice, lamb and herbs. Try plov (saffron rice with lamb, chestnuts and dried fruit), dushbara (tiny dumplings in broth), qutab (thin flatbreads filled with greens or meat, about 1-2 AZN each), dolma in vine leaves and lyulya kebab. Tea is served everywhere in pear-shaped glasses with jam and sugar cubes. Try the qutab stalls around the Taza Bazaar, the city's main food market, for spices, pomegranates and cheese. A good dinner with wine costs 30-60 AZN per person; Azerbaijani wines from Shamakhi and Ganja are improving.
Best time to visit
April to June and September to October, with highs of 18-28°C. July and August reach 30-35°C, and the famous Baku wind (khazri) can blow hard at any season. Winters are cool and grey (around 4-8°C). Avoid the dates of large events, such as the Formula 1 race in September, when hotel prices jump.
Month-by-month weather for Baku →
What a day costs
| Budget | Mid-range | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed (per person, sharing a double) | 30 AZN | 70 AZN | 180 AZN |
| Food & drink | 25 AZN | 50 AZN | 100 AZN |
| Sights & tickets | 15 AZN | 35 AZN | 60 AZN |
| Local transport | 5 AZN | 15 AZN | 40 AZN |
| Total per person, per day | about 75 AZN | about 170 AZN | about 380 AZN |
Approximate 2026 prices in Azerbaijani manat (1 US$ is about 1.70 AZN); day tours to Gobustan and Absheron are extra.
Before you go
Common questions
Do I need a visa for Azerbaijan?
Most visitors need an e-visa, applied for on the official ASAN Visa portal; it usually costs about US$26 and is issued within three working days, faster for a higher fee. Some nationalities enter visa-free. Note that the land borders have been closed to travellers for several years, so most people arrive by air. Check the current rules before booking.
Is Baku expensive?
Less than most of Europe. Taxis, metro rides and local food are cheap, and museum tickets are mostly 10-20 AZN. Hotels in the Old City and the five-star towers are the main expense, and imported drinks in western-style bars cost close to European prices. A mid-range day comes to about 170 AZN.
Can I visit the mud volcanoes by public transport?
Only partly. Bus 195 runs from Baku towards Gobustan, but the mud volcanoes are reached by dirt tracks, usually in old Lada taxis that wait near the museum and charge by the car. Most travellers take a group tour that combines Gobustan, the mud volcanoes, Ateshgah and Yanar Dag in one day.
Is Baku a conservative city?
Less than many expect. Azerbaijan is a secular country, alcohol is sold widely and dress in the city centre is European. Dress modestly in mosques, where women should cover their hair and everyone should cover shoulders and knees. Avoid photographing government buildings, police and military sites.
How this guide was made
Compiled by TonyPlan from official tourism, transport and attraction sources and on-the-ground travel knowledge. Prices are approximate for 2026 and change with season; anything we could not confirm is marked as approximate.
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