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 t...
Photograph · Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0
Reviewed by Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor
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.
Checked 2026-08-25
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.
11 places match
Category
Typical visit duration
Interests
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.
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.
Milli Azərbaycan Tarixi Muzeyi
The National Museum of History of Azerbaijan is Azerbaijan's principal history collection, housed in an ornate former mansion.
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.
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.
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.
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.
