Co-Author: Kankana Debnath
In April of 2024, we visited Azerbaijan.
In this article, we will give you a glimpse of the places that we visited in Azerbaijan and the embedded YouTube video at the end of this article offers a virtual tour of the places we visited.
Baku: Baku is the capital city of Azerbaijan. It is known as the city of Winds and Fire because of strong Winds and Fire, due to its historic fire temples and presence of natural gas and oil resources in the Modern era. The city has a blend of architecture. From the historic Palace in the Old City, to Soviet Architecture, to modern buildings and shopping malls adorn the city.
We visited the Carpet Museum, did Gondola ride at Mini Venice, Took the Funicular train to go up to Martyr’s Lane. We saw the Eternal Flame Memorial Complex erected in the memory of the martyrs of Azerbaijan.
Then we visited the Old City of Baku. The walled old city is a nicely preserved medieval city which includes the Palace of Shirvanshahs.
At the base of the Old city is Nizami Street which is a pedestrian street with shops restaurants etc. and certainly deserves a visit to feel the vibe of the city.
Another place to enjoy in Baku is the Boulevard. A promenade running parallel to the Caspian Sea on one side and parks on the other, this is a place where both locals and tourists enjoy their time when the weather is nice.
We also visited the Heydar Aliyev Center where we saw the Heydar Aliyev Museum and Car Exhibition. This is a very modern museum and the architecture is breathtaking. It also has a well-maintained garden in front of the building.
Another attraction to visit in Baku is the Ateshgah Fire Temple. This historic temple was used by the Hindus, Sikhs and Zoroastrians in the area.
Close to Baku, is Yanar Dag,the burning mountain. There is a natural gas fire that keeps on burning.
Baku also has a few modern Shopping Malls. Ganjlik Mall in the centre of Baku is a modern Shopping Mall with a wide array of shops and restaurants. Daniz Mall is an ultra-modern Shopping Mall right at the beginning of the Baku Boulevard, close to the Caspian Sea. It has a large number of shops and some of the restaurants overlook the Caspian Sea. Port Baku Mall features high end and international Fashion and Lifestyle shops and boutiques.
We went to Gabala for a day. We had Lunch in the beautiful town on Gabala and then went to the ropeway in the Ski Resort. We went in Mid-April, so there was little snow, but the view was pretty nice. We also saw the Nohur Lake which offers boating.
The next day, we went for Shahdag and Quba. Quba is a nice little town in the mountains and Shahdag mountain is close to the Russian border. Shahdag also had a ropeway in the Ski Resort and we loved the place. This place had more snow than Gabala. This place also has the Shahdag Coaster. This is a huge Roller Coaster amidst the mountain and the experience is mesmerizing.
Overall, Azerbaijan is a nice a country to visit as it offers both mountains and the sea. If you are looking for snow, February to March would be the ideal time to visit.
