Baku, Gobustan, Lahij and Shamakhi: 5-day sightseeing tour

Day-by-day itinerary

1. Day 1

   Arrival in Baku and transfer to the hotel — a day without excursions, only the road and the first acquaintance with the city from the car window. The driver meets you at the airport and takes you to the place of stay. Meals on this day are not included in the price. Night in Baku.

2. Day 2

   The most urban day of the trip: you walk through the old quarters, where the walls remember the residence of the Shirvanshahs, look into the workshop of the artist Ali Shamsi and the museum of miniature books, pass by the Maiden Tower. Lunch — in a national restaurant with a view of the old city, at your own expense. Closer to the coast you are awaited by the canals of "Little Venice" with gondolas, the tanker museum "Suraxanı" by the seaside boulevard, and then a climb by funicular to the Highland Park and the Alley of Martyrs with a panorama of evening Baku and the Flame Towers. The day ends with a walk along Nizami Street and Fountain Square, where you can have dinner or take a dessert. The pace of the day is dense, but with pauses for food and rest.

3. Day 3

   A day of fire and ancient earth. First — the Ateshgah temple in Surakhany, where a living flame burns in the altar, and around the perimeter of the courtyard there are cells with expositions. Then — Yanar Dagh mountain, where tongues of fire come straight out of the slope, and you can stand next to it, feeling the heat. After lunch with piti and dushbara — the Gobustan reserve: rock drawings on the plateau, the "singing rock" Gaval Dash and a ride by off-road vehicle to the mud volcanoes, which bubble and spread in patterns over the clay. The day is long and full, with journeys and going out onto rough terrain.

4. Day 4

   A trip to the mountains, towards Shamakhi and Lahij. On the way — the Diri Baba mausoleum at the foot of the rocks and the Juma mosque in Shamakhi, the oldest in Azerbaijan. Then the Meysari winery: a tasting of organic wines with snacks is paid separately, not included in the price. The final point — Lahij, a village of craftsmen, where you can go into a forge, a chasing and a pottery workshop, touch things with your hands and talk with the craftsmen. Here too — a treat of tea with herbs and kutabs. Return to Baku late in the evening.

5. Day 5

   Breakfast at the hotel, check-out and transfer to Baku airport. On the way, familiar landscapes flash outside the window, and the Heydar Aliyev airport building with its curved architecture becomes the last point of the route. Flight home. Meals: breakfast.