Baku, Surakhany, Gala and Maraza: 8-day sightseeing tour

Day-by-day itinerary

1. Day 1

   Check-in at the hotel and free time — the day when the group comes together. Arrival in Baku becomes the starting point, and the evening can be spent to your own taste: for an additional fee, dinner at the Shirvanshah restaurant-museum or an excursion to the carpet museum is offered.

2. Day 2

   The most overview day of the trip. It begins from the height of the Highland Park, from where the city is visible as a whole, continues down to the Seaside Boulevard along the Caspian Sea and ends in Icherisheher — among the fortress walls, the Palace of the Shirvanshahs and the Maiden Tower. In the evening — Nizami Street with its architecture; the rhythm of the day is a lot of walking and a lot of views.

3. Day 3

   A trip out of the city, to the Absheron Peninsula, to the Ateshgah temple, where natural gas comes out of the ground and ignites by itself. Nearby is the Gala ethnographic reserve on the site of archaeological excavations: old quarters, dwellings, household items. The day differs from the previous one in that the city gives way to an open landscape.

4. Day 4

   One address, one big theme — the Heydar Aliyev Center, a building designed by Zaha Hadid. Smooth lines, no sharp corners, inside — exhibitions about the history and culture of the country. The day is short and calm, the rest of the time is free.

5. Day 5

   The farthest and most packed trip of the program: Baku — Shamakhi — Lahij and back. Along the way — the Juma Mosque, the Diri Baba mausoleum of the 15th century, built into the rock, the village of Demirchi with blacksmith craft and caravanserais, the settlement of Pirkuli at an altitude of 1400 m. The completion is Lahij, a reserve of crafts, where engraved copper utensils are made. The pace is high, the road is long, the impressions are the most of the entire trip.

6. Day 6

   A free day in Baku. Among the recommended — Yashil Bazar with spices and fruit, the Park Bulvar and 28 Mall shopping centers, the Fountain Square on Nizami Street and Icherisheher again. You can take an additional excursion for a separate fee.

7. Day 7

   Another day without a program, given to the city. The same choice: walks through familiar places or an additional excursion if desired and for an extra fee. The pace is the slowest of the entire trip.

8. Day 8

   Breakfast, free time and a transfer to Heydar Aliyev Airport. If the departure is late, the suitcases can be left at the hotel and the last hours spent unburdened.