We have traveled for 15 days in Azerbaijan.  Of course we didn’t see everything but we feel that we covered most of the important sites and got a good feel of the country.

We flew to Baku and traveled the following route:

• Baku and a day trip to Qobustan and the mud volcanoes
  • Baku free walking tour, see Facebook
  • Palace of the Shirvanshahs
  • Carpet museum
  • Flame towers and Sahidlar Xiyabani viewpoint. Surprisingly there is no rooftop bar at the Flame Towers. Their bar is on the ground floor and there is no happy hour…
  • Heydar Alieyev Cultural Center- Zaha Hadid impressive structure , no need to go inside
  • Taza Bazaar – good place to buy caviar
  • Qobustan – Check out Bag Baku on Facebook, (almost) daily budget tours
  • Restaurants – Firuza, Sirvanshah Muzey-Restoran (actual old hamam building and a museum, ask the metre d’ for a tour)
  • Happy hour at Bar 360 at the Hyatt Hotel. Great views at revolving bar with half price drinks and complementary nuts, 6-8 pm.
  • Russian Language Theater for Russian speakers. We saw two really good plays.

Palace of the Shirvanshahs

• Quba, Krasnaya Sloboda and day trips to Xinaliq, Tangaalti and Afurja Waterfall
• Lankaran and day trips to Astara and Lerik
• Baku and a trip to Suraxani Fire Temple. Suraxani Temple is a fascinating place originally used by Zoroastrians and later built as a temple by Indian Shiva Devotees.  The entire complex is devoted to fire worshiping.  Their holiest day was March 21 (my birthday) and later adopted by the Muslims as the holiday of Novruz. Since I love fire and my birthday is March 21^st, I connected to the place and suspect being a Zoroastrian in my previous life…

Suraxani Fire Temple

• Lahic
• Sheki
• Zaqatala & Car

For details about locations outside of Baku, see my other previously posted blogs.