Where to stay in Baku — pick the right hotel, book in 3 clicks

Local dishes to try in Baku

1. 1🍚

   Plov

   Saffron rice served alongside 'gara' (fried meat, dried fruit or egg) and fresh herbs. Azerbaijan's national dish, with dozens of regional recipes across the country.

   📍 National dish
2. 2🌿

   Dolma

   Minced lamb and rice with herbs wrapped in vine or cabbage leaves and braised, with dozens of seasonal variants. Usually eaten with garlic yoghurt.

   📍 Stuffed vine leaves
3. 3🍢

   Kebab

   Spiced lamb, chicken or vegetables grilled over charcoal, served with lavash bread, raw onion and sumac. Found everywhere from street stalls to smart restaurants.

   📍 Skewered grilled meat
4. 4🥟

   Qutab

   Thin pan-fried flatbreads filled with green herbs, pumpkin or minced meat. A ubiquitous street snack along the pedestrian streets, best eaten hot off the griddle.

   📍 Pan-fried herb pancake
5. 5🍲

   Piti / Dushbara

   Piti is a slow-cooked lamb stew in a clay pot in the Sheki style; dushbara are tiny dumplings in lamb broth with dried mint and garlic. Both are warming on a windy day.

   📍 Stew & dumpling soup
6. 6🍯

   Pakhlava & Sheki Halva

   Layered nut-filled pastry soaked in syrup, paired with Sheki halva, a sweet found only in the mountain town of Sheki. Best with black tea in a slim armudu glass.

   📍 Local sweets

1. 1🏰

   Icherisheher (Old City) & Maiden Tower

   The walled old town, centred on the 12th-century Maiden Tower, one of Azerbaijan's national emblems. Climb to the top for views over the maze of lanes and the Caspian beyond.

   📍 UNESCO World Heritage
2. 2👑

   Palace of the Shirvanshahs

   The royal residence of the Shirvanshahs dynasty inside the Old City, with a mosque, mausoleum, bathhouse and courtyard. Its stone carving forms part of the World Heritage listing alongside Maiden Tower.

   📍 15th-century royal palace
3. 3🏛️

   Heydar Aliyev Center

   A flowing, angle-free building by Zaha Hadid and the icon of contemporary Baku. Inside are rotating exhibitions and a classic-car collection; outside is one of the city's most photographed spots.

   📍 Zaha Hadid landmark
4. 4🔥

   Flame Towers

   Three flame-shaped towers that come alive after dark with more than 10,000 LEDs simulating dancing flames. Best viewed from Highland Park or the seafront boulevard below.

   📍 Skyline of fire
5. 5🌊

   Baku Boulevard & Baku Eye

   A seaside promenade dating to 1909, stretching for kilometres with parks, cafes and the Baku Eye Ferris wheel. A free, breezy place for a sunset walk along the Caspian.

   📍 Caspian seafront
6. 6⛲

   Fountain Square & Nizami Street

   A lively fountain-lined square flowing into pedestrian Nizami Street, packed with restaurants, cafes and shops. The social heart of the city by day and night.

   📍 Downtown pedestrian hub
7. 7🪦

   Highland Park & Martyrs' Lane

   A hillside park below the Flame Towers, with Martyrs' Lane, a memorial and an eternal flame. It offers some of the finest panoramic views over Baku Bay and the Old City.

   📍 Best city viewpoint
8. 8🧶

   Azerbaijan Carpet Museum

   A carpet museum on the boulevard, housed in a building shaped like a rolled carpet. It displays hand-woven rugs and folk art recognised as cultural heritage.

   📍 Rolled-carpet building