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City guide

Baku (Baky), Azerbaijan

Baku is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is 28 metres (92 ft) below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world and the largest city in the world below sea level.

Type City

Why go

  • Capital and largest city of Azerbaijan.
  • Known for Caspian Sea.
  • Served by Zabrat Airport (ZXT).

History

Baku is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is 28 metres (92 ft) below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world and the largest city in the world below sea level. Baku lies on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, along the Bay of Baku. Baku's urban population is estimated at over two million people. Baku is the primate city of Azerbaijan. It is the sole metropolis in the country, and about 25% of all inhabitants of the country live in Baku's metropolitan area.

Restaurants & places to go

Restaurant · Ресторан Аркадия Новикова в Баку Opening hours: Mo-Fr 08:00-00:00; Sa-Su 09:00-00:00 Features: air conditioning · 7 Məhəmməd Əmin Rəsulzadə… · novikovgroup.ru
Indoor
Restaurant · 12th Century Historic Traditional Restaurant Opening hours: Mo-Su 09:00-00:00 · instagram.com
Indoor
Pizza, Fast Food · Opening hours: Mo-Su 11:00-23:00 Features: takeaway, delivery, air conditioning · 82Q Akademik Həsən Əliyev küçəsi, Bakı, 1110 · papajohns.az
Indoor
Restaurant · Концептуальный паб · 170 Bəşir Səfəroğlu · facebook.com
Indoor
Pizza, Fast Food · Opening hours: 24/7 Features: takeaway · Mir Cəlal · dominospizza.az
Indoor
Burger, Fast Food · Opening hours: 08:00-04:00 Features: takeaway · mcdonalds.az
Indoor
Burger, Fast Food · Opening hours: Mo-Su 08:00-00:00 Features: takeaway · 172 Heydər Əliyev prospekti, Bakı · mcdonalds.az
Indoor
Pizza, Restaurant · Opening hours: Mo-Su 09:00-23:00 · 2 Azərbaycan prospekti · pizzahut.az
Indoor

292 more places in the Ultimate edition. See the Ultimate edition →

Airports

Heydar Aliyev International Airport (GYD) 19 km to the centre
Baku, BA, AZ — You board from the indoor waiting area — no need to plan for the weather. ✈ 29 airlines (Azerbaijan Airlines, S7 Airlines, Aeroflot Russian Airlines, Air Astana…) · direct flights to 39 destinations incl. Frankfurt, Kiev, St. Petersburg, Aktau, Ashkhabad… (OpenFlights route data).
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 29 airlines, 39 direct destinations
  • Azerbaijan Airlines J2 (A320, A319, Embraer 190, Embraer 170, 757, 767…) · 26 routes: Aktau, Ankara, Beijing, Doha*, Dubai, Frankfurt*, Ganja, Istanbul, Istanbul, Kiev, London, Milano, Mineralnye Vody, Moscow, Novosibirsk, Paris, Prague, Riga, Rome, St. Petersburg, Tabriz, Tbilisi, Tehran, Tel-aviv, Vienna, Yekaterinburg
  • S7 Airlines S7 (A319, A320, 757) · 3 routes: Moscow, Novosibirsk, St. Petersburg*
  • Aeroflot Russian Airlines SU (A319, A320) · 2 routes: Moscow, St. Petersburg
  • Air Astana KC (Embraer 190) · 2 routes: Alma-ata, Tselinograd
  • Alitalia AZ (A319, A320) · 2 routes: Milano*, Rome*
  • Ariana Afghan Airlines FG (734) · 2 routes: Kabul, Moscow
  • Lufthansa Cargo LH (A330-300, A340-300) · 2 routes: Ashkhabad, Frankfurt
  • NordStar Airlines Y7 (737-800) · 2 routes: Krasnoyarsk, Ufa
  • Qatar Airways QR (A320) · 2 routes: Doha, Tbilisi
  • United Airlines UA (A330-300) · 2 routes: Ashkhabad*, Frankfurt*
  • Aerocondor 2B (CRJ-200) · 1 route: Nizhnekamsk
  • Air Baltic BT (735) · 1 route: Riga
  • Air France AF (A320) · 1 route: Paris*
  • AlMasria Universal Airlines UJ (A320) · 1 route: Kiev
  • Austrian Airlines OS (A319) · 1 route: Vienna*
  • Belavia Belarusian Airlines B2 (735) · 1 route: Minsk 2
  • British Airways BA (A321) · 1 route: London
  • China Southern Airlines CZ (737-700) · 1 route: Urumqi
  • Czech Airlines OK (A320) · 1 route: Prague*
  • Fly Dubai FZ (737-800) · 1 route: Dubai
  • Iran Air IR (A320) · 1 route: Tehran
  • Isles of Scilly Skybus Isles of Scilly Skybus (CRJ-200) · 1 route: Omsk
  • Pegasus Airlines PC (737-800) · 1 route: Istanbul
  • Scat Air DV (CRJ) · 1 route: Aktau
  • Turkish Airlines TK (A320, A321, 737-800) · 1 route: Istanbul
  • Ukraine International Airlines PS (737) · 1 route: Kiev
  • Ural Airlines U6 (A320) · 1 route: Yekaterinburg
  • Uzbekistan Airways HY (A320) · 1 route: Tashkent
  • Wizz Air W6 (A320) · 1 route: Budapest

Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.

Indoor
Zabrat Airport (ZXT) 15 km to the centre
Zabrat, BA, AZ — Indoor waiting areas, but some gates board by bus or on foot across the apron — plan for the weather on the day.
Indoor | Outdoor
Pirsagat Airport 74 km to the centre
Pirsaat, BA, AZ
Outdoor

Getting there by ferry

Boat to Turkmenbasi
Ferry terminal · 1.8 km from the centre
Outdoor
Bakı Dəniz Vağzalı
Ferry terminal · 1.8 km from the centre
Outdoor
Passport Control
Ferry terminal · 6.9 km from the centre
Outdoor
Port 57
Ferry terminal · 6.9 km from the centre
Outdoor
New Port Ticket Office
Ferry terminal · 6.9 km from the centre
Outdoor
New Port, ferry to Turkmenistan
Ferry terminal · 7.7 km from the centre
Outdoor
Baku–Chilov
Ferry route
Outdoor
Baku – Neft Daşları
Ferry route
Outdoor
Baku–Turkmenbashi ferry
Ferry route
Outdoor
Baku-Ələt (Azerbaijan) - Aqtau-Qurıq (Kazakhstan)
Ferry route
Outdoor

Where things are

Full geo-intelligence in Better Mapping →
Local search powered by Geoverts and geo-intelligence by Better Mapping base map © OSM

Photographs

When to go

Tourist season
May – September

The warmer, longer-day half of the year is the safest bet for a first visit.

Shoulder season
April, October

Cooler and quieter, with fewer visitors and better value.

Worth avoiding
Deep winter

Short days and the coldest weather — check local conditions before travelling.

Getting there & around

Getting there. The nearest airport on record is Zabrat Airport (ZXT); 7 other airports serve the wider area. Check rail and road links from the tourism sources below. By air: GYD has direct flights to 39 destinations on 29 airlines (incl. Frankfurt, Kiev, St. Petersburg, Aktau, Ashkhabad…). By water: 6 ferry terminals within 20 km (nearest: Boat to Turkmenbasi, 1.8 km); routes include Baku–Chilov, Baku – Neft Daşları, Baku–Turkmenbashi ferry.

Getting around. Use the map above to orient yourself; nearby hotels, attractions and places to eat are listed from the live Ultimate data for Baku (Baky), Azerbaijan. Local transit details will be added as the guide is expanded.

Trains & rail

Rail operator

Private aviation

On-demand charter, jet cards and the semi-private scheduled carriers that serve this city.

Broker · Any aircraft via operators worldwide · Global charter broker with 30+ offices; private jets, group charters and cargo.
FBO, charter, management · Managed fleet · FBO network and management across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific.
Fractional, jet card · Embraer Praetor, Bombardier Challenger & Global, Gulfstream · Fractional ownership and jet cards in North America and Europe.
Charter, management · Large-cabin & VIP airliners · Geneva-based operator known for large-cabin and VIP airliner charters.
Charter, management, FBO, MRO · Managed fleet worldwide · General Dynamics company: charter, completions and FBOs in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the US.