Introduction
Azerbaijan has been hosting travellers since silk worms started to spin. Azerbaijan was once a major stopover on the Great Silk Route, and there are many captivating sights to see in this ancient country - Bronze Age petroglyphs, medieval minarets and mosques, the famous carpets. With an oil bonanza incipient, the capital Baku is fast becoming a boomtown.
Destination Facts
Capital: Baku (Bak ı )
President: Ilham Aliyev
Prime Minister: Artur Rasizade
Government: republic
Time zone: GMT +4
Area: 86,600
Population: 7.961.600
Languages: Muslim (93%), Russian Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox
Currency: Azerbaijanian Manat (Manat)
Country Dialing Code: 994
Getting There
The best time to visit Azerbaijan is between April and October when it's warm and dry in much of the country. July and August are the best months for reaching mountain villages like Xinaliq, but can be scorching (up to 38 ° C/100 ° F) and unbearably humid in Baku. It's much colder and wetter in the winter and snow, while rare in Baku, is common in the mountains. The biggest national festival (Novruz) climaxes on March 21st with much merriment and even fire-jumping.
Getting there and away
Travellers from Europe, especially Russia, have the best air access to Azerbaijan. There are flights between Baku and Frankfurt, Kiev, London, Amsterdam, Moscow, St Petersburg, Riga, Vienna and Zurich several times a week. Most other flights serve cities in ex-Soviet republics and the Middle East, usually once a week. There's no departure tax. There are two overnight trains between Baku and Tibilisi, Georgia. One is relatively luxurious but very costly. The other is much slower but very cheap. However for scenery it's much more interesting to do the trip in stages via Ş əki, Zaqatala and the Kaheti region of Georgia. Borders with Russia and Armenia are currently closed. Several daily buses drive all the way from Istanbul (Turkey) to Nax ç ivan, Azerbaijan's disconnected southern adjunct, but the border there is notoriously corrupt and once in Nax ç ivan, the only way to Baku is to fly (100.00, several daily) or loop through Iran, which is easy enough in stages (via Culfa, Ardabil and Astara); but you'll need a visa, which can be tough to procure. There are occasional freighters running across the Caspian to Turkmenbashi, Turkmenistan and Aktau, Kazakhstan. Passengers are carried but the schedules depends totally on what's to be taken and when it can be loaded. That would be annoying in any situation, but can be catastrophic for visiting Turkmenistan which gives very short visas with set entry dates.
Getting around
The fastest way to get around Azerbaijan is by shared taxi or minibus, though drivers can be somewhat reckless. Trains are very slow but useful on overnight routes, though stations are often far from the town centres, especially in the northwest. Expats tend to drive around in fancy 4WDs, which are the only conceivable way to reach certain remote villages other than on horseback (or hiking). However, renting one is fiercely expensive. Shared jeeps do operate occasionally on even the most remote routes but you can wait a long time. If you decide to drive there are car-hire agencies in Baku. You'll need an international driver's licence; driving is on the right. To get around Baku, most foreigners use taxis, which are unmetered but should rarely cost more than 2.00 per trip. However, the system of marshrutki (minibuses) is cheap and very efficient once you've learnt the landmarks and complex one-way systems that makes routes somewhat convoluted. Baku's metro isn't especially useful for the central area, being chiefly designed to rush commuters to the outer suburbs.
Visa:
Visas are required. If flying to Baku they can be obtained on arrival at the airport (photo required). Otherwise apply in advance.
Weather
Thanks to the sheltering mountains the lower-altitude regions of Azerbaijan verge on a tropical climate. Daily summer temperatures in Baku are usually between 25 ° C and 35 ° C (77-95 ° F), although the capital gets some relief from the Caspian breeze. Winters still get cold but freezing conditions are rare. Summer temperatures are similar in the mountains, but with colder nights, and winter sees the temperatures huddled below zero.
Warning
There is continuing conflict in Nagorno-Karabach and it remains an extremely dangerous region. Some areas are landmined.
Azerbaijan has been hosting travellers since silk worms started to spin. Azerbaijan was once a major stopover on the Great Silk Route, and there are many captivating sights to see in this ancient country - Bronze Age petroglyphs, medieval minarets and mosques, the famous carpets. With an oil bonanza incipient, the capital Baku is fast becoming a boomtown.
Destination Facts
Capital: Baku (Bak ı )
President: Ilham Aliyev
Prime Minister: Artur Rasizade
Government: republic
Time zone: GMT +4
Area: 86,600
Population: 7.961.600
Languages: Muslim (93%), Russian Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox
Currency: Azerbaijanian Manat (Manat)
Country Dialing Code: 994
Getting There
The best time to visit Azerbaijan is between April and October when it's warm and dry in much of the country. July and August are the best months for reaching mountain villages like Xinaliq, but can be scorching (up to 38 ° C/100 ° F) and unbearably humid in Baku. It's much colder and wetter in the winter and snow, while rare in Baku, is common in the mountains. The biggest national festival (Novruz) climaxes on March 21st with much merriment and even fire-jumping.
Getting there and away
Travellers from Europe, especially Russia, have the best air access to Azerbaijan. There are flights between Baku and Frankfurt, Kiev, London, Amsterdam, Moscow, St Petersburg, Riga, Vienna and Zurich several times a week. Most other flights serve cities in ex-Soviet republics and the Middle East, usually once a week. There's no departure tax. There are two overnight trains between Baku and Tibilisi, Georgia. One is relatively luxurious but very costly. The other is much slower but very cheap. However for scenery it's much more interesting to do the trip in stages via Ş əki, Zaqatala and the Kaheti region of Georgia. Borders with Russia and Armenia are currently closed. Several daily buses drive all the way from Istanbul (Turkey) to Nax ç ivan, Azerbaijan's disconnected southern adjunct, but the border there is notoriously corrupt and once in Nax ç ivan, the only way to Baku is to fly (100.00, several daily) or loop through Iran, which is easy enough in stages (via Culfa, Ardabil and Astara); but you'll need a visa, which can be tough to procure. There are occasional freighters running across the Caspian to Turkmenbashi, Turkmenistan and Aktau, Kazakhstan. Passengers are carried but the schedules depends totally on what's to be taken and when it can be loaded. That would be annoying in any situation, but can be catastrophic for visiting Turkmenistan which gives very short visas with set entry dates.
Getting around
The fastest way to get around Azerbaijan is by shared taxi or minibus, though drivers can be somewhat reckless. Trains are very slow but useful on overnight routes, though stations are often far from the town centres, especially in the northwest. Expats tend to drive around in fancy 4WDs, which are the only conceivable way to reach certain remote villages other than on horseback (or hiking). However, renting one is fiercely expensive. Shared jeeps do operate occasionally on even the most remote routes but you can wait a long time. If you decide to drive there are car-hire agencies in Baku. You'll need an international driver's licence; driving is on the right. To get around Baku, most foreigners use taxis, which are unmetered but should rarely cost more than 2.00 per trip. However, the system of marshrutki (minibuses) is cheap and very efficient once you've learnt the landmarks and complex one-way systems that makes routes somewhat convoluted. Baku's metro isn't especially useful for the central area, being chiefly designed to rush commuters to the outer suburbs.
Visa:
Visas are required. If flying to Baku they can be obtained on arrival at the airport (photo required). Otherwise apply in advance.
Weather
Thanks to the sheltering mountains the lower-altitude regions of Azerbaijan verge on a tropical climate. Daily summer temperatures in Baku are usually between 25 ° C and 35 ° C (77-95 ° F), although the capital gets some relief from the Caspian breeze. Winters still get cold but freezing conditions are rare. Summer temperatures are similar in the mountains, but with colder nights, and winter sees the temperatures huddled below zero.
Warning
There is continuing conflict in Nagorno-Karabach and it remains an extremely dangerous region. Some areas are landmined.
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