DAY 1
Arrival at Airport
Transfer from Airport to Hotel
Accommodation in Baku Hotel. Free time
Assembly at Lobby . Proceed to City Tour
Continue with Highland Park ( 5 km distance form city center) -Alley of Martyrs, The National Assembly- also transliterated as Milli Majlis, Flame towers- the tallest skyscraper in Baku,
Later visit Old city (2 km distance from Highland Park) – Icheri Sheher. Maiden Tower, Shirvanshahs Palace, Shemakhe Gate etc. Maiden Tower (12th c), Shirvanshah’s Palace (15th c). The Walled City of Baku with these architectural monuments is included in the World’s Cultural Heritage of UNESCO) Baku- capital city is situated in the south-western part of the Absheron Peninsula
Continue with Nizami Street – a large pedestrian and shopping street in downtown Baku, Azerbaijan, named after classical poet Nizami Ganjavi.
(Lunch time)
After lunch walking through Baku Boulevard which stretches along a south-facing bay on the Caspian Sea. It traditionally starts at Freedom Square continuing west to the Old City and beyond. Since 2012, the Yeni Bulvar (new boulevard) has virtually doubled the length to 3.75 km .Visit to Azerbaijan Carpet Museum which displays Azerbaijani carpets and rug items of various weaving techniques and materials from various periods. At the time of establishing, it was the only museum that was dedicated to the art of carpet weaving.
Visit to The Government House of Baku, also known as House of Government, is a government building housing various state ministries of Azerbaijan. Being in the center of Baku, the Government Currently, several ministries including Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population occupy the building offices.
Tour continues with the visit to The Heydar Aliyev Center ( 5 km from Baku Boulevard) is a 57,500 m2 (619,000 sq ft) building complex in Baku, Azerbaijan designed by Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid and noted for its distinctive architecture and flowing, curved style that eschews sharp angles. The center is named after Heydar Aliyev, the first secretary of Soviet Azerbaijan from 1969 to 1982, and president of Azerbaijan Republic from October 1993 to October 2003.
Back to Hotel
DAY 2
Breakfast in Hotel.
Assembly at lobby
Start tour with Bibiheibat Mosque (10 km distance from city center)-which a historical mosque in Baku, Azerbaijan. The existing structure, built in the 1990s, is a recreation of the mosque with the same name built in the 13th century by Shirvanshah Farrukhzad II Ibn Ahsitan II
Visit the Petroglyphs museum in Gobustan (53 km from Bibiheibat) , the museum’s permanent exhibition includes 12 rooms which displays and highlights the significance of the history of Gobustan Petroglyphs .After museum proceed to Gobustan National Park (5 km from Petroglyph museum) and Mud volcanoes in Gobustan Reserve. Gobustan is home to almost half of world’s mud volcanoes. It’s located 65 km. away from Baku.Gobustan State Reserve is also very rich in archeological monuments, the reserve has more than 600,000 rock paintings. On the average dating back to 5,000-20,000 years. It’s estimated that 300 of the planet’s estimated 700 mud volcanoes sit Gobustan, Azerbaijan and the Caspian Sea
(Lunch time)
Continue with “Fire Mountain” (77 km distance from Gobustan) . “Yanardag” – is a mountain on Absheron peninsula, 25 km from north of Baku.Literally, word “Yanardag” means “Blazing mountain”. Blazing bodies of flame dance on stones and floor. Yanar dag is a natural gas fire which blazes continuously on a hillside on the Absheron Peninsula on the Caspian Sea near Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, which itself is known as the “land of fire.” Flames jet into the air 3 metres (9.8 ft) from a thin, porous sandstone layer. Yanar Dag is known by other names such as “pilpila”, “bozdagh”, “ahtarma” and “gaynarja.” Unlike mud volcanoes, the Yanar Dag flame burns fairly steadily, as it involves a steady seep of gas from the subsurface. It is claimed that the Yanar Dag flame was only noted when accidentally lit by a shepherd in the 1950s.
Trip to Fire Worshippers’ Temple-(22 km. far from Fire Mountain).The most famous fire temple is the well-preserved temple Ateshgah (“the Fire Place”) in Surakhany, The temple was built over a pocket of natural gas that fuelled a vent providing an ‘eternal’ fire. This kind of use of fire in Zoroastrian temples led to the followers of Zoroaster (Zarathustra) (XVII-XVIII centuries).
Back to Hotel
DAY 3
Breakfast in Hotel.
Assembly at lobby
Depart from Baku to Guba (169 km distance from Baku)
On the route observation of Besh Barmagh Mountain
Drive through Red Town (Krasnaya Sloboda), the biggest settlement of Mountain Jews in Azerbaijan.
Visit to oldest parts of the Quba, Old Mosques, hamams etc. , the bazaar of the city.
Here you will enjoy not only authentic Quba carpets but also lots of historical sights. The tourists usually choose for their rest Gyachresh area where you can relax in the shady woods
(Lunch time)
Continue to The Guba Mass Grave is a mass grave site located in the town of Guba in northeastern Azerbaijan. It was discovered during the building of a stadium in April 2007. The background behind the deaths is currently unknown, but Azerbaijani sources claim that the grave dates back to 1918.
Visit to the Khinalig village (50 km from Guba, visiting this place depends on weather conditions) situated where live 2000 Khynalygs – small ethnic group, who preserve its own language, customs and traditions. Small, magical Khinalig is located high in the Caucasus mountains, at an altitude of 2350 m above sea level in the Guba region. The village is inhabited by 2,000 light-skinned, blue-eyed people who consider themselves to be descendants of the Prophet Noah. Guests can take a short walk around the village. In good weather, the slopes offer a view of the snow-capped peaks of the Caucasus.
Return to Baku
DAY 4
Breakfast in Hotel.
Departure to Gabala (220 km distance from Baku)
On the route visit to The Diri Baba Mausoleum which is a mausoleum of Sheikh Diri Baba, located in Maraza city of Gobustan Rayon of Azerbaijan .Later drive to Shemakha. (123 km distance from Baku) The town was the capital of Shirvan Empire in 8-15th centuries. Visit a residence of Shirvan Dynasty Gulistan fortress for the city’s defense in 11-12 centuries, which also served as the last refuge of Shirvan Dynasty.
Continue to the Mausoleum of Yeddi-Gyumbez with numerous burial places of Shamakhi governors, and Djuma Mosque.
(Lunch time)
Drive through Girdimanchay River’s canyon to visit Lahij, the 5th century place rich in its historic and architectural values.(61 km from Shamakha, visiting this place depends on weather conditions) Lahij is an ancient village with charming eye-catching sidewalks inlaid by stones. It is famous for medieval water supply and sewage systems as well as traditional workshops making jewelry, copperware, carpets, pottery, daggers, and iron tools.
Arrival to Gabala. Accomodation in Hotel. Free time
Overnight at the hotel.
DAY 5
Breakfast in Hotel
Assembly at lobby
Start tour in Gabala – the ancient capital of Caucasian Albania. Archeological evidence indicates that the city functioned as the capital of Caucasian Albania as early as 4th century BC.[4] Up to the present time there are the ruins of the ancient city and the main gate of Caucasian Albania. Ongoing excavations near the village Chukhur show that Gabala from IV – III centuries BC and up to the XVIII century was one of the main cities with developed trade and crafts.The ruins of the ancient town are situated 15 km from the regional center, allocated on the territory between Garachay and Jourluchay rivers
Visit to an old settlement – Chukuryurd, Albanian Gates, Gabala History Muesum in Gabala.
Later continue to Tufandag mountain, use cable-car to see the amazing view of Gabala.
Drive to Sheki (90 km from Gabala)
(Lunch on the route)
Arrival to Sheki. Accomodation in Hotel.
Depart to Kish village (8 km distance from Sheki) and see the first church in Caucasus (I century) and Old Albanian castle.
Overnight at the hotel.
DAY 6
Breakfast in Hotel
Assembly at lobby. Visit medieval fortress, The Palace of Shaki Khans – a summer residence of Shaki Khans. It was built in 1797 by Muhammed Hasan Khan. Along with its pool and plane trees, the summer residence is the only remaining structure from the larger palatial complex inside the Sheki Khans’ Fortress, which once included a winter palace, residences for the Khan’s family and servants’ quarters. It features decorative tiles, fountains and several stained-glass windows. The exterior was decorated with dark blue, turquoise and ochre tiles in geometric patterns and the murals were coloured with tempera and were inspired by the works of Nizami Ganjavi.
(Lunch time)
Continue with Sheki Caravanserai –a historical monument in Sheki, a part of which is used as a hotel. Swift development of trade in the Middle Ages enhanced importance of caravanserai existing in the territory of Azerbaijan at that time and favored construction of new ones. Generally caravanserai were built in form of castles with one gate, closing of which made them impregnable during dangerous incidents. “Caravanserai” historical complex in Sheki is two magnificent caravanserai which reached present days and traditionally named “Yukhary” and “Ashaghy” caravanserai, which means “Upper” and “Lower” Caravanserai in translation from Azerbaijani into English. Construction of these caravanserai is dated back to the 18th-19th centuries AD.
Later visit the history museum, handicrafts workshop, mosque-madrassah, and local bazaar of Sheki.
Drive to Ganja (145 km distance from Sheki) – Azerbaijan’s second largest city with a population of around 325,200
On the way to Ganja visit to the Mausoleum of Nizami Ganjavi . The Nizami Mausoleum built in honor of the 12th-century poet Nizami Ganjavi, stands just outside the city of Ganja, Azerbaijan. The mausoleum was originally built in 1947 in place of an old collapsed mausoleum, and rebuilt in its present form in 1991.
Arrival to Ganja. Accomodation in Hotel. Free time
DAY 7
Breakfast in Hotel
Assembly at lobby.
Start walking tour in Ganja Khan’s Garden –one of the most ancient parks of Caucasus and Azerbaijan. Khan garden was planted at the same time when the city walls have been constructed in 996 (Hegira calendar); it has 414-415 years of history.
Continue with Juma Mosque of Ganja – a mosque located in the centre of Ganja. The mosque was built in 1606, according to a project of Sheykh Baheddin Mohammad Amil. The mosque is also often called “Shah Abbas Mosque”, because it was built on the instructions of Shah Abbas the Great during his reign. In 1776, two minarets were attached to the mosque. The mosque was built of red brick, which was traditional for Ganja. There was functioned a madrasah at the mosque for a long time, where the eminent Azerbaijani poet and scientist Mirza Shafi Vazeh taught at that time.
Near the Shah Abbas Mosque visit to the Javad Khan’s Grave- the grave of the last Khan of Ganja.
Visit to Ganja State Puppet Theatre which is located on Ahmad Jamil Street 105 in Ganja, Azerbaijan. The building of the theater is a historical-architectural monument of the 19th century. It was built as a Lutheran church in 1885 by German settlers moved to Elisabethpol (official name for Ganja in 1804–1918) after 1818. They lived in Ganja till August 1941 and during this period built their own religious place of worship. In 1915 the church was given to the use of Orthodox Christians.
Visit to the ancient german settlements and the famous Goygol (The Blue Lake) in Goygol district (30 km distance from Ganja) – a rayon (district) in northwestern Azerbaijan. Formerly known as Khanlar, the region was renamed “Goygol” after Lake Goygol, the famous blue lake.. The administrative center of the rayon is the city of Goygol. The city of Goygol was founded as the German settlement of Helenendorf in 1819 and was renamed as Khanlar (Xanlar) in 1938.
Drive back to Hotel.Free time
DAY 8
Breakfast in Hotel
Assembly at lobby.Drive back to Baku (347 km)
Arrival to Baku. Accomodation in Hotel.(Lunch time)
Start shopping tour with Park Bulvar (English: Park Boulevard) which is a multi-storey shopping mall located on Baku Boulevard, downtown Baku, Azerbaijan.The mall is located 5 minutes of walking distance from Sahil Metro station of Baku Subway and Government House of Baku. The building has all architectural attributes of the East and modern art of the West. It consists of six floors, including two underground floors.The general area of the mall is 17,000 square metres. It also has a parking lot for 550 automobiles. The mall contains over 70 stores ranging from 50 square metres to 370 metres in size, one large 1,207 square metre supermarket, 6 hall movie theatre, planetarium and 3D cinema, “Happy Land” children’s playground, photo studio, VIP restaurants overlooking the Baku Bay of Caspian Sea, bowling halls, food courts, etc.
After lunch visit to 28 Mall- which is a multi-storey shopping mall located on Baku , Azerbaijan.The mall is located in the city center. The mall contains over 50 stores , one large Bazarstore supermarket, big hall movie theatres , 3D cinema, playgroun for children, photo studio, VIP restaurants , food courts, etc.
Visit to Genclik Mall located in 10 minutes distance form city center with taxi. Genjlik mall is the biggest Mall in Baku and contains over 80 stores, big bowling halls,the biggest movie halls, 3D cinema, Playground for children, Bravo supermarket, VIP restaurants, food courts
Back to Hotel. Free time