Day 1 (September 24, 2017)   Azerbaijan: Baku


Before   

   Our flight, which started the previous day, is scheduled to arrive at Baku by 5:30 AM. We’ll have the entire day to explore the city but, based on our experience, we’ll probably want to spend a big part of it to rest.

   With this, our plan for this day is not ambitious: exploring the Old City, where our hotel is located.

Map of Baku city center


   The spots marked at the map are:

 0- Hotel Seven Rooms
 1- Palace of the Shirvanshahs
 2- Maiden Tower
 3- Flame Towers
 4- Martyrs' Lane
 5- Carpet Museum

After

   We could barely sleep this night in our flights, as we expected. So we arrive at Baku very tired. Immigration procedures are short and, after agreed 35 AZN with the taxi driver for our ride to the hotel, we’re in the reception desk by 6 AM.

Sunrise by Baku Bay
Baku Seaside

   Unfortunately, they cannot give us any room until noon, so we make time exploring the beautiful Old City, which is empty at this early time. We walk all around the Old City to check the wall is quite completed.

Baku's Old City Walls
Baku's Old City WallsBaku's Old City Walls
















   The only people we can see in our walks are the ones that are cleaning the streets. There are a lot of them, which is the explains why the city is looking that clean that, even in cobbled streets like the ones in this Old City, we cannot see even a tiny paper between the stones.

Baku's Old CityBaku's Old City
















   It’s around 8 AM when we’re suggested where we could get our breakfast by the guy in the reception desk: we can get a buffet breakfast in the top floor of Sultan Inn Hotel by 10 AZN each. It’s a good breakfast and, besides, this restaurant has wonderful views. Maiden Tower is very close and we can save climbing to its top as we’ve just got the same views here.

Maiden TowerView from Sultan Inn Restaurant
















   We’re told from our hotel we could get a room by 10 AM and, after a last walk, which seems to take the rest of our strength from us, we wait in the small hotel hall half slept until we can get our room, where we give up any plans on our bed.

   It’s around 6 PM when we leave the hotel and we have just an hour of daylight in front of us, but as we have now full battery we walk following a reference that cannot be missed: the Flame Towers. We can check now the cleaning we could see by the morning is not something specific of that time as streets keep looking shimmering and there is still a lot of people cleaning them now too, even out of the Old City.

Square in BakuStreet in Baku
















   In our way up to the towers we can see a large white staircase with the best views of the bay and part of the city. The night takes us here, which allows us to enjoy the bay before and after the lights are on in the city.

Staircase to the hillViews of Baku Bay















Views of Baku Bay by night


   We keep walking to this path where take us to a temple with fire: the Martyr’s Monument. From there we take our way back through the Martyr’s Lane, which ends at Flame Towers feet.

Martyr's MonumentMartyr's Lane














Flame Towers











Flame Towers

















   Once back in the Old City, and already fallen in love of this city, we choose Restaurant Mebo for our diner. It is at the top of a building, so we get some night views there. We eat lamb ribs with chips, rolls of meat on vine leaves, a Caesar salad and our first plov by 54 AZN in total (around 27€).

   Well satisfied with the diner and the walk we can see lovely days coming in Baku as we’re reaching the hotel to sleep until tomorrow.