Why Azerbaijan
Baku sets a fortified old city listed as World Heritage alongside a Soviet waterfront and spectacular contemporary architecture, including the Heydar Aliyev Center by Zaha Hadid. The contrast is striking over a few hundred metres.
The country owes its nickname to the natural gas seeps that have burned for centuries at Yanar Dag and at the Ateshgah fire temple. To the north, the villages of the Greater Caucasus — Xınalıq, Lahıc — and their mountain roads; in the centre, the rock carvings of Gobustan.
Getting around
The night train links Baku to Sheki and Ganja for almost nothing. Coaches and shared taxis cover the rest.
Baku has a simple, cheap metro, with a rechargeable card. The main roads are good; the tracks to the mountain villages require a four-wheel drive, often with a local driver.
Money
Cash remains necessary outside Baku, where cards work well. ATMs are reliable in the cities.
Prices are moderate, except for Baku hotels, which are aligned with international standards. Tipping is customary at around ten per cent, often already added as a service charge.
Before you go
The point that catches people out most: entry is refused to anyone who has visited Nagorno-Karabakh without Azerbaijani authorisation, and a passport showing traces of a stay in Armenia can lead to prolonged questioning. The land borders between the two countries are closed: a regional itinerary is built via Georgia, and the order of the stages is worth thinking through before booking.
The areas near the line of contact and the Iranian border are advised against: consult official advice.
Photographing military installations, borders or official buildings is forbidden and taken seriously.