Baku Boulevard
Four miles of seafront promenade on the Caspian, under the Flame Towers.
Duration
1 hr – 2 hrs 30 min
Best time
After dark
Open
Every day
Entry price
Free
The boulevard runs about six kilometres along the Caspian and was laid out as early as 1909, when the city's first oil fortune paid for a seafront. It has been extended several times since.
The Flame Towers, three flame-shaped buildings completed in 2012, look down on it from the hill: their façades are LED screens that project flames, an Azerbaijani flag and figures every evening. Fire is a national motif — Azerbaijan takes its name from fire, and natural flames have always burned on its surface seeps.
Getting there
Along the waterfront, between Flag Square and the centre. Several metro stations border it, including Sahil and Icherisheher.
What to bring
- Windbreaker
- Board
Rules on site
The Caspian wind is strong and constant — Baku means 'city of winds' — and it feels colder than forecast on the waterfront. The Flame Towers light show is better seen from below than from beside them.