Baku Azerbaijan Travel Guide: Is Baku Expensive to Visit?

This Baku Azerbaijan travel guide is my personal experience from many trips to Baku in Azerbaijan. I am going to share the exact experience and how expensive is Baku for tourism. I will share hotels/hostels and food experience with you in Baku and how to do backpacking in Azerbaijan. Let’s get started.

How to Obtain Azerbaijan Evisa?

Azerbaijan has recently started a fast, secure, and affordable online evisa system that allows 94 countries to apply for evisa online and within 3 days, the visa is issued. I also used that facility to get my visa, and I have written the whole procedure of Azerbaijan Evisa in this blog post. This is the official website to obtain your Azerbaijain evisa in a few minutes. The requirement is only your passport’s scanned copy and it costs only $24.

Budget Hotels/Hostels in Baku

Nowadays, Baku is one of the cheapest cities in terms of accommodation. I recently got a huge apartment for $25 USD per night in the city center of Baku. Due to the rising tourism market, competition is too much. Therefore, the winner is the tourist who now can get good hotel deals at cheaper rates.

I personally use Agoda.com for booking hotels in Baku. Most of the time I get the best available deals for my dates. If you are looking for a hotel something like the below room then expect $25 to $30 per night for two people. If you are looking for hostel options then it’s simply in the range of $5-$10 per night in Baku. 

How Expensive is Food in Azerbaijan?

Azerbaijani food is similar to Turkish and Iranian cuisine. However, you will find all fast-food chains in Baku as well as the continental restaurants of your choice. Just search in Google for your desired restaurant and you will find it. I personally did my lunch and dinner at one of the Arabic restaurants located on Fountain Square.

Now the real question is how much will it cost per meal? it depends on how much you eat and what you eat. But on average, the food in the below picture I had for $8 USD for lunch. And this restaurant was exactly in the city center which is quite an expensive place. If you like shawarma then you will find the best one in Baku. That is very cheap, you can have a Shawarma for as little as $2 USD with a drink.

Transport Options in Baku Azerbaijan

Transportation is easily accessible in the city through metro trains, buses, and taxis. The taxi service is world-class and not expensive, it’s super cheap than Turkey and Georgia. You can go to any place in Downtown Baku for as little as $3 USD. If you talk to a Taxi driver, he’ll agree to $20 to give a complete tour of Baku city.

However, during my recent trip to Baku, I used an Uber taxi which was the cheapest option. I mean I did not pay more than $1 for any trip with Uber. But remember, you have to download a separate Uber application to use this service in Baku. You have to write in Google Play Store “Uber Azerbaijan” and you will find the country-specific uber application for Azerbaijan. but that will save you 80% of your transport cost in Azerbaijan.

Where to Stay in Baku?

The main scene of Baku is at the center of the city. I can suggest to you a few places which are located just in the center of the city. When you go to Agoda.com and search for your hotel/hostel in Baku then simply write “Nizami street” or “Fountain Square” or “Old Baku” and you will find the options for these areas. These three places are exactly located in the city center of Baku which you can also see in the below picture.

Best Tourists Attractions in Baku

Baku is not a big city. You can visit most of the attractions within 2 to 3 days if you are a lazy person like me. However, they are building more and more tourist points to attract more people. I would share my list of the best places to be visited in Baku. The people of Azerbaijan are very friendly and welcoming.

1) Fountain Square

If you are located in the city center then Fountain square is the place to go. This is located in the city center near Nizami Street and most of the time you will find a huge crowd there, especially at night time. There are hundreds of cafes, restaurants, clubs, and bars in this area. it’s always crowded like New York.

2) Nizami Street

Nizami Street is next to the fountain square. It is a beautiful Russian-style architecture with restaurants, cafes, handicraft shops, and a long walking track. If you did not visit Nizami street in Baku then you can’t say that you have visited Baku because that’s the heart of Baku.

3) Old Baku City

Old Baku is the previous version of Baku city. It’s located a few minutes by walk from fountain square. You will see the old-style entrance gate when you first see old Baku. Azerbaijan has well persevered the old Baku which has many traditional restaurants, shops, palaces, and a few historical places. You can explore it by walking.

4) Heydar Aliyev Center

Heydar Aliyev Center is huge cultural center in Baku. It is surrounded by a huge green area and you can probably see most of the Baku city from there. Inside the cultural center, they have a little Azerbaijan model which will show you the culture and traditions of Azerbaijan. I Love Baku Sign is just outside Heydar Aliyev Center which tourists do not miss to take a selfie with.

5) Baku Bay

Just a few minutes walk from Fountain Square, the Baku Bay is a kind of beach in Baku. You will see a lot of locals hanging around in this area and most of them with families. It’s a long walking track which you won’t be able to complete in 30 minutes. A calm and peaceful place to relax in Baku.

6) Panorama View of Baku

It’ll take a few minutes for Taxi to take you to the Panorama view of Baku which is basically a top mountain with modern building dominating the area. You’ll see many attractions there including but not limited to a historical mosque, waterfalls and the best view of Baku city from top. You should not miss this. And surprisingly, if you use Uber, it will cost only $1 USD to reach this place.

Important Note: Most people in Baku don’t speak English, so while asking a question from someone in Baku, first ask whether he/she speaks English or not? but people in restaurants, hotels and hostels do speak English. I am talking about common people on streets and taxi drivers.

So How Expensive Baku is?

Now the end question is how expensive Baku will be for an average tourist? the answer depends on what type of tourist you are. But for backpackers and budget travelers like me. Right now, Baku is one of the cheapest travel destinations due to less supply and more demand.

I will say, you can cover it easily on $30 per day with everything included if you stay in a hostel. If you stay in a good hotel then keep in mind $50 per night for Baku with everything included. That’s all from my Baku Azerbaijan Travel Guide.

Let me know your thoughts and how was your experience in Baku if you have visited Azerbaijan in the past. I also have a road trip guide from Tbilisi in Georgia to Baku Azerbaijan. which is interesting.