6-day Azerbaijan Classic Tour6 Days | Baku, Absheron Peninsula, Gobustan, Khinalug, Lahij, Sheki, Kish, Shamakhi

Arrive in Baku. You will be met by our driver and transferred to the hotel, where check-in begins at noon. Start your sightseeing tour of Baku with a visit to Martyrs’ Lane (called ‘Shehidler Khiyabany’ by locals) from which a beautiful view overlooking Baku’s coastline will unfold before you. Continue touring new Baku with exploration of its 19th-20th century architecture, including Nizami Street, Fountain Square, Nizami Ganjavi Monument and Rasul-Zade Street. Move to the old quarter, Icheri Sheher. Visit Maiden Tower, Shirvanshahs’ Palace, Bukhara Caravanserai and Market Square with its numerous art studios and souvenir stalls. An excellent round-up to the city tour will be visit to the iconic Heydar Aliyev center. In the evening, enjoy dinner at a traditional Azeri restaurant. Overnight at the hotel.

Today, Azerbaijan Classic Tour will take you to Greater Baku and Absheron Peninsula. Start at Gobustan National Park with a tour of petroglyphs dating back to 10,000 BC and the Petroglyphs Museum. Continue to the mud volcanoes in Gobustan Reserve, which is home to nearly half of the world’s mud volcanoes. Drive to Ateshgah Temple in Surakhany village, to which Zoroastrians once travelled thousands of kilometers from India to worship fire burning up from the earth. Continue to Yanardag Mountain, where natural gas has been burning for thousands of years. Return to Baku. Overnight at the hotel.

Depart in the morning to Quba Region in northern Azerbaijan. Visit one of the most ancient settlements in the country, Khinalug (210 km, 3-4 hours), where people have been living for more than 5,000 years. The road to Khinalug is a picturesque mountain pass of breathtaking landscapes set at an altitude of 2,000 meters. On the return drive, stop at the mass grave in Quba, Sakina Khanum Mosque, a medieval bathhouse (hammam) and a carpet workshop. Overnight at the hotel in Baku.

In the morning, depart Baku and drive to Sheki, stopping on the way in Ven Dam village in Gabala (Qabala) Province to explore the ruins of the capital of ancient Caucasian Albania. Continue to Basqal village to taste “Bado”, a local mineral water. Drive through Girdimanchay River Canyon to Lahij, a 5th-century settlement with charming cobblestone streets which is rich with historic and architectural value. Lahij is famous for its medieval water supply and sewage system, as well as its traditional jewelry, copperware, carpets, pottery, daggers and iron tools workshops. Complete the drive to Sheki. Overnight at the hotel.
*Lahij will not be reachable during 2024 due to the road construction.

Check out from the hotel and start your sightseeing tour of Sheki, a highlight for many on the Azerbaijan Classic Tour. Visit the medieval fortress Sheki Khans Palace (currently under renovation, but may be observed from outside), the history museum, handicrafts workshop, mosque-madrassah and local bazaar. Depart for Kish village to see a 1st-century Albanian church, believed to be the first church in the Caucasus. Drive to Shemakha, capital of the Shirvan Empire from the 8th-15th centuries. Visit Gulistan Fortress, a residence and defense of the Shirvan Dynasty in the 11th-12th centuries. Continue to Mausoleum of Yeddi Gumbez (“Seven Domes”), with numerous graves of Shamakhi governors, and Dzhuma Mosque.
Return to Baku. Free time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

Check out of the hotel by noon and transfer to Baku International Airport. End of Azerbaijan Classic Tour.

Economy: Sheki Palace / MinAli Boutique / Macara Sheki City / Ruma Qala