5-day Azerbaijan Essentials Tour5 Days | Baku, Absheron Peninsula, Gobustan, Lahij, Sheki, Kish, Shamakhi

The five-day Azerbaijan Essentials Tour will introduce you to the most remarkable sights of the Land of Fire. You will explore mysterious Apsheron Peninsula and visit real temple of fire-worshipers. Ancient petroglyphs of the Gobustan National Park will be zest of your interesting journey. In addition, you will visit Lahij, a 5th-century settlement with charming cobblestone streets which is rich with historic and architectural value. The medieval fortress Sheki Khans Palace in Sheki and the 1st-century Albanian church will inspire and open up inimitable shades of Azerbaijan.

Tour itinerary:

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Day 1: Baku – arrival

Arrive in Baku. You will be met by our driver and transferred to hotel. Check-in at noon. Start sightseeing tour in Baku. Visit Martyrs Lane, known as ‘Shehidler Khiyabany’ among locals. When you walk through the Alley of the Martyrs, you will find a beautiful view overlooking Baku’s coastline. Move to Icheri Sheher, the old part of the city. Visit Shirvan Shahs’ Palace, Caravanserai, Maiden Tower, and the main market square, which has numerous art studios and souvenir stalls. Continue touring new Baku by exploring Nizami Street and Fountain Square. An excellent round-up to the city tour will be visit to the iconic Heydar Aliyev center.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 6-7 hours
Driving distance: 50 km

Day 2: Baku – Absheron Peninsula – Gobustan – Baku

Today you will visit the area of the Greater Baku and Absheron peninsula. The first stop is at Yanardag Mountain, where natural gas has been burning for hundreds of years. Continue to Ateshgah, a temple for fire worshippers located in the village of Surakhany. Zoroastrians from India travel thousands of kilometers to Ateshgah to worship the fire coming out of the earth. After lunch, drive to Gobustan National Park. Pay a visit to the Petroglyphs Museum and explore petroglyphs dating back to 10,000 BC. Weather permitting, drive to mud volcanoes in Gobustan Reserve (possible change of vehicle). Gobustan is home to almost half of the world’s mud volcanoes. Return to Baku. Overnight at the hotel.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 8-9 hours
Driving distance: 220 km

Day 3: Baku – Lahij* – Sheki

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.
Driving distance: 350 km
Duration of sightseeing tour: 10-11 hours
*Lahij will not be reachable during 2024 due to the road construction.

Day 4: Sheki – Kish – Shamakhi – Baku

Check out from the hotel and start your sightseeing tour of Sheki. 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 Shamakhi, 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.
Driving distance: 340 km
Duration of sightseeing tour: 10-11 hours

Day 5: Baku – departure

Check out till noon. Transfer to Baku International Airport. Departure. End of Azerbaijan Essentials Tour.