Baku, Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan trip was planned, organized and booked via @Alkazemitravel

Visa: On Arrival الفيزا للكويتيين عند الوصول الى باكو

They informed me at immigration that I needed two passport-size pictures to keep with me for immigration. At immigration, they didn’t ask for it. However, I do recommend if you do read this post before you go to Azerbaijan, keep two passport sized pictures with you just incase they ask for it.

خلال اجراءات السفر في مطار الكويت لأخذ بطاقة الصعود، الموظفين بلغوني انه يجب يكون معاي صورتين شخصيتين لاجراءات الفيزا عند الوصول. شخصيا، ماكان معاي صورتين وعنج الوصول ما طلبو مني صورتين. للاحتياط، اخذو معاكم صورتين شخصيتين مقاس جواز السفر

About Baku, the city is known for its harsh winds. This is reflected in the city’s nickname, the “City of Winds“. The name comes from Persian origins  “باد-کوبه” and it also means strong winds.

For more on Azerbaijan, check out my hashtag on instagram: #Hello965Azerbaijan

Day 1:

• Arrived to Baku in the morning وصلنا باكو الصبح
• Enjoyed a beautiful panoramic view of Baku from Fairmont Flame Towers اول شي زرناه كان ابراج فيرموت
• Had lunch in Qala Qapsi, a traditional restaurant in Baku with traditional wooden rooms and a beautiful olive garden area. I would advise you to check out this place if you like to have the locals experience. (However, cats are everywhere! If you’re scared of cats, sit indoors) غدانا كان في مطعم اذربيحاني تقليدي اسمه قالا قبسي، مكان جميل وفيه قعده خارجيه حلوه ويمهم مزرعة زيتون (اللي يخاف من القطاوه، لا تقعدون بره)
• A visit to Zaha Hadid designed museum: Heydar Aliyev Center – worth a visit!! In this area, you’ll be able to find I زرنا متحف من تصميم الراحله زاها حديد – يستحق الزياره متحف جميل وتصميمه رائع – بجانب المتحف حديقه كبيره شفنا الكثير من الازواج ياخذون صور الزفاف هناك

Day 2

• We visited the Mountain of fire, which has fire for more than 400 years now that never goes off. There’s nothing much going on there except for the fire, but it is definitely worth seeing its an amazing phenomena!
  أذربيجان معروفه بإسم “بلد النار” لتوفر الغاز والبترول فيها بكثره،
  وتوفر اماكن فيها نار مشتعله طول السنه مثل جبل النار
  
• We also visited Qabalah, which is an area in the mountain and is a destination for skiing. In Qabalah, it wasn’t snowing yet, and it wasnt warm either. So all we did during this trip is to walk around and see the area. We took 4 cable cars all the way to the top – had a coffee and Baqlava and went back. The drive from Baku to Qabala was around 3 hours and 30 mins more or less.
  في اليوم الثاني زرنا منطقة قبله في الجبل. المنطقه معروفه لرياضة التزلج على الجليد – عند زيارتنا لها الجو ماكان مثلج ولا كان حار، فكل اللي سويناه اهو زيارة المنطقه، اخذنا 4 تلفريكات الى القمه شربنا قهوه واكلنا بقلاوه اذربيحانيه – الاجواء كانت بارده وجميله
• On the way to Qabalah, we stopped at Shamakhi Juma Mosque في الطريق الى قبله توقفنا في مسجد شاماخي
• Also on the way we stopped at a beautiful lake called: Nohur Lake توقفنا كذلك في بحيره جميله اسمها نوهور

Day 3

• To me personally, day 3 was my favorite. We were supposed to visit another mountain area, but due to time constraints we had to stay in Baku. This, gave us the chance to explore and see more of beautiful Baku.
• Carpet Museum متحف السجاد
• Maiden Tower
• Baku Old Town – It was amazing spending time in here. The contrast between old and new was very clear standing in Baku’s old town, and overlooking the high-rise towers at the other end of the town.
• Visit to Small Venice city.
  تمشينا في مدينة باكو القديمه
• Walked around the beautiful Corniche of Baku.
  من المدينه القديمه مرينا على ليتل فينيس و على الكورنيش مشيه حلوه تاخذ تقريبا ساعه مشي
• A quick coffee in the beautiful Four Seasons hotel lobby. Stunning!
  قهوه في فندق الفور سيزن
• Another recommended mountain area that is famous for its beautiful resorts is caled: Guba (recommended!)
  منطقه جبليه ثانيه ينصحون فيها لضيق الوقت ماحصل لنا نروح اهيا منطقة قوبه

Conclusion:

I would recommend a visit Azerbaijan: definitely yes. 3-4 nights in Baku, and if its winter/ski time, definitely go and stay a few more nights in Quba and Qabalah.

Tip: no one speaks English there other than the staff in the hotel – I would highly recommend you to arrange to have a tour guide and a translator