A weekend in Baku

This topic may not meet the Wikitravel criteria for a separate article and should be merged into Baku. If you have an opinion, please discuss on this article's talk page. Please do not add new content to this article, but instead add it to Baku. You can help by copying any relevant information from this page to the new page. Once all content has been copied, this article should be made into a redirect. Please do not remove this merge notice without first gaining consensus for the removal on the article's talk page. This article is an itinerary. A weekend in Baku is a two and a half day and two night stay in Baku, Azerbaijan Understand The city of Baku is located on the hot and dusty Absheron peninsula. The center of Baku is a patch of green in a largely brown area because of the many liters of water that is piped to the city every day. The city has a metro, a well developed bus and mini bus network, and a large area for walking including the Inner Walled City, The Boluvar, and Fountain Square. Prepare To prepare for traveling in Baku City center; Comfortable shoes, shorts, t-shirt and some sun-cream wouldn't go a miss. Read some articles online to get a feel for the city and how to get about, taxis are very easy to find and most drivers even though they don't speak English still have a rough idea, taxis within the City are cheap. Make sure you have your emergency numbers on you also. Get in Unpack your things in your apartment or hotel, have a wonder about your hotel and get to know your surroundings. Ask the Hotel desk for a phone to phone if you are lost. The Weekend Friday Check into lodging Eat lunch at Fountain Square (eg. doner kebab from Lebanese fast food) and walk around the square Walk towards Caspian Sea and walk along the boulevard Visit the Park Bulvar shopping center, and Crystal Hall (Where they hosted Eurovision 2012) Go to the Old City and climb the Maiden's tower, and spend the rest of the afternoon walking through the narrow streets and visiting the Palace and old mosques. Have dinner in the Old City (Karvan Saray for Azeri food in a unique ambience, Sultan Inn rooftop or Meridien hotel rooftop restaurants for european/fusion with excellent views) or head back to the Fountain Square for greater variety of inexpensive cuisine. Go to the Jazz Cafe (live jazz at 9pm), a movie at the movie theater in Fountain Square (in Azeri mostly), or club/pub/bar for a drink, or two. Saturday Wake up Take metro/cab to 20 Yanvar metro station. At metro exit, turn right and right around the block to get to Chudo Pechka. There's plenty of sweet/savory pastries to choose from (take out only). Walk across the road to the park with the 26 Commissars monument and enjoy the food there. Alternatively, at Sahil metro exit, turn left and walk one block to Cafe Aroma for coffee/tea. Go to the Ateshgah Fire Temple via electric train (leaves 28 May station at 10:20) Alternatively, marshrutkas depart from Qara Qarayev or azizbeyov metro stations Return to 28 May station and eat a lunch of Western food and head to Adams Sports Bar (Indian food)- Amazing food cooked by Indian chefs with very friendly staff. Located: 29 Byul-Byul Ave. Visit the Carpet Museum beside the Boulevard or Go shopping around Nizami street there is expensive shopping or local shops. If you want to splash out for dinner visit CHiNAR (1, Shovket Alakbarova str) (Japanese, Western and other International foods) In the evening, go to the opera at the national opera on Nizami street. Otherwise, go to the bars around Fountain Square. The Garage, Tortuga, Shamrock and Shakespears (Great food). Sunday Check out of the lodging Buy pastries at Chudo Pechka by for breakfast and eat them in the nearby park Go to 20 January station and catch a mini-bus to the next destination Stay safe Carry your passport with you when out and about, but keep it in a safe place on your person. The reason you'll need it as the Police may stop random westerners for a passport check, nothing bad just keeping themselves busy I think. Don't walk done poorly lit alleys yourself. Get out There are many options for leaving Baku: Lankaran-the gem of the south with unique food, culture, and sights Xachmaz-the biggest tourist destination in Azerbaijan Sheki-the city of the Sheki Khans and their unique palace notwithstanding the Albanian church in Kish village Ganja-this is the second biggest city in Azerbaijan, home of the poet Nizami Ganjavi This is a usable itinerary. It explains how to get there and touches on all the major points along the way. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow!