Baku Family Outings: Animals and Crafts

For families planning a trip. Britain’s FCDO advises against all travel within 5 km of the Armenia border and against all but essential travel to the Karabakh-area districts, where landmines and unexploded ordnance remain, and the US State Department rates Azerbaijan Level 3, Reconsider Travel. The outings below are in and around Baku, outside those districts, and families normally enter by air. Read gov.uk and travel.state.gov before you buy flights.

Children in Baku are best served by a mix of animals, hands-on crafts and open space by the water. Costs are in manat (AZN), at about 1.70 AZN to the US dollar, and several figures below are loose because the operators do not publish current rates.

Animals: Baku Zoological Park

The zoo is at A. Bakikhanov Street 39 in the Narimanov district. It reopened on 7 October 2021 after about four years of works and covers 4.25 hectares. About 125 species live there, 22 of them in the Azerbaijan Red Book, among them Amur tigers, lions, leopards, jaguars, bears, zebras and flamingos. The grounds also hold an aquaterrarium, a petting zoo and an artificial lake.

Official hours are 10:00 to 19:00 from Monday to Friday and 09:00 to 19:00 at weekends. Tickets are sold through iticket.az, and the price is not given on the zoo’s own page .

Hands-on: masterclasses at Gala

The Gala reserve is about 40 km from the city on the Absheron Peninsula. Its 15 AZN ticket is listed as covering two museums and masterclasses in pottery, carpet weaving, lavash baking and blacksmithing. Children aged 3 and under enter free and those aged 12 and under pay half. Check the programme on the tourism agency page before you make the drive.

Fire at Yanar Dag

Yanar Dag is a natural-gas fire that burns on a hillside at Mammadli. Adults pay 15 AZN, foreign children under 12 go in free, and every child must stay with an adult. Hold hands near the flames and keep well back from them. The site is 30 to 45 minutes from central Baku by car.

The bay, the wheel and the canals

The Seaside National Park runs about 16 km along the shore, with playgrounds, cafes and flat paths that suit scooters and strollers. Keep small children away from the water’s edge, because the city front is not for swimming.

  • Baku Eye: a 60 m Ferris wheel with 30 enclosed cabins for eight people, opened in March 2014. Locals call it Seytan carxi, the Devil’s Wheel. A 10 AZN adult fare comes from a 2021 listing, so ask at the gate about the price and whether it is running.
  • Little Venice: canals and small bridges from the 1950s and 1960s, with brief gondola-style rides. Quoted prices vary widely, so agree a fare before boarding.
  • Boat cruise: the Mirvari takes 30 to 40 minutes. Children under 6 ride free, and the last adult fares were 5 AZN on the lower decks and 10 AZN on top.

A dry option: the Heydar Aliyev Center

The Zaha Hadid building houses a Mini Azerbaijan display of scaled-down landmarks and a classic-car collection, which tends to hold younger visitors’ attention. Entry is paid and published prices disagree, so look at heydaraliyevcenter.az first.

Costs for children at a glance

  • Maiden Tower: 9 AZN for ages 5 to 17.
  • Shirvanshahs’ Palace Complex: 12 AZN for ages 5 to 17.
  • Gala reserve: free at 3 and under, half price at 12 and under.
  • Yanar Dag: free for foreign children under 12.
  • Boat cruise: free under 6.

Practical tips

  • Cards work widely, but AZN cash helps for rides, kiosks and taxis.
  • Agree a taxi fare first, or use the meter, Bolt or Yango.
  • The metro is 0.60 AZN a ride, paid by BakıKart, QR ticket, the Metro app or NFC.
  • Plan the zoo and the bay for the cooler parts of the day.

For organised outings, search Baku with kids on GetYourGuide .

Read more: animal activities in Baku and the 5 day Baku itinerary .