Azerbaijan Trips of Two to Ten Nights

October 18, 2026

Plan around the official warnings. The FCDO advises against all travel within 5 km of the Armenia border and against all but essential travel to the Karabakh-area districts on its list, where mines and unexploded ordnance remain, and it notes that travel insurance can be invalid if you go against its advice. The US advisory stands at Level 3, Reconsider Travel. Everyone should fly in: the Armenia and Russia land borders are closed, and the Georgia and Iran crossings are temporarily shut to ordinary visitors. The routes below cover Baku, the north, the north-west and the centre of the country. Read the FCDO entry requirements and the US advisory before booking.

A multi-day trip in Azerbaijan means choosing a few bases and accepting long road days between them. The map flatters the country: a 283 km journey to Sheki takes a full morning or afternoon. This page starts with the journey times, then builds routes of two to ten nights from them. Fees are in manat (AZN), at about 1.70 to the US dollar, for foreign adults.

Journey times from Baku

Base	Distance and mode	Time
Quba	about 170 km by car or bus	2.5 to 4 hours
Khinalug	50 to 60 km above Quba by taxi or 4x4	plan on a long mountain drive
Gabala	about 220 km by road	3.5 to 4 hours
Sheki	about 283 km by bus	6 to 6.5 hours
Naftalan	350 to 390 km by road	4 to 5 hours
Ganja	Stadler train	5 to 5.5 hours

Bus fares to Sheki are about 6 to 9 AZN one way. No train runs directly from Baku to Gabala; the Ganja to Gabala line connects at Laki.

Two or three nights: Baku and its edge

Baku is enough for a short break. Spend one day in Icherisheher (Maiden Tower 19 AZN, Shirvanshahs’ Palace Complex 24 AZN) and on the Boulevard, one on the Absheron fire sites, and one at Gobustan. A metro ride costs 0.60 AZN. A stay in the city centre keeps every outing within an hour. To compare hotels, search places to stay in Baku .

Five nights: add Sheki

Take the bus west after two nights in Baku and give Sheki two nights, so that the long drive buys a full day on the ground. The Palace of the Sheki Khans is a UNESCO World Heritage monument with shebeke windows, a foreign adult ticket of 15 AZN, and restricted photography inside. The Kish church, now a museum, is also 15 AZN, and the Yukhari Karavansaray stands in the old quarter. Eat piti, the lamb and chickpea stew served in a clay pot, and try Sheki halva. Return to Baku for the last night before your flight.

Seven nights: north via Quba

Swap Sheki for Quba, or add it. Quba sits in apple country and the Red Village, a Mountain Jewish settlement across the river, has the Six Dome Synagogue and a museum. From Quba, a taxi or 4x4 climbs to Khinalug, a Ketsh-speaking village at about 2,350 m. Its landscape and the Koc Yolu transhumance route joined UNESCO’s list in 2023. Road reports for the last stretch differ, so ask your Quba host about conditions that morning, and sleep in the village to have time for the walks.

Ten nights: Gabala, Ganja and Naftalan

Gabala is a mountain base, with the Tufandag resort (summer rope lines, a coaster, hiking; see its own site ) and Lake Nohur close by. Ganja is reached by Stadler train. Naftalan offers crude-oil baths as a medical treatment at specific hotels, and availability at one hotel is reported as weekdays only, so confirm before you build a day around it.

Practical notes

Most visitors apply for the e-visa on evisa.gov.az , the only official portal, at least three days before travel. Expect about US$25 plus a small service fee, and check the portal for the current amount. Carry AZN cash outside Baku, and use a ride app or agree a taxi fare in advance.