What to See in Baku: Landmarks and Views
Check the government advice. The UK FCDO advises against all travel within 5 km of Azerbaijan’s border with Armenia and against all but essential travel to the Karabakh-area districts, where mines and unexploded ordnance remain, and the US State Department rates Azerbaijan Level 3, Reconsider Travel. Every sight on this page is in Baku, which the UK advice does not name, and most visitors fly in. Current wording is at gov.uk and travel.state.gov .
Baku’s main sights sit within a few kilometres of each other, so two days cover them without rushing. With one day, spend the morning in the Old City and the afternoon on the bay and at one modern landmark. With two, add the Heydar Aliyev Center and an evening view over the city. Fees are for a foreign adult in manat (AZN), at about 1.70 AZN to the US dollar, and several are hedged because published figures differ.
Icherisheher, the walled Old City
UNESCO inscribed the Walled City of Baku in 2000, together with the Shirvanshahs’ Palace and the Maiden Tower. The Maiden Tower is a 12th-century cylinder about 28 m high on the south side and 31 m on the north, with walls roughly 5 m thick at the base. Entry is 19 AZN. Its purpose is still debated: a fire temple, a watchtower and an observatory have all been proposed.
The Shirvanshahs’ Palace Complex, at 24 AZN, is a 15th-century group of buildings on three terraces. Look for the octagonal Divankhana in its arcaded courtyard, the burial vault, the palace mosque with its minaret, the mausoleum of Seyid Yahya Bakuvi, the bath remains and the Ovdan reservoir. Murad’s Gate, the eastern portal, carries an inscription dated 1585 to 1586, from the Ottoman period. Of the Key-Gubad mosque only two columns and part of a wall survive. Both sights are open daily from 10:00 to 19:00, and the palace is a protected monument, so do not climb on it. The reserve’s tariff page lists the fees.
Fountains Square and Nizami Street
Just outside the Old City gates, Fountains Square began as a military parade ground in 1868 and was nicknamed the Dry Garden. Its fountains come from the Soviet period, and the last reconstruction was in 2010. A traffic-free stretch running from the square to Rashid Behbudov Street is Nizami Street, which locals call Torgovaya. It is a good place for a coffee and for shopping.
Along the bay
The Azerbaijan Carpet Museum stands on the Seaside Boulevard in a building shaped like a rolled carpet, designed by the Austrian architect Franz Janz. It has occupied this building since August 2014 and holds more than 10,000 items. A foreign adult ticket is about 10 AZN and it closes on Mondays, so check both.
National Flag Square, on Neftchilar Avenue in Bayil, reopened on 8 November 2024. The State Flag Museum there has six halls and 431 items, including a gallery on the 2020 war, so keep a quiet, respectful tone inside.
Modern landmarks
The Heydar Aliyev Center, a Zaha Hadid design opened in 2012, is best seen from outside, where its curving white form is the draw. The building holds a Heydar Aliyev museum, a Mini Azerbaijan display of miniature landmarks and a classic-car collection. Admission is paid and published prices conflict, so check heydaraliyevcenter.az before you queue.
The three Flame Towers, completed around 2012, are best admired from a distance. No public observation deck is documented, so they are a sight to look at rather than to go up. After dark an LED show plays across their facades.
Highland Park and the view
Highland Park looks across the bay to the Flame Towers and costs nothing to enter. You can reach it by the long staircase or the funicular, a 455 m line that opened in 1960 and reopened in May 2012. It leaves from a stop on Neftchilar Avenue near the Boulevard, and the last fare reported was about 1 AZN, cash only. Published hours are Tuesday to Sunday with a break in the middle of the day and no service on Monday, so check on the day. The upper station is named after Martyrs’ Lane, which is covered separately below.
Guided sightseeing
If you want commentary, browse Baku sightseeing tours on GetYourGuide and compare what each ticket includes.
Martyrs’ Lane
Martyrs’ Lane, also called the Alley of Martyrs, is Azerbaijan’s national cemetery, on the hill above the city. People killed in the Black January crackdown of January 1990 are buried there, together with soldiers who died in the Karabakh wars. The Eternal Flame was inaugurated in 1998. Visit quietly and dress modestly, and ask before photographing anyone. The FCDO warns that disrespectful conduct can lead to police action, and access can be restricted around 20 January.
Read more: walking tours in Baku and the 6 day Baku itinerary .