Baku City

Baku is on the coast of the Caspian Sea on the southern coast of the Absheron Peninsula. There are three major divisions in Baku: İçəri Şəhər (the Old Town), the Soviet-built city, and the newest part of the city. The population in 2020 was 2.3 million.

The city of Baku is on the semi-arid 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 daily to the city. The city has a metro, a well-developed bus and minibus network, and a large area for walking, including the Inner Walled City, The Boluvar, and Fountain Square.

Reading the book Ali and Nino is a good way to get into the mood.

Climate:

A curious fact about Baku is that its average year-round temperature (14.2°C/57.6°F) matches the average temperature of the entire landmass of the earth to within a tenth of degree. However, seasonal temperature variations are less than in many continental regions at this latitude (about 40 degrees north) owing to the presence of the Caspian Sea. Summers are hot and dry, winters cool, moderately wet and breezy. There is frequent night frost and occasional snowfall during winter. Baku averages 200 mm (8 in) and is the driest place in Azerbaijan. Baku is very breezy most of the year.

As of Jan 2026, Azerbaijan's land borders with its neighbours remain closed to civilian traffic. The only legal way into the country is through an international airport. Land crossings are exit only, and only for non-citizens.

By plane:

1 Heydar Aliyev International Airport (GYD IATA former Bina International Airport, Azerbaijani: Heydər Əliyev adına beynəlxalq hava limanı), Khazar, Absheron peninsula (Xəzər, Abşeron yarımadası) (25 km (15 mi) from Baku city center), ☏ +994 12 497 2727. It is served by major airlines such as Aeroflot, Turkish Airlines, Lufthansa and Qatar Airways, and many smaller airlines. This is the hub for Azerbaijan Airlines, which serves a number of major airports in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. The country's flag carrier put aside, in 2025 the only destinations not located on the Asian continent or in Russia are Athens (Aegean Airlines), Podgorica and Tivat (Air Montenegro), Minsk (Belavia), Warsaw (LOT Polish Airlines), Frankfurt (Lufthansa), Budapest and Rome (Wizz Air).

Getting there and away:

By bus – T1 Airport Express runs between the airport and the railway station (the bus waits across the street from the station) with an intermediate stop at Koroglu metro station. The ride costs 1.30 manat with BakiKart; contactless local and international bank cards and mobile wallets such as Apple Pay or Google Pay also work, but a Visa card was charged 1.52 manat in July 2026. The bus runs every 30 minutes. Additionally, N16 runs between the airport and Samed Vurgun Park, in the heart of Baku. The trip costs 1 manat and takes approximately 40–60 min. Service runs every 30 minutes beginning from early in the morning until late night. The bus leaves outside the airport building, across the parking area. The service terminates at 2 Samed Vurgun's Park on 28 May Street.

By minibus – No. 135 runs between the airport traffic circle (15-min walk from the airport) and the 28 May Metro Station. The journey takes an hour and costs 0.40 manat.