Baku city center is filled with a variety of things to keep every tourist busy. Coffee lovers will often find their favorite coffee shops, food lovers will find their favorite eating spots. However, Baku city center not only boasts the expected in a city. There are a lot of historical points which can be fascinating for tourists.

Although I was in Baku City Center for about three weeks, there just wasn’t enough time to explore the entire city so I focused mostly on the tourist attraction points.

Visit The Flame Towers

My first research on Baku city center led me to see the beautiful flame towers. This immediately became the first point of interest. I woke up on a Saturday morning, convinced myself well enough, and took an Uber ride to the flame towers.

On our way to the flame towers, it felt surreal that what I had only seen in pictures was now right in front of my eyes. As I got off the uber, I immediately felt a rush of excitement, and my heart was filled with awe.

I was staring at a flight of stairs that would lead me to the Flame towers’ viewing point. My biggest concern wasn’t climbing the stairs, it was now on who would be the person to snap a picture of myself around this lovely place.

As I reached the end of the stairs, I noticed a guy who seemed like a solo traveler and approached him with a deal. I would take him pictures, in exchange for him doing the same for me. We immediately struck a deal and that was the beginning of a new blooming connection.

Before we continue further, let me remind you that solo travel gets you out of your comfort zone. You stop living in a shell and start extending yourself to people.

Though you may think it is strange to just approach people, you will be surprised at how people are willing to talk and take random pictures of strangers. So yes, talk to people, who have the same mindset as you, and like similar things to yours.

Spend Some Time At The Carpet Museum

I had to repeat my visit to the Carpet Museum, well that’s because I didn’t quite like the pictures I took initially of myself but in the end, they somehow made it to this post. This is a sign to go back and rectify what you can.

Out of all the carpets that were on display, the one that stood out was the map-inspired design. It’s amazing how far creativity can go, and it was also inspiring to have an idea of how a carpet is designed and the entire process of bringing it to life. A lot of work goes into sewing a carpet so when you see the prices just know, it’s worth it.

The carpet museum charges an entrance fee. You may opt for a guided tour inside the museum which has a higher price. I have included more details with regard to opening hours and entrance fees.

• MUSEUM’S TICKET OFFICE OPENING HOURS:

• TUESDAY – FRIDAY:

  10:00-18:00

• SATURDAY – SUNDAY:

  11:00-19:00

• Closed: Monday
• Note! The museum exposition’s 3rd third floor is temporarily closed due to the reconstruction works.

• TICKET Prices

• For adults: 7 AZNFor schoolchildren and students: 3 AZNGuided tours: 12 AZN

Spend 30 Minutes at The Maiden Tower

From the flame towers, my new friend and I decided to head to the Maiden tower. The story behind the Maiden tower is more detailed in this article.

While we were planning to purchase tickets to get inside the Maiden tower, we were approached by a young local guy who was promoting other tours outside the city. He managed to convince us to ditch the Maiden tower guided tour and we did and ended up opting for a country tour to Qabala the following day.

Not only did we get a discount, but we also had a ball. You can read more about the countryside of Azerbaijan tour here. This might have been the best decision we made. So in the end, we strolled around the maiden tower and discovered a few local stores selling souvenirs.

So while you may assume it is useless to visit the Maiden tower, it actually is a good idea for shopping and getting a snap for your Instagram page. I didn’t get the time to snap one for my Instagram page so if you do visit Baku, tag me on Instagram when you visit the Maiden Tower.

Shop at The Caspian Waterfront Mall

My shopping experience at this mall was inspired by a need to buy a new perfume. When I located the perfume store, I was met with the friendliest salespeople. But here is the juicy part, I ended up getting free gifts just for buying a small 30ml perfume.

Who doesn’t like free things? So my gift was a set of skin care products proudly made in Azerbaijan. Yes, you guessed right, the new skincare blog is loading at Secluded Spaces. To top things up, I also got a free fragrance diffuser. I was at my happiest over the free gifts.

And just to give some feedback on the skin products, it’s been two weeks of using them and my skin is super soft. Am I going to now rely on Azerbaijan for skin care supplies? Absolutely, you guessed it right. But this is just for the night cream, toner, and cleanser!

Book a Night Tour of Baku City

The good news about this night tour is that if you book a day tour to Qabala with Smiley Tours, you get a night tour for free. Yes, you don’t have to pay a single cent to enjoy the magic of Baku City Center at night. I became a regular with Smile Tours, and they would invite me to their tours. I ended up going on two different tours which I cover in full detail here.

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You can reach out to them on WhatsApp or better yet, follow their Instagram page. The best part about these tours is that they are affordable. Hotels tend to overcharge like five times more. This is not a paid promotion, It is a lived experience.

Join The Night Life At Nizami Street

This wasn’t something I would have done if I wasn’t dragged by the new friend I met at the Flame towers. The nightlife has its people and I am not one of them. However, things got a little interesting here. I got lost in the city when my uber driver couldn’t find Baku Boutique Hotel.

The driver ended up dropping me off in the middle of nowhere, and my phone was not connected to the internet (Yes, read my safety tips which I do not follow always ). So while my phone indicated that I was 450m away from the hotel, I ended up not knowing which direction to move to.

A crisis leads to something…

So in the middle of a crisis, I had to ask for help. The old man I approached couldn’t understand English so he pointed me in the direction of a gentleman who seemed fluent in English. I have no idea why he asked my age, but I felt like he thought I was an under-age lost in the middle of nowhere.

My goodness, I am a 33-year-old woman. Although he didn’t believe me at the time, I couldn’t care all I wanted was to get to my new friend. He was kind enough to walk me to the hotel, and we were just having a conversation when he asked that I follow him on Instagram so he can know that I am safe(Well he cared, on the other hand, I am not sure about me ).

When he told me his name, I immediately forgot about it. Nizami street was okay for a night walk, I was bored most of the time so I pretended to be exhausted so I could leave early. While I separated from my newfound friend, I got home to a new follower and a message. I replied indicating that I am safe. Let’s just say sometimes you need to get lost in the city so you can end up kissing a very hot guy!

Take A Walk By the Caspian Sea

This wasn’t a planned walk, I found myself invited for a hot chocolate date by a hot dude who walked me to a hotel when I was lost. After our short date, we took a walk around the city, hand in hand, and ended up by the sea harbor. I would like to say it was magical and I think you should do it, even if you are alone.

Visit The Heydar Aliyev Centre

I dressed up for my trip to the Heydar Aliyev Centre. And I absolutely looked like magic, if I have to say so myself. Take a look at my Instagram.

I did a little city tour and my first stop was the Heydar Aliyev Center. This was my second impression of Baku before the flame towers of course. After a little reading, I discovered something impressive. This building was designed by Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid.

Now if you have known me, I’m such a fan of women who leave behind remarkable footprints, making their mark in rather less welcoming professions towards women. This was impressive so I had to be there to witness what Zaha Hadid left behind as a remarkable footprint.

As you can see, I’m beaming with smiles in every picture that’s because a girl is happy. A woman I met from turkey did a Stella job in capturing these images and making me tall, y’all know how short I am but here I do look tall.

Although the language is a barrier in Baku, I’ve noticed something wonderful about the people here, even though they may not understand what you’re trying to say, they go the extra mile to really help. I find this kind of willingness to connect as humans despite language barriers truly comforting.

Maybe not, But Try Mini Venice

Out of curiosity, I dedicated a Sunday afternoon to exploring the mini-Venice. It was just an unfortunate incident that they had closed so I ended up heading to a restaurant to eat. What I can share about this, is that mini Venice is located just opposite the Carpet museum and the Caspian Waterfront Mall. So basically, you can visit both places in one day.

There are other points of interest in Baku City Center. If you have more time on your hands, it’s best to book a city tour so you can explore all the historical landmarks.

If you enjoyed reading about things to do in Baku City Centre, head over to my additional blog post about Azerbaijan Country Side.

Catch up on my latest travels on Instagram. You can drop me a dm and I will do my best to respond or better yet, leave a comment on this post and I will respond as soon as I can.