Azerbaijan Tour Package from Abu Dhabi and Dubai: Baku, Gabala and Shahdag

Buying the flight inside a package often costs less than booking it alone, because the hotel and transfers are priced together. We quote from Zayed International and Dubai International when the fare difference is worth it.

• Travel month: Eid, National Day, the December break and the summer school holidays cost more
• Hotel location: a hotel near the old city or the boulevard saves taxis and time
• Private car or shared tours: a private driver costs more but suits families and groups of four or more
• Mountain nights: Gabala and Shahdag hotels are priced higher in ski season
• Children's prices depend on age, the airline's child fare and the hotel's child policy

Watching the budget? See the cheapest tour packages this month for dated offers, including Baku departures when we have them.

1. 01

   Day 1: Arrive in Baku

   Our driver meets you at Heydar Aliyev International Airport and takes you to the hotel. Later on, stroll the Baku Boulevard along the Caspian Sea and see the Flame Towers light up after dark.

2. 02

   Day 2: Baku city tour

   A guided tour of Icherisheher, the walled old city and a UNESCO World Heritage site: the Maiden Tower, the Palace of the Shirvanshahs, old caravanserais and carpet shops. Then up to Highland Park for the view over the bay and the Flame Towers, and a stop outside the Heydar Aliyev Center, the white building with curved lines designed by Zaha Hadid. Free evening on Nizami Street or Fountain Square.

3. 03

   Day 3: Gobustan and the mud volcanoes

   Drive south along the coast, stopping at Bibi-Heybat Mosque, to Gobustan National Park. Its rock carvings, some thousands of years old, show hunters, boats and animals. Nearby, a 4x4 takes you to the small mud volcanoes, which bubble and pop with cold mud. Back in Baku by mid-afternoon.

4. 04

   Day 4: Absheron fire sites

   Half a day on the Absheron Peninsula: Yanar Dag, a hillside kept alight for years by gas seeping out of the ground, and the Ateshgah fire temple at Surakhani.

5. 05

   Day 5: Fly home

   After breakfast, check out. Your driver runs you out to the airport, and you fly home to Abu Dhabi or Dubai.

For three nights, we combine the Gobustan and Absheron days into one full day. For five nights or more, we add the mountains, described below.

Getting around Baku is simple. The old city, the boulevard and Fountain Square are close together and easy on foot. Taxis booked through an app are common and cheap by UAE standards, and the metro is quick for longer hops. Your driver covers the tour days, so you only need taxis for evenings out.

More to see in Baku if you have free time or an extra night:

• The Azerbaijan Carpet Museum on the boulevard, in a building shaped like a rolled carpet
• The Heydar Aliyev Center's exhibitions, inside the building you see on the city tour
• The funicular from the boulevard up to Highland Park, for sunset over the bay
• Nizami Street and Fountain Square for shopping, cafes and evening walks
• Little Venice on the boulevard, a small canal area with boat rides, popular with children
• The Bibi-Heybat Mosque by the sea, if it was not on your Gobustan day

Where you stay changes the trip. Hotels in and around the old city and the boulevard put the main sights on your doorstep and suit a first visit. Hotels near the Flame Towers and the hills above the bay have the views but need a short taxi or the funicular to reach the sea front. For families, a hotel with an indoor pool helps on cold winter evenings.

Is Baku expensive compared with Dubai? Five-star hotels and international brands in the malls are priced closer to Gulf levels.

Most UAE residents apply for the Azerbaijan e-visa online before they fly, through the official ASAN Visa system. Some nationalities, and some UAE residents, can get a visa on arrival at Baku airport, and GCC citizens have their own rules.

1. 01

   Send your passport

   A clear photo of the passport page and your UAE residence visa, for every traveller.

2. 02

   We check the route

   We confirm if you need the e-visa, qualify on arrival, or are exempt.

3. 03

   We file the e-visa

   We apply on the official ASAN Visa system with your passport details and travel dates.

4. 04

   You receive the approval

   Print it and carry it with your passport.

Azerbaijan is one of several short trips that are easy to enter for many passports. For a list by nationality, see our guide to visa-free countries for UAE residents.

Apply for the e-visa at least two weeks before travel, and earlier before Eid and the December break. A visa issued for the wrong dates or with a spelling mistake is a common reason travellers are held up at the airport.

Spring and autumn are the easiest months for a city trip. Winter is the time for snow, but pack properly: Baku is known as the city of winds. Summer in Baku can be hot, though cooler than the UAE, and the mountains are pleasant.

Snow is never certain. December can be mild in the mountains, while January and February usually have the deepest cover at Shahdag. For a winter trip built around snow, we keep the mountain nights in the middle of the trip and check the resort's conditions a week before you fly, so we can switch the order of days if needed.

In summer, light clothes for Baku and a fleece for the mountain evenings. All year: walking shoes for the old city's cobbles and a power adapter for European two-pin sockets.