Baku City Tour: Old City, Boulevard & Shirvanshah Palace
See Baku's layers in one morning: the modern skyline, the medieval streets, the seaside promenade
A guided city tour of Baku covering Highland Park, Baku Boulevard, the Old City, Shirvanshah Palace and Nizami Street, with hotel pickup and an English-speaking guide. The tour moves through Baku's different eras in sequence, from the high vantage point looking down at the modern city, through the winding medieval lanes of the Old City where the Maiden Tower and historic caravanserais stand, to the seaside park and the central shopping street. The route takes 3 to 4 hours and includes an air-conditioned vehicle and professional driver.
Step-by-step itinerary
Explore Baku's main city attractions
- Visit Highland Park for city panorama
- Walk through Martyrs’ Lane to 40 Stairs
- Stroll along Baku Boulevard seaside park
- Drive to Double Gates for Old City tour
- Tour Old City: Caravanserais, Mosque, Maiden Tower
- Visit Miniature Book Museum if open
- Explore Shirvanshah Palace complex
- Walk Nizami Street and Fountain Square
- Baku Boulevard 30m
- Baku Old City 2h
What’s included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off.
- air-conditioned vehicle.
- professional driver and English-speaking guide (available in Spanish, German and Arabic on request).
- access to all the sites mentioned in the itinerary.
Times
- Every day 09:00 09:30 10:00 10:30 11:00 11:30 12:00 12:30 13:00 13:30 14:00 14:30 15:30 16:00
Before you book
Operated by Guided Azerbaijan
Prices and times updated 9 days ago
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The experience
The tour starts at Highland Park, the highest point in Baku, where you get a full panorama of the city below. From there you can see the Flame Towers, Parliament Building, State TV Channel Building, Broadcast Tower, Martyrs' Lane, Crystal Hall, National Flag Square and more: your guide points out what each building is and why it matters. You walk down Martyrs' Lane to the 40 Stairs, where the driver picks you up.
Next is Baku Boulevard, the National Seaside Park that stretches 3,750 meters along the Caspian shore. It's the second largest seafront park in Europe after the one on the Seine in Paris, and it's been here for over a hundred years: oil barons built mansions along this coast and the promenade grew from there. Today it holds museums, cultural centers, shops and the Devil's Wheel, a panoramic amusement ride with views over Baku Bay.
The Old City Walking Tour takes 1 to 2 hours on foot. You enter at the Double Gates and your guide walks you through the Chain, Sailor and Cat Houses, the Bukhara and Multani Caravanserais, the Juma Mosque and the Maiden Tower, explaining the history of each. After photos at the Maiden Tower, you visit the Miniature Book Museum if it's open. It holds the world's largest collection of miniature books, over 5,600 volumes published in 66 countries, including one that is 0.75mm thick with 22 pages.
Shirvanshah Palace comes next, the former residence of the rulers of Shirvan and the centerpiece of the complex that includes the Divan-Khan courtyard, a 1441 mosque, a bathhouse and the mausoleum of the court scholar Seyid Yahya Bakuvi. The final stop is Nizami Street, where you have 15 to 20 minutes to walk the main shopping and dining street of central Baku and see Fountain Square with its fountains.
Is this one for you?If your guide speaks English, Spanish, German or Arabic, you'll follow the commentary without strain as the day moves through each neighborhood. The fixed route and timing mean the major sites fit into a single morning, so you're not building the day yourself or wondering what to see next.
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Top questions
What languages is the tour guided in?
Live guide in English, Spanish, German, Arabic and Russian.
Can children come?
Yes. Ticket types: Child (4 to 14 years); Infant (under 4): free.
What is the Maiden Tower and why is it important to Baku?
The Maiden Tower is a historic structure in the Old City that stands as one of Baku's most recognizable landmarks. Your guide explains its history and significance as part of the Old City Walking Tour, and you'll have time to photograph it before moving on to the next stop.
How much walking is involved in this tour?
The Old City Walking Tour portion takes 1 to 2 hours on foot through the medieval streets. The rest of the day involves short walks at each stop, from the car at Highland Park down to the 40 Stairs, along sections of Baku Boulevard, and 15 to 20 minutes on Nizami Street. You're in an air-conditioned vehicle between major stops.
What is the Miniature Book Museum and will we have time to see it?
The Miniature Book Museum holds the world's largest collection of miniature books (over 5,600 volumes from 66 countries) including one book that is only 0.75mm thick with 22 pages inside. It's included in the tour itinerary if the museum is open when you visit.
Does the tour include entrance fees to the museums and palace?
The tour includes transport, the guide and access to the sites, but entrance fees to museums and Shirvanshah Palace are separate and paid on the day. Your guide can tell you the current costs at each stop.
What time does the tour start and how long does it take?
The tour runs 3 to 4 hours total and includes hotel pickup. Your hotel will be contacted with the exact pickup time once you book.
Baku City Tour: Old City, Boulevard & Shirvanshah Palace
3h–4h · EN · ES · DE +2 · at your hotel
from US$ 65 per person
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