Baku and Gabala: Old City, fire temples and the Caucasus foothills
Azerbaijan · 4 nights, 5 days · 4.8 (4)
Baku is one of the easiest long weekends from Dubai: two and a half hours in the air, a time difference of zero, and a city that looks completely different from home. It works on two levels. Inside the 12th-century walls of Icherisheher, the Old City, you walk lanes of carpet sellers and caravanserais around the Maiden Tower and the Palace of the Shirvanshahs. Outside, Baku is all oil-boom swagger: the Flame Towers glowing at night, the curving white Heydar Aliyev Centre and a seaside boulevard that runs for kilometres along the Caspian.
We give the city two full days because the evenings are the best part. Day two ends at Yanar Dag, the hillside on the Absheron peninsula where natural gas has burned continuously for decades; arrive just after dark for the full effect. If your flight is late on the last day we can fit in Gobustan, with its Stone Age rock carvings and bubbling mud volcanoes, about an hour south of the city.
The overnight in Gabala is what turns a city break into a proper escape. The drive is about three and a half hours via Shamakhi, where we stop at the Juma Mosque, one of the oldest in the Caucasus, and the cliff-side Diri Baba mausoleum at Maraza. Gabala sits in forest at the foot of the Greater Caucasus, and the Tufandag cable car lifts you to nearly 2,000 metres. Next morning visit Nohur lake and the Yeddi Gozel waterfall before driving back to Baku for a last evening by the sea.
Who it suits: couples, friends and first-timers to the Caucasus who want culture and fresh air without a long flight. Food is a highlight and naturally halal: plov with saffron rice, lamb kebabs, qutab flatbreads and endless tea with jam. Baku can be windy, which locals joke is the city's name, so pack a jacket even in May. Our consultant Layla Haddad suggests a seat on the left of the plane for the Caspian coastline on approach.
Highlights
- Icherisheher Old City, Maiden Tower and the Palace of the Shirvanshahs
- Yanar Dag burning hillside after dark
- Flame Towers and the Caspian seaside boulevard at night
- Shamakhi Juma Mosque and the Diri Baba mausoleum
- Tufandag cable car above Gabala
- Nohur lake and the Yeddi Gozel waterfall
Day by day
Day 1Arrive in Baku, evening on the boulevard
The direct flight from Dubai takes around two and a half hours, and there is no time difference. Your driver meets you at arrivals for the 30-minute drive along the airport highway into the city. Check in, then walk down to the seaside boulevard on the Caspian for the sunset, past the carpet museum shaped like a rolled rug. After dark, look up the hill to see the Flame Towers animated in fire and the national flag. Overnight Baku.
Day 2Old City tour and Yanar Dag at night
At 10am meet your guide at the Shirvanshah gate for a three-hour walk through Icherisheher: the Maiden Tower, the Palace of the Shirvanshahs, old caravanserais and the miniature book museum. After lunch, drive past the Heydar Aliyev Centre for photos and up to Highland Park for the panorama over the bay. Free time before an evening drive of 30 minutes to Yanar Dag, the fire mountain, best seen after dark. Overnight Baku.
Day 3Shamakhi and on to Gabala
Leave Baku at 9am for the drive west, about three and a half hours including stops. In Shamakhi visit the Juma Mosque, first built in the 8th century, then the Diri Baba mausoleum set into a cliff near Maraza. Arrive in Gabala early afternoon and take the Tufandag cable car up through the forest towards 1,900 metres, with views of the Greater Caucasus. Dinner of plov and lamb kebabs tonight at a family-run guesthouse restaurant. Overnight Gabala.
Day 4Nohur lake, waterfall and back to Baku
After breakfast visit Nohur lake, a calm mountain lake where you can hire a pedal boat or sit with tea and walnuts. Continue to the Yeddi Gozel, or Seven Beauties, waterfall, reached by a short trail and steps through the woods. Begin the drive back to Baku around 1pm, arriving at your hotel by 5pm. Spend your last evening at Fountain Square and Nizami Street for shopping and a farewell dinner. Overnight Baku.
Day 5Fly home to Dubai
Enjoy breakfast and a final walk if time allows. If your flight is in the evening, we recommend the optional half-day Gobustan tour, about an hour south of Baku, to see the Stone Age petroglyphs and the small bubbling mud volcanoes nearby. Your driver collects you about three hours before departure for the airport. The flight lands back in Dubai about two and a half hours later, ready for work the next day.
Hotels by tier
Choose the tier in the price box; the difference is priced per adult for the whole stay.
Named hotels or similar of the same standard if one is full; we tell you before you pay the balance.
What is included
Included
- Return direct flights from Dubai to Baku, Economy, 23 kg baggage
- 4 nights with daily breakfast: 3 in Baku, 1 in Gabala
- Private airport transfers on arrival and departure
- Guided Baku city tour with Old City entry tickets
- Evening tour to Yanar Dag and the Highland Park viewpoint
- Private two-day Gabala tour via Shamakhi with English-speaking driver
- Tufandag cable car tickets
- Dinner of plov and kebabs at a Gabala guesthouse restaurant
- 24/7 Dubai support line throughout the trip
Not included
- Azerbaijan e-visa fee, where your nationality needs one
- Lunches and dinners other than the Gabala dinner
- Gobustan and mud volcanoes extension (from about AED 230 per person)
- Tips for drivers and guides
- Travel insurance
Departures and prices
Price per adult, twin share, standard hotels. Seats are held with our airline and hotel partners.
| Dates | Departure | Seats left | Per adult | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 19 Nov to Mon 23 Nov 2026 | Flexible | 8 | AED 2,190 | |
| Thu 26 Nov to Mon 30 Nov 2026 | Flexible | 8 | AED 2,190 | |
| Thu 3 Dec to Mon 7 Dec 2026 | Flexible | 8 | AED 2,410 | |
| Thu 10 Dec to Mon 14 Dec 2026 | Flexible | 12 | AED 2,190 | |
| Thu 17 Dec to Mon 21 Dec 2026 | Flexible | 12 | AED 2,630 | |
| Thu 24 Dec to Mon 28 Dec 2026 | Flexible | 12 | AED 2,630 | |
| Thu 31 Dec to Mon 4 Jan 2027 | Flexible | 12 | AED 2,630 | |
| Thu 7 Jan to Mon 11 Jan 2027 | Flexible | 8 | AED 2,190 | |
| Thu 14 Jan to Mon 18 Jan 2027 | Flexible | 12 | AED 2,190 | |
| Thu 21 Jan to Mon 25 Jan 2027 | Flexible | 8 | AED 2,190 | |
| Thu 28 Jan to Mon 1 Feb 2027 | Flexible | 8 | AED 2,190 | |
| Thu 4 Feb to Mon 8 Feb 2027 | Flexible | 12 | AED 2,190 | |
| Thu 11 Feb to Mon 15 Feb 2027 | Flexible | 12 | AED 2,190 | |
| Thu 18 Feb to Mon 22 Feb 2027 | Flexible | 12 | AED 2,190 | |
| Thu 25 Feb to Mon 1 Mar 2027 | Flexible | 7 | AED 2,190 | |
| Thu 4 Mar to Mon 8 Mar 2027 | Flexible | 12 | AED 2,190 |
Where it is
Questions about this holiday
Do UAE residents need a visa for Azerbaijan?
When is the best time to visit Baku and Gabala?
Is the food halal?
Can I do this over a long weekend?
Is the trip suitable for children?
What is the luggage allowance?
Travellers on this holiday
Booked this for six Russian-speaking friends and the guide switched between Russian and English without missing a beat. The Gobustan petroglyphs and the mud volcanoes made for a strange, brilliant morning. Late checkout on the last day was added for free because our flight home was in the evening.
My husband and I hold Pakistani passports and were nervous about the paperwork. The e-visa was handled for us and in our inbox two days later. Plov in a family restaurant in Gabala, Nohur lake at sunrise, and a driver who played old Azeri songs all the way. Four nights, zero stress.
Perfect long weekend for a UAE public holiday. Short direct flight from Dubai, two nights in Baku near the boulevard, then Gabala for the cable car and the forest walks. Our evening in the Old City was timed so we watched the Flame Towers light up from the walls.
Good value and the Old City walk was a highlight. Our Baku room faced the car park rather than the Caspian, and when I asked to move the hotel was full. Gabala made up for it with a cosy chalet and the Tufandag cable car on a perfectly clear day.
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