This section is dedicated to take away all your "I wish someone had told me that before I went!" experiences. This way, you can spend less time settling in, and more time making new friends in your chosen hostel. We share our insider knowledge of tips, tricks and important things to look out for in Baku.
Baku is a very old city and has been part of many empires, so there are many things to do and see in the city. You can go to the Muchtarov Palace (built in the early twentieth century for a local millionaire bearing the same name), the Palace of Shirvan Shahs (built in the thirteenth to sixteenth centuries), the Baku TV Tower (on the twenty-seventh floor, some one hundred and seventy-five meters above the ground floor, you can have a lunch in a restaurant overlooking the city but eating there is not cheap), the Azerbaijan State Museum of Musical Culture, the Azerbaijan State Museum of Art, and the Museum of History of Azerbaijan.
There are also many religious centers such as the Palace Mosque (from the fifteenth century), the Mohammed Mosque (dating to the eleventh century), the Mosque Bibiheybat (from the thirteenth century, reconstructed in the late twentieth century), the Cathedral of the Holy Myrrh-Bearers (dating from late nineteenth century), and the Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator (from the early twentieth century).
You should be aware that the city is expensive; going out, eating in restaurants, and especially buying clothes or other things can be very expensive. Baku is a very clean, green city with many parks where you can go for a walk or a bicycle ride.
Be aware that finding a hostel in Baku can be a challenge even for people who know how to do that. There are not many hostels in Baku and most of them are not very cheap. Some Baku hostels cannot be described as other than quite expensive. Unfortunately, conditions in most Baku hostels do not match the high prices and you may end up paying a lot of money for a bad hostel. However, backpacking is still not very developed in the country, so you do not have a great choice of Baku hostels, but most of them have a great location in the center of the city.
Written by local enthusiast for Baku hostels
George Traveller
