The hop-on, hop-off Baku bus tour gets you closer to the city’s best landmarks and attractions. Discover Baku’s rich history on the carefully designed sightseeing route. There is so much to see in Baku and this bus tour is one of the best ways to travel across the city witnessing the mesmerizing views of the city, situated between Europe and Asia, the Caspian Sea, and the Caucasus Mountains. 

Admire the curves and collections of the Heydar Aliyev Centre

Designed by the illustrious Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid, the eye-catching Heydar Aliyev Centre opened in 2012, since when it’s astonishing curved, wave-like shape and innovative use of space have turned it into an icon of modern Azerbaijan. In 2014, the stunning structure, which does not have a straight line, won the London Design Museum's prestigious Design of the Year Award.  

The building aims to be a place that is open to anyone regardless of gender, race and origin and that brings people together united by shared ideas. Besides its extraordinary appearance, it’s a world-class exhibition and museum complex with many permanent and temporary curations showcasing the best local and global arts and culture. Among the permanent collections is a museum exploring the life and legacy of the national leader Heydar Aliyev, a Mini Azerbaijan exhibition displaying miniature versions of the country's key landmarks, and even a unique collection of classic cars.  

In addition, the Centre also has a stylish cafeteria as well as a state-of-the-art auditorium that hosts international conferences and events. What's more, the surrounding area is effectively a large green park where, in warmer months, you can walk, relax and get away from the urban hustle and bustle. 

Travel back to the middle ages!

You can find yourself in both the Bronze Age and a medieval town in a unique open-air museum in Azerbaijan. This is the ancient settlement of Gala, now the Gala State Historical and Ethnographic Reserve. The territory of the complex, located about 40km from Baku, exceeds 81 hectares – enough to accommodate over 100 football fields! 

Here, you will witness rock paintings, constructions, and everyday items from the 3rd to 2nd millennia BC and climb to the top of a fortress dating from the 14th century, from where an incredible view of the Absheron Peninsula opens up. In the medieval town, meanwhile, you will discover how our ancestors lived and see their clothes, crockery, coins and ornaments. In addition, if you take an interactive tour, you can try weaving a carpet, crafting a clay jug, baking bread in an old oven and working in a real blacksmith’s workshop! 

The exposition of yet another unusual museum at the complex – From Waste to Art – will bring you back to the present with an assortment of artworks made from household rubbish: cables, lamps, wheels, plastic water bottles, cellophane, toys, various car parts and many other worn-out things. About 180 different works of art both by local and foreign artists are displayed here. The Simurgh bird made of iron pieces, horse figures made of wooden waste, and a fish made of plastic spoons, forks and knives are just a few of the exhibits that attract attention. 

At the Gala Reserve you can touch the exhibits with your hands, which the children will love, as well as the mini zoo, which received new additions last spring: baby goats, lambs and even a baby camel.  

Discover the legacy of ancient fire-worshippers

Baku’s extraordinary landscape, rich in oil and subterranean gases, has intrigued travellers since time immemorial and for centuries the Ateshgah Fire Temple in the village of Surakhani has been attracting crowds of thrill seekers. Built in the 17th–18th centuries around naturally burning flames which were previously worshipped by Zoroastrians, the site was then an important place of pilgrimage for fire-worshipping Hindus until the 1880s. Today it houses a well-designed museum and is often coupled with a trip to nearby Yanardag, the Burning Mountain in Mammadli village where a 10-metre wall of flames blazes day and night at the base of a hillside. These natural flames were described by Marco Polo in the 13th century and continue to mesmerise those who visit the site. Today you can learn all about them at the beautifully arranged new museum complex. 

Explore the mud volcanoes of Baku

Home to the world's greatest concentration of mud volcanoes, the landscape around Baku might be described as messy, bubbling, and sometimes explosive. The country is thought to have nearly 400 mud volcanoes and while they never grow to the size of a normal volcano, topping out at around 10 kilometres in diameter and 700 metres in height (among the largest mud volcanoes in the world are Boyuk Kanizadag and Toraghai, both in Azerbaijan), they do occasionally get the chance to show off.  

Mud volcanoes occur where tectonic movement allows subterranean gases to escape to the surface. A few of these gas leaks are constantly on fire, shooting small perpetual flames into the air, and some believe that these perpetual flames are strongly connected to the appearance of Zoroastrianism in Azerbaijan about 2,000 years ago. Located a 1.5-hour drive from Baku, the mud volcanoes at Dashgil near the Gobustan Reserve are the most popular to visit. 
 
Get ready to create lasting memories!