Azerbaijan - Info & Facts

Suggested Length of Stay

Recommended lengths of stay in Azerbaijan from 3-5 day extensions to Georgia and Armenia, to 2 weeks on its own.

Modes of transport

Roads

Many of Azerbaijan’s smaller villages remain accessible only by tough cars or 4WD jeep, but road building is rapidly expanding the number of options for exploration by standard car, and new highways to Astara and Quba, make travel north and south of Baku much faster.

Buses

Buses and minibuses link major towns to a set timetable. Some routes between nearby towns are served by marshrutky (minibuses that depart when they have enough passengers). Services to remote villages typically leave the village early morning to the bazaar or the nearest town, returning mid-afternoon.

Car
If renting a vehicle, it’s important to know who is to blame. If you have a crash, your insurance will be voided if you move the vehicle before police arrive to file a report.

Train
Virtually all intercity trains travel overnight. Fares are extremely reasonable and include bedsheets and a reserved berth. Tickets go on sale ten days before departure and booking at least a few days ahead is wise. You’ll need to present your passport both to board the train and to buy a ticket.

Air Domestic flights
The only internal flights are Baku–Naxçıvan (AZN70, several daily) and Baku–Gəncə (AZN61, three weekly).

Health Precautions

Malaria is a risk in the southern lowland areas of Azerbaijan. The risk is higher in summer from June to August.

Food and Drink

Azeri cuisine’s strengths are in fruity sauces, wonderful fresh vegetables, and mutton-based soups. Barbecued meat often takes centre stage while various rice pilaf dishes feature mainly at banquets.

Money

Azerbaijan’s Manat is denoted AZN or by a special ‘M’ that looks like a euro symbol rotated through 90 degrees. AZN1 equals 100 qəpiq.

Many transactions still require cash but Visa & Mastercard usage is becoming increasingly widespread and ATMs are available in all cities and regional centres.

Time Zone

Azerbaijan (GMT+4)

Visas

electronic visa (e-visa) for single entry, 30-day stays. Do this online through Azerbaijan’s State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations. Allow at least 3 business days for processing.

Australian Embassy & Consulate contacts for Azerbaijan

Australia doesn’t have an embassy in Azerbaijan. For consular assistance, contact the Australian Embassy in Turkey.

You can also get limited consular assistance from the British Embassy in Baku. They can’t provide notarial services or issue Australian passports.

Electricity

In Azerbaijan, the standard voltage is 220 V and the frequency is 50 Hz. You can use your electric appliances in Azerbaijan because the standard voltage (220 V) is (more or less) the same as in Australia (230 V).

Getting there (stopovers)

All Middle Eastern based airlines fly to Baku, via Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Muscat or Manama.

Tipping

In restaurants, tipping up to 10% is highly appreciated but not usually expected. Simply rounding up the bill is more common in less fancy places. Rounding up is also important when using app-based taxis where drivers are very poorly paid, but much less so in unmetered flagged cabs for which fare haggling is more appropriate.