Baku Activities: Old City, Bay, Hammams
Travel advice. The UK FCDO advises against all travel within 5 km of Azerbaijan’s border with Armenia and against all but essential travel to a group of south-western districts where mines and unexploded ordnance remain. The US State Department rates Azerbaijan Level 3, Reconsider Travel. Baku and the Absheron Peninsula sit outside the districts the UK names, and most visitors arrive by air at Heydar Aliyev International Airport. Read the current UK advice and US advisory before you book.
Baku offers museums inside a medieval wall, a long bayside promenade, steam baths and two fire sites on the Absheron Peninsula. Prices below are in manat (AZN), roughly 1.70 to the US dollar. Cards work widely in the city, but carry some AZN cash for small shops, markets and taxis.
Old City museums
Icherisheher, the walled Old City, has the most compact set of paid sights. A foreign adult pays 19 AZN for the Maiden Tower and 24 AZN for the Shirvanshahs’ Palace Complex, with child tickets for ages 5 to 17 at 9 and 12 AZN. Both open daily from 10:00 to 19:00. Smaller museums cost less: the Azerbaijan Miniature Art Museum is 5 AZN, and the Underground Bath and the Tahir Salahov House Museum are 10 AZN each. The Archaeology Museum (closed Mondays) and the Tea Treasury Museum are free. There is no combined pass, so buy each ticket where you enter. The Maiden Tower is about 28 m high and dates to the 12th century. Its original purpose is debated, with fire temple, watchtower and observatory all proposed. Current fees are on the Icherisheher reserve site .
Seaside Boulevard
The Seaside National Park follows the bay for about 16 km, and the classic central promenade is roughly 3.7 km of that. It has cafes, playgrounds, summer cinemas and Baku Crystal Hall. Bikes can be hired along it, so ask for the price at the stand. A boat cruise of 30 to 40 minutes has run from the bridge in front of the Seaport Terminal on the 450-passenger Mirvari. The last published fares were 5 AZN on the lower decks and 10 AZN on the top deck, with children under 6 free, on a winter timetable of 14:00 to 21:00. Spring and summer times differ, so check at the quay.
Traditional hammams
Baku has three historic bathhouses. Agha Mikayil, on Kichik Gala Street in the Old City, dates to the 18th century and admits women on only two days of the week, the first and fifth, and men on the rest. Agha Zeynal, also in Icherisheher, is men only at present, and so is Taza Bey on Sheikh Shamil Street. A steam, scrub and foam massage is the usual service. Prices are not published; one 2025 press piece mentioned about 10 AZN for basic entry, so confirm at the door.
Gala reserve masterclasses
The Gala State Historical-Ethnographic Reserve lies about 40 km from the centre, a 40-minute drive on the peninsula. It covers over 81 hectares with rock-art finds from the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC, a medieval town display and a 14th-century fortress. A ticket of 15 AZN is listed as covering both museums and the masterclasses in carpet weaving, pottery, lavash baking and blacksmithing. Check the programme before you go.
Yanar Dag and Ateshgah
Yanar Dag at Mammadli and the Ateshgah at Surakhani are 15 AZN each, with a combined ticket at 25 AZN, and both open from 10:00 to 19:00. Each is 30 to 45 minutes from central Baku by car. The Ateshgah flame is fed by piped gas, because the natural supply stopped in 1969. Yanar Dag guided tours last about two hours and cost 3 AZN in Azerbaijani or 10 AZN in other languages. Professional photography at Yanar Dag needs permission.
Getting around
A metro ride costs 0.60 AZN, paid with a BakıKart, a QR ticket, the Metro app or NFC at the gate. Taxis can overcharge, so agree the fare first or use the meter or a ride-hailing app such as Bolt or Yango. Bag-snatching is possible after dark in the centre, so keep cash out of sight.
To compare guided options, browse Baku activities and tours and check what each price includes.
Read more: sightseeing in Baku and walking tours in Baku .