Baku Sights: Old City, Carpets, Flag Square

October 20, 2026

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 list of south-western districts where mines and unexploded ordnance remain. The US State Department rates Azerbaijan Level 3, Reconsider Travel. The sights below are inside Baku, which the UK advice does not name, and visitors normally arrive by air. Read the UK advice and the US advisory before you go.

Baku packs medieval stone, Soviet-era squares and twenty-first-century architecture into one compact city. Fees are in manat (AZN), about 1.70 to the US dollar. Carry some cash, since not every ticket desk or kiosk takes cards.

Icherisheher, the Old City

The walled Old City is a UNESCO site, inscribed in 2000, that takes in the Shirvanshahs’ Palace and the Maiden Tower. The tower is a 12th-century cylinder about 28 m high on its south side, with walls about 5 m thick at the base and a viewing level at the top. A foreign adult pays 19 AZN, and its origin as a fire temple, watchtower or observatory is still debated. The Shirvanshahs’ Palace Complex costs 24 AZN and spreads over three terraces: the Divankhana, the burial vault, a palace mosque with minaret, the mausoleum of Seyid Yahya Bakuvi, bath remains and the Ovdan reservoir. Murad’s Gate carries an inscription dated 1585 to 1586. Both sights open daily from 10:00 to 19:00, and no climbing on the palace walls is allowed. Official fees are on the Icherisheher reserve site .

Heydar Aliyev Center

Zaha Hadid designed this curving white building, which opened in 2012, and the exterior is the main attraction. Inside are a museum about Heydar Aliyev, a Mini Azerbaijan display of miniature landmarks and a classic-car collection. Admission is paid, and published prices disagree, so check heydaraliyevcenter.az before you queue.

Azerbaijan Carpet Museum

On the Seaside Boulevard, the museum is built in the shape of a rolled carpet. The Austrian architect Franz Janz designed it, and it has been in this building since August 2014. Its collection runs to more than 10,000 items. A foreign adult ticket is about 10 AZN, and the museum closes on Mondays, so confirm both before visiting.

National Flag Square

On Neftchilar Avenue in Bayil, the square reopened on 8 November 2024 after reconstruction. The State Flag Museum has six halls and 431 items, including a gallery on the 2020 war. Treat it with a quiet, respectful tone.

Fountains Square and Nizami Street

The fountains date from the Soviet period, and the site was a military parade ground from 1868. It was last rebuilt in 2010. The traffic-free stretch from the square toward Rashid Behbudov Street is Nizami Street, known to locals as Torgovaya, and it is lined with shops and cafes.

Highland Park view

Highland Park looks over the bay to the Flame Towers, three towers completed around 2012. There is no documented public observation deck, so the park is the place for the view, and an LED show plays on their facades at night. The funicular is 455 m long, opened in 1960 and reopened in May 2012. It runs from a stop on Neftchilar Avenue near the Boulevard. The last reported fare was about 1 AZN, cash only, and published hours are Tuesday to Sunday with a midday break and a Monday closure, so check before you go. The upper station adjoins the national cemetery described below.

Guided sightseeing

If you prefer commentary, compare Baku sightseeing tours and see what each price covers.

Martyrs’ Lane

Martyrs’ Lane is the national cemetery on the hill above Baku. It holds victims of the January 1990 Black January crackdown and soldiers killed in the Karabakh wars, and the Eternal Flame there was inaugurated in 1998. It is a place of mourning, not a viewpoint. Dress modestly, speak quietly and ask before photographing anyone. The FCDO warns that disrespectful conduct can bring police action, and access can be restricted around 20 January.