I recently spent a month traveling through Azerbaijan, my first ever glimpse at the Caucasus. I didn’t expect much, except for Ladas, mountains, and the Flame Towers of Baku. But the longer I stayed and the more I saw, the more fond I grew of this beautiful country and its people. Azerbaijan definitely rewards slow travel.
98% of people visit only 2 locations
Like all tourists recently, our trip started at Baku airport. Azerbaijan’s land borders have been closed since Covid, and so the only way into the country is by air. Baku has a decent number of tourists and so does Sheki, a town on the silk road near the border with Georgia. However, between those two places, we didn’t see many other foreign visitors, which is a real shame. Chinese and Korean tour busses are most prominent in Baku and Sheki, and according to some people I talked to, they spend only three days in the country before moving on to Georgia. Don’t make this mistake. Azerbaijan has a lot more to offer than manicured towns with cobblestone streets.
The Turkish flag is everywhere
The countries of the Caucasus have a troubled history, but this is not the place to get into who did what and who likes who. Except for Azerbaijan and Turkey, who seem to be best buddies. The languages are quite similar, they share a religion, and a lot of the culture. Food-wise, they both love doner and ayran, and baklava is the local sweet treat. More often than not, the Azerbaijani flag is depicted in a kind of collage-type mash-up with the Turkish one. In fact, a tour guide in Sheki even referred to the Turkish as their brothers and let some people cut the line. I don’t know of any other country where this is the case. I don’t think the German and Austrian flags will get a mash-up anytime soon simply because we share a language.
The breakfast is very dairy-heavy
Azerbaijanis love their dairy. But they don’t stop at milk and cheese. At some point, I had no fewer than six different dairy products on the table for breakfast. There was milk in my coffee, but that one doesn’t really count, so make this five. First, there was a feta-type flavorful cheese, then there was a spreadable strong cream cheese with cumin seeds, followed by rustic butter and some other type of stringy cheese in the menemen-style scrambled eggs with tomato. Last but not least, my favorite was basically a thick whipped cream that I enjoyed loaded with honey and jam. The breakfast here is just legen-dairy.
Street cats are royalty
This one is also similar to Turkey and especially Istanbul, but cats are so fun, they deserve their own section. There are a lot of street cats in Azerbaijan. Some look a bit scruffy, but the locals usually treat them really well. There are blankets on radiators, bowls of cat food, and just general respect for them by not being chased away from markets and store fronts to make their lives a bit more enjoyable.
Memorials double as water fountains
There are a lot of water fountains in Azerbaijan, and many are memorials related to the recent wars in Nagorno-Karabakh. They are beautifully decorated with flowers and pictures and even have to cups. Though I’d rather use my hands or refill my bottle than share a cup with hundreds of strangers. So with Azerbaijan (and turns out the Caucasus in general) providing tasty and free water at every street corner and countries like Korea and Japan offering free public toilets (but no trash cans), may I suggest a mix of these two in Germany?
Bonus: Fun facts about Azerbaijan
Baku is the lowest capital city in the world, at 28 meters below sea level. The country gave women the right to vote in 1918, at the same time as Germany and earlier than the entirety of the United States.
Digital nomad essentials for life on the road
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Flights
I normally book my flights via Skyscanner or Kiwi. These search engines for flights show all the best connections and even include budget airlines for transfer hacks that can save you even more money.
Hotels
I normally use a good mixture of booking.com and Agoda to get the best deals. I like booking for its user-friendly interface. But for Asia, I’ve found that Agoda has a wider selection of hotels.
If you’re on a budget, Hostelworld will be your best bet because they focus on dormitory-style accommodation.
Tours
GetYourGuide is perfect for locally guided tours or if tickets are already booked. I saw the famous Last Supper painting by Leonardo Da Vinci with them in Milan and had a very smooth experience.
Klook is a great option to book bus tickets in South Korea. This can be such a hassle, especially if you want to book before you actually get to the country. Klook allows you to book a bus ticket online for pickup at the station. You can also reserve SIM card packages with them an arrange airport pickup, with is super convenient because it’s already paid for.