Salam bros.. I am in Azerbaijan at the moment, Insha'Allah I will share some useful information about Baku, Quba, Shahdag & guides/drivers

I went from UAE. For UAE residents (Emirates ID holders), visa isn't required (as long as the Emirates is valid for > 6 months), same is the case for many countries but you will have to check according to your nationality.

Since our Emirates ID was expiring within 6 months, I applied for e-Visa for the family.. very straightforward process, 25$ fee per person.. Our e-Visa got approved within 24 hours on our UK passports (Pakistani & Indian passport holders are also eligible for e-Visa)

 

Currency - Azerbaijan manat (AZN)

I converted AED to AZN before travelling. The rate i got was 1 AZN for 2.2AED. I needed to convert more in Baku & the best rate I got there was 1AZN for 2.5AED - so best to take AZN with you before you travel. Unfortunately, AZN isn't available on Revolut card (Revolut is fantastic for travel)

 

Food: Halal food available every where. Nice food (much like Turkish cuisine) & even fine dining places in Baku are surprisingly very reasonably priced (let alone takeaways etc)

 

Transport: I used taxis extensively during our stay in Baku - Taxis are cheap as peanuts on Bolt App (the highest fare I was charged was like 10AZN for airport transfer from old city which is atleast 35-40 minutes drive).. all drivers gratefully accept tips..

Beware not to step into the metered London style black taxis in front of Deniz mall.. they are proper scammers, for a short (ride that Bolt would have cost us 3-4AZN), they charged me 40AZN based on the 'invisible meter' - Bolt (like Uber) is safe, you know what you're paying before the ride starts, no surprises

For travelling from Baku to Quba, I hired a comfortable Sedan for 90AZN through Bolt app

There's no Bolt in Quba & surrounding areas so you can book taxis through reception of your hotel - they are more expensive than Bolt but there's no alternative

On the day we were returning from Quba, I hired a driver (Semur) with a nice spacious SUV - for ride from Quba to Shahdag (1 hour drive), Stay in Shahdag resort for 3 hours & then Shahdag mountain resort to Baku (3.5 hours drive) - he charged us 160AZN for the whole day tour which is fairly reasonable

Apart from being reasonably priced, he is genuinely nice person & does not rush you from one place to another.. He can speak limited basic English but fill the gaps with Arabic so we could understand him ok.. communication is a real problem in Azerbaijan as not many people speak or understand English, especially outside Baku .

Places to visit

1 Baku

For us, the highlight of Baku was the old city (Ischerisheher)

Most tourist attractions in Baku are easily walkable if you are staying close to the old city or Nizami street (Sabayil area)

Old city is lovely & romantic with cobblestone paved streets & historical architecture..

The attractions worth visiting in old city are:

- Shrivanshah's palace

- Maidan tower

- Museum of miniature books

- Taza Pir mosque

- Muhammad mosque

- & the best part is strolling aimlessly in the cobblestone alleys & enjoying fresh anar & orange juices from the road side cafes & stalls

We faced one problem in old city that if you're relying on taxis, the tourism police do not let them into the old city (to avoid congestion) so you have to walk out of the old city walls everytime you order a taxi - old city is very small though & in any direction you can be out of its walls within 300-400 metres

Other attractions in Baku are:

- Nizami street (food, shopping)

- Upland park (one of our favourite - panaromic view of Baku city, flame towers & Caspian sea) - you can either walk up there or take the super cheap funicular ride (1 AZN per person, children below 5 years go free)

- Mini Venice (fun 10 minutes ride on a Venetian style gondola with views of the city)

- Deniz mall

- Museums (we didn't visit them - Carpet Museum Hayder Aliyev centre)

II Quba

We stayed in a beautiful lakeside resort about 10-15 minutes drive outside Quba (Lake Park Hotel by Macara club - I would highly recommend it especially if you're visiting with family)

The resort has got its own lake, boating, horse riding, fishing & hiking activities so you really do not need to go out much

III- Shahdag mountain resort

It is about 1 hour drive from Quba. It is a mountain top resort with skiing facilities in winter & adventure rides & activities in summer/shoulder seasons

IV- Khinaliq - it is another mountain resort in a separate valley (not on same route as Shahdag) & about 1.5 hours away from Quba. We didn't visit as it was constantly raining & there is not much to do for kids there (I heard from locals that the landscape in Khinaliq is very beautiful though)