Is Baku Expensive? It Can Be Great Value Once You Are There

Wondering ‘Is Baku Expensive?’

Check out my experience of getting to Baku and the costs of staying there and activities.

Baku can be great value once you are there.

Is Baku Expensive To Visit?

One of the biggest costs of getting to Baku is likely to be getting there. If you take direct flights from the UK then the airfare is likely to be several hundred pounds each way.

However, there are ways to get there for much less.

When I decided to visit Baku I did a reverse flight search and discovered there were flights from Istanbul for 30 pounds on the budget division of the Baku airline.

I could get to Istanbul from London for around 30 pounds and that was somewhere I wanted to go as well and just like that a 2 destination trip took shape.

Is Baku Expensive?

The cost of staying in Baku clearly varies with where you stay. If you want to stay in the Flame Towers Hotel, then you are going to be paying a great deal for the experience.

I prefer comfortable places to stay that are lower priced so I can make more of my travel budget.

On my trip to Baku I chose to stay in a holiday apartment. It wasn’t in the city centre of Baku but instead just out in one of the residential suburbs.

It was a 1 bedroom apartment with a jacuzzi bath, kitchen and lounge diner. It had everything in it I needed, plus there was a little outside terrace area that I could use as well. It was clean and tidy.

For a 3 night stay the apartment cost me 75 pounds which included WIFI and all the utilities. It was also a great way to get an insight into local life.

Is Baku Expensive? – Getting Around

The public transport in Baku is integrated, so one travel card works for trains, buses etc. I used public transport every day I was in Baku and it cost me 5 pounds in total. That included travelling out of the city centre to visit the Heydar Aliyev Centre.

I had airport transfers for the longer journey to and from the airport although there was probably a public transport option available for that as well.

Is Baku Expensive to Visit

Cost of Visits and Activities in Baku

When I visited there weren’t lots of attractions to visit in Baku. Baku was the attraction. The main place I visited was the Heydar Aliyev Centre which was closed on the day I went, but normally open to visitors for a small fee.

The Carpet Museum is around 3.50 to visit, although I didn’t visit myself.

I checked out an old Caravanserei which had been turned into a restaurant, so the cost was just of the food and drink I had.

I also visited the oldest tearoom in Baku, and again the cost was having tea.

When I visited Baku was still developing its tourism industry. The Ferris Wheel was built but not operating for example.

There were plenty of opportunities to go out of the city to visit temples, fire mountains and more but I wanted to stay in the city centre.

Eating and Drinking in Baku

I chose to self-cater for several meals, given I was staying in a self-contained apartment. I enjoyed shopping in the local supermarket and found the prices very reasonable.

I also ate out at a brilliant cafe in the centre of Baku, the House Cafe. It was so good I went there twice which is something I never do. Again the prices were reasonable, especially given the quality and quantity of the food.

The only thing I found expensive was tea. I was often offered tea and jam, an Azerbaijan tradition where flavoured jam is added to tea. It’s generally served with biscuits or cakes too. That’s lovely to do once, but not every time you want to stop for a cup of tea. It’s not something the locals do every time they stop for tea.

I had a couple of places tell me that I had to have the full tea and jam service – which was about 12 pounds. I simply told them no and carried on. When I reached the next place I explained that I just wanted tea like a local not the full tea and jam service. It took a couple of attempts but I managed it.

When I visited it was November so tourists were thin on the ground – they were obviously trying to make as much money as they could!

Is Baku Expensive? – Shopping

I found Baku reasonable for shopping. I did my gift shopping in the local supermarket, bringing home sweets and the local Azerbaijan tea for family and friends.

As a traveller, I am not really into shopping so I didn’t have much experience of this. I did visit one of the shopping centres on the promenade and had something to eat in one of the cafes which was reasonable and good.

Is Baku Expensive to Visit? – Conclusion

• Direct flights to Baku from the UK are expensive, but with a bit of clever planning you can get there for a much more reasonable cost.
• There are accommodation options in Baku to suit all budgets – with some really good value options if you look for them.
• Eating and drinking costs were reasonable. There were cheaper and more expensive options available.
• The cost of getting around was very reasonable. The public transport system is the cheapest way to travel but even taxis were reasonably priced too.

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