Is Baku Safe? Find Out All You Need to Know Here 🇦🇿

Wondering if it is safe to travel to Baku?

Here are my tips based on my visit as a solo female traveller.

Read on for everything you need to know about whether Baku is safe.

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Table of Contents

Is Baku Safe?

I have travelled to Baku as a solo female traveller and I felt safe all the time I was there. I stayed outside the city centre in a residential area. I got lost walking back and ended up walking through a housing area. It was a bit ramshackle with dogs running about everywhere but I was OK, just a little nervous because I had got lost.

I used the public transport system and felt safe, even when it was busy. I did experience someone pushing through the barrier behind me. It was nothing major, just a bit of an invasion of personal space.

I felt safe walking anywhere around the city centre.

The only time I felt a little anxious was when I couldn’t find the bus stop to get the bus back to my accommodation. I did manage to find a taxi, and the taxi driver took me back to the hotel but then refused to take any money.

I also stayed out quite late one evening because I wanted to take some photos of the sunset and the night sky of Baku.

I didn’t feel uncomfortable walking around on my own, or taking the funicular to the viewing area. It was busy with locals, visitors and families which gave it a nice atmosphere.

Interestingly I visited Baku after staying in Istanbul for a few days. I definitely did not feel safe in Istanbul.

I was very apprehensive after my Istanbul experience about going to Baku, given it’s much less visited.

However, it was absolutely fine. I actually experienced some lovely acts of kindness.

When boarding the bus for the first time I found that they didn’t accept cash. A local girl paid for me to get to the town centre where I could buy my own Baki Kart for public transport.

As mentioned above a taxi driver ran me back to my apartment and refused payment at night time.

I also needed to go shopping and get cash when I arrived. I found a taxi driver and although he didn’t speak English he rang a family member who did and we managed to figure out what I wanted to do.

He ran me around town for an hour or so, waiting outside the shops for me and taking me to the ATM. When we got back he only wanted to charge me £10 for the whole hour of being driven around – I think he enjoyed the novelty of having a tourist onboard as we did see quite a few of his friends on our journey. He was lovely and despite the language barrier we got on well and I felt completely safe.

I also was approached by a man offering tours. He wasn’t aggressive, just genuinely excited to see a tourist, perhaps because it was November! When I said no to the tour he was offering he seemed quite surprised but wished me a lovely day and we parted with lots of smiles and waves. I did not feel intimidated or uncomfortable.

The only thing I did get a little frustrated by was just wanting to have a cup of tea. Baku has a kind of tea ceremony with teas and flavoured jams. It’s lovely but you don’t want to be doing it or paying for it every time you have a cup of tea. A couple of cafes told me that the only option available was the full tea ceremony when I went to get a drink, at which point I advised I would leave. They then offered me a single tea/coffee just like the locals were enjoying. It wasn’t an uncomfortable experience, more a little aggravating.

Is Baku Safe?

Is Baku Safe for Tourists?

The Foreign Office reports that crime levels in Baku are generally low.

As with travelling anywhere it is wise to take care of your personal posessions. This includes things like not carrying large amounts of cash or valuables, not wearing valuable jewellery or watches etc. These are the type of things you should think of regardless of where you are travelling.

There are some issues with skimming of credit cards and ATMs as there are with other destinations too. Again, take the same precautions of checking the machines as you would anywhere else.

In Baku you can ring 102 to report a crime. They have English speaking staff available on the phone.

If you need to go to a police station then it is best to take someone with you who can interpret.

As with any police station don’t sign any documents unless you know what they mean.

It is a requirement to carry your ID documents with you when travelling around Baku. It’s best to keep a copy of the photo page stored somewhere safely. I keep a paper copy of the photo page and have a photo of the page on my phone as well.

Azerbaijan is a Muslim country which observes Ramadan – the dates vary each year but it is in March and April.

Is Baku Safe?

Is Baku Safe to Travel?

I found public transport easy to use, once I purchased a Baki Kart. This card enabled me to use the buses and underground. The buses don’t take cash at all.

I read about people pushing through the underground barriers when you scanned your Baki Kart to go through. This happened to me also – some young girls were obviously trying to avoid paying.

Knowing it might happen made it much less of a shock when I experienced it myself.

Is Baku Safe?

Road Safety

Take extra care when crossing roads. Thankfully many of the major junctions in Baku have pedestrian underpasses which makes it safer. Always use these – a number of them have escalators as well as stairs.

Driving standards can vary in Baku and a flashing yellow traffic light means that traffic can cross from either direction – very confusing!

Is Baku Safe to Visit? – Conclusion

Sensible precautions regarding personal safety and personal possessions are recommended for Baku as they would be for any place you plan to visit.
Baku is safe for tourists and visitors.
If travelling out of Baku check the Foreign Office advice – there is a conflict at the border where travel is not advised.