Two days in Baku is enough to feel the city’s three layers: a walled medieval core, a seaside boulevard of grand old mansions, and a skyline that looks confidently toward the future. This 48 hours in Baku itinerary keeps the pace easy, with long lunches in old caravanserais and the best light saved for the waterfront.
Day one: the Old City and the boulevard
Begin inside Icherisheher, the UNESCO-listed Old City, entering through the Double Gates. Stone lanes twist upward from the entrance, and every turn offers something: a mosque, a carpet seller’s doorway, a cat asleep on a warm step. Climb the Maiden Tower for views across the rooftops to the Caspian. Then walk to the Palace of the Shirvanshahs, a 15th-century complex of courtyards, a mausoleum and a bathhouse.
Lunch belongs in a caravanserai. Karvansaray and Mugam Club both serve Azerbaijani cooking in historic settings, and a table in the courtyard is the right place to start with a plate of dolma.
In the afternoon, step out onto Nizami Street for shops and cafés, then pause at Fountain Square. By late afternoon, follow the Bulvar along the Caspian. As dusk falls, the Flame Towers begin their nightly light display and the whole bay turns amber. It is one of the loveliest hours in the city.
Day two: modern Baku
Start at the Heydar Aliyev Center, Zaha Hadid’s flowing white building, which opened in 2012. Its curves are best appreciated slowly, from the plaza and then from inside, where the galleries spill down in one continuous ribbon. Allow a generous hour.
Back in the center, the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum is housed in a building shaped like a rolled carpet, a fitting frame for the collection inside. If textiles are your passion, our guide to carpet shopping in Baku shows where to go next.
Ride the funicular up to Upland Park for the view over the bay and a close look at the Flame Towers. Then wander the Old City once more as the lanterns come on. Pakhlava, shekerbura and other Azerbaijani sweets, taken with black tea, make a lovely last course. For a proper dinner, see our list of where to dine in Baku.
Where to stay and when to go
For the greatest ease, stay inside or beside the Old City so that both days begin on foot. The Four Seasons Hotel Baku is the grand choice, and boutique hotels within the old walls offer a more intimate alternative.
Spring and October bring mild weather that suits long walks. Many nationalities can apply for an e-visa online before departure, so check the current requirements for your passport as part of your planning. The Old City and the boulevard are easy on foot, and ride-hailing apps cover the rest.
