Baku City Private Full-Day Tour

Our guide will take you to see the below places in the Old City: Maiden tower, souvenir shops, Old city streets, the Aliaga Vahid monument, the Sabir monument and the Shirvanshah palace museum.

Old City or Inner City (Azerbaijani: İçərişəhər) is the historical core of Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. The Old City is the most ancient part of Baku, which is surrounded by walls which were easily defended. In 2007, the Old City had a population of about 3000 people. In December 2000, the Old City of Baku, including the Palace of the Shirvanshahs and Maiden Tower, became the first location in Azerbaijan to be classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It is widely accepted that the Old City, including its Maiden Tower, date at least to the 12th century, with some researchers contending that construction dates as far back as the 7th century.

Flame Towers (Azerbaijani: Alov qüllələri) is a trio of skyscrapers in Baku, Azerbaijan, the height of the tallest tower is 182 m (597 ft). The three flame-shaped towers symbolize the element of fire - historically resonant in a region where natural gas flares shoot from the earth and Zoroastrian worshippers saw in a fire a symbol of the divine (notably at the Ateshgah of Baku and Yanar Dag). The buildings consist of 130 residential apartments over 33 floors, a Fairmont hotel tower that consists of 250 rooms and 61 serviced apartments, and office blocks that provide a net 33,114 square meters of office space. The cost of Flame Towers was an estimated US$350 million. Construction began in 2007, with completion in 2012.

Highland Park, well known as ‘’Viewing Square’’, and earlier in Soviet-era as ‘’Sergei Kirov park’’ is one of the most favourite places in Baku to have a walk, rest, and enjoy the sea view. There you can take rest by breathing fresh air, viewing the city, drinking tea in the Highland Park Café, while listening to the classic lounge music. It’s the best place to relax, that is located right in the heart of Baku.

Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum is located in Baku that displays Azerbaijani carpets and rugs of various weaving techniques and materials from various periods. It has the largest collection of Azerbaijani carpets in the world. It moved to a new building on the Baku's seafront park during 2014 from its former location on Neftchiler Avenue.

Little Venice is an area within Baku Boulevard that is made up of man-made waterways. It was built in 1960 but was later expanded in 2012 and consists of a labyrinth of canals interspersed with islands that are connected by stone bridges complete with gondolas plying the canals. It was out of season and the canals were being dredged when we visited in November 2019. Little Venice isn't meant to be strictly authentic but it is a fun attraction along Baku Boulevard.

The Heydar Aliyev Center is a 57,500 m2 (619,000 sq ft) building complex in Baku, Azerbaijan designed by Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid and noted for its distinctive architecture and flowing, curved style that eschews sharp angles. The center is named after Heydar Aliyev, the first secretary of Soviet Azerbaijan from 1969 to 1982, and president of Azerbaijan Republic from October 1993 to October 2003.
The logo of the Heydar Aliyev Center also represents a reflection of this idea. The Center’s logo symbolizes Azerbaijan’s forward-looking aspirations, the progress and the future of the country. And the Center bearing the name of Heydar Aliyev has become a symbol of modern Azerbaijan and modern Baku.

The Palace of the Shirvanshahs is a 15th-century palace built by the Shirvanshahs and described by UNESCO as "one of the pearls of Azerbaijan's architecture". It is located in the Inner City of Baku, Azerbaijan and together with the Maiden Tower, forms an ensemble of historic monuments inscribed under the UNESCO World Heritage List of Historical Monuments. The complex contains the main building of the palace, Divanhane, the burial-vaults, the shah's mosque with a minaret, Seyid Yahya Bakuvi's mausoleum (the so-called "mausoleum of the dervish"), south of the palace, a portal in the east, Murad's gate, a reservoir and the remnants of a bath house. Earlier, there was an ancient mosque, next to the mausoleum. There are still ruins of the bath to the west of the tomb.

A Monument to Mirza Alakbar Sabir was installed in 1958, in Baku, on Istiglaliyyat Street, in a park near Ismailiyya building. Its sculptor was Jalal Garyaghdi, and architects were H.Alizade and A.Ismayilov.
The monument was installed in honor of the Azerbaijani poet Mirza Alakbar Sabir. The first monument was installed in 1922, and made by a sculptor Yakov Keulikhes and architect Y.Syryshev. Heights of pedestal of reinforced concrete sculpture was equal to 3,75 meters, but the figure of the poet was made standing up straight. Not long after it was decided to replace the monument with a new one and a solemn opening ceremony of the new monument to Mirza Alakbar Sabir installed at the place of the former one, was held on April 30, 1958. New bronze monument, made by sculptor Jalal Garyaghdi and architects H.Alizade and A.Ismayilov, was installed on a pedestal of dark polished granite – Labrador.

Statue of Aliaga Vahid was designed in 1990 by Rahib Hasanov and Natig Aliyev with the participation of the architect Sanan Salamzade. The authors skillfully recreated the image of the poet. The bronze of the monument, with its fine finish, is similar to carving on dark wood, which recalls one of the first occupations of Aliaga Vahid, who in his youth went at his father’s feet, becoming a wood carver.
This monument is unique, for there is nothing similar among the Baku, and in general Azerbaijani monuments. The monument is not as simple as the amazing Gazellekhan Vahid. The monument is made in the form of a huge head, as if growing out of the earth. Torso, neck, hair – the trunk and branches of the tree, and at the same time it is the intertwining of human figures.

The Maiden Tower is a 12th-century monument in the Old City, Baku, Azerbaijan. Along with the Shirvanshahs' Palace, dated to the 15th century, it forms a group of historic monuments listed in 2001 under the UNESCO World Heritage List of Historical Monuments as cultural property, Category III. It is one of Azerbaijan's most distinctive national emblems, and is thus featured on Azeri currency notes and official letterheads.
The Maiden Tower houses a museum, which presents the story of historic evolution of the Baku city. It also has a gift shop. The view from the roof takes in the alleys and minarets of the Old City, the Baku Boulevard, the house of Isa bek Hajinski and a wide vista of the Baku Bay.
The Tower is covered by cloud of mysteries and legends which are rooted to the history and culture of Azerbaijan. Indeed, some epics became a subject for scenario for ballets and theatre's plays.