Take a stopover in Baku, a boom-town, secular Dubai
Just 5.5 hours from London, Baku – the oil-rich capital of Azerbaijan – is an easy yet still exciting escape. The city presents a jumble of architecture: futuristic skyscrapers straight out of Tron, formidable Soviet structures, and a 12th century walled old city, a one-time Silk Road stop still peppered with caravanserais, palaces and mosques.
Baku is very safe and secular, and it has a similar boom-town energy to the Dubai of decades ago. Nowhere is this truer than at Sea Breeze, a partially constructed 500-hectare development that includes hotels, residential villas, marinas, beaches and more. About 20 minutes outside the city centre, this shiny new hotspot comes from Emin Agalarov, a businessman and singer (his manager describes him as “a mix between Michael Bublé and Robbie Williams”). A household name here, Emin also founded and performs at Dream Fest, Sea Breeze’s international music festival, which just had its third edition.
“Sea Breeze is like little Dubai,” Emin says. He’s not shy about his ambitions, which include moving Baku’s F1 track here, launching a hotel designed to look like an ocean liner, and punctuating the skyline with a 240-metre residential tower.
Baku: Where is it?
A compact country, Azerbaijan lies in the Caucasus, a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. The capital, Baku, sits on the shoreline of the landlocked Caspian Sea. It’s easy to get around Baku via the Soviet-era metro (no photos, please), while Bolt and Uber are inexpensive (around £2 for a 15-minute journey).
Azerbaijan: Where to stay?
If you’re enticed by Baku’s modern skyline, book The Ritz-Carlton in a room facing Zaha Hadid’s Heydar Aliyev Center. A masterpiece of white-on-white curvature, the building hides a cultural treasure trove. “If people only have time for one museum, I tell them to come here,” says local guide Jamil Mirzayev, who works with the national tourism organisation. Don’t miss the traditional musical instruments, and there’s also a concert hall. More central is the Four Seasons, near the labyrinthine UNESCO-listed Icherisheher (old city). Or for Dubai vibes, stay at one of Sea Breeze’s hotels.
Where to eat in ‘Little Dubai’
The quickest – and most fun – way to learn about a culture is through food. Book Tripadvisor’s Baku Dining & Wine Tasting Experience with Gani. Over traditional plates of gutab, dolma and plov (go ahead and Google those) at restaurant Fisincan, Gani expertly explains how the region’s nomadic roots gradually took on influences from Persian, Russian and Soviet cultures. He’ll also take you for an Azerbaijani wine tasting at bar Boho, featuring endemic grapes like madrasa and bayan shira; treat you to bougie baklava at Badam (hazelnut is best); and end at a tea house for keklikotu (black tea infused with thyme) served in pear-shaped glasses with cherry jam on the side.
Don’t miss this…
Jamil recommends starting at Highland Park, with panoramic views of the city, including the world’s largest flying flag and the iconic Flame Towers. He also suggests a deep dive into Icherisheher to see the miniature book museum, Maiden Tower and the old caravanserais (inns), now operating as restaurants. Just outside of the city, there is a Zoroastrian fire temple and the so-called “James Bond oil fields” where 1999’s The World Is Not Enough was filmed. And if you visit in summer, don’t miss Dream Fest.
Need To Know
For more information and tours with Jamil. Book Baku Dining & Wine Tasting Experience via tripadvisor.co.uk. For more information about Dream Fest.