{"id":39916,"date":"2023-03-22T18:13:28","date_gmt":"2023-03-22T16:13:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/againstthecompass.com\/en\/?post_type=country&p=39916"},"modified":"2025-11-12T21:54:16","modified_gmt":"2025-11-12T19:54:16","slug":"azerbaijan","status":"publish","type":"country","link":"https:\/\/againstthecompass.com\/en\/country\/azerbaijan\/","title":{"rendered":"Azerbaijan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Azerbaijan is an ex-Soviet Muslim country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Physically, Azerbaijanis are a mixture between Iranians and Turks, but they wear a Russian cap. They speak both Azerbaijani (a Turkish dialect) and Russian. They drink tea in the same way as Iranians, using the same cups, pots and add the same extravagant amount of sugar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They enjoy drinking it in Arab caf\u00e9s, but do you know what the difference is?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They drink it alongside vodka! When you enter a caf\u00e9, they greet you with “Salam”<\/em>. But when you have a vodka shot with them, they will exclaim “Nasdroviya!”<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They possess Middle Eastern cordiality but, at first, they may seem to have the seriousness of Russians. It\u2019s hard to tell where you actually are: Soviet buildings, Arabic food, and Russian signs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check my travel guide to Azerbaijan<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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need to know for traveling in Azerbaijan<\/mark><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Quick facts<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Capital: Baku<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Population: <\/strong>9.7 million (89th)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Languages<\/strong>: Azerbaijani (a Turkish dialect) and Russian<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Area<\/strong>: 86,600km\u00b2 (112th largest country)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Visa<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

You can now apply for an e-visa which is available through this portal<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It costs $23 and is valid for 30 days. It can take from a few minutes to up to 3 days to process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the list of countries<\/a><\/strong> that are eligible for the e-visa:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Getting in<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Baku is the main airport hub in the country, with many connections to Istanbul, Dubai, and EU destinations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also cross from Georgia, Iran and even take a ferry to Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, the latter requiring a visa. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Armenian border is closed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Travel Insurance<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

With its Backpacker plan, IATI Insurance<\/a><\/strong> is the best insurance for any kind of adventurous destination, like Azerbaijan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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GET A QUOTE<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Best time to visit<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Spring and autumn would be the best times to visit, when the weather is pleasant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Summer can be a good time for trekking in the mountains.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Money<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

The official currency is Azerbaijani Manat<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1 USD = 1.70 AZN<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can find ATMs in Baku but outside of the capital, Azerbaijan is mostly a cash economy<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Budget: <\/strong>starting at $30 a day for budget backpackers; $50 a day if you stay in a private room<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The Autonomous Republic of Nakhchivan<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Azerbaijan<\/picture><\/figure>
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Nakhchivan is an exclave of Azerbaijan nestled between Armenia, Turkey, and Iran, an isolated region barely visited by travelers, home to mausoleums and bizarre fortresses, certainly worth the trip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can enter Nakhchivan for either Iran or Turkey. Otherwise, you must fly in from Baku.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Top experiences in Azerbaijan<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Visit incredible Baku<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A futuristic city with awesome ancient sites. Read my Baku city guide<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Trekking in the Caucasian mountains<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the finest mountains in Europe.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Soviet villages around Ganja<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dashkashan is an old mining Soviet town.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Visit the Autonomous Republic of Nakhchivan<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A really off the beaten track exclave with a distinct culture.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Check our 3-week Azerbaijan itinerary<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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tips for Azerbaijan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Accommodation<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Azerbaijan is well-sorted for hostels, guest houses, and hotels, including plenty of 5-star hotels in Baku.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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FIND YOUR HOTEL HERE<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Excursions and day trips from Baku<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

For those short on time, there are many activities, tours, and excursions which you can do from Baku and book with just one click.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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LEARN MORE<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Transportation<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

It’s very easy to move around the country on a marshrutka, the local minibus<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There’s a train too but it’s only convenient for going into Georgia.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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ALL MY ARTICLES ON AZERBAIJAN<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":40820,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39916","country","type-country","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/againstthecompass.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country\/39916","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/againstthecompass.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/againstthecompass.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/country"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/againstthecompass.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40820"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/againstthecompass.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39916"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/againstthecompass.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39916"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/againstthecompass.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39916"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}