· 6-minute read
Two days in the Old City, starting at our door
The question asked most often at the front desk: “We do not have long, what should we see?” Fidan’s answer takes two days, all of it on foot.
Day one: inside the wall
After breakfast turn left and walk down Kichik Gala Street. The Palace of the Shirvanshahs opens at 10:00; in the first hour its courtyards are almost empty and you can see the arches of the Divankhana and the mausoleum in peace. The whole complex takes an hour.
From the palace to the Maiden Tower the way runs downhill and takes eight minutes. On it you pass the gates of two caravanserais, the Bukhara and the Multani. One of them has a restaurant in its courtyard, where you can sit down for tea.
Climb to the roof of the Maiden Tower an hour before sunset. Below you lie the boulevard, the bay and the Flame Towers. From the tower to the boulevard is a five-minute walk through an underpass; in the evening the whole city strolls there.
Day two: outside the wall
Walk west along the boulevard: the Carpet Museum is built in the shape of a rolled carpet and holds three floors of them. From the museum to the funicular is ten minutes. The funicular climbs to Highland Park, where the terrace gives the widest view of the city.
In the evening come back to the Old City and reserve a table at Anjir. From May to October the roof terrace looks at the fortress wall on one side and the sea on the other.
If you have time left
Gobustan is 60 kilometres south of the city: rock carvings and, nearby, mud volcanoes. It takes half a day; the front desk arranges a car with a driver.
Map of the neighbourhood
