ZNMD, Dil Chahta Hai, and YJHD have made us all love the idea of a friend’s trip but what most of us don’t realize is that family trips are as fun!
When you go on a trip with your family you get to spend the much needed time with them which usually is missed out because of everyone’s busy schedules. This is why, as soon as we found out that we could potentially plan a family trip on our baby’s first birthday, we made the decision that we’re going for a week-long trip to Azerbaijan!
-> It’s too affordable and you get the Europe feels for lesser price.
-> Azerbaijan is a 4 hours direct flight away from India.
-> It’s not a mainstream holiday destination so it’s fairly untapped which means you get a lot to explore as a tourist.
-> Because of its unique geographical positioning, the food, culture, and people are a mix of the East and the West.
-> It’s very safe for women!
-> If you’re an F1 fan then we definitely don’t need to give you any reason to visit this beautiful city!
Keeping all these points in mind, we zeroed on Azerbaijan and booked our flights with our family.
We landed in Baku, the largest city and capital of Azerbaijan. By the way, a fun fact, Baku as a city is below sea level which makes it the largest city in the world which is below sea level.
We headed to our hotel which was InterContinental Baku. What a lovely hotel. This decision was made keeping mind the location. It was roughly 8 minutes walk from the famous Nizami Street. The staff was really hospitable and the breakfast spread was lavish.
For the first of our evening here, we idled our time resting before we embarked on our week-long stay in Baku!
Nizami Street is considered to be the central part of Baku and this is where you would find all the hustle and bustle of the city.
From local everyday shops to artisans and cafes you can find everything here. The street is always filled with people and it’s easily one of the best places to experience the culture and heritage of Baku.
We woke up fresh the next day, had a sumptuous breakfast, and were ready to explore Nizami Street. I was already very excited because I had seen a lot of videos and I can confirm that it’s amazing.
From national embassies and luxury shopping stores to souvenir stores and supermarkets, you can find everything here. And while shopping is the main objective for most people to come here, I couldn’t help but notice the stunning architecture of the street.
One suggestion from my side would be that don’t restrict yourself to visiting Nizami Street during the day only. A late-night stroll through the street would be a completely different and amazing experience. You just need to put Nizami Street on your 7 days Azerbaijan itinerary anyway.
Mud Volcanos is one of the major attractions of Baku.
The world has a little over 1000 mud volcanos and 350 of them are in Azerbaijan itself. This is the reason it is also known as the Land of Fire.
So we were all ready to experience the mud volcano and headed off. We were not aware that we needed to switch vehicles to go to the site. The road was almost non-existent but we could do nothing but bear with it.
After reaching the site we took a dip in the mud volcano and I must say that it was a really nice and refreshing experience. Honestly, this was not something aesthetic like something you would want to post on social media but it’s definitely an experience to try.
After experiencing the famous mud volcano bath of Azerbaijan it was time to experience another unique thing. On Day 4 we visited Yanar Dag which is also known as the Burning Mountain. It is located around 27 kms away from Baku.
It is basically a hillside where flames have been burning non-stop for years because of natural gas seeping through the ground. The flames can rise up to 3 meters!
The most insane part is, that this is not man-made the Yanar Dag is a natural wonder!
Our experience was definitely very fun and if you are travelling to Azerbaijan then this is a must-visit place. You can literally feel the heat standing far away and in general, the whole landscape is so unique and unusual that it makes you sit back and realize there is so much in the world that is yet to be experienced.
Overall, visiting Yanar Dag is a day-long activity it is around 20-25 km away from Baku and this is a must add to your Azerbaijan itinerary.
Our exploration of Baku had ended and while we did want to stay for a little longer and enjoy the city a little more, we already had reservations so we had to bid adieu to the beautiful city.
Now we were headed 220 kms away from Baku to the Shahdag Mountain Resort!
Not many people know this but Shadag Mountain Resort is Azerbaijan’s oldest and largest winter resort.
It is basically a getaway for adventures with skiing being the most popular one and other winter and summer sports are also available. We couldn’t have imagined a better place to spend the last 2 days of our trip.
For us, the highlight was the skiing experience and the rollercoaster rides. The resort is really well maintained, the staff is friendly and the management there ensures that you have a fun and unforgettable time.
Finally, it was time to say bye to the land of fire. Honestly, I couldn’t have asked for a better destination for a week-long family trip. Everyone enjoyed it a lot and there are some great memories and experiences that we are taking back from here which we are definitely never going to forget.
If you too are looking for a budget-friendly place for a trip with your family then we can assure you that Azerbaijan and the city of Baku will not disappoint you. Hope this 7 days Azerbaijan itinerary helped, have fun and travel safely!
