Azerbaijan: Baku & the green hills

What you can do

• Walk Icherisheher, the walled old city, then the seaside boulevard in the evening
• See the Flame Towers lit after dark and the Heydar Aliyev Centre by day
• Visit Ateshgah fire temple and the burning hillside at Yanar Dag on one half day trip
• Drive to Gabala or Quba for forests, waterfalls and cooler air

Food to try

Plov here is served with saffron and a crisp crust, and dolma, kebabs and dushbara dumplings fill most menus. Tea comes in a pear shaped armudu glass with jam, and the Baku restaurant scene is good value.

Culture & customs

Azerbaijan is secular and Muslim majority, easy going with visitors, and Russian is still widely spoken. Carpets, mugham music and tea culture are the threads that run through everything.