Baku City Breaks

1st Day: Arrival to Baku, meeting at the airport. Transfer to the hotel, check in (14:00). Free time. *

2nd Day: Breakfast at the hotel. Pick-up at 10:00 am. Baku business and hotel complex Flame Towers Baku is the new landmark of the city. It is composed of 3 buildings. The surface of the Towers is fully covered with LED screens reflecting different visual characters in motion, easily visible from the far corners of the city. The Alley of Martyrs is usually being included in the protocol visits of the foreign officials. Baku's Highland Park (also called Upland Park) is the highest point in the Azerbaijani capital, opening a panoramic view of the city and its bay. So-called Little Venice is a small town on the water and one of the jewels of Baku. It is situated on Baku Boulevard and has two large and several small islands connected by decorative stone bridges, and gondolas can be seen travelling in the channels full of still and clean water. Old Baku city tour: Icheri Sheher (Old City), known as a “fortress”, is a unique historical and architectural conservation area in the center of Baku. This is one of the ancient and densely populated places of the country. Archaeological excavations revealed burial vaults of the Bronze Age. Maiden Tower (12th century) and The Palace of Shirvanshahs (13th-16th centuries) are the best known historical monuments located in the Old City. Besides them there are a lot of other unique monuments such as mosques, minarets, the remnants of caravanserais "Multani" and "Bukhara", ancient baths, etc. You can purchase national clothes, kerchiefs, scarves and caps, dishes and handmade carpets in the numerous souvenir shops. Philharmonic Park is a Baku's Green Oasis just outside the walls of the Old City. ** Lunch time. Free time suggestions: - Pedestrian Nizami (former Torgovaya) Street - old trading zone with lots of shops and boutiques - Fountain Square – most popular public place with many restaurants and shops, main location for public festivals, shows and celebrations - Park Boulevard Mall – first shopping mall in Baku - Baku Boulevard - a promenade established in 1909, second largest one in Europe - Boat trip along Baku Bay (seasonal) - “I love Baku” sign – place for taking photos near Heydar Aliyev Centre

3rd Day: Breakfast at the hotel. Check out, transfer to the airport.

Inclusions:  Hotel accommodation in Baku on BB basis  All transportation according to the program, including airport-hotel-airport transfers  English/Arabic speaking guide (in case of the group up to 6 pax - guide/driver)  1 bottle of water per person per excursion day

Exclusions:  flight ticket, insurance, visa, extras in the hotel, tickets to museums, lunches and dinners

Note: * If tourists arrive in the morning and/or depart in the evening more excursions can be added for additional price. ** The organizer reserves the right to change the order of excursions in case of necessity.

1st Day: Arrival to Baku, meeting at the airport. Transfer to the hotel, check in (14:00). Free time. *

2nd Day: Breakfast at the hotel. Pick-up at 10:00 am. Tour to Gobustan National Historical-Artistic Preserve: national museum in the open air, the rarest monument of the world culture included in UNESCO heritage list, one of the first centers of human civilization. Settled since the Stone Age the area is one of the major and most ancient museums of rock engravings (petroglyphs) in the world. Gobustan State Historical-Artistic Museum is equipped with innovative technology, touch screens provided with special multimedia programs, educational and entertaining games, interactive displays, 3D video, etc. Azerbaijan is the first in the world by the number of Mud Volcanoes. 350 out of 800 mud volcanoes in the world are located here! The mud volcanoes of Azerbaijan occupied the 5th place in the international contest of “Seven natural Wonders” and on September 15, 2004 the largest mud volcano of the world located in Azerbaijan was registered in the Guinness Book of Records. Built in the 13th century by Shirvanshah Farrukhzad II Ibn Ahsitan II Bibi Heybat Mosque was completely destroyed by the Bolsheviks in 1936 and restored later in the end of the 20th century. The Bibi Heybat Mosque includes the shrine of Ukeyma Khanum (a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad) and today is the spiritual center for the Muslims of the region and one of the major monuments of Islamic architecture in Azerbaijan. Baku panorama viewing from the Highland Park (also called Upland Park) and the opportunity to have a close look at the famous landmark of the city Flame Towers Baku. The surface of the Towers is fully covered with LED screens which reflect different visual characters in motion, easily visible from the far corners of the city. ** Lunch time. Free time suggestions: - Pedestrian Nizami (former Torgovaya) Street - old trading zone with lots of shops and boutiques - Fountain Square – most popular public place with many restaurants and shops, main location for public festivals, shows and celebrations - Park Boulevard Mall – first shopping mall in Baku - Baku Boulevard - a promenade established in 1909, second largest one in Europe - Boat trip along Baku Bay (seasonal) - “I love Baku” sign – place for taking photos near Heydar Aliyev Centre

3rd Day: Breakfast at the hotel. Check out, transfer to the airport.

Exclusions:  flight ticket, insurance, visa, extras in the hotel, tickets to museums, lunches and dinners

1st Day: Arrival to Baku, meeting at the airport. Transfer to the hotel, check in (14:00). Free time. *

2nd Day: Breakfast at the hotel. Pick-up at 10:00 am. Baku business and hotel complex Flame Towers Baku is the new landmark of the city. The surface of the Towers is fully covered with LED screens reflecting different visual characters in motion, easily visible from the far corners of the city. The Alley of Martyrs with Eternal Fire is usually being included in the protocol visits of the foreign officials. Baku's Highland Park (also called Upland Park) is the highest point in the Azerbaijani capital, opening a panoramic view of the city and its bay. Old Baku city tour: Icheri Sheher (Old City), known as a “fortress”, is a unique historical and architectural conservation area in the center of Baku. This is one of the ancient and densely populated places of the country. Maiden Tower (12th century) and The Palace of Shirvanshahs (13th-16th centuries) are the best known historical monuments located in the Old City among other unique monuments such as mosques, minarets, remnants of caravanserais "Multani" and "Bukhara", ancient baths, etc. You can purchase national clothes, kerchiefs, scarves and caps, dishes and handmade carpets in the numerous souvenir shops. Lunch time. Gala State Historical Ethnographic Reserve and Open Air Museum offers the opportunity to see the original lifestyle of Azerbaijani people dated back to 10th-19th centuries. Today it is a unique place where you can not only make a tour into the past, but also try to bake bread in “tandir”, weave a carpet, smear with clay in a pottery workshop or feed camels and horses. Ateshgah is an ancient Zoroastrian temple of flame built by Indian fire-worshipers’ community back in the 17th-18th centuries. It is designed as a closed pentagon and consists of 24 cells and rooms which were used to accommodate visiting pilgrims. In the middle of this courtyard sits an altar, the centerpiece of the temple complex where fire rituals were observed. The altar is situated right above the natural gas vent, igniting a large flame in the middle. Yanardag (literary “Burning Mountain”) is a hill located on the top of the natural gas pocket causing continuous flame eruption. Thanks to tectonic shifts and volcanic material below the earth’s surface, natural gas leaks from the rocks. Most probably the fire has been burning in Yanardag for over 20,000 years. **

3rd Day: Breakfast at the hotel. Check out, transfer to the airport.

Exclusions:  flight ticket, insurance, visa, extras in the hotel, tickets to museums, lunches and dinners

1st Day: Arrival to Baku, meeting at the airport. Transfer to the hotel, check in (14:00). Free time. *

2nd Day: Breakfast at the hotel. Pick-up at 10:00 am. Baku panorama viewing from the Highland Park (also called Upland Park) and the opportunity to have a close look at the famous landmark of the city Flame Towers Baku. Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum has a brilliant display of woven and knotted Azerbaijani carpets plus jewelry, embroidery, metalwork and carved wood. The oldest carpet is dated from 17th century. You can also try and weave a little carpet of your own. So-called Little Venice is a small town on the water and one of the jewels of Baku situated on Baku Boulevard. Old Baku city tour: Icheri Sheher (Old City), known as a “fortress”, is a unique historical and architectural area in the center of Baku. Maiden Tower (12th century) and The Palace of Shirvanshahs (13th-16th centuries) are the best known historical monuments located in the Old City among other unique monuments such as mosques, minarets, remnants of caravanserais "Multani" and "Bukhara", ancient baths, etc. You can purchase national clothes, kerchiefs, scarves, caps and dishes in the numerous souvenir shops. Old City is also a market place for old and modern carpets. ** Lunch time. Free time suggestions: - Pedestrian Nizami (former Torgovaya) Street - old trading zone with lots of shops and boutiques - Fountain Square – most popular public place with restaurants and shops, main location for public festivals and celebrations

4th Day: Breakfast at the hotel. Check out, transfer to the airport.

Exclusions:  flight ticket, insurance, visa, extras in the hotel, tickets to museums, lunches and dinners

1st Day: Arrival to Baku, meeting at the airport. Transfer to the hotel, check in (14:00). Free time. *

2nd Day: Breakfast at the hotel. Pick-up at 10:00 am. 21st century: Baku business and hotel complex Flame Towers Baku (2007-2012) is the new landmark of the city. The surface of the Towers is fully covered with LED screens reflecting different visual characters in motion, easily visible from the far corners of the city. The Alley of Martyrs is usually being included in the protocol visits of the foreign officials. Highland Park (also called Upland Park) is the highest point in the Azerbaijani capital, opening a panoramic view of the city and its bay. Built in the 13th century by Shirvanshah Farrukhzad II Ibn Ahsitan II Bibi Heybat Mosque was completely destroyed by the Bolsheviks in 1936 and restored later in the end of the 20th century. It includes the shrine of Ukeyma Khanum (a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad) and today is the one of the major monuments of Islamic architecture in Azerbaijan. Baku Crystal Hall is a multipurpose sports and concert arena that was constructed specifically to host Eurovision Song Contest 2012. The facade of Crystal Hall is equipped by the numerous modern dynamic LED lights which allow creating various unique lighting effects. Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum (2014) has a brilliant display of woven and knotted Azerbaijani carpets plus jewelry, embroidery, metalwork and carved wood. Designed by Austrian architect Franz Janz, the structure of the building is intended to look like a rolled carpet. Next to it is the International Mugham Center of Azerbaijan (2008) with the building based on the elements and shapes of the tar, an Azeri musical instrument used in performing mugham. So-called Little Venice is a small town on the water and one of the jewels of Baku situated on Baku Boulevard. Lunch time. 19th century: Museum of Arts is a beautiful building built by the architect Nikolaus von der Nonne in 1890 that used to be the residence of the earl Debua. Philharmonic Park, formerly known as the Governor´s Garden and later as Vahid Park, goes up the hill towards the Azerbaijan State Academic Philharmonic Hall (1910-1912) built in Italian Renaissance (exterior) and German Rococo (interior) styles. Beautiful City Hall, which is nowadays hosting Baku Mayor’s Office, was built by Polish architect Joseph V. Goslavski in the Baroque style (1900-1904). He had also built the Empress Alexandra Russian Muslim School for Girls (1901) sponsored by the Azeri oil baron and philanthropist Zeynalabdin Taghiyev. Palace of Happiness (Wedding Palace) used to belong to the oil baron Murtuza Mukhtarov and was one of the largest mansions in the city. It was built in Neo-Gothic style by famous architect Joseph Ploshko in 1912. As well as another pearl of Baku architecture, Ismailiyya Palace (1908-1913) which belonged to oil baron Musa Naghiyev. National Museum of Azerbaijan literature named after Nizami Ganjavi is a magnificent building which attracts everyone`s attention with its blue majolica and the monuments of prominent Azerbaijani writers on the facade. Fountain Square is the most popular public place with restaurants and shops, main location for public festivals and celebrations. Pedestrian Nizami (former Torgovaya) Street is the old trading zone with lots of shops and boutiques. The architecture of the street reflects a synthesis of various styles and trends because intensive construction and building was realized in three main levels: late 19th - early 20th century, 1950s-1970s and modern period. Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre (1910) blends elements of baroque, rococo and Moorish styles. **

3rd Day: Breakfast at the hotel. Pick-up at 10:00 am. Old Baku city tour: Icheri Sheher (Old City), known as a “fortress”, is a unique historical and architectural conservation area in the center of Baku. This is one of the ancient and densely populated places of the country. Archaeological excavations revealed burial vaults of the Bronze Age. Maiden Tower (12th century) and The Palace of Shirvanshahs (13th-16th centuries) are the best known historical monuments located in the Old City. Besides them there are a lot of other unique monuments

such as mosques, minarets, the remnants of caravanserais "Multani" and "Bukhara", ancient baths, etc. You can purchase national clothes, kerchiefs, scarves and caps, dishes and handmade carpets in the numerous souvenir shops. Ateshgah is an ancient Zoroastrian temple of flame built by Indian fire-worshipers’ community back in the 17th-18th centuries. It is designed as a closed pentagon and consists of 24 cells and rooms which were used to accommodate visiting pilgrims. In the middle of this courtyard sits an altar, the centerpiece of the temple complex where fire rituals were observed. The altar is situated right above the natural gas vent, igniting a large flame in the middle. Lunch time. Yanardag (literary “Burning Mountain”) is a hill located on the top of the natural gas pocket causing continuous flame eruption. Thanks to tectonic shifts and volcanic material below the earth’s surface, natural gas leaks from the rocks. Most probably the fire has been burning in Yanardag for over 20,000 years. Heydar Aliyev Centre (2012) was designed by world-famous architect Zaha Hadid in neo-futuristic style. Its wave-like shape and innovative use of space have made it an iconic landmark in Baku. “I love Baku” sign next to it is a must-stop place for making pictures. **

4th Day: Breakfast at the hotel. Check out, transfer to the airport.

Exclusions:  flight ticket, insurance, visa, extras in the hotel, tickets to museums, lunches and dinners

1st Day: Arrival to Baku, meeting at the airport. Transfer to the hotel, check in (14:00). Free time. *

2nd Day: Breakfast at the hotel. Pick-up at 10:00 am. Old Baku city tour: Icheri Sheher (Old City), known as a “fortress”, is a unique historical and architectural conservation area in the center of Baku. This is one of the ancient and densely populated places of the country. Archaeological excavations revealed burial vaults of the Bronze Age. Maiden Tower (12th century) and The Palace of Shirvanshahs (13th-16th centuries) are the best known historical monuments located in the Old City. Besides them there are a lot of other unique monuments such as mosques, minarets, the remnants of caravanserais "Multani" and "Bukhara", ancient baths, etc. You can purchase national clothes, kerchiefs, scarves and caps, dishes and handmade carpets in the numerous souvenir shops. National Museum of History of Azerbaijan is situated in the former residence of oil magnate Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev. Museum houses a great collection of historic artifacts. The collections allow visitors and researchers to investigate the history of our country, the daily life and culture of the nation from ancient times to the present. The special part of the museum is represented by the House Museum of Taghiyev family. Lunch time. Villa Petrolea complex was built in 1884 by famous Swedish architect Lindvall in the Byzantine style to accommodate workers of the “Petroleum Production Company Nobel Brothers”. After the reconstruction in 2008, Villa Petrolea has been housing the Baku Nobel Oil Club, the International Conference Hall and the Nobel Brothers Museum, the first Nobel museum outside Sweden. The museum contains possessions of the Nobel family. **

3rd Day: Breakfast at the hotel. Pick-up at 10:00 am. Contemporary Art Centre YARAT is a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing an understanding of contemporary art and creating a hub for artistic practice, research and thinking in the Caucasus, Central Asia and the surrounding region. Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum has a brilliant display of woven and knotted Azerbaijani carpets plus jewelry, embroidery, metalwork and carved wood. The oldest carpet is dated from 17th century. You can also try and weave a little carpet of your own. Heydar Aliyev Centre was designed by world-famous architect Zaha Hadid and is devoted to national leader Heydar Aliyev. Besides its extraordinary appearance, inside you'll find a world-class exhibition and museum complex with a great range of permanent and temporary expositions showing the best of local and global art and culture, as well as a state-of-the-art auditorium and impressive collection of vintage cars. **

4th Day: Breakfast at the hotel. Check out, transfer to the airport.

Exclusions:  flight ticket, insurance, visa, extras in the hotel, tickets to museums, lunches and dinners

1st Day: Arrival to Baku, meeting at the airport. Transfer to the hotel, check in (14:00). Free time. *

3rd Day: Breakfast at the hotel. Pick-up at 10:00 am. Modern Baku city tour: Visiting Heydar Aliyev Centre that was designed by world-famous architect Zaha Hadid and is devoted to national leader Heydar Aliyev. Besides its extraordinary appearance, inside you'll find a world-class exhibition and museum complex with a great range of permanent and temporary expositions showing the best of local and global art and culture, as well as a state-of-the-art auditorium and impressive collection of vintage cars. Taking pictures next to the popular “I love Baku” sign. Baku panorama viewing from the Highland Park (also called Upland Park), the highest point of the Azerbaijani capital opening a magnificent view on the city and its bay. The park is located next to the business and hotel complex Flame Towers Baku, a new landmark of the city. It is composed of 3 buildings. The surface of the Towers is fully covered with LED screens which reflect different visual characters in motion, easily visible from the far corners of the city. Walking down to Baku Boulevard to view the International Mugham Center created in order to widely promote the Azerbaijani mugham (folk musical composition) in the world, Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum, the initiation of which was to store, research and demonstrate unique examples of the carpet weaving art, which are Azerbaijan’s national heritage and so-called Little Venice, a small town on the water and one of the jewels of Baku, consisting of two large and several small islands connected by decorative stone bridges, and gondolas can be seen travelling in the channels full of still and clean water. Shopping tour: Deniz Mall (Caspian Waterfront Mall), newly opened in June, 2020, with over 70 favorite branded shops and restaurants, Park Boulevard Mall, the first shopping center in Baku, Port Baku Mall, a luxury shopping mall providing local and international consumers with a new premium shopping experience. ** Free time suggestions: Pedestrian Nizami (former Torgovaya) Street, Fountain Square, Baku Boulevard, Boat trip along Baku Bay (seasonal), Baku Eye Ferris Wheel

4th Day: Breakfast at the hotel. Check out, transfer to the airport.

Exclusions:  flight ticket, insurance, visa, extras in the hotel, tickets to museums, lunches and dinners

1st Day: Arrival to Baku, meeting at the airport. Transfer to the hotel, check in (14:00). Free time. *

2nd Day: Breakfast at the hotel. Pick-up at 10:00 am. Baku business and hotel complex Flame Towers Baku is the new landmark of the city. It is composed of 3 buildings. The surface of the Towers is fully covered with LED screens reflecting different visual characters in motion, easily visible from the far corners of the city. The Alley of Martyrs is usually being included in the protocol visits of the foreign officials. Baku's Highland Park (also called Upland Park) is the highest point in the Azerbaijani capital, opening a panoramic view of the city and its bay. Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum was initiated to store, research and demonstrate unique examples of the carpet weaving art which are Azerbaijan’s national heritage. It has a brilliant display of woven and knotted Azerbaijani carpets plus jewelry, embroidery, metalwork and carved wood. The oldest carpet is dated from 17th century. You can also try and weave a little carpet of your own. So-called Little Venice is a small town on the water and one of the jewels of Baku. It is situated on Baku Boulevard and has two large and several small islands connected by decorative stone bridges, and gondolas can be seen travelling in the channels full of still and clean water. Lunch time. Old Baku city tour: Icheri Sheher (Old City), known as a “fortress”, is a unique historical and architectural conservation area in the center of Baku. This is one of the ancient and densely populated places of the country. Archaeological excavations revealed burial vaults of the Bronze Age. Maiden Tower (12th century) and The Palace of Shirvanshahs (13th-16th centuries) are the best known historical monuments located in the Old City. Besides them there are a lot of other unique monuments such as mosques, minarets, the remnants of caravanserais "Multani" and "Bukhara", ancient baths, etc. You can purchase national clothes, kerchiefs, scarves and caps, dishes and handmade carpets in the numerous souvenir shops. **

3rd Day: Breakfast at the hotel. Pick-up at 10:00 am. Gala State Historical Ethnographic Reserve and Open Air Museum offers the opportunity to see the original lifestyle of Azerbaijani people dated back to 10th-19th centuries. Today it is a unique place where you can not only make a tour into the past, but also try to bake bread in “tandir”, weave a carpet, smear with clay in a pottery workshop or feed camels and horses. Ateshgah is an ancient Zoroastrian temple of flame built by Indian fire-worshipers’ community back in the 17th-18th centuries. It is designed as a closed pentagon and consists of 24 cells and rooms which were used to accommodate visiting pilgrims. In the middle of this courtyard sits an altar, the centerpiece of the temple complex where fire rituals were observed. The altar is situated right above the natural gas vent, igniting a large flame in the middle. Lunch time. Balakhani village was one of the first places where hundreds of oil wells had been discovered and led to arise of the oil barons in Azerbaijan in 19th century. Virtually, the first oil boom started at the moment when the first pipeline Balakhani-Baku was launched. Being an industrial area for more than hundred years has led to a poor environmental situation, but today the village is completely renovated and is ready to tell its story oil boom in Azerbaijan. Yanardag (literary “Burning Mountain”) is a hill located on the top of the natural gas pocket causing continuous flame eruption. Thanks to tectonic shifts and volcanic material below the earth’s surface, natural gas leaks from the rocks. Most probably the fire has been burning in Yanardag for over 20,000 years. Heydar Aliyev Centre was designed by world-famous architect Zaha Hadid. Its wave-like shape and innovative use of space have made it an iconic landmark in Baku. “I love Baku” sign is a must-stop place for making pictures. **

4th Day: Breakfast at the hotel. Pick-up at 10:00 am. Tour to Gobustan National Historical-Artistic Preserve: national museum in the open air, the rarest monument of the world culture included in UNESCO heritage list, one of the first centers of human civilization. Settled since the Stone Age the area is one of the major and most ancient museums of rock engravings (petroglyphs) in the world. Gobustan State Historical-Artistic Museum is equipped with innovative technology, touch screens provided with special multimedia programs, educational and entertaining games, interactive displays, 3D video, etc. Azerbaijan is the first in the world by the number of Mud Volcanoes. 350 out of 800 mud volcanoes in the world are located here! The mud volcanoes of Azerbaijan occupied the 5th place in the international contest of “Seven natural Wonders” and on September 15, 2004 the largest mud volcano of the world located in Azerbaijan was registered in the Guinness Book of Records. Built in the 13th century Bibi Heybat Mosque was completely destroyed by the Bolsheviks in 1936 and restored later in the end of the 20th century. The Bibi Heybat Mosque includes the shrine of Ukeyma Khanum (a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad) and today is the spiritual center for the Muslims of the region and one of the major monuments of Islamic architecture in Azerbaijan. Lunch time. Philharmonic Park is a Baku's Green Oasis just outside the walls of the Old City. You will walk down one of the main streets past such gems of Baku architecture of 19th century as City Hall, Palace of Happiness, Ismailiyya Palace straight to the Fountain Square, the most popular public place with many restaurants and shops, main location for public festivals, shows and celebrations and pedestrian Nizami street, old trading zone with lots of shops and boutiques. **

5th Day: Breakfast at the hotel. Check out, transfer to the airport.

Exclusions:  flight ticket, insurance, visa, extras in the hotel, tickets to museums, lunches and dinners

1st Day: Arrival to Baku, meeting at the airport. Transfer to the hotel, check in (14:00). Free time. *

2nd Day: Pick-up at 09:00 am. Traditional Azerbaijani breakfast in the restaurant: fried eggs with tomatoes, honey, sour cream and, of course, fresh bread baked in tandir. ** Old Baku city tour: Icheri Sheher (Old City), known as a “fortress”, is a unique historical and architectural conservation area in the center of Baku. This is one of the ancient and densely populated places of the country. Archaeological excavations revealed burial vaults of the Bronze Age. Maiden Tower (12th century) and The Palace of Shirvanshahs (13th-16th centuries) are the best known historical monuments located in the Old City. Besides them there are a lot of other unique monuments such as mosques, minarets, the remnants of caravanserais "Multani" and "Bukhara", ancient baths, etc. You can purchase national clothes, kerchiefs, scarves and caps, dishes and handmade carpets in the numerous souvenir shops. Lunch time. Main dishes: Dushbara is a traditional dumpling soup. It consists of tiny meat dumplings, boiled in a broth with a touch of vinegar and garlic sauce. According to tradition, dushbara dumplings should be small enough to fit ten of them in one tablespoon! Preparing dushbara may be time-consuming, but it’s a great winter warmer! Lulya kebab is made from minced mutton or lamb strung on skewers and then fried on a barbecue using the smoke from burning coal. Usually being served with onions and sumakh (dried flavouring). Fountain Square is the most popular public place with many restaurants and shops, main location for public festivals, shows and celebrations and pedestrian Nizami street is the old trading zone with lots of shops and boutiques. Park Boulevard is a first shopping center in Baku. Dinner time. Main dish: Plov (pilaf) with meat and chestnuts is the signature of Azerbaijani cuisine which will make any table special. The difference from Central Asian pilaf is that meat with dried fruits, chestnuts and aromatic spices is cooked as addition, which is piled on top of the saffron rice on individual serving plates. ***

3rd Day: Breakfast at the hotel. Pick-up at 10:00 am. Tour to Gobustan National Historical-Artistic Preserve: national museum in the open air, the rarest monument of the world culture included in UNESCO heritage list, one of the first centers of human civilization. Settled since the Stone Age the area is one of the major and most ancient museums of rock engravings (petroglyphs) in the world. Gobustan State Historical-Artistic Museum is equipped with innovative technology, touch screens provided with special multimedia programs, educational and entertaining games, interactive displays, 3D video, etc. Lunch time. Before Lunch guests will participate in the cooking process at qutab making master-class. Main dishes: Qutab is a sort of crepe stuffed with different fillings, such as meat, greens, cheese or pumpkin, and cooked on an iron disk called saj. Then it is drizzled with melted butter and served with yogurt and pomegranate or sprinkled with sumakh. Dolma is the pearl of Azerbaijani cuisine traditionally made of grape leaves stuffed with meat and rice, enriched with herbs or nuts. Its name comes from the verb ‘dolmaq’, meaning ‘to stuff’ in Azerbaijani. Traditionally served with qatiq (sour yoghurt). Baku business and hotel complex Flame Towers Baku is the new landmark of the city. The surface of 3 towers is fully covered with LED screens reflecting different visual characters in motion, easily visible from the far corners of the city. The Alley of Martyrs is usually being included in the protocol visits of the foreign officials. Baku's Highland Park (also called Upland Park) is the highest point in the Azerbaijani capital, opening a panoramic view of the city and its bay. Baku Boulevard lies along the Caspian Sea. Being one of the major attractions of Baku it has dozens of different attractions: music fountains, cafes, carousels, open-air cinema, Baku Eye Ferris Wheel and so-called Little Venice consisting of several islands connected by bridges with gondolas travelling in the channels full of still and clean water.

Dinner time. Main dish: Piti is a traditional lamb stew from Sheki region. Chickpeas, chestnuts, saffron, local spices and sheep tail fat pack the dish with flavour, but the key element lies in the clay pots in which piti is cooked and served. The traditional way of eating piti is divided into two courses: first, the broth from the pot is poured over small pieces of bread with onions and sumakh. The rest of the piti is then mashed in individual pots and served as a main course. ***

4th Day: Breakfast at the hotel. Pick-up at 10:00 am. Gala State Historical Ethnographic Reserve and Open Air Museum offers the opportunity to see the original lifestyle of Azerbaijani people dated back to 10th-19th centuries. Today it is a unique place where you can not only make a tour into the past, but also try to bake bread in tandir, weave a carpet, smear with clay in a pottery workshop or feed camels and horses. Lunch time. Main dishes: Kufta Bozbash is a soup made with jumbo apple-size meatballs cooked in a simple broth with chickpeas and potatoes. Chykhyrtma is a stewed chicken with tomatoes, onions and greens in whipped eggs. Ateshgah is an ancient Zoroastrian temple built by Indian fire-worshipers’ community in 17th-18th centuries. It is designed as a closed pentagon consisting of 24 rooms which used to accommodate the pilgrims. In the middle of this courtyard sits an altar, the centerpiece of the fire rituals. It is situated right above the natural gas vent, igniting a large flame in the middle. Balakhani village was one of the first places where hundreds of oil wells had been discovered and led to arise of the oil barons in Azerbaijan in 19th century. Virtually, the first oil boom started at the moment when the first pipeline Balakhani-Baku was launched. Being an industrial area for more than hundred years has led to a poor environmental situation, but today the village is completely renovated and is ready to tell its story of oil boom in Azerbaijan. Yanardag (literary “Burning Mountain”) is a hill located on the top of the natural gas pocket causing continuous flame eruption. Thanks to tectonic shifts and volcanic material below the earth’s surface, natural gas leaks from the rocks. Most probably the fire has been burning in Yanardag for over 20,000 years. Dinner time. Main dish: Fish (or chicken) lavangi is very popular in the south region of Azerbaijan, Lankaran. Lavangi is cooked from the whole fish stuffed with a scrumptious walnut paste along with raisins, onions, and herbs. ***

5th Day: Breakfast at the hotel. Check out, transfer to the airport.

Exclusions:  flight ticket, insurance, visa, extras in the hotel, tickets to museums, lunches and dinners except excursion days

Note: * If tourists arrive in the morning and/or depart in the evening more excursions can be added for additional price. ** It`s possible to organize Traditional Azerbaijani breakfast on other days of the tour as well for additional price. *** The organizer reserves the right to change the order of excursions in case of necessity.

1st Day: Arrival to Baku, meeting at the airport. Transfer to the hotel, check in (14:00). Free time. *

2nd Day: Breakfast at the hotel. Pick-up at 10:00 am. Baku business and hotel complex Flame Towers Baku is the new landmark of the city. The surface of the Towers is fully covered with LED screens reflecting different visual characters in motion, easily visible from the far corners of the city. The Alley of Martyrs with Eternal Fire is usually being included in the protocol visits of the foreign officials. Baku's Highland Park (also called Upland Park) is the highest point in the Azerbaijani capital, opening a panoramic view of the city and its bay. Old Baku city tour: Icheri Sheher (Old City), known as a “fortress”, is a unique historical and architectural conservation area in the center of Baku. This is one of the ancient and densely populated places of the country. Maiden Tower (12th century) and The Palace of Shirvanshahs (13th-16th centuries) are the best known historical monuments located in the Old City among other unique monuments such as mosques, minarets, remnants of caravanserais "Multani" and "Bukhara", ancient baths, etc. You can purchase national clothes, kerchiefs, scarves and caps, dishes and handmade carpets in the numerous souvenir shops. Philharmonic Park is a Baku's Green Oasis just outside the walls of the Old City. Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum was initiated to store, research and demonstrate unique examples of the carpet weaving art which are Azerbaijan’s national heritage. It has a brilliant display of woven and knotted Azerbaijani carpets plus jewelry, embroidery, metalwork and carved wood. The oldest carpet is dated from 17th century. You can also try and weave a little carpet of your own during the carpet weaving master-class. Lunch time. Heydar Aliyev Centre was designed by world-famous architect Zaha Hadid and is devoted to national leader Heydar Aliyev. Its wave-like shape and innovative use of space have made it an iconic landmark in Baku. Besides its extraordinary appearance, inside you'll find a world-class exhibition and museum complex with a great range of permanent and temporary expositions showing the best of local and global art and culture, as well as a state-of-the-art auditorium and impressive collection of vintage cars. “I love Baku” sign is a must-stop place for making pictures. **

3rd Day: Breakfast at the hotel. Pick-up at 10:00 am. Tour to Gobustan National Historical-Artistic Preserve: national museum in the open air, the rarest monument of the world culture included in UNESCO heritage list, one of the first centers of human civilization. Settled since the Stone Age the area is one of the major and most ancient museums of rock engravings (petroglyphs) in the world. Gobustan State Historical-Artistic Museum is equipped with innovative technology, touch screens provided with special multimedia programs, educational and entertaining games, interactive displays, 3D video, etc. Azerbaijan is the first in the world by the number of Mud Volcanoes. 350 out of 800 mud volcanoes in the world are located here! The mud volcanoes of Azerbaijan occupied the 5th place in the international contest of “Seven natural Wonders” and on September 15, 2004 the largest mud volcano of the world located in Azerbaijan was registered in the Guinness Book of Records. Built in the 13th century Bibi Heybat Mosque was completely destroyed by the Bolsheviks in 1936 and restored later in the end of the 20th century. The Bibi Heybat Mosque includes the shrine of Ukeyma Khanum (a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad) and today is the spiritual center for the Muslims of the region and one of the major monuments of Islamic architecture in Azerbaijan. Lunch time. Before Lunch guests will participate in the cooking process at qutab making master-class. Qutab is a sort of crepe stuffed with different fillings, such as meat, greens, cheese or pumpkin, and cooked on an iron disk called saj. Then it is drizzled with melted butter and served with yogurt and pomegranate or sprinkled with sumakh. **

Free time suggestions: - Pedestrian Nizami (former Torgovaya) Street - old trading zone with lots of shops and boutiques - Fountain Square – most popular public place with many restaurants and shops, main location for public festivals, shows and celebrations - Park Boulevard Mall – first shopping mall in Baku - Baku Boulevard - a promenade established in 1909, second largest one in Europe - Boat trip along Baku Bay (seasonal)

4th Day: Breakfast at the hotel. Pick-up at 10:00 am. Gala State Historical Ethnographic Reserve and Open Air Museum offers the opportunity to see the original lifestyle of Azerbaijani people dated back to 10th-19th centuries. Today it is a unique place where you can not only make a tour into the past, but also try to bake bread in tandir, weave a carpet, smear with clay in a pottery workshop or feed camels and horses. It also suggests a range of interesting master-classes like: art of Ebru, art of ornament with henna, various types of artistic embroidery. Lunch time. Ateshgah is an ancient Zoroastrian temple built by Indian fire-worshipers’ community in 17th-18th centuries. It is designed as a closed pentagon consisting of 24 rooms which used to accommodate the pilgrims. In the middle of this courtyard sits an altar, the centerpiece of the fire rituals. It is situated right above the natural gas vent, igniting a large flame in the middle. Balakhani village was one of the first places where hundreds of oil wells had been discovered and led to arise of the oil barons in Azerbaijan in 19th century. Virtually, the first oil boom started at the moment when the first pipeline Balakhani-Baku was launched. Being an industrial area for more than hundred years has led to a poor environmental situation, but today the village is completely renovated and is ready to tell its story of oil boom in Azerbaijan. Yanardag (literary “Burning Mountain”) is a hill located on the top of the natural gas pocket causing continuous flame eruption. Thanks to tectonic shifts and volcanic material below the earth’s surface, natural gas leaks from the rocks. Most probably the fire has been burning in Yanardag for over 20,000 years. Dinner in one of the traditional restaurants. **

5th Day: Breakfast at the hotel. Check out, transfer to the airport.

Exclusions:  flight ticket, insurance, visa, extras in the hotel, tickets to museums, lunches and dinners except the one lunch with master-class

1st Day: Arrival to Baku, meeting at the airport. Transfer to the hotel, check in (14:00). Free time. *

3rd Day: Breakfast at the hotel. Pick-up at 09:00 am. Masazyr Lake is considered to be a Dead Sea of Azerbaijan. Due to the high concentration of salt flora or fauna hardly exist in it. Crystallizable salt covers the shores, reminding of snow. The water of this unique lake shimmers with all tints of pink: from agate-brown to pale pink depending on the time of the year. Situated about 1.5 hour drive from Baku, Altiaghaj National Park is rich with flora and fauna. It enchants its visitors with mild temperatures, fresh air, lush forests, magnificent views and charming waters. The way to the park goes past the wonderful hilly landscape called the Candy Cane Mountains by travel writer Mark Elliot that have astonishing colors due to groundwater that has influenced the oxidation state of iron compounds of the rock. It`s a perfect place to stop and take the photos. Lunch and lazy afternoon can be spent at Jannat Baghi (The Garden of Even) resort which has a large park, a cable car to a hill-top and a small zoo. **

Azerbaijan is the first in the world by the number of Mud Volcanoes. 350 out of 800 mud volcanoes in the world are located here! The mud volcanoes of Azerbaijan occupied the 5th place in the international contest of “Seven natural Wonders” and on September 15, 2004 the largest mud volcano of the world located in Azerbaijan was registered in the Guinness Book of Records. Built in the 13th century Bibi Heybat Mosque was completely destroyed by the Bolsheviks in 1936 and restored later in the end of the 20th century. The Bibi Heybat Mosque includes the shrine of Ukeyma Khanum (a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad) and today is the spiritual center for the Muslims of the region and one of the major monuments of Islamic architecture in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum was initiated to store, research and demonstrate unique examples of the carpet weaving art which are Azerbaijan’s national heritage. It has a brilliant display of woven and knotted Azerbaijani carpets plus jewelry, embroidery, metalwork and carved wood. The oldest carpet is dated from 17th century. You can also try and weave a little carpet of your own. ** Lunch time. Free time suggestions: - Pedestrian Nizami (former Torgovaya) Street - old trading zone with lots of shops and boutiques - Fountain Square – most popular public place with many restaurants and shops, main location for public festivals, shows and celebrations - Park Boulevard Mall – first shopping mall in Baku - Baku Boulevard - a promenade established in 1909, second largest one in Europe - Boat trip along Baku Bay (seasonal) - “I love Baku” sign – place for taking photos near Heydar Aliyev Centre

5th Day: Breakfast at the hotel. Check out, transfer to the airport.

Exclusions:  flight ticket, insurance, visa, extras in the hotel, tickets to museums, lunches and dinners