Azerbaijan

Travel to Nagorno-Karabakh, and to the militarily-occupied area around it, is advised against. For further advice, visitors should contact their local government travel advice department. Political rallies or a public gathering of a political nature should be avoided.

Azerbaijan is bordered by the Russian Federation, Georgia and Iran. The country is divided by the Republic of Armenia into a smaller western part in the Lesser Caucasus and a larger eastern part, stretching from the Greater Caucasus to the Mugan, Mili and Shirvan Steppes and bordered by the Caspian Sea in the east. Due mainly to the presence of international oil companies, the standard of accommodation is changing rapidly and there are now at least two 5-star hotels. Within Baku, the medieval walled city – Icheri Sheker – has been restored and it retains a distinctly Middle-Eastern and relaxed atmosphere, with its tea-houses and busy street-life. Its attractive narrow streets and stone buildings spread up from the waterfront, where the 12th-century Maiden’s Tower (Gyz-Galasy) looks out over the bay. Azerbaijani food combines Turkish, Georgian and central Asian elements with lamb as the staple dish. If dining with a local host, visitors should be aware that going to restaurants is treated as much as an opportunity for competitive toasting as to eat and talk. Many restaurants, late-night bars and English-style pubs have opened in Baku, catering largely for the foreign business community and wealthy local business people.