Glad that you are enjoying an amazing country (despite some of the ignorant posts from a few on FT in past). I've always enjoyed my visits there and compare the waterfront to la Croisette.

I have read Azerbaijan described as militantly secular. It was all good. I am only sorry we did not buy a double entry visa (same price) as I would go back, but later in the year. End of March and beginning of April was cold. We stayed in most of one day because of a very windy pouring rain. Finally took a cab to the new modern art museum. So new they were still hanging pictures. That was our countryside day to see petroglyphs but the weather was too bad for the trip. Alas.

Friends of ours just came back from there on a Roads Scholar tour, run by MIR. If you choose to use one of those groups for a trip, go in several days early to Baku. They only had a half day tour. Really, they saw nothing. Baku deserves so much more. I have more info on Trip Advisor under Baku Marriott.

FYI to future visitors:

For reasons I cannot fathom, Marriott now classifies its JW in Baku as level 2. Cheap on points and huge value. One credit card gets you FIVE days!!

Marriott, without saying a word, took care of letting the govt know we were there, handled all the documentation routinely for all guests.

If you go, tell Manager Martin Kleinman that Karen, the tourist, sent you!

Hello all,

My wife and I have a visit to Baku on our agenda for travel later this year. We are thinking of jumping off from Istanbul for a few nights (2-3). In reading some other sites they recommend getting a transit visa for such a short stay. My concern is that we are planning on arriving from and departing to Istanbul so in no sense will be "in transit." Does the Azerbaijan transit visa require travel to a third country like the Chinese TWOV process does?

Thanks for any advice/suggestions you can offer.

You need to call the Azerbaijan consulate in Los Angeles (Santa Monica actually) and ask. It is only open and taking calls Monday, Wed, Fri from 10 am until around 2 pm. However, when we talked to our man there last February he said you could have a transit visa for several days BUT you cannot leave the airport. The consulate was the ONLY source that was reliable. Trust me on that one. Save yourself grief and bite the bullet on the real visa. Get the double entry for the same price in case you decide that you needed to spend more time and go back. I suggest no less than 3 days or you will see nothing and there is a lot to do there. Outside the city are petroglyphs and we missed them because of the rainy weather (whole place turns to mud). The government has put together around 20 museums. Old Town is very cool with some really interesting local restaurants. Read my comments on what to see which are on Trip Advisor. We were there in late March and it was cold. Recommend late April or May. It is windy all the time and summer is hot and humid. Afar Magazine captioned its photo of Baku as "Blown away by Baku"! Little tongue in cheek humor.

Tell the manager, Martin Kleinman, of JW Marriott that Karen sent you! You will not be sorry you stayed there. Best of everything - location, view, service and food. Have a great time and don't miss the supermarket in the mansion.

OK, stay at the Hilton if you must. It is across the street from JW. Make sure you have a room that faces the Caspian Sea AND the Three Flames.

However, you only need a credit card with Marriott to get enough points to cover your whole stay at JW!

Thank you Karen! I think you are right, the best bet is the full visa as there would be no question of validity once it is issued.

We are planning on going in November as we both really enjoy off-season travel (and that is the only time my wife can take a week off). Three days will fit in nicely with our time in Istanbul.

The JW Marriott looks very nice - I am in the process of changing loyalty to Marriott so hope to have enough points for our three nights by the time November rolls around. I will use the Hilton points in Istanbul.

Thanks again for all your great info in this thread. I will be sure to refer to it often as we plan our trip.

Have you been to Istanbul before? We used Hilton points there and stayed in three different Hilton affiliates because we came and went into Istanbul from other parts of Turkey. We REALLY liked Hilton ParkSA, right on the Bosphorus, short cab ride to the tram which takes you to old town. It has a glassed in huge balcony as part of the lounge and food is excellent there. The balcony overlooks the Bosphorus. We were upgraded as Gold members.

However, for being close to the main tourist sites, you cannot beat the Doubletree. The tram stop is in front of the hotel and in 3 stops you are at Hagia Sophia. If you take the tram to the archeological museum stop, and go the opposite direction from the museum, you will find yourself on a walking street with great restaurants. It is a very fun street as the waiters do tricks right on the street. In November maybe not so much as it may be too cold. We stayed a couple of nights at Doubletree, not a remarkable hotel, but saved us time getting to places. The tram is easy to use as the stop has an English speaking kid who tells you how to get your ticket. The area around the Doubletree has nothing much for shopping or dining. Other Flyertalkers liked this hotel for location also.

Give yourself plenty of time to get the Azerbaijan visa.

The Istanbul Star Alliance airport lounge is the finest in the world that we have seen. And we have been to over 100 countries, mostly with Star Alliance. Fabulous two story modern affair with golf and a pool table. Tons of amazing food. Turkish Airlines is very nice, gives you food on your flight. We flew from Iran to Istanbul to Tblisi, Georgia in May. All good.

Last year we flew from Istanbul to Sanli Urfa, the city the woman co-conspirator in the Charlie bombing flew to Jan 2! Keep track of what is going on in Turkey. A woman suicide bomber blew up a police station recently and it was no ordinary station. It was right in the plaza where Hagia Sofia is. Plenty of homegrown terrorists in Turkey looking to make trouble. President Erdogan has made a lot of enemies with his recent pro-Islamic policies. You can find a lot of information in Istanbul's English online newspaper Hurriyet. Our papers have nothing as a rule. A Dutch reporter was thrown in prison recently and the Dutch have been unable to get him released. A well known Istanbul newspaper was closed by the government. Turkey is beginning to resemble Iran. None of that goes on in Azerbaijan, just a small war with Armenia. That said, the best food you ever ate is in Turkey!

Have fun!

Thanks again Karen.

I have never been to Istanbul but my wife visited a long time ago. We are excited to spend time exploring it. There seem to be a lot of hotel options so I will need to spend some time researching what we want to see and then finding the best location. The Doubletree does look nicely situated though!

If I am understanding the AZ visa process correctly, the visa, once issued, is good for 90 days, correct? So since we are traveling in late November we will likely apply for the visa in early September. In your research did you find any reviews on the Travisa mail-in service offered by the AZ Embassy in DC? I am debating using the mail-in service or going with a visa agent. I have used agents in the past, specifically for Russia and China. I find they add value in those instances as mail-in applications are not allowed (and the applications can be tricky to complete correctly). But I don't know if the Travisa mail-in option is worth considering.

Karen, you mentioned that you were seemingly the only tourists. I don't know if you have seen the NY Times 52 places to visit in 2015 but Baku is on the list. I wonder if they will see an uptick in tourism as a result?
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2...o-in-2015.html

There is so much symbolism in the term, "Land of Fire." First there are actually flames shooting out of the mountains because there is so much natural gas. Then, fire is the center of the Zoroastrian religion that predated Islam. Many celebrations actually date back to the Zoroastrian times. If you see roses, that is another Zoroastrian symbol.

When you go to Fountains Square, walk to the part that would be closest to Old Town and head down the hill on one of the narrow streets at the end. You will finally see on your left a small sign that says Super Market. GO IN! In your life you will not see another like it. If you cannot find it, just ask a local. It is fairly new but people all know about it even if they cannot afford it. There is actually a stuffed bear in the wine cellar.

You can see why we felt like we should go back as we missed the outskirts of the city.

Really, you do not need anyone but Nahid at the consulate in Los Angeles. I do not know anyone who has used the embassy's org. My friends who went had their visas taken care of by their tour company. These visas are expensive enough at $160. Whatever Nahid tells you to do will be right and he will take care of you. He will also tell you when to send in your docs.

Have been working in Baku for 9 years now. The changes I have seen first hand are crazy. Much more expensive here then 9 years ago. Best hotels would be Hilton, Marriot, Four Seasons, and the Flame Towers. (not sure of the name) I have a year long Resident card which allows me to come and go for an entire year as much as I want. It stinks though when its time to apply for a new one each year like I am doing now. have to go through the whole normal Visa process and send my passport out to LA. last time, the post office lost my passport after getting the Visa in it and sent to me. nightmare. May, June, July, Aug, Sept are my favorite months here. love the board walk and the nice weather. I dont find it humid at all and this is coming from someone who grew up in the high deserts of New Mexico. I have lived in Louisiana, Houston, and Thailand. Now that is humid. Any questions related to the city and things to see or do or eat, I can try to answer you.

Flame Towers is a Fairmont. The only problem with that hotel is there is no view of the Three Flames! Best views are from Hilton and JW Marriott. Four Seasons is worth a look plus a good bathroom stop if you are in Old Town. That hotel has the most character as it is possibly almost 100 years old in its look. Most good views are of the Caspian. Very ritzy inside and along the street with all the very expensive shops.

Bennie Jiggs: Do you know the address of the fabulous supermarket in the mansion down from the Fountains Square? If you have not been there, you should go. Stained glass, chandeliers, etc

I know where you are talking about but am not familiar with that shop. Now I'm going to have to go find it tommorow.

Take a camera of some sort! You will be astonished.

Hello all,

Does anyone have experience of getting a visa for Azerbaijan from the UK office? Sadly, the embassy seems to have gone down the road of outsourcing (i.e. slap on an extra fee) but I'm more interested in whether an actual letter of invitation is needed, or whether a hotel confirmation from Expedia etc would do. Lots of conflicting information out there, and I'll only have 15 working days between arriving from my previous trip and departing towards Azerbaijan (so need to get it right first time).

Many thanks!

Steve