Private Shamakhi - Lahij Tour

Visa - Super easy, super fast. apply online and get in 3 days. landing in Baku - This was my most unpleasant experience. Uber does not work, red London taxis would quote any random high price. Install Bolt app. Bolt app at the airport - It did not allow using credit card for some reason, only cash. App will quote a price and you book. As the drivers know you are stuck at the airport, now the chats start. App says 18 Manat but the driver will ask for 60, you negotiate, they cancel, you book another and keep going crazy like this till you relent and pay some extra. They will take you out of the airport and will say the cab is malfunctioning, hand you over to another guy ad will go back to the airport to pick another desperate tourist. Asking cops for help is no use as they are hand-in-glove. Remember, whoever you ask for help and if they are helping you, they have an ulterior motive. A guy helping me booked the cab and cancelled it without asking me and handed me over to another guy saying he will charge the same. Do not expect to get back any balance payment. You can also try to take the bus which stops running late night. there is a vending machine for tickets that accepts only Manat so get some money changed before exiting the airport (abt $10-20). Within city Bolt is your only option unless you wish to get fleeced. As only cash is accepted, again do not expect to get back any balance payment. If you have not changed money, go to a bank ATM and use your card to withdraw. This will give you the cheapest exchange rate. Start at the old city, book tours, that's the only way to see the place as every tourist destination is spread over vast areas. Most will give you 1-2 tours free with the one you book. While shopping you will face a lot of rude shopkeepers. You ask them to reduce the answer is just NO, you ask them can I open a jewelry piece to see how it looks, the answer is NO. Azerbaijan has a long way to go before they learn how to behave with tourists. They are moving the country's economy. Fire mountain and mud volcanoes may be a long drive but worth a visit. Sadrak shopping mall is a wholesale market, do not go there. Other malls like Deniz are touted as biggest but are quite average sized. 28mall near metro is good. Mosques are like any other, nothing special. Definitely go to the top of maiden tower as the view is very beautiful. Azerbaijan for Indians is not very expensive but it's best to wait a few years till the government steps in a fixes the transportation and people learn to be polite with customers.

Es war eine sehr schöne Tour, da wir mehrere Orte besuchten. Das Dorf Lahic ist etwas weit entfernt, aber es ist eine Reise wert und wir konnten einem Kupferschmied bei der Arbeit zusehen. Sehr interessant sind die Juma-Moschee, die Shirvanshas-Gräber und das Diri-Baba-Mausoleum. Ein großes Dankeschön an unseren professionellen und netten Guide Aylan.

Die Tour war wirklich interessant, wir haben den Besuch von Lahij und der Juma-Moschee sehr genossen. Wir machten auch Halt auf dem Shamaki-Friedhof, um die alten Shirvanshas-Gräber und das Diri-Baba-Mausoleum zu besichtigen. Unsere Reiseleiterin Ayla war unglaublich!