Private jet charter and flights to Baku
It’s hard to define Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, a unique wind-whipped city that sits on the edge of the Caspian Sea. Down at 28 metres below sea level, you’ll find a confusing jumble of architectural styles and heritage; there’s medieval Islamic stone buildings, late 19th-Century European-style mansions, austere Soviet-era blocks and ultra-modern surrealist masterpieces. It really needs to be seen and experienced to be believed. Experience it all, charter a private jet today.
Strip the architectural layers down and you’ll get to the oldest part of town – the UNESCO-listed Icheri Sheher (the Inner City). People have lived on this site for millennia and it’s long been a hub of trade and commerce, thanks to its east-meets-west setting on an arm of the Great Silk Road. Today, you can see the remains of the 12th-Century fortified walls and various historical buildings from the following centuries. The oldest structure still standing is the Maiden Tower – a landmark so important that it’s depicted on the country’s 10 manat note. There’s a debate over how old the tower is – some believe it was built in the 1100s while other’s think that it was first constructed sometime between the 4th and 7th Century CE. Whatever its age, it provides brilliant views out over the city and the bay.
Another must-see in the Old City is the 15th-Century Palace of the Shirvanshahs, once the home of the ruling family of the historic region of Shirvan. This glorious complex of light-stone walls and domed structures at the highest point in Icheri Sheher includes a minaret, the main palace building and a mausoleum, as well as a selection of other remains and ruins. Once you’ve finished exploring the main sites of the Inner City, you should spend some time wandering through the tangle of streets, passing hundreds-of-years-old mosques and restored Medieval buildings as well as more modern Russian structures.
Step outside the walls of the Inner City and you’ll see how the country’s first oil boom changed the city. Rather than simple medieval buildings, there are grand mansions in a range of styles that were built in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries by the country’s earliest barons. To witness some of the most elaborate houses and public buildings wander along Istiglaliyyat Street; if you join a guided walking tour, you can hear some of the incredible stories of those who lived here.
Following the Soviet occupation of Azerbaijan which lasted 70 years, the city has experienced its second oil boom and has begun to transform itself into a 21st-Century City. Alongside the ancient Inner City and the turn-of-the-century Outer City, it now has the requisite skyscrapers and ultra-modern buildings that are a work of art in themselves. The modern icons of the city have to be the Flame Towers – three glittering high-rise buildings that have been inspired by the city’s strong association with the ancient religion of Zoroastrianism. Whether you’re wandering around the Palace of the Shirvanshahs or along the edge of the Caspian Sea, the towers are an ever-present landmark. Over on the other side of the city is another modern architectural masterpiece – the Heydar Aliyev Centre. This entertainment and arts complex has flowing lines and curved walls and roofs that was a purposeful departure from the Soviet-era style that was prevalent during much of the 20th Century.
For downtime in the city, head to the Baku Boulevard – or Bulvar – a waterfront promenade and hub of entertainment that follows the coast of the Caspian Sea. It’s backed by green spaces, museums, malls, cafes and restaurants as well as a road that’s lined by more of those impressive mansions built with the profits of black gold. You can even take a gondola ride along man-made waterways or cross the bridges in Mini Venice – one of the city’s more unexpected attractions.
Baku is served by Heydar Aliyev International Airport which is located to the east of the city on the Absheron Peninsula. Simply contact one of our team and we will arrange everything you need to charter a private jet to Baku.
