Baku Boulevard

What makes it special

The promenade follows the Caspian shore below the Old City, with the bay on one side and a strip of gardens on the other. That strip was first planted in 1909, with plants chosen to survive Baku's hot, dry and gusty climate.

Little Venice is a small quarter of canals and bridges laid out in the 1950s and 1960s. The Carpet Museum, also on the boulevard, is a building shaped like a rolled-up carpet, which holds the largest collection of Azerbaijani carpets in the world.

The Parachute Tower on the promenade carries a display of the wind speed, the time and date, and the air and sea temperatures.

The promenade has since been extended along the shore. The whole Seaside National Park now runs for 16.7 km, so the boulevard walk covers only part of it.

Visiting

Start at Freedom Square and walk west along the water, past the Old City. Little Venice's canals and the Carpet Museum both stand on the boulevard, so look out for them as you go.

Boat trips on the bay leave from the pier at the Sea Station every day from 2pm to 9pm and last 30 to 40 minutes, if you want to see the shore from the water.

Keep on along the new boulevard, past the Baku Eye, to National Flag Square at the far west end of the walk.

For a view over the city, take the funicular as a side trip. It climbs from a square on Neftchilar Avenue beside the boulevard to Martyrs' Lane and Highland Park in 4 to 5 minutes.

Tips

Buy boat tickets at the pier itself: you pay and pick a departure time there, and no advance booking is needed.

The promenade is well lit after dark, so the walk works after the light show as well as before it. Keep an eye on your bags in the crowded sections, and keep to the main paths there.