City guide Baku
- Banking for Expats Pasha Bank, ABB (International Bank of Azerbaijan); Revolut works for withdrawals International Bank of Azerbaijan ATMs are common in the centre, and some dispense US…
- Bar/Nightlife Area Nizami Street (Targovyi) and Fountain Square bars like Otto Club Fountain Square and Nizami Street, the pedestrian centre. Beerbaşa Parlament, 8A…
- Best Area to Stay for Digital Nomads Nasimi District (Near 28 May Station) or White City (Baku Ağ Şəhər) for modern… Around 28 May and Nizami metros. Lotfi Zadeh coworking is in Caspian Plaza, 44 Jafar…
- Best Area to Stay for Tourists Icherisheher (Old City) and Sabayil (Targovyi/Nizami Street area) Icherisheher and the Fountain Square and Nizami Street strip in Sabail, walkable to the…
- Best Beach Nearby Amburan Beach Club (Bilgah) - 30 mins drive; entry approx. 30-40 AZN Amburan Beach Club at Bilgah, on the north coast of the Absheron peninsula. Wikivoyage…
- Best Cafe for Work Coffee Moffie (Literature inspired, quiet corners); United Coffee Beans (fast Wi-Fi) Baku Roasting Company, 12 Alasgar Alakbarov Street. Open Monday to Saturday 08:30-21:00…
- Best Coworking Space Lotfi Zadeh Technology Center (approx. 150 AZN/month); Colab. (25 AZN daily) Lotfi Zadeh Technology Center, Caspian Plaza, 44 Jafar Jabbarli Street, about a 10-minute…
- Best Dessert Spots Pasha Tandir (for traditional Shekerbura); Cafe City for modern cakes Azza Cafe, 1 I. Safarli Street on Fountain Square, bakes its own cakes with the coffee.
- Best Food Delivery App Wolt (Local favorite), Glovo Wolt delivers restaurants and groceries in Baku, including Bravo supermarkets and a Wolt…
- Best Hospital Bona Dea International Hospital; Central Customs Hospital (English speaking staff) Liv Bona Dea Hospital, 2 Mehdi Abbasov, Nizami district, phone +994 12 525 09 00. For an…
- Best Local Dish to Try Shah Plov (King Pilaf) at Shirvanshah Museum Restaurant; Saj Ichi Piti, mutton and chickpeas cooked in a sealed crock, and dolma. A restaurant meal for one…
- Best Taxi/Ride App Bolt (most reliable), Uber AZ, and Yandex Go Bolt and Yango. Yango publishes sample centre rides from ₼2.50. Numbeo puts a standard…
- Bike/Scooter Rental İsmayıl Bike; Baku Boulevard rental stations (Scood scooters via app) Shared e-scooters in July 2026 were Jet, Wingz and Apar. Apar charges ₼0.49 to unlock and…
- Birdwatching Locations Absheron National Park (Migratory paths at the 'Beak' of Azerbaijan) Absheron National Park, on the Caspian edge of Khazar district, for flamingos, gulls…
- Bonfire-Friendly Spots Pirshagi beaches (permitted during off-season and low wind) none
- Budget Accommodation Sahil Hostel & Hotel (approx. 20 AZN/night), Travel Inn Hostel Hostel EURO, 1 Sabit Orucov Street in Khatai, about 550 m from Khatai metro and behind a…
- Cashless Friendly Mostly yes; cards accepted in malls and restaurants, but cash is needed for bazaars and… Cards and phone wallets work in centre shops and on the airport express. The metro uses…
- Casino & Gaming Halls Illegal in Azerbaijan (Gambling is prohibited by law) No casino in the city. Licensed casinos are allowed only on artificial land plots in the…
- City Baku, Abşeron, Azerbaijan Baku (Bakı), the capital of Azerbaijan, on the Absheron peninsula beside the Caspian Sea.
- Community Centers YARAT Studios; ADA University public events YARAT Contemporary Art Space runs exhibitions and a residency. INNOLAND, 79 Zaur…
- Controlled Foreign Company (CFC) Rules Yes, managed under the Tax Code of Azerbaijan The country tax profile records no CFC rules. PwC (reviewed 28 September 2026) says there…
- Cooking Classes Baku Cooking Classes (Traditional Dolma and Plov lessons) none
- Corporate Tax 20% (5% for micro-entrepreneurs under certain conditions) Profit tax is 20%. Eligible businesses that are not VAT payers and stay under ₼200,000…
- Cultural Districts Icherisheher (The Walled City of Baku) Icherisheher, the Walled City, a UNESCO site since 2000, still lived in behind the…
- Currency & Banking 1 AZN ≈ 0.59 USD, 1 USD ≈ 1.70 AZN (Manat is pegged to USD) Azerbaijani manat (AZN). Wikivoyage records the peg at ₼1.70 per US dollar (about ₼1 = USD…
- Cycling/Walking Paths Baku Boulevard (Denizkenari Milli Park) stretches over 15km along the Caspian Seaside Boulevard (Dənizkənarı Milli Park) is the long Caspian promenade. Wikivoyage says…
- Dividend Withholding Tax 10% 5% on dividends, withheld at payment.
- E-commerce/Online Store Umico.az (General marketplace); Trendyol (via cargo forwarders like Limak) iSpace, an Apple Premium Partner, sells online and delivers in Baku the same day for…
- Gaming Lounges Cyber Republic; GameLab Baku none
- Grocery Delivery Bravo Supermarket app; Bravo.az Wolt delivers Bravo and Araz supermarkets. Bravo has been on Wolt since 18 July. Wolt…
- Gyms & Fitness Centers GoFit (Nasimi); Vitam (Port Baku); Day pass approx. 15-20 AZN Numbeo (20 October 2026) puts a monthly fitness-club membership at about ₼96.50 (range ₼60…
- Highest Income Tax Bracket 25% on income above 2,500 AZN (0% for non-oil sector up to 8,000 AZN/month) Oil, gas and government employees pay 14% up to ₼2,500 a month and 25% above that. Private…
- Highway Access M1 (North to Russia), M2 (West to Georgia), M3 (South to Iran) M1 runs Baku-Quba-Russian border (208 km), M2 Baku-Alat-Gazakh-Georgian border (503 km)…
- Historic Buildings Ismailiyya Palace; City Hall near Philharmonic Garden Ismailiyya Palace on Istiglaliyyat Street, Venetian Gothic, built in 1913 and now the…
- Historical Sites Palace of the Shirvanshahs; Ateshgah Fire Temple (Surakhany) The Palace of the Shirvanshahs in Icherisheher, and Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape…
- Internet Speed Average 55 Mbps fixed broadband; 5G available in city center via Azercell Ookla median for Azerbaijan in September 2026 was 188 Mbps fixed and 127 Mbps mobile…
- Language Classes Baku State University language courses; private tutors via Preply Baku none
- Laundry Services Clean Fix; 177 Laundry (Pick up and delivery available via WhatsApp) YOM collects and returns wash and dry-cleaning through its app. ILaundry, 55D Nazim…
- Libraries & Study Spots National Library of Azerbaijan; Baku Book Center (excellent study area) National Library of Azerbaijan, 74 Nizami Street, opened in 1923. Lotfi Zadeh at 44 Jafar…
- Local Brewery Xirdalan (standard); Beerbaşa (Craft brewery and restaurant) Beerbaşa Parlament, 8A Parliament Avenue, brews on site and is open 12:00-00:00. On…
Corporate Tax kept at 20% and the micro 5% line replaced with simplified tax at 2% under ₼200,000. Dividend Withholding Tax 10% corrected to 5%. Tax System and Highest Income Tax Bracket rewritten for the post-2025 private schedule and the 182-day rule (https://taxsummaries.pwc.com/azerbaijan/individual/taxes-on-personal-income). VAT kept at 18% and the retail refund added. CFC left as a conflict with the tax profile. Property Tax set to ₼0.40/m² in Baku above 30 m². Property Transaction Tax set to ₼15/m² times a zone coefficient. Attractive Tax System for Digital Nomads no longer claims a 2% nomad rate as a general exemption. Best Area to Stay for Tourists set to Icherisheher and Fountain Square.