Azerbaijan · 4 nights · October
Baku, a long weekend that turned into a road trip
The plan
Old city, one nice dinner, home Sunday.
What actually happened
We hired a car on day two and drove out to the mud volcanoes, which are exactly as ridiculous as they sound. Home two days later than planned.
Vinay wanted
The caravanserai, the fire temple, and the mud volcanoes.
Aditi wanted
Cobbled streets, a good hotel, and tea with jam.
Stay
Old city boutique hotel
Stone walls, breakfast on the roof, walk everywhere.
Eat
Family-run plov restaurant
Order the veg plov and the pickles.
Tea house with jam service
Aditi's favourite thirty minutes of the trip.
Do
Mud volcanoes at Gobustan
Take a 4x4. Not your rental sedan. We learned this.
Old city walls at night
Empty after 9pm and beautifully lit.
Vinay: 'It's a small detour.' It was 90 kilometres of gravel.
The verdict
Underrated, cheap, and three hours from Dubai.
Would we go again? Yes, in autumn again.