Baku City Night Tour with Guide

The Flame Towers after dark

The Flame Towers are three curved skyscrapers on a hill above the bay, completed in 2012, and the tallest is about 190 metres high. Their shape recalls the flames of Azerbaijan's fire heritage, and after dark their surfaces become giant LED screens that play flame patterns and moving images.

This is the highlight of any Baku night tour, and the guide chooses a viewpoint where the whole group can see and photograph the display. Anyone asking about the best time to visit the Flame Towers will get the answer here: evening, once the lights come on. The view is at its best from the lower streets and from the waterfront.

The Heydar Aliyev Centre at night

The Heydar Aliyev Centre was designed by Zaha Hadid and opened in 2012. Its white, flowing form has no straight lines, and at night the surface is lit in soft colours that make it look like a sculpture rising from the plaza. It is widely seen as the best-known modern building in the Caucasus.

On the tour the vehicle stops at a viewpoint for photographs, and the guide tells the story of the design. The stop is for sightseeing from outside, rather than a visit to the exhibitions. If you want to go inside the museum, plan a separate daytime visit, since the centre's opening hours change by season.

The Old City walls and the Maiden Tower

Baku's Old City, Icherisheher, is a walled medieval quarter with narrow lanes, a caravanserai and the Shirvanshahs' Palace. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and at night its stone walls and gates glow with warm floodlights. The Maiden Tower, a round 12th-century tower on the edge of the Old City, is the most photographed part.

The guide explains the history of the walled town and the legends about the tower as the group passes and stops at the best viewpoints. Most travellers use the night tour as an introduction to what they want to explore on foot the next day. It is a good way to find your bearings in the city on your first evening.

Baku Boulevard and the waterfront

Baku Boulevard is the palm-lined seaside promenade that runs for several kilometres along the Caspian shore. In the evening it fills with families and couples, and the lights of the bay, the Baku Eye and the towers reflect on the water. It is a pleasant place for a short walk during the tour.

The guide points out the main landmarks along the shore, such as Flag Square and the seafront skyline, and explains how the boulevard was built. Baku is known as the city of winds, so bring a light jacket even in summer, and comfortable shoes if you want to walk.