Stand on the wind-scoured edge of the Old City at dusk, where the Maiden's Tower rises from a natural oil well and the Caspian haze turns the skyline soft, and you feel the two Bakus at once: the walled medieval core and the modern city that grew around it. Baku is known for its harsh winds, and locals call it the "City of Winds" — a nickname you will understand within minutes of arriving.
This guide suits travellers who want to cover the historic heart on foot in a single day, then use the rest of their stay for the wider city. It covers the sights and experiences named in the source material, with practical notes on what to combine and when to go.
Top things to do in Baku
1. Palace of the Shirvan Shahs
The medieval palace of the Shirvan Shahs is the highlight of the Old City and the strongest single stop for any visitor. The complex contains the main building of the palace, Divanhane, the burial-vaults, the shah's mosque with a minaret, Seyid Yahya Bakuvi's mausoleum, a portal in the east known as Murad's gate, a reservoir and the remnants of the bath-house. The main building was started in 1411 by Shirvanshah Sheykh Ibrahim I, and the two-storey structure connects about 50 different dimensions and outlines of construction with three narrow winding staircases.
Plan to spend real time here rather than passing through. It sits near the Hadji Bani mosque and the "Chin" mosque, so combine all three in one walk, and note that photography inside carries its own charge.
2. Maiden's Tower
The Maiden's Tower, also called Giz Qalasi, is Baku's most distinguished landmark. Built somewhere between the 7th and 12th centuries, it may have served as a fire beacon, defensive fortification, astronomical observatory or Zoroastrian temple, and it demonstrates a fusion of Arabic, Persian and Ottoman influences on a solid rock foundation beside a natural oil well. The cylindrical eight-storey structure rises to a height of 29.5 m with a base diameter of 16.5 m, and a long solid projection faces east towards sunrise, pointing to the equinoxes.
One practical caution: there is no good view from the top, because it is barred by a glass wall that keeps you back from the edge. The Hajji Gayyib bathhouse and the Baba Kukhy Baku mosque stand opposite and at the tower respectively, so fold them into the same stop.
3. Old City (Icheri Sheher) walls and lanes
The Old City is a walled fortress and a UNESCO World Heritage site, and everything inside it can be seen on foot in one day. The fortress walls and towers were built in the 11th–12th centuries, and the city walls were rebuilt and strengthened during the Shirvan era, when massive fortifications went up across Baku and the surrounding towns.
Treat the walls as your route marker rather than a single sight. Walk the lanes between the named mosques, caravanserais and bathhouses, and let the Salyan Gates and Shemakha Gates in the northeast frame your exit.
4. Caravanserais of the Old City
The Old City holds several caravanserais that trace its history as a trading hub. The Bukhara Caravanserai sits over the trade highway of Icherisheher and dates from the late 15th century, while the Multani Caravanserai stands opposite it. The Small Caravansaray, also known as the Khan's caravansaray, was built in the 1500s, the Two-Storeyed Caravansaray was constructed in the 17th century, and the Gasim-bek Caravanserai occupies the southwest corner of the district.
These are best taken as a pair or a cluster rather than individually. The Bukhara and Multani pair face each other, so see them together, and use the caravanserais as landmarks while crossing the commercial caravan road that runs through the southern part of the Old City.
5. Muhammad Mosque (Siniggala Mosque)
This mosque was built in the 11th century in Icheri Sheher and is also known as Siniggala, after its minaret, the "damaged tower". In 1723 a Russian squadron approached the city and demanded its surrender; after the refusal, one of the shells hit the minaret and damaged it, but a stormy wind blew the ships back out to sea. From that time until the mid-19th century the minaret was not reconstructed, and it symbolised the persistence and courage of the city's defenders.
It is the first building in Azerbaijan related to Islam and dated by its architectural ligature, and an Arabic inscription in front of the doorway of the northern wall records that it was built by ustad-rais Muhammad the son of Abu Bakr in 471 of Hijra. It stands about 60 m west of the Jame mosque, so pair the two.
6. Jame mosque and minaret remains
The Jame mosque, also recorded as the Emir Sharaf-ad-din Mahmud mosque and minaret, was founded in 1309–10 and repeatedly reconstructed during its existence. A new Friday Mosque was constructed on the old mosque's site with the support of the Baku merchant Haji Shikhlali Dadashov in 1899, and a Zoroastrian temple once stood on the site of the two mosques. A minaret constructed in 1437 adjoins the Friday Mosque.
Come here for the layered history rather than a single structure. The Madrasah-mosque, a chapel built in the 15th century in the yard of the Jame mosque, is part of the same visit, and the Cell-madrasa lies about 50 m north of the Madrasah-mosque.
7. Seyed Yahya mosque
The Seyed Yahya mosque, also called the Seyid Yahya Murtuza mosque, was constructed in the early 17th century and stands in the south part of the Old City on the medieval commercial caravan road. Its position on that route makes it a natural stop while you are walking the trading spine of the district.
Combine it with the Lezgi mosque, also known as the Ashur Mosque, which stands on the same street, and with the Portal of a residential building on Böyük Qala nearby.
8. Bathhouses of the Old City
The historic bathhouses show how the city's daily life was engineered. The Hajji Gayyib bathhouse, built in the 15th century opposite the Maiden's Tower, has a rectangular intake portal and a complex divided into dressing-room, changing room and bathing area, with octagonal halls surrounded by small rooms, a central pool with warm and cold water, stone-plated floors, and heating provided by ceramic pipes or channels under the floors through which warm air circulated.
The Agha Mikayil bathhouse on Kichik Gala street and the Gasim-bek bath, also known as the "Shirin" or Sweet Bathhouse, built in the 17th century near the Salyan door, complete the set. See the Hajji Gayyib bathhouse with the Maiden's Tower, since they face each other.
9. Mosques of the Old City
A dense group of smaller mosques fills the lanes. Molla Ahmad's mosque was built in the 1290s, with Myrzhy Ahmad's mosque to its south. The Hadji Bani mosque near the Palace of the Shirvan Shahs was constructed by the architect Hadji Bani in the 16th century, and the "Chin" mosque, also called the True mosque, was constructed in 1375 near the same palace. The Gileyli mosque was built in 1309 and rebuilt in the 1800s, the Khidir mosque was built in the 1300s, and the Khanlarov mosque was built in the late 19th century.
You will pass most of these without detouring if you walk the Old City systematically. The Beyler Mosque stands about 100 m east of the Palace, and the Haji Eybata Mosque is on Kichik Gala. The Sultan oglu Sultan Sheikh Ibrahim mosque, built in 1415–16, sits over the commercial highway where it changes direction to reach the Salyan gate.
10. Bazaar Square and Khan's house
Bazaar Square and the Khan's house in the northeast part of the Old City are the commercial and residential counterpoints to the religious buildings. They are quick stops rather than destinations in their own right, but they help you read how the walled city was organised.
Work them into a loop with the Salyan Gates and Shemakha Gates, which sit in the northeast, so you finish at a gate rather than doubling back.
11. Fortress walls and towers
The fortress walls and towers, built in the 11th–12th centuries, are the structure that makes the Old City a single walkable unit. The Shirvan era between the 12th and 14th centuries produced massive fortifications in Baku and the surrounding towns, including the Maiden Tower, the Ramana Tower, the Nardaran Fortress, the Shagan Castle, the Mardakan Castle, the Round Castle and the Sabayil Castle on the island of the Bay of Baku.
Use the walls to orient yourself at the start of the day. The Salyan and Shemakha gates are the named entry points in the northeast, and the Tetragonal tower, also called the Donjon bastion, sits in the northern mid-part of the district.
12. Ateshgah of Baku
The Ateshgah of Baku was built by traders from the Indian subcontinent who established themselves in the region during the early modern period, when Baku was a focal point for traders from across the world and commerce was active. Built during the 17th–18th centuries, the temple was used as a Hindu, Sikh and Zoroastrian place of worship.
This is the one major site in this guide that sits outside the Old City, so give it its own slot rather than trying to fold it into a walking loop. Its history connects directly to the trading communities whose caravanserais you will have seen inside the walls.
If you only have one day
Morning: Start inside the walls at the Palace of the Shirvan Shahs, the highlight of the Old City, and take in the Saray Mosque, the Hadji Bani mosque and the "Chin" mosque in the same stop. Walk from there to the Maiden's Tower and see the Hajji Gayyib bathhouse opposite it.
Afternoon: Follow the commercial caravan road south to the Seyed Yahya mosque and the Lezgi mosque, then cross to the Bukhara Caravanserai and the Multani Caravanserai facing each other. Continue to the Muhammad Mosque, about 60 m west of the Jame mosque, and finish the afternoon at the Jame mosque and minaret remains with the Madrasah-mosque in its yard.
Evening: Return to the fortress walls and towers and exit through the Salyan Gates and Shemakha Gates in the northeast, passing Bazaar Square and the Khan's house on the way. If you have a second day, give the Ateshgah of Baku its own visit.
Frequently asked questions
Can you see the Old City on foot in one day?
Yes. The sites within Baku's walled fortress, the Old City, can all be seen on foot in one day.
What is the best-known landmark in Baku?
The Maiden's Tower is described as Baku's most distinguished landmark, and the Palace of the Shirvan Shahs is the highlight of the Old City.
Is there a view from the top of the Maiden's Tower?
There is no good view from the top, because it is barred by a glass wall that keeps you back from the edge.
Why is Baku called the "City of Winds"?
Baku is renowned for its harsh winds, which is reflected in its nickname, the "City of Winds".
Start with the Old City on foot, then decide how many days you want for the rest of Baku.