Day 1. Baku – Arrival
Arrive in Baku, the vibrant capital of Azerbaijan, and meet your Silk Road Treasure Tours host at the aircraft gate for a smooth VIP welcome. Our team will assist with fast-track immigration, luggage, and private transfer to your hotel.
If time permits, enjoy a gentle evening stroll along the century-old Baku Boulevard, where the sea breeze drifts in from the Caspian and the skyline glitters with the lights of the Flame Towers. Welcome dinner.
Day 2. Old City Baku – Palaces, Caravanserais and Maiden Tower
Step back in time as you enter Icheri Sheher, the walled Old City of Baku and a UNESCO World Heritage treasure. Cobblestone lanes wind past carved stone doorways, hidden courtyards, and bustling artisan shops. Visit the Shirvanshah Palace, once the royal seat of the medieval kingdom, and climb the mysterious 12th-century Maiden Tower for sweeping views over the city’s rooftops and the shimmering Caspian Sea. Pause for tea and nut-filled pastries in a historic caravanserai courtyard that once hosted merchants from across the Silk Road.
In the afternoon, visit the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum where you can watch master weavers at their looms and learn how each region preserves its distinctive weaving style. End the day in the lively Fountain Square, the heart of modern Baku with its cafés and boutiques. In the evening, enjoy an exclusive caviar-and-sparkling tasting led by a Caspian expert who shares the story of how this delicacy rose from humble fishermen’s fare to the tables of Russian tsars, followed by a chef-curated Azeri dinner.
Day 3. Absheron Peninsula – Eternal Flames and Design Icons
Travel out of the city to explore the Absheron Peninsula, where Azerbaijan’s ancient nickname, the Land of Fire, comes to life. Visit the Ateshgah Fire Temple, a centuries-old pilgrimage site where natural gas flames once drew Zoroastrian and Hindu worshippers from across Asia. Continue to Yanar Dag, the legendary Burning Mountain whose hillside flames have flickered for centuries.
Return to Baku to experience the flowing curves of the Heydar Aliyev Center, designed by the late architect Zaha Hadid and now one of the Caucasus region’s most celebrated cultural landmarks. Wander through its museum and exhibitions that highlight the country’s rich heritage and innovative future. Conclude the day at Martyrs’ Lane to watch the sunset over the Bay of Baku before seeing the Flame Towers come alive in a spectacular evening light show.
Day 4. Gobustan and Mud Volcanoes
Head southwest into the semi-desert for an extraordinary excursion to Gobustan National Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage site where over 6,000 petroglyphs carved into rocks tell the stories of hunters, dancers, and wildlife from up to 40,000 years ago. With one of our expert local guides, you will discover how these images reveal the earliest chapters of human life along the Silk Road.
Continue to the nearby field of mud volcanoes, where grey cones bubble and burble like a lunar landscape, and other-worldly phenomenon found in only a few places on Earth, yet with over 300 here in Azerbaijan alone. Return to Baku in the afternoon to relax at your hotel, enjoy a spa treatment, browse an art gallery, or take a leisurely bike ride along the Caspian promenade.
Day 5. Baku – Shamakhi- Lahij-Sheki Silk Road-Caucasus Mountains
Leave the Caspian coast and journey inland across steppe and rolling valleys into the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains. Stop in Shamakhi to visit the historic Juma Mosque, one of the oldest mosques in the Caucasus, originally founded in the eighth century and beautifully rebuilt to preserve its heritage.
A scenic detour leads to Lahij, a mountain village renowned for its traditional coppersmiths and leather workers. Stroll the cobblestone streets lined with wooden balconies and stone workshops and meet a master craftsman who will demonstrate the art of copper engraving. By late afternoon you reach Sheki, once a key Silk Road trading town, surrounded by forested ridges and red-tiled rooftops. Check into your boutique hotel located in the heart of the ancient city hotel
Day 6. Sheki and Kish – Stained Glass, Caravanserais and Early Christianity
Discover Sheki’s rich history as you visit the Sheki Khans’ Summer Palace, famed for its vibrant frescoes and exquisite shebeke stained-glass windows assembled without nails or glue. Wander through the lively bazaar where stalls overflow with spices, nuts, dried fruits, and the town’s signature Sheki halva pastry. Step into the atmospheric caravanserai, once a bustling inn for traders and their camels, now partially restored as a boutique inn.
Drive a short distance to the village of Kish to visit the ancient Caucasian Albanian Church, a peaceful stone sanctuary believed to date back to the first century. End the day with a private visit to a traditional shebeke workshop to watch masters fit tiny pieces of colored glass into intricate wooden latticework, a craft passed down through generations.
Day 7. Sheki to Baku via Ganja city
Travel westward to Ganja, Azerbaijan’s historic cultural center and birthplace of the celebrated twelfth-century poet Nizami Ganjavi. Explore the Shah Abbas Mosque, the Nizami Mausoleum, and the quirky Bottle House, built from thousands of glass bottles. Along the way, stop at small farm stands to taste fresh fruits, nuts, and tandir-baked bread from the countryside.
Arrive back in Baku in the late afternoon with time to relax or enjoy a final stroll along the waterfront. Gather for a memorable farewell dinner featuring Azerbaijan’s beloved dolma, paired with fine local wines, and enjoy a lively folklore show celebrating the country’s music and dance traditions.
Day 8. Baku Departure
