- Sky, plane, New Year
- Preparation for celebrations
- How New Year is celebrated in Baku
- The cultural program
In the entire post-Soviet space, the republics of the Transcaucasus are always distinguished especially. Their residents cannot find equals in hospitality and hospitality, and therefore the tourist flow in that direction is becoming more and more full every year. Do you want to break the usual course of things and spend your winter holidays in one of the most beautiful cities in the Caucasus? Hospitable Baku is at your service, and its residents guarantee that you will remember the New Year in Azerbaijan for a long time and warmly.
Sky, plane, New Year
A direct flight from the Russian capital to the Azerbaijani capital takes only three hours. If you have the opportunity to plan your trip in advance, take advantage of the fact that the cost of tickets 7-8 months before the expected departure may be 20% -30% lower than immediately before the selected date:
- Airplanes of Azerbaijani airlines carry passengers to Baku the fastest. Direct flights are operated from Moscow Domodedovo Airport daily. If you book your flight well in advance, it will cost you no more than € 150 round trip. There are rumors that kebabs and good red wine are on the Azerbaijan Airlines on-board menu.
- Aeroflot and S7 are not very humane, and their services are priced at 250 euros and more for a round-trip ticket. The boards of the former take off from Sheremetyevo, the latter take off from Domodedovo. Whether it is worth overpaying for the brand is up to passengers.
In order to be the first to receive useful information about ticket prices, sales and special offers, you can register an email newsletter on the websites of airlines serving the direction you are interested in. Azerbaijani airlines often hold promotions, thanks to which it becomes especially profitable to travel with them. The required Internet address is www.azal.az. On the Aeroflot website, you can become a member of the Aeroflot Bonus program and, while earning miles, pay for flights and hotel accommodations around the world.
You can also get to Azerbaijan to celebrate the New Year by rail. Once a week on Saturdays at 22.40 a direct train leaves from the Kursk railway station in the Russian capital to Baku. The cheapest one-way ticket in a reserved seat carriage costs about 100 euros, and the journey will take a little more than two days. The only advantage of this way of traveling is the magnificent views that open outside the window in the last quarter of the way.
Preparation for celebrations
Baku meets the New Year holidays fully armed. Monuments from the UNESCO World Heritage lists and modern glass skyscrapers are decorated with millions of lights and turn into a single and harmonious backdrop for the upcoming event. New Year fairs are opening on the squares of Baku and other cities, where souvenirs and gifts, decorations for Christmas trees, food and delicacies for the festive table, wines and oriental sweets are sold.
Azerbaijanis invite Father Frost and Snegurochka to their children, who are called here Baba and Karkyz Shakhta. The hostesses prepare a festive table, where the famous pilaf, lamb pies, soup and kebabs, as well as a sea of desserts that locals love so much, are certainly present. Along with national dishes, the table is decorated with herring under a fur coat and traditional Olivier from the USSR.
However, the tradition of celebrating the New Year on December 31 appeared in the republic only with its entry into the family of fraternal Soviet peoples. Most of the country's residents are Muslims and according to Muslim traditions, the new year for them begins on the vernal equinox on March 21, along with the Novruz holiday. However, not a single Azerbaijani misses the opportunity to have fun twice, and therefore in the first days of December, numerous decorated Christmas trees remind of the upcoming celebrations.
How New Year is celebrated in Baku
The older generation traditionally celebrates the New Year at the family table, generously set on the occasion of the holiday. Young people increasingly prefer to gather in the National Seaside Park of Baku or in the squares of other cities to see fireworks and meet friends. The Baku park is famous for its water town, which is called Little Venice. On New Year's Eve, visitors to the park can ride the gondolas, and then continue the fun in a restaurant or nightclub.
- Book tables in restaurants in advance. Baku is a very popular and inexpensive tourist destination, and therefore free places in cafes and clubs may run out long before the onset of the holiday. The average bill for spending New Year's Eve in a not too expensive restaurant in the Azerbaijani capital will be 40 euros. The price includes a multi-course dinner, a glass of champagne and live music.
- Be sure to keep in mind that four days can be declared non-working on New Year in Azerbaijan - from January 1 to January 4.
The cultural program
Having emerged from the abyss of universal fun at least in a few days, take the opportunity to visit memorable places, architectural landmarks and cultural centers of Azerbaijan:
- The new symbol of Baku is Flame Towers, similar to fiery tongues. They offer a magnificent panorama of the Azerbaijani capital. The lighting of the buildings was recognized as the best in the world, and the most luxurious views of the Flame Towers are from the waterfront or from the Hilton hotel bar.
- The old town of Icheri-Sheher is a historical and architectural reserve with the most interesting architectural sights of the Middle Ages. Among others - the famous Maiden Tower of the XII century and the palace of the Shirvanshahs, built a century later.
The Gobustan reserve, 60 km from the Azerbaijani capital, is also on the UNESCO lists. It is famous for its magnificently preserved ancient cave paintings and mud volcanoes that form a unique landscape. Public transport will help you get to the national park. The stop of the required bus route N120 is located at Azneft Square (Baku metro station is called "Icherisheher").
All prices in the material are approximate and given as of April 2017. It is better to check the exact cost on the official websites of service providers and carriers.
