The Old Town of Baku is crammed with historical buildings and has been classified a UNESCO heritage site
Hotel watch: coming up in azerbaijan
Fairmont baku
The opening of the Fairmont Baku is planned for late 2011. The hotel will be located on a prime site next to the Azerbaijan parliament buildings and overlooking the Caspian Sea. This new iconic complex, called the Flame Towers, will incorporate hotel, residential and commercial space and will be linked by centrally located retail and leisure facilities.
Opening late 2011
Jumeirah Bilgah Hotel Baku
Formerly slated to be a Venu brand — with 176 rooms, 14 three-bed villas, all-day and Asian restaurants, family waterpark, 2,500 sq m water platform, 1,500 sq m conference centre with ballroom, three meeting rooms, two boardrooms and a Talise spa with nine treatment rooms. The hotel is located on the Caspian Sea in the north of the Absheron Peninsula.
Opening Q4 2011
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Four Seasons Baku
Located opposite the Caspian waterfront and next to the Old City, it has 171 rooms averaging 52 sq metres, the largest in Baku, most with balconies, plus speciality corner turret suites. Other facilities include all-day dining restaurant, rooftop French restaurant, the Nobel Private Dining Room, ballroom and five meeting rooms, rooftop spa and pool in a two-storey atrium.
Opening late 2011.
How to sell
How to get there:
AZAL Azerbaijan Airlines: Daily A319 flights depart Dubai 10:05, arrive 1155 at Baku. Return 13:25, arrives 17:35. Special web fares released in April from AED940 return, exclusive of taxes. (Fast track facilities available for business class passengers – email office1@fasttrack.az) www.azal.az
Flydubai: Four weekly B737 services on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. 11:30 depart, arrive Baku at 15:25, returning 16:25, arrives Dubai 18:15. Fares from AED 461 Dubai-Baku, or AED 750 flexible rate, return sector from AED666 and AED853. www.flydubai.com
Qatar Airways to launch daily services to Baku from Doha on November 30.
One of five international airports in Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev International (GYD) in Baku was formerly named Bina International. Located 20km northeast of the city, it is linked by two modern highways to downtown. A new terminal is under construction for completion in 2013, to cater to three million passengers annually.
Currency:
Azerbaijan Manat (AZN)
divided in to 100 QƏpik.
1USD = 0.79 AZN
Time:
GMT+4. Summer daylight saving GMT+5 until end October
Facts & Figures
Population 9 million; 2 million live in Baku. Visitor numbers in 2010: 1.85 million. 6% rise over 2009; increase in 2011 is expected to be 10%
What to do:
With 2,000 years of history as a meeting place on the former Silk Route, Azerbaijan boasts a host of attractions from its UNESCO designated Old City in the heart of Baku to seaside towns, mountain landscapes and lush valleys.
Among the sights in Baku are the Maiden’s Tower, Shirvan-Shah’s Palace and the 11th century Synyk-Kala Mosque and Minaret in the old fortress town, as well as carpet and craft shops, fine arts, history and literature museums, the Opera and Ballet Theatre, the seaside boulevard and Fountain Square for shops and restaurants.
The Ateshgah fire-worshippers’ temple 15km from Baku is also worth a visit — on a site saturated with natural gas which causes fire to spontaneously erupt from the ground.
Climate:
Tempered by the sea, it ranges from freezing and 3-4 degrees Celsius in winter to 30 degrees in the summer.
Visas:
Required by all nationalities except Russian and CIS countries. New rules implemented from June 1, state applications can be made via a tour operator and require a completed application form, scanned passport copy and photo, and confirmation of purpose of visit, airline ticket and accommodation reservation.
The process via Internet takes two to three days. Costs vary according to nationality — for UAE nationals, a single entry tourist visa valid for up to 30 days costs US$40.
Useful Contacts:
UAE: www.azembassyuae.org /
www.azembassy.ae /
+971 2 666 2848 /
+971 4 235 5232
KSA: www.azembriyadh.org /
+966 1 419 2382
Qatar: azembassy@qatar.com.qa / +974 493 2450
Kuwait: www.azerembassy-kuwait.org / +965 535 5247
Public Holidays:
New Year:
January 1-2;
Martyrs’ Day: January 20;
Women’s Day: March 8;
Novruz: March 20-26;
Victory Day: May 9,;
Republic Day: May 28;
National Salvation Day: June 15
Army and Navy Day: June 26 National Independence Day: October 18,
Constitution Day: November 12:
National Revival Day: November 17;
Azerbaijanis’ Solidarity Day: December 31,
Plus Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha.
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