Getting Around Azerbaijan: Transport Guide

Azerbaijan's transport network is genuinely easy within Baku and considerably more DIY once you leave it. Here is what actually works at each stage of the trip.

From Heydar Aliyev International Airport to the city

You have three real options: the H1 Aero Express bus, a taxi or ride-hailing app, or a pre-booked private transfer. The H1 bus is by far the cheapest at just 1.30 AZN, about USD 0.75 or roughly Rs 70, running every 20 minutes from 06:00 to 23:15 and every 45 minutes overnight, taking about 30 minutes to reach Baku Railway Station at the 28 May metro stop. You will need a BakuKart, the city's public transport card, which you can buy quickly at a kiosk in Terminal 1 before boarding. A taxi or ride-hailing trip costs USD 6-24 (roughly Rs 575-2,300) depending on distance and traffic, while a pre-booked private transfer runs USD 26-75 (roughly Rs 2,500-7,200) depending on the vehicle.

The Baku Metro

The airport itself has no metro station, so if you want to use the metro network you first need to take the H1 bus to 28 May Station, where the Baku Metro begins. Once in the city, the metro is a fast, cheap way to move between major districts and connects well with the BakuKart card used on buses too.

Taxis and ride-hailing apps

Uber operates in Baku, alongside other ride-hailing apps including Bolt (formerly Taxify) and Yango. These are generally the easiest way to move around the city for short trips, especially if you don't want to navigate cash fares or language barriers with street taxis.

Getting to Gabala, Sheki and Shahdag

Public transport between Baku and the regional towns is not built around tourist schedules, so most travellers use either a private driver, a rental car, or an organised day tour. A popular route combines Shamakhi, Ismayilli, Gabala and Sheki in a single guided day trip from Baku, covering around 292 km each way, typically departing around 8am and returning close to 10:10pm; this is a genuinely long day, so consider it only if you cannot spare overnight stays in Gabala or Sheki. If you are comfortable driving abroad and hold an international driver's license, renting a car in Baku is an option too, with generally good road conditions, though it is worth asking locals about weather conditions before setting out to the mountains, especially outside summer.

Comparing your options for the Gabala/Sheki leg

Practical tips

Buy your BakuKart on arrival even if you only plan to use it once for the airport bus, since it is required to board and works across the wider bus and metro network for the rest of your trip. If you are heading beyond Baku, book your driver or tour a few days ahead rather than assuming same-day availability, particularly in peak summer and around the Gabala Music Festival.

Getting around once you're outside Baku

Once you reach Gabala or Sheki, walking covers most of what you'll want to see in the town centres themselves, since neither has a public transport network built for tourists. For side trips within the region, for example from your Gabala hotel out to Tufandag or Nohur Lake, your same private driver typically handles these legs as part of the day's plan, so it is worth agreeing the full day's stops with your driver each morning rather than booking each leg separately.

A note on international driving documents

If you do choose to self-drive, confirm in advance whether your Indian driving licence needs to be paired with an International Driving Permit for car rental in Azerbaijan, since requirements can differ from what you may have used in more commonly visited countries; check directly with your rental company before you fly rather than assuming your permit is automatically valid. Azerbaijan drives on the right-hand side of the road, the opposite of India, which is worth consciously reminding yourself of for the first day or two if you are behind the wheel.

Summing up the transport picture

For most Indian travellers, the simplest workable pattern is the BakuKart and metro or ride-hailing apps for getting around Baku itself, and a private driver booked through your hotel or a tour operator for anything beyond the city. This combination avoids the two genuine friction points on this route, navigating Baku's transit card system without local guidance, and trying to self-drive unfamiliar mountain roads on a short trip where time matters more than the novelty of driving yourself.

Whichever combination you choose, build a little slack into your transfer timings, particularly for the airport run on your departure day, since Baku traffic around peak hours can stretch a normally short taxi ride longer than expected. This one habit, arriving at the airport a little earlier than you think you need to, is a small thing that prevents most of the transport-related stress travellers report from an otherwise smooth Azerbaijan trip.