A Weekend in Baku, Azerbaijan, Baku, Azerbaijan

A November weekend saw a trip to somewhere which is technically classed as part of Europe (or at least a small part of it is!) – Azerbaijan. The reason for our visit to the capital Baku was not only to add a tick to our list of visited european countries, but also because we were inspired by the BBC Series Race Across the World. Azerbaijan has been an independent country since 1991 when it left the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), it was also formerly part of Iran, North West Iran to be precise, and it is that Persian legacy that is most prominent in modern-day Baku. The city is known as Baku to the rest of the world, however, the locals call it Baki, and pronounce it with a very soft k.

We chose to stay at The Fairmont, a hotel that fills one of the three flame towers and probably the most well known landmark in Baku as it is visible city wide. It was by some distance the best hotel we had ever stayed in. It was also more than we would normally consider paying (£111 per night for 3 nights) but we were only likely to be here once! ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).