Azerbaijan - Georgia: The Pearls of the Caucasus

Start your day with a delightful breakfast at the hotel. Begin the exploration at the panoramic site, the highest point of Baku called the Alley of Martyrs, offering stunning views of Baku Bay, which resembles Naples. Continue with a visit to the famous old city, passing by elegant early 20th-century buildings. Visit significant historical landmarks such as Shirvanshahs Palace, caravanserais, the remains of St. Icherisheher is Baku’s inhabited walled city, recognised by UNESCO together with the Shirvanshahs’ Palace and Maiden Tower. Its narrow lanes connect mosques, caravanserais and bathhouses that served the medieval trading town. The fifteenth-century palace complex was the royal residence of the Shirvan rulers; the cylindrical Maiden Tower, with its thick stone walls, is one of the city’s oldest landmarks. Their architecture shows Baku’s history before the oil boom reshaped the surrounding streets. Bartholomew’s Church, the Maiden Tower, and ancient mosques. Then, head to Gobustan, a UNESCO World Heritage site, home to over 7000 rock paintings, showcasing the ancient lives of the people who once roamed these lands. Gobustan’s UNESCO-listed rock-art landscape preserves thousands of engravings on the boulders of a semi-desert plateau. Hunters, wild animals, boats and groups of dancers record how successive communities lived, travelled and expressed their beliefs. The museum explains these images in the context of prehistoric settlements and changes in the environment, making the small figures on the stone easier to understand. Explore the contemporary museum, enhanced with modern technology, photos, and videos. Continue to the mud volcanoes, unique natural wonders that erupt mud and liquid continuously, creating a lunar-like landscape. The mud volcanoes are driven by gases rising through water and sediment below the ground. Bubbles break the grey surface and small cones build up around the vents, forming a bare, sculpted landscape very different from a lava volcano. Azerbaijan has an exceptional concentration of these formations. They are a natural attraction separate from Gobustan’s UNESCO rock-art property. End the day with a visit to Bibi-Heybat Mosque. Bibi-Heybat is a pilgrimage mosque on Baku’s southern approach, facing the Caspian coast. The present complex reconstructs a historic sanctuary destroyed during the Soviet period. Its domes, minarets and decorated interior make it a landmark of the city’s Islamic heritage; it remains an active religious place, so the visit follows the rules of worship and access in force. Overnight stay at the hotel.

After breakfast, journey to Absheron Peninsula, where you will visit the sacred Atashgah Fire Temple, a place of worship for Zoroastrians. Ateshgah’s stone enclosure surrounds a central fire altar and the small cells once used by pilgrims. Its inscriptions and courtyard recall the Hindu and Sikh merchants who travelled to Absheron, alongside the region’s older fire-worship traditions. The surviving complex largely dates to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, when Baku’s trade routes brought visitors from the Indian subcontinent. Discover the Mardakan Fortress and the Mirmovsum Aga Mausoleum, famous for its intricate gold and silver mirror decorations. Explore Yanardag, the ‘burning mountain,’ one of Azerbaijan’s natural wonders. At Yanar Dag, natural gas escaping through the hillside feeds a line of flames at the base of the rock. The fire comes from the ground rather than a volcanic eruption, offering a visible explanation of Azerbaijan’s “Land of Fire” name. The low ridge and exposed rock make the phenomenon easy to distinguish from the fire altar at Ateshgah. Return to Baku and visit the stunning Cultural Center (exterior visit only) designed by Zaha Hadid. Conclude the day with a visit to the magnificent National Carpet Museum, where the architecture itself is designed to resemble a rolled carpet. The Carpet Museum’s rolled-carpet shape announces the collection inside. Regional weaving traditions can be distinguished through their colours, geometric borders and floral motifs; flat-woven pieces and knotted carpets show different techniques. The displays explain the role of carpets in homes and ceremonies, turning a familiar decorative object into a record of local craftsmanship. Evening excursion to Baku’s beautiful viewpoints for an unforgettable cityscape. Overnight stay at the hotel.

Start your day with breakfast at the hotel. Depart for Sheki, with a stop at the Diri Baba Mausoleum, a beautiful structure built into the rocks in 1402. Built in 1402, Diri Baba is a two-storey mausoleum set directly against a rocky hillside. Its compact stone façade, arched openings and domed chamber belong to the Shirvan–Absheron architectural tradition. The unusual position makes the building appear to grow out of the cliff, while local legends explain its long history as a place of pilgrimage. Continue to Shamakhi, once the capital of the Shirvanshahs State. Visit the oldest mosque in Azerbaijan and the impressive Yeddi Gumbaz Mausoleum. Continue your journey with a visit to the Orthodox Church in Nij village. Arrive in Sheki, a place of rich cultural heritage and picturesque scenery. Overnight stay.

After breakfast, head to Kish village, where you will visit the Paleo-Christian church, an ancient site dating back to the 1st to 5th centuries during the era of Caucasian Albania. Kish’s stone church stands in a village at the foot of the wooded mountains near Sheki. Its domed silhouette and compact interior introduce the Christian heritage associated with ancient Caucasian Albania, a historical kingdom unrelated to present-day Albania. The museum setting explains the building’s successive periods and the archaeological finds around it. Explore the beautiful Khan Palace, renowned for its rich decorations, the Sheki House of Artisans, and the magnificent Caravanserai. Sheki’s historic centre and Khan’s Palace form a UNESCO World Heritage property shaped by the Silk Road, silk production and trade. Merchant houses and caravanserais reflect the town’s commercial past. Inside the eighteenth-century palace, floral paintings and hunting scenes cover the walls; shebeke windows combine small pieces of coloured glass and fitted wood without nails or glue. Sunlight projects their geometric patterns into the rooms, revealing the skill of local craftsmen. Then, travel to the border with Georgia. After completing customs formalities and changing guides, cross into Georgia and continue the journey to Tbilisi. Overnight stay at the hotel.

After breakfast, embark on a full day of exploration in Tbilisi, the vibrant capital of Georgia. Strategically located along the ancient Silk Road, the city offers a stunning mix of history and modernity. Visit key landmarks such as the Metekhi Church, Narikala Fortress (4th century), the Sulfur Baths, the Synagogue, and the Sioni Cathedral. Tbilisi’s old town developed along the Mtkvari river, beneath the ridge of Narikala. Wooden balconies project over winding streets, while churches, a synagogue and the bath district show the communities that shaped the city. Metekhi stands above the river on its rock, and the small Anchiskhati basilica contrasts with the larger Sioni Cathedral. These landmarks explain the capital through its neighbourhoods and religious buildings rather than a single architectural style. Delve into Georgia’s fascinating past at the National Museum, home to priceless archaeological treasures. Wander along Rustaveli Avenue, the city’s cultural heart, lined with cafés, restaurants, and shops of prestigious international fashion brands. Overnight stay at the hotel.

Enjoy breakfast before departing to Mtskheta, the ancient capital of Georgia and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Visit the Jvari Church and the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, believed to hold Christ’s robe beneath the central nave. Mtskheta was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Iberia and remains a centre of Georgian Christianity. Jvari’s sixth-century church overlooks the meeting of the Aragvi and Mtkvari rivers; its cross-shaped plan helped define Georgian church architecture. In town, the eleventh-century Svetitskhoveli Cathedral is associated with the tradition of Christ’s robe and the burials of Georgian rulers. Both monuments belong to Mtskheta’s UNESCO World Heritage property. Continue your journey to Gori, the birthplace of Stalin, and take a brief stop at the Stalin Museum. Then, continue west to the ancient rock town of Uplistsikhe, dating back to the late Bronze Age and one of the oldest settlements in the Caucasus. Return to Tbilisi in the evening. Overnight stay at the hotel.

After breakfast, transfer to Tbilisi Airport, marking the end of your unforgettable journey through the Caucasus, a land of timeless history, spectacular landscapes, and rich culture.