Baku, Gabala, Gobustan, Tbilisi & Kazbegi – 8 Days in the Caucasus

Today's five-hour tour shows you the new face of Baku. You start at the Heydar Aliyev Center, the flowing white building designed by Zaha Hadid, with no straight lines on its outside. The lawns in front are a favourite photo spot, and the exhibitions inside are worth a look if time allows.

Then you take a slow walk along Baku Boulevard, the seafront promenade with its gardens, cafés and Caspian views, and stop at the National Carpet Museum, shaped like a rolled-up carpet. Inside, the collection explains the knotting styles of different regions. In the evening you can have dinner at a local restaurant in the centre, or take a short boat trip on the Caspian Sea from the Boulevard pier.

At a glance: Time needed: ~5 hrs tour · Travel: Short city drives · Pace: Easy

Schedule

• Morning (around 10:00 AM): Pickup and drive to the Heydar Aliyev Center, about 1–1.5 hrs.

• Noon: Lunch (as per your meal plan).

• Afternoon: Baku Boulevard walk, about 1 hr, and the National Carpet Museum, about 1 hr.

• Evening: Dinner at a local restaurant in the city centre (as per your meal plan).

• Optional: Short boat trip on the Caspian Sea from the Boulevard, about 30 min (paid locally).

Travel for the day

• Short drives within Baku by private car with an English-speaking driver.

Tips & what to carry

• The Heydar Aliyev Center is usually closed on Mondays. Check timings if your tour falls then.

• Photography rules vary inside the Carpet Museum. Ask at the desk.

• Wear comfortable shoes and carry water and a cap for the Boulevard in summer.

• Ask your driver to stop at the Old City walls on the way back if you want a quick look.

Included today

• Meal : Full Board

Overnight: Baku

After breakfast you drive about 220 kilometres north-west to Gabala, in the green foothills of the Greater Caucasus. Over about three and a half hours the flat desert around Baku gives way to orchards, forests and villages, with tea stops along the way.

The main stop is Tufandag Mountain Resort. Your tickets for two cable car lines are included, and they carry you up over the forest for wide views of the valleys and peaks, with the air noticeably cooler at the top. In season there are short walks and adventure rides at the upper station. After time in the mountains and a meal in Gabala, you drive back to Baku in the evening.

At a glance: Time needed: ~3–4 hrs in Gabala · Travel: ~7 hrs driving in total · Pace: Full

Schedule

• Morning (around 8:00 AM): Breakfast and drive to Gabala, about 3.5 hrs with a tea break.

• Noon: Tufandag Mountain Resort with two cable car lines, about 2 hrs.

• Afternoon: Lunch in Gabala (as per your meal plan), about 1 hr.

• Late afternoon: Optional stop at Nohur Lake or a local waterfall if time allows, about 45 min.

• Evening: Drive back to Baku, about 3.5 hrs. Dinner (as per your meal plan).

Travel for the day

• Baku → Gabala (~220 km) ~3.5 hrs each way by private car.

Tips & what to carry

• It can be 8–10°C cooler at the top of the cable car than in Baku. Carry a jacket.

• Cable cars can stop in high wind or storms; your driver will adjust the plan if needed.

• Carry snacks, water and travel-sickness medicine for the long drive.

• Gabala is known for honey, jams and pomegranate products from roadside stalls.

Included today

• Meal : Full Board

• Activities : Tickets for Gabala Cable Car 2 lines Included.

Overnight: Baku

Today you go south of Baku to Gobustan National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of rocky hills holding thousands of petroglyphs. These rock carvings, made over many thousands of years, show hunters, boats, animals and dancers, and the museum at the entrance explains who made them. A short walk among the boulders lets you see them in place.

Nearby are the mud volcanoes, small grey cones where cold mud bubbles up from the ground. In the afternoon you cross to the Absheron Peninsula for the Ateshgah Fire Temple, a fortified temple once used by Zoroastrian and Hindu worshippers, built around a natural gas flame. Indian visitors often notice the Sanskrit and Punjabi inscriptions left by traders from the subcontinent centuries ago.

At a glance: Time needed: ~5 hrs sightseeing · Travel: ~3 hrs driving in total · Pace: Moderate

Schedule

• Morning (around 9:30 AM): Drive to Gobustan, about 1 hr. Gobustan Museum and petroglyph site, about 1.5 hrs.

• Noon: Mud volcanoes, about 45 min. The last stretch is usually done in local cars over a rough track.

• Afternoon: Lunch (as per your meal plan), then drive to the Absheron Peninsula, about 1.5 hrs.

• Late afternoon: Ateshgah Fire Temple, about 1 hr.

• Evening: Return to your Baku hotel, about 30–45 min. Dinner (as per your meal plan).

Travel for the day

• Baku → Gobustan ~1 hr, Gobustan → Ateshgah ~1.5 hrs, Ateshgah → Baku ~30–45 min by private car.

Tips & what to carry

• Gobustan is hot and exposed. Carry a hat, sunscreen and water.

• The mud stains; wear old shoes and keep a little distance from the cones.

• The track to the mud volcanoes can be closed after heavy rain.

• Pack tonight; tomorrow you fly to Tbilisi.

Included today

• Meal : Full Board

Overnight: Baku

A relaxed final morning in Baku with breakfast and some free time before check-out. Your driver then takes you to Heydar Aliyev International Airport for the short flight to Tbilisi, about an hour in the air.

In Tbilisi you are met and driven to your hotel, about 30 minutes to an hour. Georgia's capital spreads along the Mtkvari river, with old balconied houses, sulphur bath domes and churches in the Old Town below the Narikala Fortress. If you arrive in time, an evening walk around the Old Town and dinner with khachapuri and khinkali is a good start.

At a glance: Time needed: ~1–2 hrs free time · Travel: ~1 hr flight plus ~2 hrs of transfers and airport time · Pace: Moderate

Schedule

• Morning: Breakfast and free time in Baku. Check out.

• Noon: Transfer to Heydar Aliyev International Airport, about 30 min–1 hr, and flight to Tbilisi, about 1 hr.

• Afternoon: Arrive at Tbilisi Airport and transfer to your hotel, about 30 min–1 hr. Check in.

• Evening: Optional walk around the Old Town and the Peace Bridge, about 1.5 hrs.

• Night: Dinner at a Georgian restaurant (own cost).

Travel for the day

• Baku hotel → Baku Airport by private car.

• Baku → Tbilisi ~1 hr by flight.

• Tbilisi Airport → Tbilisi hotel ~30 min–1 hr by private car.

Tips & what to carry

• Check the visa rules for Georgia before you travel; your Azerbaijan visa does not cover it.

• Change some money into Georgian lari at Tbilisi Airport.

• Georgian portions are large. Share dishes the first night until you know the sizes.

• Tbilisi's Old Town is hilly with uneven pavements. Wear comfortable shoes.

Included today

• Meal : Breakfast

Overnight: Tbilisi

A full day in the high Caucasus along the Georgian Military Highway, one of the most scenic roads in the region. Your first stop is Ananuri Fortress, a walled church complex on the shore of the turquoise Zhinvali Reservoir. The road then climbs past the ski resort of Gudauri, where the Russia–Georgia Friendship Monument looks out over a deep valley.

You continue to Stepantsminda, also known as Kazbegi, for the highlight: Gergeti Trinity Church, a 14th-century stone church on a ridge at around 2,170 metres with snow-capped Mount Kazbek behind it. It is one of the most photographed views in Georgia. You return to Tbilisi along the same road in the evening.

At a glance: Time needed: ~4 hrs sightseeing · Travel: ~6 hrs driving in total · Pace: Full

Schedule

• Morning (around 9:00 AM): Drive to Ananuri Fortress, about 1.5 hrs. Visit, about 45 min.

• Late morning: Drive on via Gudauri, about 1 hr, with a stop at the Friendship Monument viewpoint, about 30 min.

• Noon: Reach Stepantsminda (Kazbegi), about 1 hr. Lunch (own cost), about 1 hr.

• Afternoon: Drive up to Gergeti Trinity Church by 4x4 or car where allowed, about 1–1.5 hrs at the church.

• Evening: Drive back to Tbilisi, about 3 hrs, arriving in the evening.

Travel for the day

• Tbilisi → Kazbegi ~3 hrs each way by private car with stops along the Georgian Military Highway.

Tips & what to carry

• It is much colder up in Kazbegi than in Tbilisi. Carry a warm jacket and cap all year.

• Gergeti church asks women to cover their heads and wear skirts; wraps are usually available at the door.

• The road can close in heavy snow in winter. Your driver will adjust the plan if needed.

• Carry travel-sickness medicine; the highway has hairpin bends near Gudauri.

Included today

• Meal : Breakfast

Overnight: Tbilisi

A day to see Tbilisi at your own pace. Start in the Old Town, with its carved wooden balconies and small churches, and take the cable car up to Narikala Fortress for the view over the rooftops and the river. Walk down past the Mother of Georgia statue towards Abanotubani, the sulphur bath district with its brick domes.

In the afternoon, cross the glass Peace Bridge to Rike Park, or browse Shardeni Street's cafés and wine bars. If you like markets, the Dry Bridge market sells Soviet-era badges, paintings and odd antiques. Finish with dinner and a glass of Georgian wine, made the old way in clay qvevri jars.

At a glance: Time needed: Free day · Travel: No fixed drives · Pace: Easy

Schedule

• Morning: Breakfast and free time.

• Noon: Old Town walk and Narikala Fortress by cable car, about 2 hrs (cable car paid locally).

• Afternoon: Abanotubani bath district, Peace Bridge and Rike Park, about 1.5–2 hrs.

• Evening: Shardeni Street for dinner and wine (own cost).

• Optional: A private room at one of the sulphur baths, about 1 hr (paid locally; booking ahead helps).

Travel for the day

• No transfers today. Taxis via local ride-hailing apps are easy and inexpensive.

Tips & what to carry

• The Dry Bridge market is busiest at weekends.

• Churchkhela (walnuts in grape jelly), spices and wine make good souvenirs.

• Tbilisi's hills are steep. Use the cable car and taxis to save your legs.

Included today

• Meal : Breakfast

Overnight: Tbilisi

A leisurely last breakfast, then check out from your hotel. Depending on your flight time, take a short stroll through the nearby streets or stop at a café for a final coffee and pastry.

Your private driver then takes you to Tbilisi International Airport, about 30 minutes to an hour, for your flight home.

At a glance: Time needed: ~1 hr free time, flight permitting · Travel: ~30 min–1 hr airport transfer · Pace: Easy

Schedule

• Morning: Breakfast and check out (usually by 12:00 noon).

• Noon: Free for a short walk or café, flight permitting (own cost).

• Departure: Private transfer to Tbilisi International Airport, reaching about 3 hrs before your international flight.

Travel for the day

• Tbilisi hotel → Tbilisi International Airport ~30 min–1 hr by private car.

Tips & what to carry

• Pack wine bottles in checked luggage, well wrapped.

• Spend or change your lari before leaving; it is hard to exchange in India.

• Many flights to India leave Tbilisi in the early hours. Rest in the evening if yours is late.

Included today

• Meal : Breakfast