Azerbaijan

As of Jan 2026, Azerbaijan's land borders with its neighbours remain closed to civilian traffic. The only legal way into the country is through an international airport. Land crossings are exit only, and only for non-citizens.

The currency of the country is the New Azerbaijani manat (yeni manat), denoted by the symbol "", or sometimes by m. or man. (ISO currency code: AZN). It is divided into 100 gapiz. Wikivoyage will use manat in its articles to denote the currency.

By bus or marshrutka

Buses and marshrutkas (aka minibus aka converted delivery van) connect most cities. There is often a hub such as a bus station near the bazaar in these cities. Marshrutkas are quite crowded on the intra-city routes in Azerbaijan. It is common for 15 people to crowd into a 10-person marshrutka, and do not feel shy in doing this. It is normal, if you are standing, for someone to take your bag and hold onto it until either you or they disembark. Men usually ride in the rear of buses and marshrutkas, while women sit in the front, and it is customary for men to give their…

The official language of Azerbaijan is Azeri or Azerbaijani, spoken by 90-95% of the population. Azeri is a Turkic language that shares a high degree of mutual intelligibility with Turkish; therefore, Turkish speakers should have no problems with getting around in the country.

Robbing and pickpocketing in the capital Baku, especially in poor and sparsely populated areas is possible but rare and is higher across the capital at night. Common sense is useful as in all other countries. Also watch your stuff in public transport.

Make sure your diphtheria, tetanus, and Hepatitis A & B immunizations are up to date. Malaria is a risk in lowland Azerbaijan, particularly around the border with Iran. Anti-malarials are not a must for Baku, but the risk is present in rural areas not far from the city.

For numbers given in the form (0cc)xxx xx xx, the "0" is the trunk prefix and cc the area code. To call from abroad, dial +994ccxxxxxxx. For calling in the country, dial 0ccxxxxxxx, or from local landlines xxxxxxx.

Azerbaijanis are a very reserved but very polite and well-mannered people.

Religion

Even though 95% of the population is nominally Shiite Muslim, Azerbaijan is a strictly secular state and by and large an agnostic and non-religious nation. This is true both in large cities as well as in villages and rural areas. Despite seeing themselves as Muslims, Azeri men often drink alcoholic beverages, and this is widely accepted, probably due to the Russian and Soviet legacy. Still, drinking is rare among women and almost never occurs between men and women in rural areas or socially conservative…