Azerbaijan

James,

Your best bet to find information on Azerbaijan is likely the THORN TREE Forums. There may be a few on this Forum that have travelled there, but that's a long shot.

Thanks. We are always looking for interesting and affordable side trips out of Budapest and Azerbaijan seems to fit the bill and it's a corner of Europe we haven't seen. They host the first European Games in June and thought that might be an experience

I was in Baku a couple of days in late 2013. I was with a group on a business government invitation so getting the visa was not a problem, but I cannot tell how the procedure would be for an ordinary tourist. Technically Azerbaijan is at war with Armenia so you cannot visit both on the same passport.

Baku is a nice city, a bit on the sleepy side, quite clean and orderly. My high-end hotel was OK, we had time for a long stroll along the seaside (or lakeside?) park and in the old city center. Nothing particularly distinguished to tell, nothing going wrong. No problems with the food. The area belongs to the Islamic world but there is absolutely no extremism. The airport had multiple security controls and looked a bit on the disorganized side, so leave plenty of time.

@asps, thanks for the input. I am trying to get to a few places that might become unavailable in the future. Azerbaijan has at least one 14K peak which means streams, rivers, etc. Which for me means an opportunity for a tight line. I was also impressed by an article I read in a Jewish paper that credited them for protecting a rather large Jewish minority group. Still, the world is changing rapidly and there is no telling what the future has in store.

I am a bit concerned though. I received a PM from @Phil in which he described Azerbaijan as "slimy". I'm not sure of the context so maybe someone can help? Maybe he will take a moment and chime in and explain.

I do not think Azerbaijan will be changing for worse. They have a lot of money from oil and are doing an hard job of promoting themselves; while being an Asian country, they are very much looking to Europe. Still, the legacy of the Soviet years is still visible in the mildly autocratic government and in the visa regulations - while access is free to Russian citizens, citizens from almost any country need a visa and this may mean you need to reserve in advance accomodation and get letters of invitation, either from an Azeri subject or from hotels.

@asps2, Ten years ago I would never have imagined what Egypt has gone through. Just a few years ago I didn’t expect the changes in Turkey. One I can’t return to because it isn’t worth the risk, the other I won’t return to on principal. It’s a pretty fluid world right now. We’ve done the Visa routine for Russia and Egypt; and Azerbaijan from what I have read is no worse. The Asia/Europe issue helps to define the curiosity of Asia and Europe being considered different continents. Right now the UN calls Azerbaijan European. Culturally I think Asian is a better fit. But that just adds to the interest and stokes my argument against labels. I appreciate your input. I guess there haven’t been many RS members in Azerbaijan, but the trip is looking more and more real.

Hi James,
I have not been yet.
I do not see where you are from but you may want to check if there is a travel show coming up near you (if your trip is not in the immediate future). Earlier this year Azerbaijan had a booth at the Long Beach travel show (from memory think it was not the case previous years where I had been). It was nice to see a representation from a country in this area. They had very helpful people answering questions and a brochure titled Land of fire, Land of tolerance. I believe a visa is needed you hopefully you already started looking at that.
Good luck!

The only unfortunate information I have come across so far is that you cant enter Azerbaijan if you have been to Armenia. I am going to try and see it works in the other direction as well. My guess is yes. Both places are on my "A" List.

Armenia is an excellent off-the-beaten-path destination and there's an open border with Georgia, another good place to visit.

Are you sure you can't enter Azerbaijan if you have been to Armenia? Is this documented somewhere?

I don't think this is the same as some of the ME countries where they will not let you in if you have an Israeli stamp in your passport. When I looked at this 4 years ago, the only limitation was that there was not an open border between Azerbaijan and Armenia and similarly between Armenia and Turkey. However, travel between the two countries via a third country (either Georgia or Iran) was ok. Unfortunately, with limited time, I stuck to Georgia and Armenia and put off going to Azerbaijan for a future trip.

Apparently the issue of having an Armenia visa in your passport is somewhat subjective and fluid. I think to err on the side of caution it’s probably best not to have it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_policy_of_Azerbaijan
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g293934-i9347-k2697485-Problem_with_Armenian_Visa_In_Azerbaijan-Baku_Absheron_Region.html

Then there is an issue with Nagorno-Karabakh a region that is operating independently of the rest of the country. Compound that with the border skirmishes with Armenia and it appears that some common sense needs to be used when traveling in Azerbaijan.

Interestingly citizens of the UK and the EU no longer need visas; nor do Israeli citizens.

With regards to Armenia, while on my list, there are no convenient (or affordable) connections between Budapest and Armenia. Aeroflot does have some cheap flights but…… http://news.travel.aol.com/2010/05/20/worlds-most-deadly-airline/

And if someone had been to Armenia a year ago, then had their passport renewed since then, there'd be no immediate documentation reflecting that visit. Is the issue that a person had never been to Armenia, or that they'd not been there recently, or just that they didn't have any papers to confirm it?

@Mary, without making judgment; when I visit a country on vacation I do so as a guest. As a guest I follow their rules.

@Cyn, I cant find a hard a fast restriction about entering Azerbaijan after Armenia but it does appear that it opens you up for some hardships. Apparently, while probably legal, its not well appreciated. Deception isn't really an answer that I am comfortable with for the sake of a vacation. Again, without judgment. Everyone is different.

@Mary, the issue is that the country of Azerbaijan has exercised its territorial rights to not permit those who have entered Nagorno-Karabakh to be able to enter Azerbaijan. The fact that Bob helped you to be deceptive by way of a paperclip is sort of not germane to the topic. When ever I find myself doing something for the purpose of deception I take a moment to reflect on my personal set of ethics. But remember we are talking voluntary vacation for the purpose of education and enjoyment. Not some higher calling that might justify a different examination. But again, when I say personal, I do mean personal. In your world it may be okay. And G-d bless you for having that right.