Baku Azerbaijan with kids: clean streets, strong winds, ancient walls, and bubbling mud volcanoes
- Vimal Fernandez
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Baku feels like Rome… if Rome got a power wash and banned graffiti. 🧼🏛️🚫
The streets are spotless, the people are proud of their city, and you can feel the mix of cultures everywhere. It’s Europe meets the Middle East, with a dash of Russia, topped off by a Caspian Sea breeze.
Some facts: in the late 1800s, Baku was the oil capital of the world, producing more than half of the world’s supply. That boom funded its mix of European-style boulevards, Islamic architecture, and Soviet blocks. Azerbaijan fought for independence from the USSR in 1991, making the country both modern and deeply historic.
Somewhat surprisingly, locals love Americans. They wanted to learn all about us and we were greeted with hugs and hi-5’s. They also love kids, which makes Baku with kids easy, safe, and fun.
Things to do in Baku with kids
Old Town (Icherisheher)
Step inside the walled city and it feels like Aladdin got an urban renewal grant. Narrow cobblestone alleys twist between sandstone buildings, cafés, and little carpet shops. Cars are mostly banned, which is perfect for letting the kids run around (though the cobblestones will test your stroller’s suspension—bring a carrier if you can). Climbing the Maiden Tower or walking the fortress walls feels like a Disney movie.
Nizami Street
A massive pedestrian avenue lined with cafés, restaurants, shops, and street performers. It’s lively at all hours—stroller-friendly, flat, and great for people-watching. At night, the lights and energy makes it feel like Times Square, but family-safe.
Baku Boulevard
A seaside promenade stretching miles along the Caspian sea. You’ll get postcard views of the Flame Towers glowing on the skyline, plus parks, museums, restaurants, and iconic shopping malls. The sea breeze keeps things cooler, even in August, and it’s the perfect spot for an evening walk. Just be ready for a random flight of stairs.
Mud Volcanoes + Gobustan
About 1.5 hours outside the city sits the largest concentration of mud volcanoes in the world—hundreds of bubbling, burping craters spitting out cold gray mud. (Yes, cold. The kids loved sticking their hands in it.) Some vents even catch fire.
We rented a car for ~$70, and then paid a local taxi $15 to drive us through the desert to the volcanoes. For a more turnkey experience, you can hire a driver for $200. On the same trip, we hit Gobustan National Park ($6 entry) to see ancient petroglyphs—rock carvings dating back thousands of years. It was super educational.
Other stops worth a wander
Fountains Square – central plaza with restaurants + people-watching.
Mini Venice + Baku Eye – quirky, touristy fun for kids.
Playgrounds – Malakan Park and Central Park are great for little ones.
Malls – Deniz Mall and Park Bulvar are the modern, flashy ones with play zones.
Bazaars – skip Green Bazaar, head to Serq Bazaar for something more unique.
Misconceptions
When we told people we were going to Azerbaijan, reactions ranged from “Is it safe?” to “Why would you go there?” It’s close to Iran and Russia, so the assumptions fly. But the reality is it is safe, clean, welcoming, and fascinating.
This might be a stretch, but I think it's a good parallel to Financial Independence (FI). Families pursuing FI often get hit with misconceptions—that they’re poor, cheap, or suffering. In reality, most are happy millionaires making calculated trade-offs in pursuit of a bigger goal.
Traveling to places like Baku forces you to question which narratives you’ve been blindly believing. Like, is retiring early really impossible for most families? We found out that it wasn’t by first, finding our ‘why’.
This post is part of our 'finding our why' series, sharing real-world stories of why families choose financial independence and early retirement with kids.
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