Baku

What you actually see

Icherisheher, the walled old city, holds the Maiden Tower and the Palace of the Shirvanshahs and is small enough to cross on foot. Above it stand the Flame Towers, which are lit at night and are either the best or worst thing about the skyline depending on who you ask. Both are true at once and that contrast is the city.

Gobustan

An hour south is a UNESCO rock-art reserve with carvings up to 40,000 years old, and a field of cold mud volcanoes that genuinely bubble while you stand over them. It is the day trip nobody expects to enjoy as much as they do.

When to come

Baku stays comfortably warm well after Europe has cooled, so September and October are a genuinely good window rather than a consolation.

How long to give it

Two nights for the city and Gobustan. Add two more if you want the mountains inland.

When to go

Average daytime high, night-time low and rain days for Baku, from five years of recorded observations rather than a forecast or a brochure.

Comfortable months: Apr to Jun, Sep to Nov.