Full of rare trees, cafes, fountains and fairground rides, the central sweep of Baku's seafront park is eternally popular with families, amateur musicians and courting couples.

Striking modernist buildings here include the International Muğam Centre, the Baku Business Center and the four-storey Park Bulvar Mall. Crossing the main road to reach the promenade area can be awkward but there's a handy underpass in front of the photogenic old Puppet Theatre,


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Baku attractions

1. Clock Pylon

0.04 MILES

Looking somewhere between an electricity pylon and an oil derrick, this digital clock forms a central Bulvar landmark.

2. Baku Business Center

0.12 MILES

One of the Bulvar's striking if smaller modern constructions, the BBM is a 21st-century conference centre with a blue-glass sea-facing back, but a…

3. Museum Centre

0.13 MILES

Once a Lenin Museum, this column-fronted neoclassical building has a sternly photogenic facade that looks best seen from across the Bulvar. Inside, the…

4. Historical Museum

0.23 MILES

Well-presented exhibits on Azerbaijan’s history and culture might miss the odd century here and there, but there’s more than enough to fill several hours…

5. QGallery

0.34 MILES

Of all the free-to-enter commercial galleries in Baku's atmospheric Old City, Q has the finest collection of 20th-century Azerbaijani art. It often stocks…

6. Center of Contemporary Art

0.37 MILES

When active, this excellent commercial minigallery tends to highlight some of the city's more-interesting contemporary artistic trends. Check out their…

7. Maiden’s Tower

0.37 MILES

This tapering 29m stone tower is Baku’s foremost historical icon, with rooftop views surveying Baku Bay and the Old City. Possibly millennia old, its…

8. Medieval Market Square

0.37 MILES

Directly in front of the Maiden's Tower are assorted archaeological diggings at what some consider to be the site where Jesus' disciple St Bartholomew was…