adminThat’s the tagline given by the tourism board, given to encourage travelers to scratch beyond the surface and experience the culture, take part in various activities offered.
Very apt, after coming back to one’s own country travelers will wonder did I do justice or should we have stayed a bit more ? Soaked in the culture some more ? No end to greed I guess.
By the Caspian Sea, sharing borders with Russia, Turkey, Armenia, Georgia and Iran. For Indians it’s E visa & can be obtained in 3-5 working days. A safe destination that is easy to travel, hiring a car with chauffer is will not burn a hole in the pocket. If combining countries one can exit Azerbaijan by road to go to neighboring Georgia but cannot enter Azerbaijan from Georgia by road. This is valid for now & may change later.
Azerbaijan celebrates the Persian New Year with the Novruz festival in a big way . To check out dates & visit around that time would be a fabulous idea, weather is ideal as well, chances of getting snow in the mountain regions. It was a coincidence that I travelled on those dates & there were festivities all around, Nizami street was full of pop up stalls with games & food, total carnival vibes.
Easter eggs everywhere
In autumn (September and October), there are several festivals celebrated. In September Baku hosts the Grand Prix ( 18th -21st) probably better to not travel during these dates as everything is crowded & expensive.
I found the metro in Baku simple to navigate despite language issues. Each trip is standard .50 ANZ. Buses in Baku are also easy to use & connect well.
Metros also have underground art, travelling is not only simple but opportunities to appreciate art. Xalglar Doslugu and Elmler Akademiyasi Stations are embellished with mosaics and other Soviet-era decorations.
Many places still accept only cash. Recommended to change currency to get Manat. (ANZ) Most supermarkets & even small local shops willingly exchange USD, GBP or EURO. While buying even something as basic as a packet of wafers be careful as even supermarkets may charge way above the printed price.
Airports are naturally the first impression of how a country is going to unfold. Baku was cute, modern & compact, there were huge decorated Easter eggs and grass grown in various pots as symbol of growth, renewal & arrival of Spring as Nawruz was around the corner. As Iran is a bordering country there is an influence of Irani culture here
Broadly would recommend 3 places to explore in Azebaijan : Gebele or Gabala, Baku & Shahdag. Recommended to travel as a prebooked tour, it’s reasonable & saves mind space for enjoying the country. Food recommendations would be lacking on this blog as being vegetarian I survived on food carried from back home.
Gabala : North of Azerbaijan, famous for ski slopes & other winter sports like snowboarding & snowmobiling. Best place to enjoy would be from Tufandag mountain resort, for all those who prefer to relax & not exert the resort has a lot of cafes, food stalls, music, bonfire going on throughout the day at the cable car station. One can take a cable car from the resort to the mountain top.
From Baku to Gabala a must stop place is Alpaca farm. Cute, cuddly & docile they are so endearing. Also adding to the Alpaca experience is the patient and knowledgeable staff. They have a small cafe & shop. We got a cookie each as a souvenir. One can feed the females, (food to be given to them is part of entry ticket), get close & take pictures with the males. We were warned not to touch the females, they are kept in a separate enclosure. Tipping the guide in charge is expected.
Alpacas are native of South America, look like sheep but are part of the camel family. They can survive extreme climates because of their hair, they are sheared only once a year and the price of their wool is higher than traditional wool. Graceful & friendly, even those who are scared of animals will not hesitate to hug these cuties.
Enroute one can do a wine tour, stopped for a wine tour at Savalan Apsi winery, felt it was a waste of time & money. It was more like someone giving a lesson than a fun experience, the table setting for wine tasting was impressive though. Personally I was not very enamored by the local wine I had anywhere in Azerbaijan. Instead of a wine tour a fabulous very recommend lunch stop would be at Abqora, it’s a restaurant where Shirvan wines are located, near Alpaca farms and very picturesque.
A few more stops on way would be at Shamaki village, a drive around is good enough. Shamaki Jummah Mosque, the oldest mosque of the country built in 743AD, since then it has been destroyed & rebuilt many times, latest being in 2013. It’s beautiful & peaceful. Nohur lake, there is a games zone, go carting, horse riding etc. If travelling with children they may enjoy the break. Decent food stalls, not a mandatory stop but can add to itinerary if time is no constrain.
Baku : One can feel confluence of Turkey here, and in many places the Turkish flag soars along with Azerbaijan’s flag. Great vibes, amazing restaurants, sheesha places, cafes, futuristic buildings, cobbled lanes with vestiges of an era gone by. It’s a blend of modernity & transportation back to ancient ages. Vintage cars, shops selling luxury brands, carpet shops, small souvenir stalls all blend together seamlessly.
Just across Baku old town is the Baku Boulevard also known as Denizkenari Milli park, along the Caspian sea it starts at Flag square and goes beyond freedom square, 5 kms of promenade with shops, cafes, Baku Ferris wheel ( inspired probably by the London eye ) & a small meandering cute boat ride. Enough and more to do here.
Would highly recommend staying at Old town over staying at the promenade. Baku has so many amazing hotels, to choose from them would be tough. Would recommend Art gallery, a small boutique hotel with limited rooms but amazing location, In old town with European vibes, small shops & cafes around, walkable to Nizami street, opposite the boulevard, big rooms, fabulous service. Only thing lacking was limited breakfast options.
Covering all places in Baku city in a day is very doable, add another day to cover the places around.
For Baku start with exploring old town, try to not stop too many times to shop for souvenirs, walk across to the fountain square, from there a short ride away is flame towers, get off there, walk along Martyrs’ Lane, which is a cemetery & memorial on the hill dedicated to all who lost their lives in the first Nagorno – Karabakh war in January 1990. Originally known as Kirov Park, it honors Azerbaijani national heroes. Walk ahead to the viewpoint, it’s a great place to take pictures of the city as it’s on a hill with amazing views of the sea, Baku wheel & Baku city. Take a funicular to go downhill. Carpet museum is almost where the funicular ends. To rest a bit take the Venice boat ride. It’s a peaceful waterways stretch along Baku Boulevard, where one can hop on a tiny gondola and float under decorative bridges. Having done that walk along the Boulevard approx a km and cross the road at the puppet museum.
As one crosses the street from peace one is transported to a busy street lined with shops and cafes. A place where one can spend hours without knowing where time flew. Great to stop for lunch & end with a baklava. Being neighbors with Turkey is probably the reason behind this delicacy being perfectly prepared. ( A layered dessert made of filo pastry, filled with chopped nuts, and sweetened with honey ) The variety of baklavas is mind blowing, most shops give a small taste if one gets totally confused on which one to buy.
Yehliu Geopark
It sounds hectic, but the last stop one can squeeze in for the day is Yehliu Geopark. The park is full of strange, otherworldly rock formations, each with its own character — some aptly named, others just naturally mesmerizing. Walking through it felt like a scene straight out of a Star Trek movie.
The most famous landmark is the Queen’s Head, and yes, there’s usually a line to snap a photo with her. I skipped it, because so many other formations were equally fascinating. Even the unnamed rocks, thousands of years old, had their own charm and couldn’t be ignored.
Part of the Datun mountain range, with the sea stretching alongside, Yehliu was a perfect way to end a very busy day. After taking photos to your heart’s content, be sure to sit along the shore for a few moments and simply soak in the views — it’s a peaceful, grounding way to end the tour.
Jiufen & Shifen
Jiufen and Shifen are another must-do day trip from Taipei, but unfortunately, I didn’t have enough time to visit on this trip — maybe next time!
These towns are famous for their lantern-lit streets and ethereal atmosphere, and Shifen is home to some impressive waterfalls. I would have loved to see them after sunset, when the lanterns glow and the whole place feels magical.
Taichung
Just an hour away from Taipei by high-speed train, Taichung is a smaller city that makes a great base for day trips to Sun Moon Lake, Cingjing Farm, and Alishan.
Within the city itself, you can explore highlights like the National Taichung Theater, the colorful Rainbow Village, and the scenic Gaomei Wetlands.
Taichung — What to See in a Day
All three sights can easily be covered in one day.
National Taichung Theater
Start here — entry is free. Designed by a Japanese architect, the building itself is the highlight. It’s constructed without supporting pillars or 90-degree walls, and the curves make it feel almost organic. Inside, there are performance venues, open event spaces, an outdoor plaza, and a rooftop sky garden (with a café — lovely stop if the weather is nice). Even if not watching a show, the architecture alone makes it worth a visit.
Rainbow Village
Next, head to Rainbow Village — though honestly, this one was a total miss for me. It’s basically a few brightly painted houses and a cute bus stop. That’s about it. Pop in only if you want to tick it off the list, otherwise you can happily skip and not feel FOMO.
Colorful mural in Rainbow Village, Taichung.
Gaomei Wetlands — Sunset Only!
A little away from the city lies Gaomei Wetlands, and this is one place that’s worth timing right — visit only at sunset. It’s spectacular. The landscape opens up into a vast stretch of mudflats, dotted with crabs and migratory birds, framed by giant wind turbines that complete the dramatic skyline.
There’s a long wooden boardwalk for easy walking, although the strong winds can make even that feel like a mini adventure. At the end of the boardwalk, many people take off their shoes and walk barefoot on the mudflats. It was far too windy for me to even take my hands out of my pockets, but I definitely saw braver souls out there enjoying it!
Across the road from the viewing area stands the Gaomei Lighthouse — a striking red-and-white landmark. Its light has since been relocated to the Taichung Port Lighthouse, so today it mainly serves as a photogenic sightseeing spot and part of the scenic landscape.
Sunset here isn’t just about the sky — it’s the reflection on water, silhouettes of windmills, the vast horizon, and that feeling of being surrounded by nature. Truly memorable.
Alishan — A Day Trip That Still Feels Magical
Soft mist, quiet moods, and a magic that follows you home 
From Taichung, I visited Alishan as part of a tour. I would have loved to make it an overnight trip, but a few practical reasons held me back:
- I didn’t have enough days in hand
- public transportation logistics looked daunting for a solo traveler
- hiring a private car for one person was quite expensive
- accommodation options inside the park were sold out, and staying nearby would have been difficult without a car, since there aren’t many taxis in the area
After a lot of deliberation, instead of giving up on my dream of visiting this mystical place, I compromised and booked a day tour. If one can stay overnight, it would be magical to catch the famous Alishan sunrise — but even as a day trip, I felt I managed to see and experience quite a lot.
It’s a long 3.5-hour journey each way from Taichung. Because the start is very early, you can either nap or simply enjoy the beautiful mountain scenery along the route. Honestly, the drive didn’t feel tedious at all.
Once in Alishan, or even along the way, there was a bus stop with plenty of stalls selling local wasabi products. Wasabi was originally cultivated here by the Japanese. Large-scale farming was banned around 2010 due to soil erosion, but it has gradually been reintroduced in greenhouse cultivation. Wasabi is sold in many forms — powder, paste, snacks, and even ice cream.
If time is not am issue stay overnight. If not — don’t skip it. Even as a day tour, Alishan still feels every bit as mystical as you imagine.
Lost in a cloud-forest where the trees are older than stories 
Alishan National Forest Recreation Area is pure magic. There’s a small entry fee and a visitor centre where you can pick up a free map — and then you’re officially inside the mist.
Think towering cypress trees, soft light, wooden boardwalks and that calm, hushed feeling you don’t forget.
No “roughing it” here — it’s super easy to navigate:
clear paths great signages in English cafés & restrooms when you need them
Everything one needs … but discreet, so nature still takes center stage.
Alishan Forest Railway is one of the most scenic train rides in Taiwan, winding through tea plantations, forests, and little mountain villages. Tickets are hard to get, and the full journey from Chiayi to Alishan takes about 3–5 hours each way, so an overnight stay is ideal. Just for the experience, there are shorter rides within the forest too.
Key stations for short rides
Alishan : The main hub where there is the start and end journeys, connecting to other forest lines.
Zhaoping : A short, quick ride from Alishan Station (about 7 mins), ideal for starting walks to the Sacred Tree area.
Shenmu : Located further along, it’s a good spot to get off and walk back towards Alishan, taking about an hour to walk from Zhaoping.
Chushan : Famous for sunrise viewing; runs early morning with a special timetable.
Don’t miss inside the forest:
Sisters Ponds – named after a local legend Giant Tree Boardwalk – walk among ancient cypress giants
Three Generations Tree – over 1,500 years of history in one trunk
Shouzhen Temple & the wooden Zhouzi Bridge – quiet, timeless, beautiful
Sun Moon Lake 
I saved my favorite part for the end. Sun Moon Lake turned out to be bigger and more beautiful than any photograph I had seen. The paths were longer than I had imagined, the lake quieter, and the small cluster of hotels on one side gave it an almost hidden, intimate feel. Surrounded by mountains, the lake is said to resemble the sun on one side and the moon on the other — that’s how it gets its name.
It took barely an hour to reach from Taichung THSR, and the journey itself was scenic. I stayed at a hotel right by the lake, separated only by the cycling track 
. The trees around were brushed with autumn colors, and this was the place I had promised myself I would slow down, polish my newly acquired cycling skills, and simply unwind. I almost managed it.
The cycling path along the lake is the natural first thing to do. It runs for about 5 km one way and then you turn back, not a full loop. Cyclists, runners, and walkers share the route 
, A couple of cute bridges and clearings with benches to sit and admire the view completed the picture perfectly. It is all very gentle and unhurried.
After that, one can head to what must be one of the most scenic Starbucks locations — right on the lake in the Shuishe area. Its outdoor terrace has uninterrupted lakefront views and was surprisingly not crowded at all. On a related note, Starbucks has a presence in almost every corner of Taiwan.
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To explore further and enjoy the areas around the lake from the water, the best option is a one-day boat pass for around NTD 300, valid for unlimited rides (cash only ). Starting around morning keeps the day relaxed and still leaves the evening free for the lakeside. Tickets are sold at the pier, or can be purchased in advance.
From Shuishe Pier, the first stop is Xuanguang Temple Pier. The temple dedicated to the monk Xuanzang is peaceful and scenic, a lovely place just to sit quietly for a while. From there, a short uphill walk leads to Cien Pagoda. For those who want to push a bit more, it is possible to climb the many steps inside the pagoda for wide lake views.
The next main stop is Ita Thao Pier, an aboriginal village area with food, shops and a lively atmosphere 
. This is also where the cable car to the Formosan Aboriginal Cultural Village departs. The cable car ride itself takes about 10 minutes and offers great views, with a glass-bottom option available for a slightly higher price. The Aboriginal complex includes themed zones, rides and large European-style gardens. I couldn’t do this because the tickets were cash only, and with limited NTD left I chose to hold on to it, instead I sat in the square and listened to live music, which felt just right. From Ita Thao, one can take the ferry back to Shuishe Pier, making it a relaxed and unhurried morning
One place I did omit was Wenwu Temple — try to fit that in if possible. What I did do, and would highly recommend, is maximizing time in this beautiful town. Wake up for the sunrise, be outdoors, slow down, and simply soak in the calm.
Sun Moon Lake is one of those places that lingers long after you leave
