General Information About tour

Wine Tour in Azerbaijan - Walking and Wine - Dervish Way

Duration of the tour: 6 nights / 7 days

Regions: Baku-Absheron-Sheki-Ganja-Goygel-Tovuz.

1 Day

Meeting at the airport.
Accommodation at the hotel 4 * in the city
19:00. Excursion. "Lights of the Evening Baku".

Tour "Lights of Evening Baku" begins with a visit to Mountain Park. It is here that the "City of Winds", as Baku is often called, opens to you in all its glory. The observation platform located on the highest part of the city, near the "Burning Flame Tower" shows the city with all its bright lights bordering Baku Bay reflecting the measured pace of life in the evening Baku. Further, we continue our excursion to one of the favourite places of the walk of the Baku guests of the city of all ages and social groups, a place where no one is in a hurry in the evening - "Baku Boulevard". The national park, sometimes called the "diamond necklace of

Baku", stretches along Baku Bay for 16 km. At each time of the day the boulevard has its charm - in the morning you can walk in silence, feel unity with nature, go in for sports, during the day, especially on weekends, the boulevard is fully revived thanks to the small inhabitants of the capital, riding on attractions, rollerblades and bicycles, in the evening it turns in the magical world of dreams for all lovers. In addition, the original illumination and illumination of the park, fountains and other innovations give our boulevard a special charm. At the end of our excursion "Lights of Evening Baku», we will go to the most lively and central street of the city of Nizami "Torgovaya street" as it is also called from the old times. Trading is the longest of Baku's streets (its length reaches 3.5 km). It is also called the most beautiful street in Baku - it has a large number of architectural monuments, beautiful houses, cinemas, parks, many modern boutiques and shops.
Transfer to the hotel and free time
Overnight at the hotel.

2 Day

09:00 Breakfast at the hotel.

Excursion. "Baku City Tour".

The tour begins with a visit to one of the modern and most recognizable places of the "Heydar Aliyev Center". The center of Heydar Aliyev is a cultural center, which is a complex building, which includes an auditorium (congress center), a museum, exhibition halls, administrative offices. The famous architect Zaha Hadid designed the project of the centre. Baku is a city that combines modern and ancient, traditional and unusual. This applies to the religions represented here and our next attraction is the church of the "Holy Wives of the Myrrhbearers". In the Soviet period, the temple was closed one of the first in 1920. First, there was a warehouse in it, and then a gym. In the days of the January events of 1990, two shells hit the bell tower of the temple, due to which it was partially destroyed, the floor sagged, the walls cracked, and the roof collapsed. In 1991, the dilapidated building of the church was transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church. On May 27, 2001, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia made a great consecration of the Holy Mother of God Church and conferred on him the status of a cathedral of the diocese. After inspecting the temple, we are on our way to the Nagorny Park. It is here that the "City of Winds", as Baku is often called, opens to you in all its glory. The observation platform located on the highest part of the city, near the sleeping "The Languages of Flame" shows the city with all its beauties and greenery bordering Baku Bay. After viewing the observation deck, we go down the stairs and head towards the "Bibi Abyat Mosque". Bibi-Heybat Mosque (Azerbaijan's Bibiheybət məscidi) is a mosque located on the shore of Baku Bay, in Azerbaijan. The existing structure, built in the 1990s, is a reconstruction of the mosque of the same name, built in the 13th century by Shirvanshah Abu-l-Fath Farrukhzad and destroyed by the Bolsheviks in 1936, when a fierce struggle with religion was going on throughout the territory of the USSR. The Bibi-Eybat complex, in addition to the mosque, includes tombs and tombs of revered people (including the grave of Ukeima Khanum, the descendant of the Prophet Muhammad), as before destruction, and today is a spiritual center for Muslims of the East and one of the significant monuments of Islamic architecture of Azerbaijan. The mosque was once visited by Abaskuli-aga Bakikhanov, Alexander Dumas, Khurshudbanu Natavan. The local population in the past called it "the mosque of Fatima". Using the same name, described the mosque and visited it in the 40 years of the XIX century, Alexander Dumas. At the end of the modern Baku tour we visit the world's first oil well drilled in the Bibi-eibat oil-bearing region.

Visit to the old town of Icheri Sheher
Very often Icheri Sheher is called a fortress, as a well-preserved fortress wall surrounds it. People in the territory of Icheri Sheher lived in the Bronze Age, and by the 8th-11th centuries, it was completely populated. Behind the walls, there are many unique monuments: the palace complex of the Shirvanshahs with a burial vault, a sofa, a mosque; "Gyz Galasy" ("The Maiden's Tower"); mosques and minarets, the remains of caravanserais, baths. Buildings of the old fortress are of a special nature. Because of the lack of the territory of the building, the wall to the wall was erected here from ancient times. There are no gardens, the yards are extremely small and separated by "threads" of narrow streets, lanes and dead ends. When the Shirvanshahs moved their capital from Shemakha to Baku in the 15th century, massive buildings began in Icheri Sheher. During this period the pearl of the fortress was

Built - the Palace of the Shirvanshahs. It should be noted that Baku XVII-XIX centuries did not go beyond the boundaries of Icheri Sheher. Here were located the palaces of the rulers, and residential quarters. From 1747 to 1806, there was the capital of the Baku Khanate. Only after the beginning of the oil boom, the city began to expand and goes beyond the boundaries of Icheri Sheher.
The fortress wall itself is of interest. Once Baku had two of them, and they were separated by moats, but at the beginning of the XIX century, the city grew so fast that it was necessary to demolish and build the outer wall. Remained only the inner wall. It has 25 towers and 5 gates. They say that back in the 30s. Twentieth century in the fortress there were more than 900 buildings, and by the beginning of the XXI century only half remained.
Free time
Overnight at the hotel.

3 Day

08:00 Breakfast at the hotel.

Excursion.  "Sheki ".

Sheki is one of the most famous and ancient settlements of Azerbaijan. It is located 700 m above sea level and as an amphitheater is surrounded by mountains. This ancient city has long been known as the center of silk and an important transit point on the Great Silk Road. We will begin our tour to Sheki with a visit to the Summer Palace of Khan with magnificent frescoes and exquisite handmade window decorations. Then we'll visit the workshop, where we can get acquainted with the process of manufacturing "Shebeke" by local artisans. Next, we will visit the workshop for cooking the delicious "Sheki Pahlavas", famous throughout Azerbaijan.

Excursion to Kish. Our acquaintance with Sheki continues with a visit to the Albanian church, which is located in the village of Kish. According to the legend, this church is the first Christian church built not only in the territory of Caucasian Albania, but in the whole of Transcaucasia. This place is also remarkable, as burial places of people were found on the territory of the temple, which in their structure are very different from the current inhabitants of this region. In 2003, the church was restored to the money of the Norwegian government thanks to the personal efforts of Tour Heyerdahl. Here, next to the territory of the Church, you can find a memorial bust, in honor of a famous researcher set as a token of gratitude from local residents and the state.

Free Time

Overnight in Sheki.

4 Day

09:00 Breakfast at the hotel

Departure to Ganja on the way check in for a wine tasting.

Azerbaijani wine producer “ASK Şəki Şərab” will present its brands “Bouquet Sheki” and “Askona”. Under the brands “Bouquet Sheki” and “Askona”, wines are made from grapes harvested in Azerbaijan, such as Rkatsiteli, Saperavi, Madras, Muscat, Chardonnay and Merlot. "These wines of very high quality are completely Azerbaijani products, they are made according to European technologies."

After tasting, departure to Ganja.

Excursion. "Ganja is a city of Khans and Poets". Ganja, as a fabulously beautiful city, could not appear just like that. According to legend, it was based on the place where the traveler Maazid found a huge treasure - these were pots filled with precious stones and gold. The city was named after this incredible find, and several centuries later became the second most important in Azerbaijan. By the way, the famous Great Silk Road passed through Ganja. Today the city is participating in a project to restore this ancient trade route. Many sights of Ganja are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The old fortress. The remains of the once high fortress can be seen at Khansky Garden in Ganja. Now from its former greatness there were only formless brick blocks. The fortress wall stretched along the entire bank of the Ganjachay River. But over time, the water, which served as the faithful guard of the fortress, crept closer and undermined the already dilapidated walls.

Once there were two powerful towers at a distance of about 600 meters from each other. The famous gates of ancient Ganja served as the gates of the fortress.

Ensemble of Sheikh Bahauddin. The 17th century historical and architectural complex created by Sheikh Bahauddin includes the Juma Mosque (Shah Abbas Mosque), Chekyak-Khamam (medieval bathhouse) and the caravanserai.

Chokyak-Hamam is a bathhouse consisting of two communicating rooms. In the center of the large hall are a swimming pool and a fountain (it is intended for relaxation), a small one is designed for swimming. Built from red brick, the bath has two large and five small domes. At the top of the large domes there are half-domes that played the role of a fan: from them the ventilation pipes dispersed through the space inside the walls, in the winter it was hot there and in the summer it was cool. The sauna was heated with firewood. In the basement there were two steam boilers. Steam was fed into the halls along ceramic pipes, which also pass through the walls and the floor of a bath. Steam evenly circulated and heated the entire room. This unique system of the 400-year-old bathhouse worked perfectly until 1963. And all these centuries the bath was very popular among the townspeople.

Caravan-sarai is the third time building in the ensemble of Sheikh Bahauddin. Today, the building of the medieval caravanserai plays the role of the Temple of Knowledge. At the end of the 20th century, the Ganja Humanitarian College is conveniently located here. The caravanserai is a two-storey building, comprising 15 rooms and 54 rooms. The museum also houses the museum of the poetess Meskheti Ganjavi.

Dzhavadhan Mausoleum. Not long ago, on the territory of the historical ensemble, in the courtyard of the mosque, on the site of the grave of the fearless ruler of Ganja - Javadkhan, who died on January 3, 1804, while protecting Ganja from foreign invaders, a tomb was built. In the 1990s, the remains of Javadhana were moved here from the ancient city cemetery. The construction started in 2004 lasted several months. When it was erected, the builders adhered to the requirements of the medieval architecture school. The monument was opened in 2005 and occupied a worthy place among other monuments of the 17th century.

Mausoleum of Nizami Ganjavi. Nizami Ganjavi, born in 1141, was one of the most educated people of his time. World renown he received as the author of "Hamsa" (Pyateritsy), in which five poems were combined, reflecting not only the high skill of the poet's pen, but also his ethical and philosophical views. Most of Nizami's lyrics are devoted to love. Other world-famous works by Nizami are the poems "Khosrov and Shirin", "Leyli and Majnun", "Iskender-nime".

To this day, the mausoleum remains a place of pilgrimage and the worship of poets. It is located at the entrance to the city from the south-west side. The tomb is a modern monumental structure of a cylindrical form made of red granite, carved in the manner of semicircular facets. Below is the entrance, which seems just tiny on the background of the grandeur of the whole building. The name Nizami is carved in gold right above the entrance.

Return to the hotel.

Overnight in Gandzha.

5 Day

09:00 Breakfast at the hotel.

Excursion to Goygol Lake. The road south from Xanlar winds up through the woodland picnic spots of Hacikand and onto a ridge with magnificent views of the dramatic Lesser Caucasus range, crowned by the distinctive cleft peak of Mt Kapaz. For now the valley beyond is out of bounds. However it contains one of Azerbaijan's most celebrated beauty spots, the gorgeous, forest-ringed Goy Gol (blue lake), which is slated to reopen to tourism as a new national park within the next few years.

The distinctive rocky beak of Mt Kyapaz opened in the 1139 earthquake and disgorged such a mass of rock that it dammed the mountain streams in several places. The result was a string of seven idyllic mountain lakes known as the 'tears of Kyapaz'. Most famous are Goy Gol (Blue Lake) formerly a popular sanatorium, camping retreat, and the more secluded Maral Gol (Deer Lake). Lesser known Zali Gol (Leech Lake) and Sara Gol (Yellow Lake) never sounded as appealing. The area is especially magnificent in autumn when green forests are burnished yellow, auburn and red like a pointillist painting rising from Goy Gol's still blue waters to Kyapaz's dramatic crown. The best views are part way to Maral Gol.

Visiting a wine store and tasting the Khan company

The LLC Vinagro company was legally registered in May 2006 and one of its divisions was OJSC Gökögel Winery, which is a wine-making industrial enterprise combining primary and secondary branches of production. Under the Soviet economic management system, the Khanlar Agro-Industrial Complex (the name of that period) was focused on the production of wine and brandy products and their sales throughout the Union. The volume share of brandy produced by this enterprise amounted to about 7% of the all-Union. After the devastation of this area in the "anti-alcohol period", the current "Goygol Winery" rose from the ruins. At present, it is a modern industrial enterprise combining the latest equipment and classic technology.

Departure to Ganja.

6 Day

09:00 Breakfast at the hotel Departure to Tovuz for tasting

Visiting a wine store and tasting the company TOVUZ-BALTIA

Azerbaijan is a country that preserves the ancient traditions of viticulture and winemaking. In the Tovuz region, located in the west of Azerbaijan, winemaking was developed in the 7th century. During the USSR, Azerbaijan was one of the largest wine-producing republics. On the territory of this country, more than 300 thousand hectares of vineyards were cultivated.

One of the main wineries in Azerbaijan today is the Tovuz cognac and wine factory. The company has reserves of high-quality cognac spirit aged in oak barrels of 100-year-old oak, in an amount of at least 10 thousand decalitres. There are cognac spirits, the age of which varies from 5 to 50 years. Stocks are constantly replenished by harvesting from their own vineyards, which are 25 thousand hectares.

Cognac, pomegranate and quince wines produced here are successfully sold in 75 countries of the world. Visitors will have the opportunity to taste before purchasing products.

The Tovuz Baltiya company presents the best names of cognacs from the Tovuz region of Azerbaijan, as well as pomegranate wines and quince wines. Cognacs are made by traditional technology from selected cognac spirits. Cognac spirits are aged in a new barrel, after which this oak packaging is no longer used. The company buys bottles for wine and cognac in the Czech Republic and France.

The assortment of the company consists of cognac "Tovuz" V.S., aged at least 5 years, cognac "Tovuz" V.S.O.P. aged not less than 10 years, cognac “Tovuz” H.O. aged from 3 to 30 years.

The real pearl of the product range of the enterprise is a unique pomegranate wine, quince wine, quince and pomegranate champagne. It is bottled under the name "Tovuz" variants - semi-dry and semi-sweet. This wine has a healing effect: it improves appetite, lowers blood pressure, increases hemoglobin level and reduces the harmful effects of radiation.

The Tovuz Baltia company considers the continuation and development of the traditional technologies of viticulture and winemaking in Azerbaijan, existing for more than ten centuries, as the main goal of its activity. The company "Tovuz Wine" has repeatedly been awarded honorary diplomas for the quality of its products.

We bring to your attention:

White Wines

Red wines

Fruit Wines

Champagne

Vodka

Whiskey

Cognac

Juices

After tasting at lunch at a local restaurant in Ganja.

Departure to Baku.

7 Day

09:00 Breakfast at the hotel.
Free time to visit the eastern market, shops with sweets and souvenir shops.
Transfer to the airport

Visa upon arrival at international airports of Azerbaijan can be obtained only by citizens of Turkey, Israel, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Japan, China, South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore. For citizens of Russia and the CIS (except for Turkmenistan), a visa is not required to Azerbaijan. Citizens of other countries must obtain a visa prior to arrival, through the consulates of Azerbaijan in their country or to issue an electronic visa through our travel agency. To apply for a visa, contact our managers at least 4 weeks before arriving in Azerbaijan.

Local currency: Manat
The recommended currency for the exchange is: USD or EURO.
Where to exchange currency: Upon arrival at the airport, the guide will provide accurate information on where and how to exchange cash for local currency.
Availability of ATM: Only in large cities.
Accept credit cards: Only in large cities.


The cost of the tour from 999 USD per person for a stay in Double room includes:
Accommodation in hotel 4 * double room on the program based on breakfast & lunch.
Transfers and transportation according to the program.
Excursions on the program.
Services of a Russian-speaking or English-speaking guide.
Entrance tickets to museums.
Additional paid:
Dinner - from 20 USD (soft drinks are included)
Supplement for single accommodation: $ 199 per tour
The cost of a visa is 40 USD (if not citizens of the CIS),
Charges for photo - and video shooting in museums

The firm reserves the right to change the order of visiting excursion objects, keeping the program as a whole. The company reserves the right to change the cost of the tour if it is notified in time.

Dear guests, please send inquiries for individual tourists and tourist groups to e-mail: narmintour@gmail.com , zaurnasibli@gmail.com  and contact us at +99412 4926116, +99450 5968477 Whatsapp: +99450 5895997