Driving hazards in Azerbaijan: policemen seeking payouts, ‘interesting’ roads and wandering cows challenge motorists in post-Soviet country
- Travelling beyond Azerbaijan’s ultra-modern capital, Baku, in a rental car presents a number of hazards – cows, challenging roads and policemen seeking payouts
- It’s worth braving the bumps in the road to see the small country’s ancient towns, stunning scenery, and attractions including the Palace of the Sheki Khans
The Old City of the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, is a seaside warren of car-free alleys with a mixture of mansions left in tumbledown elegance or freshly restored – all stone friezes, fretwork and cantilevered balconies – and the occasional minaret.
But capital cities are never representative of countries as a whole, and where public transport may not be reliable, frequent or comfortable, family travel to find the “real” Azerbaijan – in this case the largely agricultural parts still to see much benefit from the country’s oil wealth – renting a car looks the best way to go.
There’s the added benefit of complete flexibility, especially when looking to book nothing in advance and to wander at will.
It is often the case that booking with a local car rental company on arrival is substantially cheaper than using the international franchises booked online from home.
But in some parts of the world, including many countries that, like Azerbaijan, were once part of the Soviet Union, caution is needed.
