We only had 1 week left in Azerbaijan and wanted to make the most of our time near the Greater Caucasus. so decided to stay in a 300-year old caravanserai in the beautiful town of Sheki!
Travelling to Sheki from Lahiq via Ismayilli
We’d had a relaxing 2 days in Lahiq but wanted to get moving to make the most of our last few days in Azerbaijan. That meant an early start so we could catch the 8:30am marshutka to Ismayilli.
This is definitely the cheapest paid form of transport out of Lahiq but we would recommend getting there early as this first marshutka of the day was jam-packed!
It cost 1.5 manat each for the 45 minute trip, and we got out by the new bus station in the east of the town. Lee went to check but was told the buses to Sheki don’t go from here. What! Why would buses go from a bus station, I hear you ask, flabbergasted at our ignorance ๐
The buses to Sheki originate in Baku, and stop at the crossroads by the roundabout near the new bus station. You have to just sit there, maybe chat to the truck drivers and wait patiently.
Finally a bus
We were sitting for 1.5 hours before a marshutka with the Sheki sign finally came around the corner. The driver wasn’t very friendly – said it was 6 manat and insisted we pay in advance whilst the other passengers paid when they got off… making us think it was some type of tourist ripoff.
He also drove extremely fast and quite erratically… the joys of budget travel! However, this meant the trip was done in two hours – faster than the 3 hours quoted on Maps.Me
Sheki bus station – a tasty place for lunch!
I don’t know who the clever Sheki town planner was, but they definitely got something right with the Sheki bus terminal! It’s set in beautiful gardens and was a lovely place to stop for lunch, as we had only had a handful of walnuts and an apple 4 hours earlier!
We both decided to have the borsch as it looked very tasty. Again, it was different to the Russian borsch, having no beetroot but cabbage and meat. We ordered a pot of tea and bread as well, and were pleasantly sated for the princely sum of 7 manat in total.
Check the value of the AZ manat on XE.COM
Whilst there, we checked out the times for buses/marshutka onto Zagatala and from there to Balakan. We double-checked the price from Ismayilli and it turns out we had paid the correct amount! Maybe he was worried we’d do a runner?
Don’t walk from the bus station to the Karvansaray area!
Looking at Maps.Me, it was 2.7kms to our accommodation, Ilgar’s Guesthouse. However, I had failed to take the endless hill into consideration! By the time we staggered through Ilgar’s gate, we were hot and sweaty, and definitely in need of our first shower in 3 days.
I would definitely recommend staying up at the top of the town, but be wise and take the No# 11 marshrutka for a mere 50 qopik each way!
Check the value of the AZ manat on XE.COM
Things to see and do in Sheki
If you’ve read many of our other blogs or seen our social media posts, you’ll know that we travel in a very relaxed way – tending to concentrate mainly on wandering the streets and trying local food.
Having said that, there were a few fascinating things to visit in Sheki. My favourite was the 300-year old Karvansaray (local spelling of Karavanserai) This place was truly magical… so much so that we ended up staying there for 2 nights!
We also made a YouTube video of our stay there
Palace of Shaki Khans
We also walked up to the Palace of Shaki Khans… cue singing “Shaka Khan’s going to rock you” in an offpitch tone ๐
There were 2 large groups of Chinese tourists so instead of going inside (where you can’t take photos), we sat outside under the two 500-year old plane trees and enjoyed people-watching.
It was lovely walking through the grounds and seeing the Albanian church, now turned into a museum. The walls are very impressive as well. Just be aware that the palace is on a steep hill so be prepared for a hot walk if going there in summer.
Visiting the Caucasian Albanian church at Kis
Kis is a village 5kms up the valley from Sheki, and was easy to reach by marshrutka from the bus station in the bazaar.
Marshrutka #15 leaves when full, and was only 20 kopik per person. We asked to be dropped off at the bottom of the hill by the sign for the church. It was an enjoyable 1.5 kms walk, interesting to see village life in northern Azerbaijan.
The main reason to visit is to see the small 12th century Caucasian Albanian church, known respectively as the Church of Kis, the Church of St Elishe or the Holy Mother of God Church. It has been painstakingly restored with funding from the Norwegian government, and is well worth a visit.
Church of Kis Tall skeletons at the Church of Kis The 12th century church at Kis Sarcophagus inside Church of Kis Lada outside stone barn in Kis Pipes running through Kis village Lada driving past mosque in Kis village
International Museum Day means crowds!
We were prepared to pay our 2 manat each, so were surprised when the ticket seller waved us through. Unbeknownst to us, Saturday May 18, 2019 was International Museum Day, and it seemed as though half of Sheki had turned up to visit the church!
I know we’re frugal travellers but I’d rather have paid the entrance fee and had fewer people around! There were hordes of students chattering excitedly and taking selfies, and a few Russian tour groups.
The church was lovely inside. It had a very interesting small museum with many displays. There was also information about Thor Heyerdahl’s claim that the Viking god Odin may have come from Azerbaijan.
The gardens outside were beautiful, and also had exposed crypts covered with clear plastic, containing very tall skeletons.
Marshrutka back to Sheki
We walked back down the hill a different way, marveling at the many Ladas in immaculate condition and the amount of water running down the middle of the road in places!
We’d spent 2 hours at the church and definitely could have spent longer. It is a lovely place to stop and relax… if you’re fortunate enough to be there without the crowds.
Where to eat in Sheki
As we stick to a fairly tight budget, we find ourselves gravitating to the cheap local food places wherever we go. In Sheki that meant having quite a few shwarma and lahmacun.
We found a wonderful cafe called the Piti House, near the bazaar. We had to try their piti, which was tasty and filling, and of course their shwarma. There is a massive TV on the wall with a picture frame surround, and a photo of the owner with Gerard Depardieu.
As the staff were so friendly and the decor was great, so we ended up going there 3 times.
An enormous samovar! TV in a frame and a framed picture of Gerard Depardieu with the owner of Piti House Piti and dovga – traditional Azeri dishes Love the decor at Piti House Lahmacun, otherwise known as Turkish or Azeri pizza
We tried a couple of other cafes as well, Lemon and Istanbul, but the service and quality wasn’t as good as Piti House.
Staying in a 300-year old caravanserai
We’d booked 4 nights at Ilgar’s Guesthouse, up the hill from the new town, but decided that we just had to take the opportunity to stay the caravanserai. We wandered around the grounds on our first day in Sheki and spoke with the extremely friendly and helpful man on reception. When we discovered that a simple twin room on the ground floor was only 30 manat, we knew we had to stay an extra 2 nights in Sheki to enjoy a piece of living history!
The accommodation was larger than we’re used to. It had a sitting area, a shower room and a toilet and sink in the room opposite. You then walked through to the bedroom, with a small window looking over the road. It wasn’t noisy at all. The main thing we had to remember was that there wasn’t any WIFI reception as the stone walls were too thick!
We had so much fun staying there so we made a YouTube video:
The stunning 300-year old Sheki caravanserai Karavanserai, Sheki Garden restaurant at the caravanserai
Tips and information for the Sheki Karavansary:
- Stay in the Karavansaray if you have time – the rooms are large but fairly basic, but it was one of the highlights of the Caucasus for us
- The first guy on Reception was so lovely – he showed us around and explained the pricing structure… he even showed us the luxury suite at 166 manat per night! we booked with him for 3 days ahead after
- When we went to check in, a young guy helping an older guy at Reception showed me the most horrible dark and dingy room, facing onto a wall. He insisted that Room 10 was the only one available at 30 manat, and that the other rooms were all 50 manat! I got him to show Lee the room, and I negotiated with the older guy while he was gone! He’s definitely trying it on with the tourists – DON’T FALL FOR HIS SCAM!
- These are the rooms and prices as of May 2019: 17 rooms at 30 manat, 10 rooms on the top floor at 50 manat, and that there are also rooms for 4 people for between 36-60 manat
- The rooms overlooking the road aren’t that noisy. A couple were staying in a room overlooking the garden and they said the restaurant was continuously blaring Turkish pop music at full volume!
- The Karavansaray isn’t on Booking.com but can be booked at reseil_karvan@mail.ru
Check the value of the AZ manat on XE.COM
** This post is still a work in progress but I wanted to get it published before I forgot most of the details! For more information about the month we spent in Azerbaijan, check out the links below:
10 Essential Budget Travel Tips for Azerbaijan
Visiting Xinaliq – the highest village in Europe
Have you ever stayed in an old, historic place such as the Caravanserai in Sheki? We’d love to hear about it!
Please, if you have any questions to ask, we will be glad to help in any way we can. Leave a comment in the box below and we’ll get back to you!
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20 thoughts on “Sheki, Azerbaijan: a beautiful town and caravanserai”
Fascinating! So looking forward to going to the Caucasus later this year. I am going solo though, as usual.
The Caucasus region is amazing – we’re really enjoying our travels through this relatively unknown part of the world.
The 3 countries are so different – each with their own little quirks, joys and occasional travel hiccups.
Be sure to contact us if you have any questions.
Hi Frugal Travellers, Thanks for ur kind reply on youtube. You are my fav ๐
I am going to Azerbaijan on July 31 and return on Aug 8. As I am going solo (1st ever solo trip), I am full of concerns and questions.Below is somewhat my itinerary looks like:
Day 1 -Arrival at Baku at around 4pm
Checking to the Hotel (I have Booked La Casa in old City).
Day 2 -Exploring Old City as much as I Can
Day 3 – Planning to book a tour covering Gobustan and mud volcanos
Day 4-Trip to Sheki (Heard there is Bus going to sheki at 8 am.I am likely to reach around 12 pm noon in that case)
Planning to Stay at Karvansarai Hotel/ IIgors Guest House- (Which one of these is better? Have you stayed at both? )
Little bit of exploring that day and back to Hotel
Day 5- Exploring Sheki (Again, I am clueless what are the things to be done.It will be great if you could enlighten me on a day trip to the surroundings)
Back to Hotel/Guesthouse (Is it worth spending 1 & a Half Day in Sheki?)
Day 6-Leave for Lahic in the morning.
(Assuming that I will be reaching there by noon, have no clue where to stay. Do you have contact Number for the place you have stayed at? It will be very helpful to me)
Stay in Lahic
Day 7- Explore the place (Is it worth spending a whole day here? What are the places to cover ? Is it safe to go hiking as I am alone?)
Day 8 -Morning- Return to Baku ( What is the best possible mode of transportation and apprx time to reach Baku?)
Assuming that I will reach Baku by afternoon, planning to do some street shopping there
Day 9-Depart to Dubai.
How does this itinerary looks overall? I badly wanted to accommodate xinalic but does not seem to be possible within this time frame.
I know these are a whole lot of questions, but i am a bit nervous and worried about the whole trip. I will be grateful if you can throw some lights.
Thank you for the kind words ๐
Wow – that is a busy schedule! Just keep in mind that things move at a more relaxed pace in Azerbaijan (and the entire region!) so be careful about having a too tightly organised plan.
Make sure you have your Gobustan trip booked by the end of Day 2 so you know it’s sorted. We didn’t make it to the mud volcanoes so can’t help you there.
We stayed at Ilgar’s Guesthouse for 3 nights, then moved to the Karvansaray for 2 nights for an amazing experience! I don’t know how you’d find it on your own but the atmosphere at the 300-year old caravanserai was incredible!
I actually preferred Xฤฑnalฤฑq to Lahic… the scenery and drive there was way more spectacular, and it’s an incredible experience staying in a homestay – Rauf and his family were so wonderful and we’d definitely recommend them… but be prepared for an outside toilet and no shower! BUT seriously, it’s so worth it – just take wet wipes (even though I hate them!).
I couldn’t quite understand why Lahic is such a popular tourist destination. I found it disappointing and would never go back… but loved Xinaliq, Guba, Ganja, Lankaran, Sheki, Baku and Zagatala!
Thanks ๐
I was seriously double thinking about going to Lahic. Looked dry in summer from the pics and bit touristy to me. So I have decided to go to Xinaliq on day 4 via quba instead ๐ (Not staying in Quba though.hope I will reach there by afternoon. day 5 will be totally spent there . I have got Mr.Rauf’s contact number , but not sure how to communicate .Does he speak English, in case if I want to book in advance?
Day 6 -travelling to sheki (This part is quite tricky to me as It seems to be quite a long trip. Not sure about the available transportation.If you could suggest me if this will be feasible , it will be great).Day 7 – Explore sheki and get a night train to Baku. (Are taxis available from Sheki o Baku ?)
It’s a very busy schedule but I think it’s possible. I preferred Xinaliq to Lahic – it was an incredible experience staying in a village that seemed to be firmly set in the past!
It’s not easy to go from Xinaliq to Sheki. There’s a remote mountain road that a friend of ours cycled along, or you’d have to get a taxi back to Guba then a marshrutka to Baku, then another marshrutka to Sheki – I’m not sure if it can be done in 1 day.
We use Google Translate to communicate with Rauf. Download Russian to use off line and send him a message that way. He speaks some English but Google Translate is just so useful!
Hi again,
Must stay at the caravanserai after all the lovely things you have been saying about it.
I am going to Baku from Pakistan in October and will be staying in the Caucasian region for about 7 weeks and flying out from Tbilisi. Is there a border crossing between Azerbaijan and Armenia? Or do I have to go via Georgia?
Hi,
The caravanserai is a great experience. We hope you like it as much as we did.
No there is no border crossing between Azerbaijan and Armenia. That border is a militerised zone. You will have to cross into Georgia and then into Armenia. They may ask you at the Armenian border where you went in Azerbaijan. We told them where we went and they also wanted to know an adress of where we were staying in Armenia. We showed them a booking.com booking and they were fine with that.
We are just about to publish a blog post on travelling from Tbilisi to Yerevan so check it out for information!
Happy travels.
Thanks!
I just read your post on travelling from Georgia to Armenia. Have to do it that way since there is no border crossing between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Was hoping to save one trip since I am flying home from Tbilisi.
Just one further question. I noticed that the writing on the van was not in Cyrillic script. Is it common? I have the Cyrillic alphabet posted all over the house to facilitate learning ๐.
It’s definitely a good idea to learn Cyrillic script in this region ๐
It’s unfortunate that the border is closed between Armenia and Azerbaijan – hopefully this will change one day. Until then, we’re fortunate to be able to travel through Georgia visa free.
Signs on marshrutkas might be in English or in the local language: Armenian, Azeri or Georgian That’s when it’s useful to have Googled the name of the destination in the local language and taken a screenshot ๐
Thanks for the tips! Much appreciated.
Managed to see your video on the caravanserai. Looks gorgeous (and affordable). Canโt wait to be on the road again.
Travelling solo as per normal. Should be ok.
Yayyyyy for watching the video – we had such an amazing time staying at the caravanserai… remember that the rooms on the lower floor by the road should only be 30 manat – ฤฑf the young guy is around, don’t let him tell you they’re 50 manat!
Have a wonderful time travelling and please advise in the comments if anything has changed.
Hi!
Thanks for all your wonderful tips. I had a great time in Azerbaijan. The hospitality of the Azari was amazing.
Stayed in a single room at the fabulous Karavansary Hotel at Sheki for 20 manats per night. Ali from the Tourist Information Office at Baku booked it for me. At first the hotel reception told Ali the price was 50 Manats. I insisted on booking a single room for 20 manats. Anyway, when I arrived the guy at the front desk was lovely and very helpful. The hotel was very quiet. There were only 4 other guests during the whole time that I was there.
The drive to Xinaliq from Quba was spectacular. The Lada ran out of petrol on the way so I got to enjoy the scenery more as we waited for supply to arrive.
Stayed high above Lahic village and met with some amazing hospitality. Very scenic walks around the area. Stayed there for much longer than expected. The host at the guesthouse gave me a lift to Ismayilli at the end of my stay and made sure I got transport to Sheki.
Really love Azerbaijan!
We’re so pleased you had a wonderful time in Azerbaijan as it’s one of our favourite countries!
Thank you for the feedback regarding booking your single room at the Karvansaray Hotel, and the attempt to overcharge you… the same thing happened to us but we were able to be firm and pay the correct price. It seems as though one employee is out to make some extra money but the other one is kind and friendly and honest! Our 2-night stay there was one of our highlights of 2019.
I can’t believe the Lada ran out of fuel! I hope it wasn’t on one of the sharp corners ๐
Hi there.Thank you for yiur suggestion.So its almost becoming inevitable to go for a night train ride to Sheki ๐ .I dnt think I can make it in One day from Xinaliq to Sheki.Can I just go to the train station and get the ticket or do I need to book in advance?
We didn’t take any trains in northern Azerbaijan, so can’t advise anything. Maybe check the excellent Seat61.com website or the equally brilliant Caravanistan.com.
Hello my dears..Just back from Azerbaijan after an amzing 8 days trip.Yes,I stayed in Karawanseray and it was marvellous ๐I spent two nights here in the double room facing to the road and slept comfortably.And guess what? It was drizzling and it added to the experience.Followed your itinerary and went to Kis,the palaces and walked down the streets of Kis while it was raining.Not a single tourists and I had the whole village to myself.Took Mashrutka ,went to Bazar,ate Piti,done shopping.What an amazing expetience.Overall,things went exactly as I planned.After Xinaliq,I had to go back to Baku,spend a night there and next morning went to Sheki by the 6hrs bus.I remembered your valuable suggestions and tips..Thanks a million guys..๐๐๐ผ
Hello Seema! Apologies for the delay in replying to your wonderful comment!
I’m so pleased you enjoyed your time in Sheki – we really liked it there… and everywhere else we visited in Azerbaijan as well!
ฤฐsn’t the Karvansaray incredible! ฤฐt’s a piece of living history.
I am so happy that our blog provided useful travel information – that’s why we started it, to help other travellers!
Wishing you all the very best, and thank you for your lovely comments!
I am pleased I found this post as I was busy trying to find prices and contact details for the Sheki Karavansary. Its not the easiest place so thank you. I am hoping to take my group there
Hi Brenda. That is exactly what we thought, which is one of the reasons we wanted to write this blog post! We hope you have a wonderful time and please let us know how your trip goes and if any of the details have changed. It is a fantastic place to visit.