Gusar: The Last Town Before the Mountains

Gusar is about 185 kilometres north of Baku, near the northern edge of the country. It is the last town of any real size before the road climbs into the mountains towards Shahdag.

Most visitors meet it as a place they drive through. It is worth a stop, and worth knowing what it is.

What it is

A quiet northern town with a river running past it, a bazaar, and forested slopes rising behind. Nothing about it is designed for tourism, which is exactly what people who like it are responding to.

It is also a centre of Lezgin culture in Azerbaijan. You will hear a different language on the street, and the food you are offered will not be identical to Baku.

Why people stop

The practical reason is the drive. Baku to Shahdag is a long road, and Gusar is the natural point to break it. Coffee, a walk, and a look at a river that is doing something more interesting than the Caspian.

The better reason is the country around it. North of here the landscape turns to forest and water, and it looks nothing like the dry plain you crossed to get here.

Getting there

By road, and it is a straightforward drive on the main northern route. Our transfer data puts Baku to Gusar at roughly 185 km, and Heydar Aliyev International Airport to Gusar at roughly 210 km.

That second figure matters more than it looks. If your plan is the mountains rather than the city, you can go directly from the airport instead of spending a night in Baku first.

Summer and winter are different trips

In summer the draw is the country north and west of the town. Rivers, forest, cool air, and a temperature that is a relief after the coast.

In winter the traffic through Gusar is mostly heading for the ski resort. The town becomes a waypoint, and the mountains above it become the reason anyone is on this road at all.

How it compares with Guba

Guba is bigger, closer to Baku and has more to see in the town itself. Gusar is smaller, further, and closer to the mountains.

If you have one day from Baku, Guba is the better choice. If you are going to Shahdag anyway, Gusar is on your route and Guba is a detour.

What to expect practically

English is uncommon. Russian will get you further, and pointing works everywhere.

Carry cash. Cards work in the larger places and not in the smaller ones, which is the pattern across most of the country outside Baku.

Do not expect a tourist information office. Ask at your hotel, or ask us before you go.

Who should come here

People driving to Shahdag, and people who like towns that are not performing for them. Gusar is not going to be the highlight of a first trip to Azerbaijan.

For a second trip, or for anyone heading north with a day to spare, it is the kind of place that makes the drive itself worth something.

Arranging it

Tell us where you are starting from, Baku or the airport, and whether Gusar is a stop or the destination. That decides the timing, and the timing decides everything else.