Fountains Square in Baku: the place to meet

If someone in Baku says "let's meet at the Fountains", they mean this square. Fountains Square, Fəvvarələr Meydanı, is the centre of the pedestrian city: a rectangle with fountains, plane trees, benches and terraces, surrounded by cafés, restaurants and shops, five minutes from the old city wall and at the start of Nizami Street, the shopping street. By day it is a crossroads; by night, where half the city goes for a walk.

Where it comes from

It was laid out in the 19th century, when the city began to grow outside the wall, as a parade ground in front of the gate. The fountains that give it its name arrived in 1984, in Soviet times, and the last remodelling, in 2010, added the current paving, the trees and the life-size bronze sculptures found around it: a girl with an umbrella, another on the phone, a man sitting down. They are the ones everyone photographs.

What is around it

Terraces and restaurants on every side: Azerbaijani cooking to try saffron plov, dolma and kebabs, but also Italian, Georgian and coffee chains. Clothes shops on Nizami Street, jewellers and the odd carpet shop. In the streets behind, the literature museum, the former Armenian church turned library and small bars. At weekends the area is the city's nightlife centre, with music until late.

When to go

Late afternoon, when the fountains come on and it cools down; in summer the square is full until midnight. In the morning it is quiet and good for breakfast before going into the old city. It is a safe area at any hour, well lit and with police about.

How to get there

It is five minutes on foot from the gate of the old city and ten from the seafront. By metro, Sahil is five minutes away and Icherisheher ten. Almost all the hotels in the centre are a step away.

Frequently asked questions