Central Botanical Garden in Baku: A Calm Place to Breathe

Needless to say, we have been fooled for ages (I’m about to reveal the secret). Or we have already gotten accustomed to living like this: differently and more unnaturally than our roots.

What I'm talking about is the chaos of those huge cities where everyone lives in apartments stacked on top of each other.

Not to mention congested roads with bumper-to-bumper traffic, noisy cafes and restaurants, or polluted air.

So what is the point of this mad rush? Frankly, I don't have a clue. But what I do know is that it’s not normal.

We weren’t genetically programmed over millions of years of evolution to ruin our lives in all of that hustle and bustle.

Luckily, ther’re still a couple of rare places where we can just stop and at least take a deep breath. Even in big cities like Baku, Azerbaijan.

Today I’m going to talk about that kind of chill place in the city of Baku called the Central Botanical Garden (Mərkəzi Nəbatat Bağı).

The fun part of this attraction is that you can leave the noise of the city behind for a few hours and learn something new about plants, etc., while being surrounded by a natural flora haven with a high dose of oxygen.

So, if you're a newbie in the city, or if you're someone who, like me, isn't into the whole artificial lifestyle, or you're just curious, you'll learn a lot about this Baku garden in this post, along with its:

History;

Beautifully designed new structure;

Things to do;

Entrance fees, working hours and so forth.

Let’s get to it.

Brief History of the Central Botanical Garden of Baku

The idea of creating a Baku Botanical Garden (or simply Botanika Bagi or Nebatat Bagi in Azeri) goes way back to the 1930s.

So, it’s a couple years after the Soviet invasion of Azerbaijan. 

Meanwhile, Baku was growing fast as an important oil and industrial city.

And those days, it's an undeniable Azerbaijan fact that the city was providing almost half of the world's demand for oil.

However, that wealth didn't demonstrate its infrastructure as a rich metropolis and capability of conducting scientific research on some fields of nature.

That's why, in 1932, under the guidance of botanist P.V. Kovalskaya-Ilina, the signs of the first steps emerged.

Two years after that day, Soviet Baku issued a decree to establish and arrange today's Central Botanical Garden, which will celebrate its 100th jubilee in a few years. 

About a kilometer (bird’s-eye view) west of the current-day Highland Park Baku, the land for the Botanical Garden was chosen.

At the start, the garden covered only 16 hectares (which was increased to 39 hectares over time).

It was hard to build a water supply chain because the botanic garden was also at the highest part of Baku city, as it still is today.

Plus, the soil was super dry. Take a look at those areas with bare hills below:

Now compare it to this...

Despite all these initial problems, a section was set up to experiment with plants, both indoors and outdoors. 

Soon, construction kicked off: greenhouses, labs, housing for staff, and more.

The golden era? Definitely the 1960s-70s. Thousands of trees and plants were shared with schools, factories, and parks all over Azerbaijan.

But the platinum era of the Botanical Garden Baku started just newly in 2024, with its beautifully designed new structure.

Changes After General Renovation at the Baku Botanic Garden

Starting November 19, 2022, the Central Botanical Garden was closed to visitors while they did some repair and renovation work.

A $15 million massive rebuilding project was wrapped up at the end of 2024. As of December 5, it was reopened again to the public with its lovely new design.

After the renovation, there were a lot of changes, and in the true meaning of the word, the garden has gone through some serious glow-up. 

Some of these changes are worth mentioning.

First of all, Baku Botanic Garden’s territory has expanded by an additional 6 hectares.

On the other hand, a brand-new entrance complex now welcomes visitors.

There's now even a lovely fountain to greet you right at the start. The older greenhouses? Fully renovated.

A brand-new four-story administrative building is also among updates. 

They've also blown the cobwebs away with a 650-meter pedestrian bridge (with an elevator), a maze-like green zone, a play area for kids, parking zone etc.

Long story short, this place didn’t just grow. It transformed. And it’s well worth a visit after all these changes.

Things to Do at the Central Botanical Garden Baku

Indeed, this botanical garden in the city of the winds has a lot to see.

Here’s the deal:

#1. Just Walking and Enjoying the Fresh Air

First things first, here you can just wander along winding paths and breathe in that fresh, clean air you rarely get in a city (lung party). That's basically the main idea, isn't it? To get away from the city (mind party).

The interesting part is you can also learn dozens of new things about so many plant species by stopping by the orangeries.

Sure, some greenhouses can be closed for seasonal rest, like everywhere else in other botanical gardens on Earth.

For example, last time I visited it in late winter, and could not see the best parts of its botanic collection.

That's why, visit in the right season if you want to see the plants and flowers in full bloom.

Nonetheless, the outdoor gardens themselves are a real treat as well. At least for me, it is like that.

On the flipside, the tricky part is the garden’s signage is mostly in Azeri (a couple of months ago it was like that). You can take it as an advantage to learn some new Azerbaijani phrases.

#2. Playgrounds for Kids

For families, there’s a well-kept children’s play area and labyrinth that’s especially popular on weekends and holidays.

It’s like a secret playground where little explorers can get lost in nature, running and laughing all day long. 

#3. The View from the Suspension Bridge

The key part is the suspension bridge. If you want to truly take in the city, don’t miss walking on this bridge. 

Because on some parts of that bridge you’ll see the best panoramic views of Baku that will make you stop and just stare for a while.

#4. Amphitheater, Cafe, Lake, and Meadow

What the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir means for Central Park in New York, this section does the same for the Central Botanical Garden in Baku.

It's in the heart of the garden, and there’s a newly built amphitheater, a lake in the middle, a meadow all around, and on top, a beautiful cafe. 

So after strolling, if you feel hungry, you can make your tummy happy there. Though they don’t have traditional Azerbaijani food on their menu, the various protein bowls they serve deserve a try.

In short, there is so much cool stuff to do there, more than you would at a regular botanical garden.

As for the entrance fee for regular people, it’s just 2 AZN (1.20 USD) every day from 9 AM to 6 PM, including weekends.

You can get tickets at the botanic garden's ticket office from 9 in the morning to 5 in the late afternoon.

For more about entrance fees, take a look at the pic below.

That’s all.

Have a nice stroll.

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