As you know I live in Azerbaijan and was born here. My country is very beautiful from all sides. I live in the capital of our country Baku. But there are also a lot of other little cities. Second city after Baku is Ganja. It is far from Baku and it is not as modern as Baku. But coming here you feel relaxed because there you can enjoy country life.
Ganja was a historic and cultural center throughout most of its existence. Ganja is a city full of beautiful red brick architecture, a plethora of things to do and see, and a great base to go explore the beautiful lakes of Goygol and Maralgol.
My husband’s family has their own house there so when we go to Ganja we stay in their house.
We are going to Ganja twice a year. One time during the spring holidays makes our traditional deserts there. And the second time in summer to enjoy the weather and relax.
From Baku, there are three ways to reach Ganja: by car, train, or by plane. We always go by car and it takes about 4 hours.
Now I’ll tell you all reasons to visit this city💛
The majority of the tourist attractions are within walking distance from Shah Abbas Square so you can visit most of them on foot
Some places like Imamzadeh Complex are too far from the city center and you will have to take a taxi instead. The best way to travel around the city with a taxi is to use the app Bolt and request a ride from there. The price can range from 2 – 6 AZN depending on the distance. To see most of the interesting sights in Ganja, I would recommend you spend at least one day here. If you have time and would like to take it slow, 2 full days are recommended as well.
The day you arrive, you can spend the rest of the day exploring the Shah Abbas Square, Ganja Philharmonic, Javad Khan Street, and Heydar Aliyev Square which are all located in the same area. Right by the Shah Abbas Square, you will also find a large grandiose building, reminiscent of some old buildings you might find in Europe. This building is the Ganja State Philharmonic hall built for orchestral performances in the name of the great Ganja-born composer Fikret Amirov.
The next place is the main church- the mosque of the city. The Shah Abbas Mosque is located right at the center of Shah Abbas Square which has a ton of other beautiful old buildings making it the perfect place to begin your exploration of Ganja.
Right across the road from the Ganja State Philharmonic Hall is Javad Khan street a shopping street where you can find several historical buildings all lined up on both sides of the walking street. The street runs along the side of Ganja Mall and you can find souvenir stores as well as restaurants and shops where you can indulge yourself in. You can also just go there to appreciate the beauty of the historical buildings or go people-watching as the locals like to hang out here in the evening.
Last but not least, outside of Ganja, there is another great tourist attraction to visit – the Nizami mausoleum. It is dedicated to the famous poet- Nizami Ganjavi. There you can walk in the park and enjoy the monuments of his beautiful books.
The next interesting place is the main park of Heydar Aliyev. The park is very big and you can walk there and enjoy nature. The atmosphere there is nice and calm.
If you want to enjoy nature and feel the real Ganja, then I suggest two places.
First, is Goygol lake🤩 Located around 50 km south of Ganja, there is a beautiful blue lake situated on the foot of the Lesser Caucasus. The lake stands at 1,556m above sea level and it is one of the most popular lakes around Ganja for the locals to visit. Goygol is one of the 8 great lakes around Ganja, and is one of the most beautiful sights you can see in Azerbaijan. You can reach the lake by car or taxi, but the taxi will only go as far as the parking lot and then you will have to continue on foot. There is a nice viewpoint at the Goygol restaurant. I was there in winter when it was all in ice and in summer. You can also walk down along the road to the lake and you will find another cafe/restaurant where you can sit, relax, and enjoy the sight of Lake Goygol up close.
And second place if you are a flower lover- the place where the flowers are grown. It is a greenhouse. There you will find a lot of kinds of different flowers and trees. The view is amazing and you just walk and enjoy all this beauty.
And the main reason why we are going to Ganja is our native tradition.
We have in our country a spring holiday called Novruz. Spring in our country comes with this holiday. During this holiday people make interesting deserts called pakhlava and shekerbura. To make it we always go there because it is hard work and you need a big space to do this. And it is better to do it in a country house in the open air.
So these are the reasons why I love Ganja❤️
Thanks for reading me!💛
