Baku Boulevard & Mini Venice

Mini Venice is a set of artificial canals cut into the parkland, worked by small gondolas. It dates originally to the 1960s and was substantially rebuilt in recent years.

It is unashamedly kitsch and entirely charming. The boat ride takes a few minutes, costs very little, and is a reliable hit with children.

Flag Square holds one of the tallest flagpoles in the world, built in 2010 at 162 metres. The flag itself is enormous — the scale only registers when you stand underneath it.

Beside it is the Baku Eye, an observation wheel with enclosed climate-controlled cabins. A full rotation takes around half an hour and gives a slow sweep across the bay and the skyline.

The Carpet Museum sits on this stretch too, in its rolled-carpet building, so the Boulevard alone can absorb half a day if you let it.

At the southern end is Dəniz Mall, whose roof is designed to resemble a folded lotus. It is a modern shopping centre with restaurants, useful mainly as a comfortable stop with reliable facilities.

The Crystal Hall, built for the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest, sits further along, as does the section of the Formula 1 street circuit that runs alongside the seafront.

Evening is the time to be here. Families walk, tea houses fill, and the Flame Towers light up on the ridge behind. The atmosphere is markedly different from the daytime.

The full promenade is long; most visitors walk the central section between Mini Venice and Flag Square, which covers the main sights comfortably in an hour.