Regulus K Airport Bus (H1 / AeroExpress) is the best way to get to Baku City Center. There are five things you need to know on top of the official website’s information. I was surprised by the bus service during my last visit to Baku. Having traveled to 1 / 3 of the world, I dare say it is the best airport bus experience I have ever had. It has a frequent bus schedule, operates 24 hours, is super-cheap (less than 1 USD), and even more time-saving as compared to Bolt or Taxi.
Unfortunately, the official website information is less than ideal for tourists like us. Thus, I wrote this review based on my personal experience for you.
Why I Prefer Baku Airport Bus Over Bolt And Taxi
The pick-up point of the airport taxi for Baku is just in front of the arrival hall next to AeroExpress station. So you will be hassled by the taxi drivers before getting on the bus. Yet, you will need to agree with the taxi driver on a price before getting in. Otherwise, you could be charged over 40 USD. And even if you negotiated the price would only go down to 15 – 20 USD.
For Bolt, the pickup point is at the car park around 4 minute’s walk from the arrival hall. Even though the apps would be 8 – 9 AZN (~ 5 USD) for going to the city center. However, the Bolt scam is notorious in Baku. Try Googling it, you will find very recent news about tourists being charged excessively on Bolt in Baku or getting dumped mid-way. Not to mention, it takes some time to wait for the Bolt driver to arrive. The overall English proficiency in Baku is just barely conversational for most drivers, so I would not risk negotiating for Taxi or Bolt.
Airport bus on another hand costs only 1.3 AZN (less than 1 USD) and no negotiation is needed. The pick-up point is just in front of the arrival hall of Heydar Aliyev International Airport(GYD) for both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. The start/end station is at terminal 1. The buses run 24 hours at 20-minute (or less) frequency, so you will see one or two buses waiting there. It is hard to miss. For terminal 2, the bus stop is also just in front.
The travel duration is surprisingly short around 30 minutes from the airport to the city center (28 May Station). The speed is comparable to or even faster than both taxi or bolt.
Airport Bus Stops & Connection To Other Destinations
There 5 stops for the bus namely “Terminal 1”, “Terminal 2”, “Surakhani Bridge”, “Korogiu Metro Station”, and “28 May Metro Station”. For the city center, you just need to drop off at the 28 May Metro Station so it is straightforward to use.
For connection to Old Baku City or Nizami Street, just use the same transport card and start with the 28 May Metro Station.
Below are five things you need to know before taking the bus based on my experience.
First: You Need Cash For Transport Card(BakiKart)
To use the airport bus service, you need to buy a local transport card (BakiKart) with CASH. This is the same card for other public transportation in Baku including Bus and Metro. The vending machine is just outside the Terminal 1 arrival hall (for Terminal 2 you may need to check with tourist info).
So you need to ensure you have AZN (Maginat) before getting out of the arrival hall. That means you need to exchange local currency at the airport. My recommendation is to use USD to exchange there, the rate is not bad given AZN is fixed to USD. You need to ensure you have small notes like 5 AZN or 10 AZN.
The vending machine takes any denomination of AZN note starting from 1 AZN. Beware that there is NO exchange from the vending machine and it only takes cash. Remember to exchange before you leave the arrival hall.
Second: You Only Need One Card Regardless Of Travelers
What surprised me is you only need one transport card at Baku regardless of your group. Because all public transport including the airport bus charges used by usage count instead of distance. Specifically, the airport bus will cost you 1.3 AZN per ride, public bus, and metro will cost you 0.5 AZN per ride. You can tap the card again for the second or subsequent passenger immediately. So one card is enough.
Third: Google Map Overestimates Travel Duration
A ride from airport terminal 1 to 28 May station (the end station) is around 30 minutes. The bus seems to have a dedicated bus lane on the road, so it is less affected by traffic. Based on my experience sometimes, it is even faster than Bolt or Taxi.
Fourth: The Drop-off And Pick-Up Point Is Different
The drop-off point (end station) is at Samad Vurgun Park near the 28 May station. However, the pick-up point is exactly near the 28 May Metro station. There is a bus station map outside the Metro station and you can easily locate the stock by going to the “H1” bus stop.
The difference between drop-off and pick-up points confused me a bit as I was trying to look for the pick-up station at Samad Vurgun Park.
Fifth: The Bus Number Is H1
On the internet or even the official one. The Baku airport is usually referred to as “AeroExpress” or simply an airport bus. You should know that the bus number is also H1. This information is useful when you try to navigate the route via Google Maps as it will show as H1 instead of AeroExpress.
