As part of our Backpacking trip of the Caucasus Region back in 2019, we spent 2 short days in Baku and quickly moved on to the neighboring country of Georgia! Don't ask us why, we were not into the slow travel thing yet at that time and that's not the point of this post. Going back to what I was saying, we are on a budget trip at that time and we ditched taking an international flight. Instead, we took an overnight train from Baku to Tbilisi by Azerbaijan Railways! Affordable, on-time, comfortable and what an authentic experience it was!
DISCLAIMER & UPDATE AS OF JUNE 2024: The land border between Azerbaijan and Georgia has been closed, and the overnight train service between Baku and Tbilisi has been suspended until 2024, with no specified reopening date available at this time.
Buying Train Tickets of the Overnight Train
We bought our tickets online as advised by Emily of Wander-Lush through her blog post - How to Travel from Tbilisi, Georgia to Baku, Azerbaijan by Overnight Train. Our tickets were bought directly from Azerbaijan Railways website. Based on our experience back in 2019, we were able to secure our tickets for the Baku to Tbilisi route but not the other way around. And now that the train between the two has been suspended, I do not see any Georgian destinations from the selection of destinations.
Where to buy train tickets? -> AZERBAIJAN RAILWAYS WEBSITE
It wasn't difficult to buy the tickets through the website back then and a confirmation was sent to our email right away (not the official ticket). However, we had to claim our official tickets directly from Baku Central Railway Station, ONE DAY BEFORE DEPARTURE. We just showed the email confirmation to the counters and they printed out our official train tickets.
I can't read whatβs written on the ticket, but I assumed that they are my travel details, which you should check too. Double-check the name, the passport number (the erased part), the travel date (where it says 2019), the travel time (where it says 20:40), and your seat type (33.81 indicates 33.81 AZN which is the fare for Second Class Cabin).
Train Stations:
Baku Central Railway Station
If you're taking the metro, your stop is 28 May Station. Once you exit the station, there's a modern building on your left, featuring store signs like LC Waikiki and Pizza Hut. This building is a part of the train station, where you can claim tickets (though I booking in advance is advisable, especially in summer), purchase food, exchange currency if necessary, and even store luggage for a fee, particularly if you're heading back to Baku.
Behind this modern structure are the train platforms. Navigating to them is straightforward; simply proceed straight ahead, perhaps descending a few steps, but nothing more complex. It's worth noting that there might be limited seating at the platforms, as was the case in 2019, so if you need to wait for your train, it's best to do so inside the building.
Tbilisi Railway Station
Tbilisi's Railway Station is on a slightly bigger level compared to Baku's. The platforms are located on the ground level and to exit the platform, there's a flight of stairs to enter the railway station's main building. There are no lifts and escalator so you will have to carry your luggage on your own.
The Overnight Train and the Cabin
Although not modern-looking from the outside, it was a decent, neat and comfortable inside (at least on our cabin).
Initially, we wanted to book the First-Class Cabins (a compartment of 2 beds) but weβre too late and there were no seats available. We managed to book Second-Class Cabins which is a compartment of 4 beds: 2 lower decks and 2 upper decks The 12-hours ride is enough for us to get familiarized inside that's for sure but we still boarded early that we forgot to buy water (big mistake so please help yourself).
Just to let you know, there's NO Wi-Fi and food shop/cart on board. We made a mistake of forgetting to buy water and it's not easy especially it's almost a 12-hour train ride. So help yourself and do the following:
- Buy your food and drinks before boarding the train
- Bring some board/card games
- Keep some movies/songs on your mobile phone/tablet/laptop
- Sleep
- And last but not least, interact with your roommates!
Let's take a look at our Second-Class Cabin below!
TRAIN ROOMMATES
I have mentioned that we originally want to book first-class cabins for privacy. Eventually, Second-Class cabins lead us to an amazing local memory! We shared the cabin with locals (Azeri) - a lady and her teenage son named Adil who speak English fluently. Adil is so kind to translate all the announcements to us and I can't imagine being on the first-class cabins and can't figure out what's going on from the announcements!
The Borders
Azerbaijan Border
I really thought we will reach the border between 3 AM - 4 AM (where did I get that information anyway?). So I kept on waking up to check if we already reached or not. Adil came to the rescue! Adil saw me waking up from time to time so he informed me that we will only reach the border of Azerbaijan at 5 AM. Only then I got the chance to sleep properly, at least for a few hours.
At 5 AM, we reached the border of Azerbaijan and we were asked for our passports and entry visas to Georgia. Fortunately, we are not required since we are residents of the United Arab Emirates. Immigration officers took our passports one by one and went out. Then we were asked to go to another cabin where my friend and I were called separately. When I was called, the immigration officer took my photo (oh imagine how I looked at 5 AM!). Once our identity was verified, they gave us the exit stamps and our passports back.
Georgian Border
The train continued moving and it was announced that we are finally entering Georgia. After 15-20 minutes, we reached the border and the immigration officers came on board and ask for our passports again. The immigration officer asked us for a visa even if we told them that we were not required. Then I realized that our statement is incomplete. So we showed him our U.A.E. Residence Visa and only then he understood what we meant. In their language, the magic word is 'Emirati resident'. So just in case, you encounter them, just say the magic word. π
After he took our passports, the immigration officer came back to 'slightly' interrogate us. He asked us where are we going and our proof of travel documents as well as travel insurance. So we gave him our hotel booking, travel insurance certificate, travel itinerary and even our flight tickets back home. I have no idea why we were interrogated as I have not heard of this before, but one thing is for sure, prepare important documents for your trip. You may never know when will it come handy. Right after the short interrogation, we're done! We successfully crossed the border through the overnight train from Baku to Tbilisi with Azerbaijan Railways. Few more hours left and we'll reach Tbilisi Railway Station in no time!
