Azerbaijan
Sumgait travel guide
Sumgait is a city in Azerbaijan, home to about 423,000 people.
- Best months
- May, June, September and October
- Nearest airport
- GYD35 km · Heydar Aliyev International Airport
- Currency
- AZNAzerbaijani manat
- Time zone
- Asia/Baku
- Language
- Azerbaijani, Azerbaijani Sign Language
About
About Sumgait
Sumgait, officially Sumqayit;; is a city in Azerbaijan, located near the Caspian Sea, on the Absheron Peninsula, about 31 kilometres (19 miles) away from the capital Baku. The city had a population of 427,000 at the beginning of 2024, making it the second largest city in Azerbaijan after Baku.
Sumqayit was one of the biggest industrial cities of its time during the Soviet Union era. There were nearly 90 heavy-to-medium industrial plants but nowadays only 5 or 6 of them remain. The city was planned and built in 1950s so that the industrial zone was 3-4 km away from residential areas in an unsuccessful attempt to minimize the pollution effects on people. This is why the coast line of the city consists of so much green area.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Hotels in Sumgait
1 hotel within 25 km of the centre, as recorded in Wikidata. Each name links to its encyclopedia article where there is one.
| Hotel | Opened | From centre |
|---|---|---|
| AF Hotel | 9.4 km |
When to go
The best time to visit Sumgait
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Sumgait are May, June, September and October. August is the warmest month, with average highs of 31 °C; November is the wettest, with about 32 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Sumgait: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Heydar Aliyev International Airport (GYD), about 35 km from the city centre in a straight line.
Getting in
It is around 45 km (27 miles) from Baku, or a 1-hr drive away by bus. There are direct marshrutkas from Ismailli for 4.20 manat. Since gas prices are as low as water prices in Azerbaijan, only an estimated cost of 10 manat should be expected for a ride from Baku to Sumqayit by taxi. You can bargain though, and the taxi drives can go as low as 7 manat—some travellers even reported 3.50 manat. It is around 45 km (30-40 min) from Baku center Targovi to Sumqayit coast (Göyercin).
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
GYD · Heydar Aliyev International Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Sumgait
Drink
For an authentic experience, there are a few board game cafés in town, where you can drink tea and watch the locals (mostly elder men) play games. Ask a local if you cannot seem to find them.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Sumgait: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Sumgait?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Sumgait are May, June, September and October. August is the warmest month, with average highs of 31 °C; November is the wettest, with about 32 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Sumgait?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Heydar Aliyev International Airport (GYD), about 35 km from the city centre in a straight line.
What currency is used in Sumgait?
Azerbaijani manat (AZN).
Nearby
Destinations near Sumgait
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.