Pretty much the whole world was put on pause during the pandemic, and while most things have since returned to normal, it’s taken until now for an iconic rail route to return.
The journey in question is the 580km stretch between Baku in Azerbaijan and Tbilisi in Georgia which, in the pre-pandemic era, was traversed using, shall we say, dated Soviet-era carriages.
It stopped operations when Azerbaijan closed its land borders, but on May 25, the train began trundling along the tracks for the first time since 2020.
According to Wanderlust, new rolling stock from Swiss manufacturer Stadler has replaced the retro models, and now 200 beds over three ticket classes are on offer, as well as a dining car and VIP lounge.
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Reaching a maximum speed of 90km per hour, the entire journey takes around nine and a half hours. Departing from Baku, the service departs at 11.10pm and arrives the following morning at 8.41am, and in the opposite direction, the train leaves earlier at 9pm and arrives promptly at 6.24am.
Tickets range from £37-83, and you can either book at Baku Railway Station or online via the Azerbaijan Railways website.
There is just one slight catch. While we love to hear that the service has relaunched, Azerbaijan is yet to completely reopen its land borders, meaning that only people with visa-free access to the country or who are citizens can utilise the relaunch. Below is a list of countries from which citizens are entitled to visa-free entry to Azerbaijan:
For up to 90 days:
- Belarus
- Georgia
- Kazakhstan
- Kyrgyzstan
- Moldova
- Qatar
- Russia
- Serbia
- Tajikistan
- Türkiye
- Ukraine
- Uzbekistan
For up to 30 days, three times per year:
More information can be found about Azerbaijan’s visa rules on the official government website.
Otherwise, if you require an e-visa (travellers from the EU, UK, Australia and New Zealand do), you’ll have to wait and see what the outcome of the country’s land border restrictions are when they’re reviewed on July 1.
🚂 In the meantime, have a read about the most exciting new train journeys launching throughout 2026.
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Plus: One of Europe’s longest train routes will launch next month, connecting multiple major cities.
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