Gabala

Gabala takes its name from the capital of Caucasian Albania, whose earth walls and excavated foundations lie well outside the modern town, to the south-west, at Chukhur Qabala. The town itself, called Kutkashen until Azerbaijan's independence, has grown into a mountain resort: hotels along the approach roads, a cable car system running up to Tufandag, and a set of side valleys leading to lakes and waterfalls. It is where Baku goes for the weekend, which means it is busy in season and quiet the rest of the time, and the mountains behind it are the real reason to come.

What's there

• Tufandag cable car - lifts running from the town up to around two thousand metres, working in both seasons.
• The ancient site - earth ramparts and excavated foundations of the Caucasian Albanian capital.
• The side valleys - Nohur, Yeddi Gozel and Vandam, each a short drive from town.
• The forest - dense beech and hornbeam on the lower slopes, at its best in autumn.

When to go

May to October for walking and the valleys, with autumn colour in October the best of it. December to March brings skiing on Tufandag. Weekends and public holidays fill the town; midweek is much quieter.

Practical notes

The modern town is built for tourism and has little character of its own; the interest is around it rather than in it. The cable car queues badly in season and closes in high wind. Hotel prices swing sharply between weekday and weekend.

Nearby

Nohur Lake and the Yeddi Gozel waterfall are both within twenty minutes, and Sheki is an hour and a half west.