The 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix runs September 24–26, and this year the race itself is on Saturday the 26th — not the usual Sunday (it was moved to respect Remembrance Day on September 27). The Baku City Circuit is a true street track: 6 km of public roads along the seafront Neftchilar Avenue and around the walls of the old city. Spectacular to watch — and disruptive to move through. Here is what race week does to getting around, and how to plan your transfers.
Streets inside and around the circuit close progressively in the days before the race — in 2025 the area within the track was fully closed from about a week before race day, with some sections restricted even earlier. Only residents with permits can enter the closed zone, and the few "transit corridors" that stay open prohibit stopping, pickup, and drop-off. Exact 2026 closure dates are published on bakucitycircuit.com closer to the event.
In practice this means three things: traffic across the center gets heavier all week, ride-hailing prices surge exactly when tens of thousands of fans need cars, and if your hotel is near the track a car may simply not be able to reach the door.
Heydar Aliyev Airport (GYD) is 25 km from the center — normally 30–40 minutes. During race week, allow up to an hour at peak times.
Bolt / Uber: works, but expect serious surge pricing around fan arrival days and after sessions, plus pickup chaos at the terminal when several flights of fans land together.
Airport Express bus: unaffected by closures on its route to 28 May station, and 28 May is actually well placed for the circuit — but with luggage and a hotel still to reach, it's the slow option.
Private transfer: our prices stay fixed during F1 week — $20 sedan, $30 SUV, $40 minivan per car, no surge. The driver tracks your flight, meets you in arrivals with a name sign, and waits free for 60 minutes. If your hotel sits inside the closed zone, the driver takes you to the nearest reachable point and coordinates the last steps with you on WhatsApp — we run this city every day and know exactly which corners stay open.
Book your F1 airport transfer, fixed price — confirmation in about a minute, free cancellation, pay the driver in cash.
Don't take a car to the track — nothing can stop near it. The metro is the race-week workhorse: Icheri Sheher and Sahil stations sit right by the circuit zones, and 28 May is a short walk from the fan areas. Trains run frequently and closures don't affect them. From most central hotels you can simply walk.
The race ends Saturday evening, and Sunday is the heaviest departure day at GYD. Book your return transfer in advance rather than gambling on surge pricing with a flight to catch — your driver picks you up at an agreed reachable point at a fixed time.
With the race on Saturday, many fans have a spare day. It's exactly enough for the mountains: Shahdag, Gabala, or Guba are each about 2.5–3 hours away, and a daily car with driver turns the extra day into the best part of the trip — cool mountain air after three days of city streets and engines.
See also: Baku Airport to city center transfer — fixed price from $20
September 24–26, 2026. The race itself is on Saturday, September 26 — moved off Sunday to respect Remembrance Day on the 27th.
About 25 km — normally 30–40 minutes by car. During race week allow up to an hour at peak times.
Ride-hailing apps surge heavily around fan arrivals and after sessions. A pre-booked transfer stays at the same fixed $20–$40 per car all week.
If the hotel is inside the closed circuit zone — no. Your driver takes you to the nearest reachable point and coordinates the last steps on WhatsApp.
Progressively in the days before the race — in 2025, the area inside the track closed about a week ahead. Exact 2026 dates are published on bakucitycircuit.com.
Metro or on foot. Icheri Sheher and Sahil stations sit right by the circuit; cars cannot stop near the track.