Azerbaijan›Shamakhi, Gabala & Sheki›Gabala›December
Gabala in December
Good month: December is at the start of the recommended season (May – September, December – February). Plan around: Ski Season: Book Resort Hotels Early. New Year holidays can fall this month.
The season runs to the end of February, 2 months away.
2 days in Gabala in December · from ₹13,907 for two
Stay, food & local travel; getting there extra
Before you book December
Closures, crowds and rules at Gabala this month.
Heads up
Stay Out of the Border Zones and Karabakh
Stay away from the Armenian and Iranian border areas, and do not go to Karabakh and the districts around it without an organised, permitted trip: there are landmines. The places in this plan are far from both.
Heads up
Ski Season: Book Resort Hotels Early
The ski season at Shahdag and Tufandag runs from about December to March, snow permitting. Resort hotels are dearest and fullest over New Year, at weekends and on Novruz; ski passes, rental and lessons are extra. Snow chains or a 4x4 may be needed on the last stretch of road.
What’s on in December
Timing a trip around these changes what you pay and what you can book.
New Year holidays2026: 31 Dec
New Year's Eve fireworks on the Baku Boulevard, and the busiest week of the ski season at Shahdag and Tufandag (Gabala): resort hotels sell out and cost most from about 28 December to the first days of January.
What it costs
For two sharing a room; 2 days on the ground, getting there not included.
Budget
₹13,907 for two
- Room a night₹3,360
- Food a day, each₹1,456
- Main sight entry, each₹1,400
Mid-range
₹29,022 for two
- Room a night₹7,840
- Food a day, each₹3,360
- Main sight entry, each₹1,400
Luxury
₹62,502 for two
- Room a night₹17,920
- Food a day, each₹7,840
- Main sight entry, each₹1,400
Totals cover the room (taxes included), food, local transport, entry and a 10% buffer: the figures the planner opens on. These are typical rates; Tourisma has no month-by-month rates for Azerbaijan yet, so they don't move with the month.
Getting there
Fly into Baku (GYD), 181 km away
Then: Transfer · 3h 30m (Taxi or car with driver, per vehicle)
Flights from India: from 9 cities, one way from ₹14,000
Routes compared
Entry rules
E-visa before you fly for up to 30 days, about ₹2,480
- Apply for the ASAN e-visa at evisa.gov.az at least a week before you fly: single entry, up to 30 days. The government fee is US$20 for the standard e-visa (about 3 working days) and US$50 for the urgent one (about 3 hours); budget up to about US$26 (about ₹2,480) in case a service charge is added at payment. There is no visa on arrival for Indian passports.
- Fly in: with an e-visa you enter by air (Baku). Land borders are closed to travellers on an e-visa; the Georgia train is only for passports that need no visa.
- At Baku airport show your passport and the e-visa printout; keep your return ticket and hotel booking to hand.
- Staying more than 15 days? Your hotel registers you with the State Migration Service; in a private flat, register online yourself.
Carry: Passport valid for at least 3 months beyond the e-visa's expiry (6 months is safer); ASAN e-visa (PDF printout); Return or onward ticket; Hotel bookings; Travel insurance (recommended).
The official government fee is US$20 (urgent US$50); guides quote US$23-26 with service charges. Apply only on the official site, not on look-alike agency sites that charge several times more. Anyone who has visited Karabakh through Armenia is refused entry.
Checked 2026-10; confirm with the embassy before you fly.
Elsewhere in Azerbaijan in December
Also in season this month.
- Shahdag Mountain Resort · good month
Nearby in Shamakhi, Gabala & Sheki:
Want this as a real plan?
Gabala in December, day by day, priced for your group.