How to cross the Azerbaijan Georgia border from Balakan to Lagodheki. 

Crossing the Azerbaijan Georgia border at the northern border crossing from Balakan to Lagodheki is straightforward and just so happens to be most beautiful border crossing we have ever done. 

We crossed from Azerbaijan to Gerogia starting in Sheki (AZ) and finishing in Sighnaghi (GEO) from Balakan to Lagodheki. 

Here is everything you need to know about the Lagodheki border crossing. 

About the Azerbaijan Georgia border

Now (2024) while you can fly into Azerbaijan without restrictions and exit via land or sea, you cannot enter via a land or sea border.

Azerbaijan has kept its land and sea borders closed for entry since the beginning of the pandemic.

There are two crossings on the Azerbaijan Georgia border: 

• Balakan / Lagodekhi: Connecting Sheki (AZ) and Sighnaghi (GEO).
• Tsiteli/Red Bridge – Shikhli/Sixli: Connecting Qazax (AZ) and Rustavi (GEO).

This guide details how to cross the Azerbaijan Georgia border from Balakan to Lagodheki (starting in Sheki and ending in Sighnaghi).  

Getting to the Azerbaijan Georgia border from Sheki

We crossed the Azerbaijan Georgia border from Balakan to Lagodheki (starting in Sheki and ending in Sighnaghi).  

The first step of the border crossing from Azerbaijan to Georgia is to get to the border town of Balakan/Belakan.  

From the Central Bus Station in Sheki (Sheki Avtovagzal) you need to find the marshrutka (mini bus) to Balakan.  

Each marshrutka will have a sign in the front window stating the destination. 

What time does the bus from Sheki to Belakan depart? 

In Sheki, there are two buses per day between Sheki and Balakan.  

• Buses depart at 10:00am and 2:00pm.  

And it pays to get there at least 30 mins in advance to secure a (good) seat. Despite being scheduled to depart at that time the marshrutka departs when it is full.

If the van is full, it will leave earlier than scheduled and likewise it might hang around for an extra 20-30 minutes until all the seats are sold.

How long does it take to Belakan? 

The marshrutka (mini bus) from Sheki to Balakan takes 2 hours. 

And, I have to add that this 2 hours’ drive and border crossing from Azerbaijan to Georgia is by far the most beautiful scenery we have ever experienced on a border crossing road. 

How much does it cost to get from Sheki to Balakan? 

A marshrutka from Sheki to Balakan costs 5 AZN ($3 USD).   

About the Sheki Avtovagzal.  Are there shops to stock up for the journey from Sheki to the Azerbaijan Georgia border? 

Yes. The Sheki Avtovagzal (Bus Station) has small tea shops, cafes and kiosks.

A bottle of water costs 0.50 AZN (0.30 $USD) and there is a selection of packaged and baked snacks at the kiosks.

There are toilets at the far end of the complex.  It costs 0.20 AZN to use the public toilets. 

Are there any stops between Sheki and Balakan? 

The bus only stops to pick up or drop off passengers en route to Balakan. 

The drive is a smooth and steady pace.  Well, smooth apart from the potholes but truly they are cancelled out by the beautiful views of snow on the mountain tops, fruit trees and orchards, horse and cards and sheep and cattle in herds along the roadside. 

The only large town you pass through is Zaqatala.  And from here you are about 40 minutes onwards to Balakan. 

Getting to the border from Balakan

In Balakan you will be dropped at a large open bus stop and taxi terminal.

There are shared taxis (waiting) to choose from and you can negotiate (attempt to) and agree on a price to take you to the Azerbaijan Georgia border.

We paid 4 AZN per person ($2.35 USD) for a shared taxi to the border terminal. 

The drive is just 16km from Balakan to the border. 

Crossing the Azerbaijan Georgia border

The Azerbaijan Georgia border crossing at Lagodekhi is the most northern and remote border crossing.  We crossed the border from Azerbaijan to Georgia in mid-2023 and at this stage the border is only open one-way for tourists (crossing from Azerbaijan to Georgia).  

The marshrutka will drop you outside the large gates to the border terminal.  Because this crossing is not used much (at the moment) it appears closed (the gates are all locked).  But a guard will come and unlock the entry, sight your passports and you begin the long walk up a one-way outdoor corridor to passport control.  

Exiting from Azerbaijan to Georgia is straightforward.  At the end of the corridor you enter the border terminal office and have your bags x-rayed.  An officer will stamp your passport and ask if you enjoyed your time in Azerbaijan. 

And off you go into No-Man’s Land towards the Georgia terminal. 

Exiting on the Georgian side

To get from the Azerbaijan exit to the Georgian border terminal walk across the bridge (and past the line of friendly waiting truck drivers).

It may seem in stark contrast but you enter an air conditioned and rather fancy terminal building with a small duty free stop, baggage x-ray machine and then passport control and customs.

It is all straightforward and you exit into a lobby with an ATM and toilets available.

Can you exchange or withdraw money at the Azerbaijan Georgia border? 

Yes.  And yes, to both.  

Our Visa card worked first try to withdraw money at the Georgia border terminal.  

And on exiting outside there is first a lineup of taxis waiting with a small shop and money exchange just beyond.

• Tip: Here you can change your leftover Azerbaijani Manat into Georgian Lari.

Getting from Lagodheki to Sighnaghi

The process of getting to Tbilisi from the Azerbaijan Georgia border will be the same.  However, our day of travel and border crossing was ending in Sighnaghi. 

We were quoted 80 GEL for the four of us to get from the border to Sighnaghi.  

However, the easiest way (and what we can now recommend) is to get a border taxi from just outside to the nearby border town of Lagodheki. 

From Lagodheki you then have the option to take a smaller shared taxi to Sighnaghi or a marshrutka (mini bus) to Tbilisi. 

Be sure to negotiate a fair price for everyone.  

We teamed up with two other travellers (friendly backpackers from Hong Kong) and shared a taxi from Lagodheki to Sighnaghi for 50 GEL. 

• Tip: The drive from Lagodheki to Sighnaghi takes around 50 minutes.

Can you buy a SIM card at the Azerbaijan Georgia border? 

We did see signs in the small border kiosk shop (just outside the border by the money exchange) for a SIM card. But we didn’t investigate any further.

It is easy enough (as long as you know the name of your destination) to navigate a taxi and transport onwards without. SIM cards are always more expensive at the border.

A SIM card for Azerbaijan is available in Sighnaghi or more easily if you are heading onwards to Tbilisi.

Where we stayed before and after crossing the Azerbaijan Georgia border

We had a great stay on either side of the Azerbaijan Georgia border and I can recommend both guesthouses!

• Baku, Azerbaijan – Maajid Hotel
  A great location within the Old City walls of Baku! We really enjoyed the friendly staff and a great breakfast included each morning.

• Sheki, Azerbaijan – Tubram Hotel
  We had a great stay at Tubram! The lovely lady manager is very friendly and welcoming and will send you a message on WhatsApp to check your arrival time. We arrived off the bus from Baku to Sheki and the manager sent instructions and was there waiting for us. We had a beautiful breakfast each morning and the hotel even made a birthday cake for Harry!

• Sighnaghi, Georgia – Nato & Lado
  The friendliest guesthouse in Sighnaghi! Only a small, basic guesthouse but with a beautiful view from the shared verandah and breakfast is available. Owner Lado and her family will make sure you are well welcomed to Georgia.

• Tbilisi: Kindli Hotel
  A very friendly small boutique hotel in Tbilisi. Only a few metres from the famous Clock Tower! Beautiful buffet breakfast and a balcony with chairs that is perfect in the evening with live music. Highly recommend.

Any last words of advice? 

If you hadn’t considered going to Sighnaghi before then we can recommend a stop for the night.

Sighnaghi is a beautiful hilltop town and the capital of Georgia’s Kakheti wine region. You could easily spend a couple of days here exploring and it makes for an achievable distance from the border (and with lots of accommodation options).

You could screenshot or note down the exchange rates before crossing.  And if you aren’t confident with the destination names it could be handy to have saved the written translation for bus station and SIM card in Georgian if you need.  

We found people (including taxi drivers) to be friendly and more than helpful.

A special thank you to the lady at the peach stand in Lagodheki for tell the taxi drivers off for trying to overcharge us. (In exchange we spent the money we saved on peaches from her fruit stall!).

Useful links for your travels in Georgia and beyond…

These are the companies we use while traveling fulltime as a family and that we would recommend to anyone planning and booking travel. 

• Booking.com – The best all-around accommodation booking site that constantly provides the cheapest and lowest rates. They have the widest selection of budget accommodation and it’s easy to filter and sort into price and availability with all the extras you are looking for personally. (We love their flexible cancellation policy!).
• Skyscanner– This is by far our favourite flight search engine. They are able to search small websites and budget airlines that larger search sites often miss. We book all our flights through Skyscanner.  
• GetYourGuide– Get Your Guide is a huge online marketplace for tours and excursions offered all around the world including everything from walking tours, to street-food tours, cooking classes, desert safari’s and more!
• SafetyWing – A global travel insurance that covers people from all over the world while outside their home country. You can buy it short or longterm; and even if you are out of the country. 
• World Nomads – Travel insurance tailored for longterm travel and nomads (including those who have already left home). 

Read more about traveling in Central Asia

• Buses in Georgia: Getting from Tbilisi to Kazbegi.
• What makes Silk Road flatbreads so fabled? 
• Uzbekistan: A complete travel guide to Uzbekistan. 
• The greatest gift of travel: We found it in Uzbekistan. 
• 5 Reasons we loved Kyrgyzstan (and why you need to visit).
• Kyrgyz’ what? A complete travel guide to Kyrgyzstan. 
• Exploring Khiva, our favourite Silk Road city.
• Visiting human disaster at the disappearing Aral Sea in Muynak.
• ‘Vodka, Plov and Non’: 12 best Uzbek Food experiences.