Travelling between Baku and Tbilisi by rail is about to get easier. From 1 November 2026, Azerbaijan Railways (ADY) will run four trains a day on the Baku–Tbilisi–Baku line instead of two. The new daytime services come with a cheaper standard class from 36 AZN. Tickets for the extra trains went on sale on 2 October 2026, according to ADY’s statement to the Azerbaijani news agency Report.
The overnight sleeper between the two capitals only returned in May 2026, after a six-year break. Demand has been strong enough for ADY to add a second pair of trains. The number of seats on the route will rise from 386 to 564 a day, nearly 50% more capacity.
What changes on 1 November 2026
- Four trains a day: two in each direction, a night train and a new daytime train.
- Daytime travel: you can now travel from Baku to Tbilisi in daylight, and from Tbilisi to Baku overnight. Until now, each direction had only one option.
- New standard class: the former platzkart (open sleeper) coaches return as “standard class”, with fares up to 30% lower than the current cheapest ticket.
- More seats: 564 seats a day instead of 386.
- Stricter online booking: every ADY account must now be verified before you can buy a ticket (see below).
New Baku–Tbilisi train timetable (from 1 November 2026)
| Train | Departs | Arrives | Journey time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baku → Tbilisi (new day train) | Baku 09:10 | Tbilisi 19:11, same day | About 10 h |
| Baku → Tbilisi (night train) | Baku 23:00 | Tbilisi 08:41, next day | About 9 h 40 min |
| Tbilisi → Baku (day train) | Tbilisi 11:00 | Baku 20:26, same day | About 9 h 30 min |
| Tbilisi → Baku (new night train) | Tbilisi 22:00 | Baku 07:57, next day | About 10 h |
Times are local. Georgia and Azerbaijan are both on UTC+4, so there’s no time difference.
Fares: how much is the Baku–Tbilisi train?
The new standard-class fares on the additional trains start at:
| Boarding station in Azerbaijan | Minimum one-way fare to Tbilisi |
|---|---|
| Baku | 54 AZN |
| Yevlakh | 44 AZN |
| Ganja | 41 AZN |
| Aghstafa | 38 AZN |
| Boyuk Kasik (border station) | 36 AZN |
For comparison, the cheapest comfort-class seat in the current Stadler sleeper costs 77.50 AZN from Baku and 56.80 AZN from Ganja. For a Baku–Tbilisi ticket, the new standard class saves about 23.50 AZN each way.
How to buy Baku–Tbilisi train tickets online
Tickets are sold through the Azerbaijan Railways website and the ADY Mobile app, and every account now has to be verified before you can pay. ADY says the change is meant to stop ticket misuse and make online purchases more secure.
- Azerbaijani citizens and residents verify their account with MyGov ID, the national digital ID, by entering their FIN code in their profile.
- Foreign citizens select their country of citizenship and enter a phone number from that country. ADY sends a one-time code (OTP) by SMS. Once the number is verified, you can edit your personal details and book.
- Existing accounts must also verify their phone number by OTP before buying a ticket, even if you’ve booked with ADY before.
In practice, foreign travellers need a phone with their home SIM, or roaming switched on, so the SMS code arrives. Some travellers also report that the ADY site works more reliably from inside the region.
Official ADY links:
- Baku–Tbilisi–Baku train: route page and tickets
- Azerbaijan Railways ticket portal
- Azerbaijan Railways (ADY) official website
- The ADY Mobile app, in the App Store and Google Play
Important: special travel requirements for foreign citizens
Before you book, check that you’re actually allowed to cross into Azerbaijan by train. This is the most common pitfall on this route.
Azerbaijan has kept its land borders closed to most passenger entry since 2020. When the Baku–Tbilisi train relaunched in May 2026, it ran as a limited exception, not a full reopening. Reports at the time said entering Azerbaijan by train was limited to Azerbaijani citizens and foreigners with visa-free access to Azerbaijan. Travellers who need an e-visa (including citizens of the EU, UK, US, Australia and New Zealand) could not use the train to enter Azerbaijan. The latest extension of the land-border rules we could find ran until 1 October 2026, and no new decision had been published when this article went live.
What this means for you:
- Travelling Baku → Tbilisi (leaving Azerbaijan): this direction has been the easier one, since foreigners have been allowed to leave Azerbaijan overland. You need a valid passport and a valid Azerbaijani visa or visa-free stay for the time you were in the country.
- Travelling Tbilisi → Baku (entering Azerbaijan): check the current rules before you buy a ticket. If you need an Azerbaijani e-visa, you may not be allowed through at the Boyuk Kasik border, even with a valid ticket.
- Entering Georgia: since 1 January 2026, foreign visitors to Georgia must hold health and accident insurance valid for their whole stay. Carry proof of it on the train.
Documents to carry on either direction:
- A passport valid for your whole trip.
- An Azerbaijani visa or e-visa, if you need one (from the official e-visa portal), printed on paper.
- Health and accident insurance for Georgia.
- Your ticket and the phone you used to verify your ADY account.
Border checks take place on board at night or during the day stop. Georgian officers board at Gardabani and Azerbaijani officers at Boyuk Kasik. Allow about two hours in total.
Our advice: if you’re travelling Tbilisi to Baku on a foreign passport, contact the Azerbaijani embassy or check ADY’s route page before you pay. Rules on this border have changed several times in 2026.
What this means for travellers to Georgia
Baku and Tbilisi now make an easy two-country trip by rail, and the new daytime train turns the journey into a sightseeing day rather than a lost night. The day train runs through western Azerbaijan’s farmland and the foothills toward Ganja, and arrives in Tbilisi in time for dinner. On the night train, you wake up in Tbilisi with a full day ahead.
If you’re arriving in Tbilisi from Baku, here are some easy first steps:
- Your first day: explore the Old Town on our Tbilisi city tour, or read our Tbilisi travel guide.
- Wine country: Kakheti lies on the road back toward the Azerbaijani border. Our Kakheti in One Day and David Gareja and Sighnaghi tours leave from Tbilisi.
- The mountains: a day on the Georgian Military Highway with our Kazbegi tour from Tbilisi.
- Plan a longer trip: tell us your train dates and we’ll build a private itinerary around them. Plan my trip
For visa, money and safety basics before you cross, see our essential travel tips for Georgia.
Frequently asked questions
How many trains run between Baku and Tbilisi?
From 1 November 2026, four trains a day: a day train and a night train in each direction. Before that date, there’s one train each way: overnight from Baku and daytime from Tbilisi.
How long is the train from Baku to Tbilisi?
About 9.5–10 hours. The new day train leaves Baku at 09:10 and arrives in Tbilisi at 19:11. The night train leaves Baku at 23:00 and arrives at 08:41.
How much is a train ticket from Baku to Tbilisi?
The new standard class starts at 54 AZN one way from Baku, or 36 AZN from Boyuk Kasik at the border. The cheapest comfort-class seat in the Stadler sleeper costs 77.50 AZN from Baku.
Can foreigners take the train from Tbilisi to Baku?
It depends on your nationality and the current Azerbaijani land-border rules. Since the train relaunched in May 2026, entry to Azerbaijan by train has been limited, and travellers who need an e-visa have been turned away. Check the latest rules with ADY or the Azerbaijani embassy before buying a ticket.
How do foreigners buy tickets on the ADY website?
Register on the ADY website or app, choose your country of citizenship and verify a phone number from that country with an SMS code. Once your account is verified, you can buy tickets online.
When do tickets for the new trains go on sale?
Tickets for the additional Baku–Tbilisi–Baku services went on sale on 2 October 2026, for travel from 1 November 2026.
