🚆 From Baku to Tbilisi and the Azerbaijan Border: Red Bridge, Lagodekhi, the Train

Looking at the map, seeing that Tbilisi and Baku are less than six hundred kilometres apart, and deciding to go by bus or car is a very natural thought. It used to work that way: buses between the two capitals ran every day, and people even reached Georgia from Russia through Azerbaijan. But since 2020 that land route has been closed, and most of the advice you find online is long out of date.

The picture today is different. There are flights, there is an overnight train that came back in May 2026 after a six-year break, and there is a border that only trucks cross, with queues that last for days. Let's go through it in order: how to actually get from Baku to Tbilisi, whether the route from Russia through Azerbaijan works, what is happening at Red Bridge and Lagodekhi, and how long drivers wait.

🚫 Why the Border Is Closed to People

Formally it is about a "special quarantine regime" that Azerbaijan introduced in March 2020 because of COVID-19. The pandemic was declared over long ago, but the regime keeps being extended, most recently, according to media reports, until 2 January 2027. Officials increasingly cite security rather than health.

In practice this means that you cannot enter Azerbaijan from Georgia by car, bus or on foot, neither at Red Bridge nor at Lagodekhi. Flights between the two countries operate without restrictions. And the only exception for people that has appeared in six years is the train.

🚆 The Tbilisi–Baku Train: The Only Land Route

Since 26 May 2026 a passenger train has again run between Tbilisi and Baku, for the first time in six years. Its launch was agreed during the Georgian prime minister's visit to Baku and presented as a humanitarian measure: the train is meant for people visiting relatives, while flights were for all these years the only option, and not a cheap one. The train runs daily. It is a sleeper set built by the Swiss company Stadler, not the double-decker that runs to Batumi.

The main restriction is worth knowing in advance: tickets are sold only to those who do not need a visa. Citizens of the EU, the UK and the US, who need an e-visa, cannot use the train yet. The Azerbaijani migration service reminds travellers that a visa-free stay is possible for up to 90 days, and for Russians no more than 90 days within a calendar year. If you stay longer than 15 days, you need to register at your place of residence. At Boyuk Kasik station there is even a special migration service desk to help passengers.

An overnight train is convenient: you fall asleep in Baku, step out in Tbilisi in the morning and lose no day. Don't bring more than you need, though: luggage is checked right in the compartment, and large sums of cash must be declared. How to buy tickets for Georgian trains and why card payments sometimes fail we covered in detail in how to buy a train ticket in Georgia. The principle is similar on the Azerbaijan Railways site: foreign cards are sometimes declined, and the decision is made by your bank.

✈️ From Russia to Georgia Through Azerbaijan: Does the Route Work

It used to be possible to reach Georgia through Azerbaijan by train from Moscow, by bus, and by car via Derbent. Today none of these options work. The Russia–Azerbaijan land border is closed to passengers just like the Georgian one, and the Moscow–Baku train has not run since 2020, with no launch date.

What has appeared instead is a working option that did not exist for six years: fly to Baku, then take the overnight train to Tbilisi. It suits Russians because they do not need a visa for Azerbaijan and are sold train tickets. It makes sense if tickets to Baku are cheaper than straight to Georgia, or if you want to see Baku for a couple of days on the way. If your goal is only Georgia, a direct flight is usually simpler. You can also fly from Baku to Tbilisi, about an hour in the air, so the train is a convenient option here rather than the only one.

For citizens of countries that need an e-visa it is simpler: the train is closed to them and flying remains. The e-visa is applied for in advance on Azerbaijan's official site (ASAN), and it is best not to leave it until the last day.

📏 Distance From Tbilisi to Baku

In a straight line the capitals are about 450 km apart, and by road via Ganja and Red Bridge about 560–570 km, roughly 7.5–8 hours behind the wheel. But today that figure is more useful to truck drivers: a passenger car cannot cross the border. For passengers, the real journey time is about 9.5 hours on the overnight train or about an hour by plane, not counting the trip to the airport.

🌉 Red Bridge: Where It Is and How It Works

Red Bridge is the main road crossing on the Georgia–Azerbaijan border. It is in Kvemo Kartli, on the Khrami River, on the Tbilisi–Ganja highway, in the Marneuli and Gardabani area. The crossing works around the clock, and most freight heading east, towards the Caspian and Central Asia, goes through it.

The name is historical. Beside it stands an old red-brick bridge: its present arches date from the 17th century, while a crossing has existed on this spot since the 12th. The modern bridge next to it was built in 1998 under the TRACECA project. In the 1990s a huge spontaneous market bustled here, closed in 2006. Don't confuse it with the Red Bridge in Kutaisi, which is a different place with a different story.

In front of the crossing there are licensed lots where all trucks must stop until they are called to the border. Addresses, services and prices are in our directory: Red Bridge TIR park and all Gardabani TIR parks. How the mandatory parking and the electronic queue work is described in detail in the article TIR parks in Georgia.

⏱️ The Queue at Red Bridge: How Long Trucks Wait

The queue at Red Bridge is what people search for most, and this year's figures are striking. In July 2026, on the Azerbaijani side, the AYNA agency reported 1,030 trucks in line, and on 21 August another 700. Drivers wait not for hours: according to reports, the count is in days.

It is not only a matter of the number of vehicles but of documents too. In August Azerbaijani carriers complained that they were held at Georgian customs for 15–45 days: at Red Bridge, for example, they were asked for a permit from the Ministry of Environmental Protection and then for its translation into Georgian. No official explanation was given for the delays, and these are individual cases, not the rule. But they show the main point well: at this border, problems more often begin with paperwork than with the queue.

What actually helps cut the wait is collected below.

🏔️ Lagodekhi: The Backup Crossing in Eastern Kakheti

Lagodekhi is the second major road crossing on the border with Azerbaijan. It stands in the far east of Kakheti, in the village of Matsimi in Lagodekhi Municipality, roughly 160–170 km from Tbilisi, and it too works around the clock. On the Azerbaijani side this is Balakan District.

For trucks, Lagodekhi is a good backup when there is a jam at Red Bridge. According to the AYNA report for 21 August, only 7 vehicles were waiting on the second Georgian route, against 700 at Red Bridge. The difference is huge, but the detour has a price: the road from Tbilisi is longer and runs through Kakheti. So it is best to decide on the day, after looking at the queue.

For tourists, Lagodekhi is interesting for reasons that have nothing to do with the border. It is a cosy town at the foot of the Caucasus with a national park, waterfalls and trails, which we covered in the article Lagodekhi: resort and nature, and what to see nearby is collected in the section "Where to go in Lagodekhi". Minibuses run here from the Isani bus station in Tbilisi. Just note: you can get to the town, but passengers are currently not let through at the crossing itself.

🔙 Can You Leave Azerbaijan by Land

A separate word on a question asked more often than it seems: if you are already in Azerbaijan, can you return to Georgia over land, not by train? Sources disagree. Some report that foreigners can leave through Red Bridge or through Samur towards Russia. Others say that exit to Georgia is officially forbidden, although travellers sometimes report successful attempts. There is no single picture, and the rules change without warning, so don't plan a return by land until you have checked the conditions with the Azerbaijani migration service or your embassy. There are two reliable options right now: the train, if it is sold to you, and a plane.

Travelled between Baku and Tbilisi by train, or passed Red Bridge and Lagodekhi in a truck? Tell us on Madloba how the border went, how long you stood and what they asked at customs. Rules and queues here change faster than official announcements appear, so fresh experience from travellers and drivers helps everyone else.

The information is current as of the end of September 2026. The regime on Azerbaijan's land border is extended by government decision, and conditions may change without notice. The schedule, prices and ticket sales rules for the Tbilisi–Baku train are set by Azerbaijan Railways, so check ady.az before you travel. The truck queue data relate to July and August 2026 and show the scale, not the current situation.