Cable cars, mountain lakes, and Azerbaijan's main ski and adventure base
Gabala trades Sheki's historic architecture for mountain air and outdoor activity. Sitting at the base of the Greater Caucasus, it's developed fast over the past fifteen years into Azerbaijan's main resort town for skiing, cable cars, and short hiking trails, while still keeping orchards and forest right up against the edge of the developed centre.
It pairs naturally with Sheki on a northern-loop itinerary — a shorter drive between the two than either takes from Baku, and a useful contrast: one night of history, one night of mountain air.
Gabala was the capital of ancient Caucasian Albania over two thousand years ago, and ruins from that period sit in the Gabala Archaeological Reserve a short drive from the modern town centre — far less visited than the natural attractions, and a useful counterweight if the cable car queue looks long.