For Adventure Seekers: Azerbaijan.

Many Silk Road destinations claim to be “the place where the east meets the west,” but Azerbaijan has the best geographical claim to that title. The capital, Baku, is somewhat like Dubai: It’s ripe with old world charm and modern-day glitz, but it’s the adventurous day trips outside the city that you may remember.

How much time you’ll need: Three to five days.

What to see and do: Baku’s winding streets, a Unesco World Heritage Site, are packed elbow-to-elbow with matching stone buildings that date to the 12th century; some of the original caravanserais still stand and have been converted into fine-dining spots.

The outer city was built by imperial Russians with impressive Baroque, Gothic, and postmodern buildings lining massive, gridded boulevards. Downtown are skyscrapers pulled from a futuristic era. Then get out of town. From the new port of Alat, take a beautiful ferry ride across the Caspian Sea to Kazakhstan or Turkmenbashi in Turkmenistan. Hit Gobustan National Park, an hour’s drive from Baku.

Where to stay: Fairmont, JW Marriott, and Four Seasons all have solid options in town.