Crossing the Caspian Sea by ferry

You can cross the Caspian Sea by ferry, but do not expect a normal passenger service. These ships mainly carry cargo. Some sailings also take foot passengers, cyclists, motorcyclists, and drivers, but there is no reliable timetable. You may not know whether a ship will take passengers until shortly before it leaves.^{1 2}

Important: At present, you should plan only an eastbound crossing from Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs lists entry by air and, for eligible travelers, by train from Georgia. It does not list entry by sea.³ Before trying to travel in the opposite direction, check the latest border rules.

Which route can you take?

Travelers have recently used two routes from Alat:

You may also see references to a ferry between Olya in Russia and Turkmenbashi. However, there is almost no recent information for travelers. A 2019 report suggested that the Berkarar vessel was using the route, and an official source reported that the Bagtyyar vessel carried trucks on it in 2024.^{10 11} This does not show that travelers can currently buy a ticket.

Where to find more information

This page gives you the general picture. Use the other guides for the details:

• For the whole trip, read the Alat–Kuryk guide or the Alat–Turkmenbashi guide. They cover tickets, prices, boarding, time on board, and arrival.
• The Alat port guide explains how to get there from Baku, where to find the ticket offices, and what to expect while waiting.
• If you are going to Kazakhstan, the Kuryk port guide explains immigration and how to continue to Aktau, about 100 km away.
• The ASCO guide explains online booking and paper-ticket collection for Alat–Kuryk, ticket-office sales for Alat–Turkmenbashi, contacts, and vessel tracking.
• The ASCO ships guide describes the differences travelers noticed between ships.
• If a Turkmen ship is operating your crossing, read the Merchant Marine Fleet guide for its booking process, reported prices, contacts, and ships.

Whichever route you choose, keep several days free for delays and avoid non-refundable onward connections. The route guides cover what to bring, conditions aboard, arrival procedures and onward transport.

Sources

1. https://caravanistan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=69732#p69732; report by tr8lina, 30 August 2026 ↩ ↩²

2. https://caravanistan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=66183#p66183; report by bristolian_cat, 30 September 2025, describing a 28–29 September 2025 crossing ↩ ↩²

3. https://mfa.gov.az/en/category/covid-19-pandemiyasi-ile-elaqedar-azerbaycan-respublikasina-giris-qaydalar/covid-19-pandemiyasi-ile-elaqedar-azerbaycan-respublikasina-giris-qaydalari; Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, current entry rules; accessed 4 September 2026 ↩

4. https://caravanistan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=68112#p68112; report by Yann, 16 May 2026, describing a crossing earlier that month ↩

5. https://cabinet.asco.az/passenger-ticket; ASCO passenger booking interface, currently limited to Alat–Kuryk–Alat; accessed 4 September 2026 ↩ ↩²

6. https://caravanistan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=64737#p64737; report by Jakob, 4 July 2025, describing a June 2025 Alat–Turkmenbashi crossing ↩

7. https://caravanistan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=65109#p65109; report by Jonas666, 22 July 2025 ↩

8. https://asco.az/en/pages/66; ASCO passenger fares, ticket-office contacts, ticket collection and refund information; accessed 4 September 2026 ↩

9. https://www.tmrl.gov.tm/en/news/article/136; State Service of Maritime and River Transportation of Turkmenistan, information on MMF's Bagtyyar and Berkarar Ro-Pax ferries and the Turkmenbashi–Baku (Alat) route; accessed 4 September 2026 ↩

10. https://caravanistan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=33658#p33658; report by 2019silkroad, 18 September 2019 ↩

11. https://www.tmrl.gov.tm/en/news/article/571; State Service of Maritime and River Transportation of Turkmenistan, report about Bagtyyar sailing to Olya on 10 April 2024; accessed 4 September 2026 ↩