Incredible historical sites, landscapes, food, infinite hospitality, Iran is a magic box to be discovered. Here you will learn everything you can do in a two week itinerary Iran. The best place to start is in the crowded capital, Tehran, easy to get flights and a good place to begin tasting the country hospitality.
Tehran (3 days)
On arrival in the international airport is possible to buy a sim-card from MTN for about 3 dollars with 5GB of internet. I bought mine the Imam Khomeini metro station in the city, so for the same price they gave me 20 GB. Keep in mind that Friday is weekend in Iran, so you better not arrive this day if you need to buy something in specific.
Important applications for your phone include VPN and Snapp. The first app will be needed if you want to access many websites that are blocked by the government such as Facebook and Couchsurfing. The second is the Iranian version of UBER. Believe me or not, an half an hour taxi ride will cost you less then 1 dollar! From the airport a taxi cost around 10 USD to the city, which is quite reasonable price for the distance, if you get your data mobile in airport and use Snapp, the ride will be half price.
Also keep in mind that the subway system is big, cheap and efficient, but a bit crowded in rush hours. Get your subway card, on arrival that will be your best companion during your stay in Tehran, specially because the capital is famous for its traffic jams.
The highlights of Tehran include Golestan palace, Azadi Tower and the Grand Bazaar, considered the biggest of its kind in the whole world.
Golestan palace has many rooms and for less than one dollar each you can visit all of them, separate at least half a day to spend inside its facilities.
The Azadi Tower, formerly known as the Shahyad Tower, is a monument located at Azadi Square. It is one of the landmarks of Tehran, marking the west entrance to the city, and is part of the Azadi Cultural Complex, which also includes a museum underground
Spend at least half a day or even a day if you like local markets in the Grand Bazaar. It is a big market with all sorts of products and it’s architecture is quite traditional.
Others sites include the closed embassy of USA, Tabiat Bridge, Milad Tower, City Theater, parks in the city, etc.
Don’t forget to taste the local breads available everywhere in streets traditional bakeries.
The bus system between cities are great, mostly VIP buses and you will pay around 3 dollars for a 500km trip. Some of them offer food and great space. Keep in mind that the buses never leave on time, so if your ticket says the bus leaves at 11 be sure that you will be out of the terminal ate least half an hour after.
To Isfahan the best bus terminal is reachable by metro and the station is called South Terminal.
Isfahan (3 days)
The city of Isfahan is famous for its bridges and mosques. Also know for its traditional painting art in aluminum plates.
The highlight of the city is the Naghsh-e Jahan Square, one of the largest city squares in the world. The bazaar is around the entire square and good place to buy sourvenirs.
The Shah Mosque also know as Royal Mosque is a UNESCO Heritage site built during the Safavid dynasty. Its construction began in 1611, and its splendour is mainly due to the beauty of its seven-colour mosaic tiles and calligraphic inscriptions.
Another highlight is the Armenian district that hosts the only catolich church of the entire country, Armeninan Vank Cathedral. Popularly known as Si-o- se-pol is the largest of the eleven historical bridges on the Zayanderud, the largest river of the Iranian Plateau. From Isfahan your next city is Shiraz and particularly my favorite.
Shiraz (3 days)
Many things are illegal in Iran, because of its status of Islamic Republic, including producing, buying and drinking alcohol. But leaving Iran without tasting the homemade wines cannot happen. Shiraz has the most open minded people and easy going, so there is a higher chance you will find those beverages there. As a foreigner you might hear someone whispering at you in some shops: Whisky?
Shiraz is famous for it’s gardens and as more wealthy the family is as bigger the garden space. I was lucky enough to meet a wealthy businessman with an enormous garden, Ali Noori.
In my particular opinion Shiraz has the most gorgeous mosques, including the Pink mosque with vitrals to be visited between 8 and 9am.
But my favorite one is Shāh Chérāgh (Persian: شاه چراغ ) a funerary monument and mosque in the city. In the entry, the security guards ask you to wait until a free guide from the government comes to make a tour. It is free entry and is absolutely the most beautiful site in Iran.
Other important sight are the tomb of Hafez and Saadi, famous Iranian poets.
And the city center will offer you a bustling bazaar and other constructions such as the fort ( Arg of Karin Kahn) and a traditional Vakil bath.
Qavam House is a traditional and historical house in Shiraz, Iran. It is at walking distance from the Khan Madrassa. It was built between 1879 and 1886 by Mirza Ibrahim Khan. The Qavam family were merchants originally from Qazvin.
PersPolise is a famous historical site 1 hour away from Shiraz. I skipped it, but many people that visit tell is worth for a day trip.
Yazd (3 days)
Yazd is your next stop and the desert city has its traditional old town all in clay. This city is one of the most traditional in Iran, and people are more religious and strict. For me the the highlight of Yazd was climbing on the roof of a bazaar. You must find a contact of oldest person in the bazaar and he has a key that leads you to a door to climb it.
Yazd is also good for a day trip to the desert, last than 1 hour away from the city center.
Inside the Bazaar you can visit a qanāt (Persian: قنات) that is a gently sloping underground channel to transport water from an aquifer or water well to surface for irrigation and drinking. This is an old system of water supply from a deep well with a series of vertical access shafts.
As all other cities, Yazd has beautiful mosques. The Jāmeh Mosque of Yazd is the grand, congregational mosque of Yazd city and there is a book store where I could buy lonely planets of Iran in English for about 5 USD.
Kashan (2 days)
For me the highlight of Kashan was definitely the Sultan Amir Ahmad Bathhouse also known as the Qasemi Bathhouse. Such an incredible and beautiful place, you visit first the colorful rooms and then you can climb the roof.
The most important site is the fin garden, where an important figure in Iran was murdered.
Also in Kashan the Tabātabāei House is a historic house museum build around 1880 during the Qajar dynasty for the affluent Tabātabāei family. It is one of the prominent historic houses of Kashan, together with the Āmeri House, the Borujerdi House and others.
From Kashan you can go back to Tehran and catch your flight back home.
My conclusion about Iran
Even tough is illegal, I used full time couchsurfing and had a blast with many Iranian families. I could try homemade wine, homemade beer, homemade vodka, weed, amazing food, and the pleasant companion of the locals that always know something in the hidden path. My trip in Iran was a complete blast!
If you have a whole month in Iran, you can also visit the north city of Tabriz and checkout its rainbow mountains. Kurdistan area is famous for its mountains and landscapes. And I have heard a lot about the islands in the Persian Gulf.
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