Iran

Our Top Picks For Iran

• 1 Tehran

  Modern Iran in all its manic glory; art galleries, hip cafés, good restaurants and a fascinating mix of people

• 2 Kashan

  A fine bazaar, exquisitely restored Qajar-era mansions and a wonderfully relaxed atmosphere

• 3 Esfahan

  Shah Abbas's majestic capital, with its grand mosques, enchanting bridges and incomparable Imam Sq

• 4 Yazd

  An ancient forest of windtowers and brown, twisting lanes full of romantic hotels and restaurants

• 5 Shiraz

  The easily manageable heartland of Persian culture with the most welcoming people and some architectural gems

• 6 Masuleh

  Lush, green and the most visitor-friendly of Iran's memorable stepped villages

• 7 Persepolis

  All the power and grace of the Achaemenids summed up in one of the world's greatest ancient sites

• 8 Alborz Mountains

  Fuji-shaped Mt Damavand, ski retreats, world-class climbing challenges, timeless hidden valleys and the walking trails around the legendary Castles of the Assassins

• 9 Choqa Zanbil

  Lonely 3000-year-old stepped pyramid in semidesert between the biblical cities of Shush and Shushtar

• 10 Holy Shrine of Imam Reza (Haram-e Razavi)

  This magnificent tomb at Mashhad is Iran's holiest site

• 11 Kaluts

  Sand castles 10-storeys high as far as the eye can see; and a 'million star hotel'

• 12 Laft

  See the traditional wooden cargo boats silhouetted against a stunning sunset in this charming Persian Gulf village

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