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Hello everyone!

I am traveling to Iran between 16th june and 5th of july this summer. I'm traveling alone and have been doing a bit of research. I'm hoping to travel along the following route: Tehran - Kashan - Esfahan - Yazd - Kerman -Shiraz - Tehran. I'm from Sweden and I'm going for the new 30-day visa on arrival.

I'm wondering if my limited time will allow me to see these places without stressing or if I should consider skipping Kerman. And also any tips or suggestions in general about my route!

I'm also wondering how traveling there during ramadan will affect me? Of course I want to show as much respect as I can to iranians and the religion, and any tips in how I can do this are very much appreciated. Is it true that it won't be a problem to drink/eat in stores etc. and that I should just avoid eating and drinking in public?

Lastly, any tips about accomodation or smart transporation are appreciated!

Many thanks!

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Your itinerary looks fine. We visited the same places but we skipped Kerman and included Tabriz and Rasht instead. We stopped in Qom for one night too, which was en route anyway. We had 24 days in the country though, but otoh our itinerary was a bit longer. A couple of times we took night busses on longer routes, to save time, but generally we travelled at a relaxed pace.
AFAIK, eating and drinking in public is not encouraged in Ramadan, even if you are a foreigner.
For transportation, there're basically two options, bus or train, both very cheap. Buying tickets is easy - any travel agents will do it for you, which is the best solution, as both bus and train stations are outside city centres.
In Teheran use metro which is very cheap and the quickest way to travel (car traffic in the city is horrendous).

ps. we tavelled on Swedish passports too, although we took our visas at the embassy in Stockholm. The situation about reference numbers was somewhat confusing, and it seemed the rules were different for different nationalities. When applying for the visas at the embassy we didn't need any reference numbers, unlike most other nationalities. Anyway, VoA at the IKA airport looked pretty strightforward as far as I could see.

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3

Tips on itinerary: Kerman will be super hot, but the Kaluts nearby are gorgeous and totally worth the visit. But, if you're trying to avoid intense heat but still want beautiful landscapes, try checking out Qazvin/the Alamut in the north, or Sanandaj/the landscapes in Kurdistan in the west.

Tips on accommodation: depends on your budget, of course, but I've found that many hotels (that aren't packed) are willing to negotiate a bit with price if you look hesitant enough, or say that it's too expensive.


Lost With Purpose • Stories and travel information for the Caucasus, Iran, Central Asia, South Asia
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4

Thank you for your information! I decided to leave Kerman for another time and travel to Qazvin instead, which will also give me a little more time to explore places around Esfahan and Yazd.

The plan is to spend 3 night sin Tehran, 2 in Qazvin, 1 in Kashan, 3 in Esfahan, 4 in Yazd, 3 in Shiraz and then 1 more in Tehran before I leave. Do you think this looks sufficient? (I tend to change my plans as I go, so it's more of an outline)

Thank you!

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In response to #4

You can leave Teheran after two nights as you're going to return anyway. Are you flying direct IranAir Stockholm-Teheran?
I'd add one day to Kashan. There's more to see on day trips out of Kashan.
On your way back after Shiraz you can stop in Qom for one night.
Otherwise it looks fine.

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