Below I will review my 12 days Iran Itinerary with them, covering Tehran and other famous places to visit in Iran.
Iran itinerary with Igopersia
Recently I was invited to Iran by Igopersia, a travel agency organizing groups and customized trips to Iran.
Places to visit in Iran| Tehran
After a flight with Air Iran, we arrived in Tehran. We spent 1,5 day in the capital city. We visited the main sites in Tehran such as Golestan palace, Milad tower, the world’s most famous jewelry museum, the Holy Shrine of Emam Khomeini and the next door Tajrish bazaar.
Despite the crazy traffic jam, I liked Tehran a lot. It looked so beautiful with the mountains in the background. I regret I didn’t plan more days to spend more time to explore it. Tehran is huge and there are many things and districts to explore.
Also, there is the traditional Tehran but there is also a very modern Tehran with boutique hotels, concept stores and contemporary cafes that give us a glimpse into what Iran might be like in the future. Fascinating!
North of Iran
After Tehran we headed up North to the East Aizerbaijan region. People still fight over the fact that this part of Iran is actually Azerbaijan and not Iran even though the map says otherwise. We went first to Qazvin, and then to Zanzan, one of the oldest city in Iran. It was nice to see less touristic cities in Iran. But the highlight of the North of Iran was definitely the road and the experience with the nomad in Meshgin Shar. We stayed at Durna ecocamp in the mountain. A lovely camp site with both rooms and nomad tents and even a spa. We arrived late at night and we visited a real nomad camp the day after. We spent some time there and one of the nomad woman of the camp invited us inside her tent for tea. Seriously the most amazing experience of the trip.
Kandovan, one of the best places to visit in Iran!
During our Iran itinerary we went to Kandovan. This places is a must see in Iran. It is a small village built in rocks similar to Capaddoccia in Turkey but less known internationally (yet) and much smaller. The place is quite popular among Iranians who go there for a day. As a consequence because the village is quite small, there are only a certain amount of car allowed inside. I would recommend you to go there early or to book an hotel as we did inside the village to be assured to be allowed to enter. We stayed at Laleh cave hotel, a 5 star hotel which rooms are inside cave for the ultimate experience!
What to see in Iran : Pink lake and pink mosque in Shiraz and Persepolis
What to see in Shiraz : Pink lake aka Maharloo salt lake
From Tabriz we took a flight to central Iran, to Shiraz via Tehran. When we landed I saw one of the most amazing thing I have seen in my life : a huge pink lake of Shiraz : Maharloo salt lake. It is a huge lake, wich process of crystallization gives the pink color to the water. We went of course to see it from closer and took amazing pictures. Just too bad it was too hot to bath in it!
The pink mosque in Shiraz
We then went to the city of Shiraz. As a muslim country, there are many mosque in Iran. Some more impressive than others. The pink mosque in Shiraz is one of them. The light from outside reflects inside the mosque and the outside is lovely decorated with pink and blue tiles. Brilliant!
Not to miss places to visit in Iran : the ruins of Persepolis
Persepolis is 60km away from Shiraz. It is a UNESCO site that dates from 515 BCE and is one of the top places to visit in Iran. You should definitely not miss Persepolis on your Iran itinerary.
Persepolis means the city of the Persians and was supposed to be the capital of Persia but because of it’s remote location it never really became as such.
The ruins are really well preserved though and are a great day trip to see what the Achaemenid style of architecture looked like.
Entrance price for Persepolis is 5dollars only!
Isfahan, one of the most touristic places to see in Iran
Isfahan is the most touristic city in Iran. While people were always very friendly and welcoming in Iran it was a little bit different in Isfahan. It was the only place where people were a bit more insisting in trying to sell us things. Isfahan is beautiful though. It used to be Iran capital and and definitely one of the places to see in Iran. With it’s beautiful square, blue mosque and two beautiful bridges. Two days in Isfahan are perfect to see everything!
The red village : Abyaneh village
I love to visit villages because it is where life is the most authentic. Abyaneh village aka the red village because of the colour of it’s house was also a highlight of the trip.
The bazaar of Kashan and desert experience
Our last stop of this Iran itinerary was Kashan. Kashan is close to Tehran but still very conservative. you can see much of the city by walking around. The main site is definitely the Kashan ancient bazaar that is under roof. So beautiful.
Tip : have a coffee at Malek Café in the souk!!
While in Kashan, you might want to buy some rose water as it is the speciality of the city!
If you have some time add the nearby desert to your Iran itinerary. It might not be as impressive as the Sahara desert for example as the dunes are quite small but it is still lovely to go. We went there for sunrise as it was quite hot and witnessed some wild camels going to the water point . Such a nice experience!
Fazit : 12 days Iran
My Iran itinerary lasted 12 days and I still haven’t seen everything yet. I loved the country. People were so friendly and welcoming and I loved to learned about Iranian culture. Don’t miss my other Iran travel blog about the things to know before traveling to Iran!!
I hope to be back sometimes in the winter for the places to see in Iran in the South, with it’s desert and beautiful island like Qeshm!
If you are interested to travel to Iran. Contact Igopersia for a personalized tour !
Bisou
Amandine