We visited: Kashan, Esfahan, Garmeh, Yazd, Shiraz, Tehran
Duration: 9 days
Budget: Plane Tickets + €700 (2 pax)
Before travel to Iran it is important to know that Visa is required, one of the three linda available:
- Applied online, issued at one Iranian Embassy;
- Applied online, issued at the International Airport on arrival;
- Visa on Arrival (VOA).
I chose the first one, so I could be sure would get the Visa and have easy and quick entrei at Iran. So I applied online, and within one week they were ready to be collect at Iranian Embassy in Lisbon (mine was rejected at the first time because I miss wrote Hotel address in Iran).
Important to refer that some documents are obligatory:
- Valid Passport with 6 months validity;
- Hotel confirmation for, at least, the first night;
- Travel insurance (be aware some companies, for example AIG) don’t cover Iran, as it is a country sanctioned by NATO, but I was able to make with Portuguese brand FIDELIDADE; this document was only requested at the Embassy.
We arrive Tehran on flight QR490 from Doha around 3am. As we had already an e-Visa, passport control was quite easy. After collecting our luggage we exit the airport where a few taxis where waiting. We took the official yellow taxi, as we were told by our Hostel, that also the trip would cost around $10. We paid €10, and by the end we were asked for a €5 tip (we didn’t pay) - our first impression of Iranian taxi drivers was not the best! But fortunately was the only case!
**Bookin.com and Airbnb doesn’t work in Iran, only HostelWorld. Because every Hostel has an Instagram account, it was quite easy to find their contacts. So, all accommodations were booked directly with them through email or WhatsApp. Like that prices were better than the ones online.**
For the first night we had booked a room in advance (used for Visa application) at Tehran Heritage Hostel (27€/night), well located, nearby Baharestan metro station (blue line). The room was small, but clean and comfortable. After almost 24 hours we finally could get some sleep. On the next day we woke up early, had breakfast at the Hostel among other backpackers and left to Kashan. Breakfast was simple but good - boiled eggs, cucumber, tomato and tea are always present on Iranian breakfast.
We went by metro to Terminal-e Jonub station (red line), and as soon as we arrived at the terminal (around 9:30 am), a bus was leaving and the co-driver screaming “Kashan, Kashan...” we jumped immediately (IR 250.000 and 3h).
The Hostel in Kashan offered to picked us up at the station (free of charge) but we should let them know in advance what time we arrived. Because there was no Wi-Fi, I had to ask someone in the bus to call the Hostel and inform them ETA to Kashan, and he also informed where the bus was going to stop! The guy I asked didn’t speak English, but he did his best to understand us and to help. We stayed with us until our taxi arrive (we were expecting the guy to ask us money for that but he never did, we was just happy to help a couple of tourists - and that was the first good experience with Iranian people).
**In Iran is normal for buses to stop in the surroundings, not going inside the city, when that city is not final destination. **
A woman picked us up in a giant roundabout outside Kashan. She drove us to the Hostel, and for the first time we heard someone say “Where are you from? I love you! Welcome to Iran!”. We stayed at Kooshk-e Ferdows Hostel (23€/night), a very beautiful Iranian tradicional house, owned by a very nice young couple. They were very kind and always looking to make us comfortable and having the best experience in the Hostel and in Kashan. It worths listen some tips regarding the city, what to see and what time, because some sights closes at sunset, others close at lunch time and reopen at night.
**We were informed that on the next day was holiday in Kashan and all the touristic attractions were going to be closed so, we had one afternoon to visit Kashan.**
We started visiting Kashan’s traditional houses Borujerdi House (IR 300.000), very beautiful courtyard with a central garden and a large pool, also very nice decorated rooms.
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| Borujerdi House |
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| Tabatabei House |
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| Sultan Mir Ahmad Bathroom |
After we got the combined ticket (IR 700.000) to visit Tabatabei House, Abbasian House and Sultan Mir Ahmad bathroom. The last one was the most different and best one. The ground floor with the baths has amazing colors and the top floor, the roof you have amazing views and can take nice pictures.
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| Sultan Mir Ahmad bathroom |
We took a Taxi to Bagh-e Fin Garden (IR500.000), the driver charged IR600.000 to go, wait and back to Kashan. Fin garden, our first experience with Iranian gardens, worth visiting, it was a nice walking along the garden and inside the pavilions. The pool among the garden gives a nice picture.
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| Bagh-e Fin Garden |
Going back to Kashan we went to the Bazaar (opens at 5pm after lunch break). Again, it was our first experience with Iranian bazaars, so we spend a couple of hours walking along the Bazaar. Also, trying to find the Bazaar most beautiful roof, we need to ask a few people and easily someone understood and took us there.
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| Kashan's Bazaar |
We had really good dinner at Manouchehri House Restaurant that is also a guest house (really nice one, but more expensive (around 50€/night).
**Touristic restaurants charges a 15 % service fee + 9 % Tax**
On the next morning after we left at 8am from Kashan to Esfahan.
Because there are some sites to visit on the road Kashan - Esfahan, we took a taxi instead of a bus (€25 for 300 km and 3 stops on the way).
First stop, 15 km northeast from Kashan, we visited the Holy Shrine of Hilal ibn Ali, a very sacred place where I was asked to use a chador.
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| Holy Shrine |
Abyaneh, on the foot of Mount Karkas, is a 2.500 year old village, with red houses constructed with mud-brick. There is a check-point (IR100.000) 1 km before the village, to control tourists entrance. This village worths an hour visit, and if possible, climb the mountain to have a good views. Nevertheless, the best view is from the bottom.
Last and final stop, was Natanz, where we visited Jameh Mosque.
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| Jameh Mosque |
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| Friendly locals in Natanz |
Attached to the Mosque there were community center and, maybe, because it was holiday in Iran, free food was being served. Of course, as the only tourists there, our Taxi driver and us were invited to join and have lunch with them. Rice and lentils with tomato sauce, where served on a plastic box. It was a really good experience to join local people.
We arrived Esfahan around 4pm, directly to Sarv Hostel (25€/night). It was a really good experience staying at Sarv’s, a really nice Hostel, very well decorated, really nice yard, very clean, the most friendly staff and a very nice breakfast (probably the best we had in Iran).
**Esfahan was amusing us and it was going to be the Iranian City we liked the most. **
After check-in went directly to visit the river side, to visit Khaju and Siosepol Bridges. The last we visited already after sunset, so it was a much different perspective, with all the light! Those bridges get lots of locals to hang-out, relax and have a coupe of tea. It is a nice place to visit to go along with locals.
After we passed through Chahar Bagh-e Abbasi Street, with no traffic it was a nice place to go out at nigh, with shops open at night, and fast-food restaurants.
We walked till Naqsh-e Jahan Sqare for dinner. Again, it was lovely to visit that enormous square at nigh... all the lights, and the local people hanging out.
We took a taxi to Masjed-e Shah Mosque, after visiting we walked through Bazar-e Bozorg until Naqsh-e Jahan Square.
We visit Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, Kakh-e Ali Qapu Palace and Jameh Mosque.
At Sarv’s, we met young Navid, a Iranian student, really good person who helped us planing the next days of our trip, with tips, bus schedules and Hostels reservations.
We left from Kaveh Bus Terminal on the 2pm Bus to Khur.
Garmeh
Normally it’s a 5,5 hours journey to Garmeh but, unfortunately the bus broke on the way.
We were the only tourists on board and there was only a young guy that spoke a little bit of English and was able to translate.
Suddenly there were 4 or 5 men trying to fix the engine (or something else around the engine) and, half an hour later the bus was fixed and we continued our journey. We arrive Khur around 8pm and the young guy helped us getting a taxi to Garmeh (300.000). As soon as we arrived Ateshooni GuestHouse there were 3 Dromedaries staring and welcomed us to the Desert.
Ateshooni is the only guest house in Garmeh, and it was fully booked. We were only able to get a private room with shared toilet (20 €/person with dinner and breakfast).
**We knew that the where no beds, we slept on the floor (and it was not bad at all!). The only thing not good (for Tiago, not for me, were the Chacals scrimping during the night)***
Dinner was served at 9pm, having all the guest was salad, iogurte, bred, rice
Yazd
We left Yazd early in the morning (7:30am) by Taxi organized by our Hostel (€40) direction Shiraz. On the way we made 3 important stops:
In Pasargadae we visited
Tomb of Cyrus the Great, 11 m high
Private Palace
Audience Palace, only and oldest surviving intact column
Stone Tower
In Persopolis (500.000) we rented 3D glasses (600.000) and it was perfect! First we saw de ruins, imagined the
Shiraz
In the morning we visited Citadel of Karim Khan (500.000), Tomb of Hafez (500.000) and Eram Garden (500.000).
We had lunch at Ghavam restaurant (Rudaki Av.), kind of homemade food, we chose Halim Bademjan and Saffron Joojeh Kabaab and it was delicious.
We visited Shah-e-Cheragh Shrine (Free). At the main entry we were informed a free guide was going to join us for the visited. A very nice young man, volunteer at the Mosque, joined us to show and explain the Shrine and its Mosques.
We had dinner at our Hotel’s restaurant Niayesh - chicken tahchin and saphran rice & chicken kebab.
We visited Nasir ol Molk Mosque for sunrise, we arrived around 7:45am (500.000) and there wasn’t too many people. We had time and space to take a few pictures and enjoy the beautiful of the “Pink mosque”
After we went to Vakil Bazaar where we walked for almost 1 hour, we cover almost all the Bazaar, doing some friends along the way. Finally we bought some souvenirs - magnets, scarfs, saphran, a small carpet and for our baby daughter some funny stickers and an Aladdin book (in Farsi).
When we were able to exit the Bazaar on the right exit, we visited Vakil Mosque. Beautiful as Nasir Mosque, the same colours - pink and yellow, a very large pool and with no tourists. So, I had my time visiting and taking some nice pictures among all the colorful panels.
We had lunch in a very typical restaurant and the cheapest so far in Vakil Bazaar (it wasn’t on the guide) where the employees didn’t even speak English. We had eggplant stew and chicken saphran.
In front of Vakil Mosque there are some coffee shops with WiFi were we had a nice Expresso.
We went back to the Hotel, picked our backpacks, took a taxi to the Airport (150.000) and said goodbye to Shiraz.
***We bought our flight tickets from Shiraz to Tehran in an official travel agency in Yazd (4.200.000 each).***
Tehran
We arrived Mehrabad Airport on time and we took the metro to our Hostel.
As the Hostel where we stayed on the first night was not available, we booked a room in Hi Tehran Hostel (€28).
Garmeh
Ateshooni GuestHouse - +98 (0) 913 876 0375
Yazd
Friendly Hostel - +98 913 352 2985
Shiraz
Niayesh Hostel - +98 902 876 0541
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