Heir to the luxury of the Persian Empire, Iran blossoms before the traveler of blue domes and jugs, lacework on medieval walls and intricate patterns of precious fabrics, shining shah jewels and the flow of silk carpets .Contradictory but attractive, hospitable, but harsh - this country has been worried about our minds and hearts for the first time, perhaps, since the moment when the largest diamond was bought by the death of the Russian ambassador .Iran hides the greatest historical heritage, magnificent natural landscapes, the richest cuisine and exquisite items of national art - and to know everything definitely will not suffice not only a standard tourist visit, but a lifetime .Visiting him, you only dream about one - in the next life you must be born here!

The capital is Tehran (Tehran).

The main cities are Isfahan, Tabriz, Shiraz, Yazd, Mashhad, Kerman, Kom, Hamedan.

For a complete list of cities in the country, search on the city page and resorts in Iran.

Group excursion tours to Iran!

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Author's tour "Journey to the Ancient" from 151 000 rubles.

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How to get to Iran?

Variants of flight from Moscow and Russian cities to Iran - a lot. Direct flights from Moscow's Sheremetyevo to Tehran airport are performed by the national air carrier IranAir (on Tuesdays) and Aeroflot (daily except Monday and Friday). The flight time is about 4 hours. In addition, you can arrive in Iran with transfer by such airlines as Emirates (via Dubai), Turkish Airlines (Istanbul), Qatar Airways (Doha), Alitalia (Rome), Austrian Airlines (Vienna), Lufthansa (Frankfurt), Azerbaijan Airlines Baku), etc.

Visa to Iran is

Citizens of the Russian Federation need to get a visa to visit Iran.

Customs

In Iran, you can freely import and export foreign currency. By import, weapons and explosives, alcohol (!), Drugs, pornography and any materials capable of offending national religion and morals are prohibited. If you plan to export valuable items from the country, antiques and carpets are recommended to have a document certifying the purchase.

Money and currency exchange

It is better to exchange currency in the branches of banks and specialized exchange points (in the latter operations are performed faster, and the rate differs by a penny) .Categorically it is not recommended to exchange money from street exchanges .Euros are accepted more willingly than US dollars .In the vast majority of cases, count on payment in cash; credit cards and traveler's checks in Iran are not in the running .Despite a decent number of ATMs in sight (especially in Tehran), most of them operate only with local loans .Proceeding from the above, when going to Iran, as carefully as possible, determine the amount in cash that you need to take with you .

Useful phone numbers are

Embassy of Iran in Moscow: Pokrovsky boulevard, 7; Tel. (495) 917-00-39, 917-01-98, 917-01-99; website.

The Russian Embassy in Tehran: rue Neauphle-le-Chateau, 39; Tel. (21) 667-011-61, 667-011-63; website.

The Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Isfahan: 11, Masjed Sofretchi Alley, Chaharbagh Pain Ave .; tel .: (311) 222-20-60

Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Resht: 82, Pasdaran st .; tel .: (131) 322-84-30

The police - 110, the rescue service in Tehran - 115, the message about the fire - 125. The exact time can be found by dialing 119.

Safety of tourists

No special vaccinations are required to visit Iran. On the territory of the country it is recommended to drink bottled water, do not get carried away by ice in drinks ordered in public establishments and show common sense when choosing a restaurant. Alcohol is in Iran banned, but a tourist in Tehran can order a glass of wine, saying that he is from Russia. Smoking is also prohibited in public places. There are places for smoking, but they are catastrophically small.

The public dress code in Iran is legislated, and its performance on the part of tourists is stricter than that of local residents..Men are not allowed to wear shirts that open an arm above the elbow, and pants above the ankle .Women must close their arms to the wrist and feet to the ankle..Wearing a headscarf (rusari) for women - must be .You can not appear in public in tight clothes, on top of the emphasizing silhouette of clothes is supposed to put on a special cloak - manto .Skirts can only be worn very long and wide (and, of course, opaque) .

It is forbidden to photograph military objects and state institutions. Local residents can be removed only with their permission.

In a conversation, it is better not to touch on the issues of Islam, local customs and Iran's position in the international arena. Themes of the USA and everything connected with it are also recommended to be avoided. On the street, you can often meet Iranians who speak English, especially among young people. Among the older generation they speak French more often.

The overall level of crime in Iran is quite low, despite this, cases of theft of handbags and briefcases by motorcyclists passing by are not uncommon. While in the car, you need to block the doors. We recommend that you carefully monitor your bags and purse in any situation.

Beaches in Iran are divided into male and female.

Transport

Iran's public transportation system is the traveler's dream come true. It is diverse, extensive and ramified, in addition, the price of travel is more than acceptable. You can travel around the country by taxi, bus, train or plane. In Iran, booking tickets online is possible, this can be done from the hotel where you stayed.

Trips by taxi (including long-distance) are not at all expensive, thanks to penny prices for gasoline .Routes in the cities and between settlements are "Savary" .They take from 4 (yellow "cars") to 11 (green minibuses) passengers on board .The Savirs are set out when all the places are occupied; if you're in a hurry, you can just pay for the remaining .The fare is set by the government - usually from 1,000 to 6,500 rials .If you plan to take a minibus along the route, you need to give up the approaching car and, when it slows down, scream the destination point .The driver will stop, if he goes on the route you need .

In Iran, more than 20 bus companies covering the country with hundreds of varied routes .The only drawback is not too fast movement: the speed limit for buses here is 80 km / h .Buses come in two classes - "luxury" (Mercedes, not equipped with air conditioning) and "super" ("Volvo", air-conditioned, snacks and drinks are offered) .Tickets can be booked in advance, however in most cases you will always find a free seat and without reservation (except for Nauruz, when the whole country is sent to the father's house) .

Trains are a fast, safe and reliable type of transport in Iran. You can reserve seats one month before the trip on the site of the Iranian railways - Raja Passenger Trains. The first class in trains is very convenient and simply irreplaceable when it comes to a long journey.

Long distances are also convenient for overcoming by air: in Iran there are several national carriers: IranAir, Mahan Airlines, Aseman Airlines and Caspian Airlines. A ticket from the end to the end of the country will cost no more than 60 USD. The internal flight can be booked in advance, including at IranAir's offices abroad, but you can buy a ticket only in Iran. In August and September, tickets should be ordered as early as possible, as demand in this period multiply exceeds supply.

Foreign Ministry building in Tehran.

Tehran, Saadat Abad

Mosque in Shiraz

Rent a car

Theoretically, there are no obstacles to renting a car in Iran: it is enough to have international rights and a driving experience of at least 1 year .In practice, it is advisable to rent a car with a driver, rather than try to figure out the chaos of Iranian traffic on its own..It costs almost as much as "bare" rent, and brings a lot of undeniable advantages: the ability to contemplate the changing landscapes outside the window and the lack of need to monitor the right turns .Rent a car will cost in the amount of 20 to 50 USD, a car with a driver costs about 50-60 USD .You can use the service in a few specialized offices for car rental or at a travel agency .Also you can negotiate privately with a taxi driver .Prices are similar - about 5-7 USD per hour .

The climate of Iran is

Iran has a great variety of climatic zones .In general, the climate of the country can be described as sharply continental, with large temperature fluctuations at different times of the year .Aridity is one of the distinctive features of the Iranian climate .Slight precipitation falls between October and April .On the southern coast of Iran is very hot and humid summer (over 40 ° C) in combination with mild winter; in the north-west of the country, on the contrary, very cold winters with heavy snowfalls, and in summer there is no exhausting heat .To choose the ideal time for visiting Iran, it is recommended to determine in advance the destination: in Tehran it can be quite comfortable in the summer, and at the resorts of the Persian Gulf at this time will reign unbearable heat .For most people, the most pleasant periods for visiting Iran as a whole will be spring and autumn .

See also the current weather forecast in the cities of Iran for the coming days.

Hotels in Iran

In Iran, the two main types of hotels - traditional (we will say so, authentic) and ordinary (that is, typically European). In the first case, you will live inside the most natural caravan-shed in the old oriental style, there are many such hotels in Isfahan, Shiraz, and Yazda. The usual hotel is a standard block building with corridors and a lot of monotonous rooms. You must take care of your accommodation in advance. Although Iran is not a "wildly" popular tourist destination, there are also sporadic influxes of tourists (it is unrealistic to forecast this for Iran). They can significantly reduce without this not a rich selection of hotels.

Shopping and souvenirs

Ancient Persian land like no other is rich in breathtaking ... not even souvenirs, no! - works of art. Everything that a man cultivates - wood, cloth, metal - is erected here in the category of masterpieces: motley stoles are stuffed with multicolor by hand, porcelain is painted with the finest ideal patterns, and chasing is just taken from the palace of some wealthy noble. ±​​$ br >

The first in popularity, of course, are the Persian carpets .The choice to make is not easy, as the offer amazes any, even the richest fantasy .Contrary to popular belief, they are not worth their weight in gold: you can always find an affordable option .Pay attention to the fine openwork carving on metal "kalamzani", inlaid wood and bone "hutam", amazing enamel "mine", ceramics and clay products "cofalgari", volume wood carving "monadbat" .Women are guaranteed to fall in love with printed fabrics "kalamkar sazi" and colorful scarves and veils "patedyuzi", an abundance of bright colors resembling Russian folk shawls .More information on the national crafts of Iran can be read in English on the website of the National Tourism Office .

From Iran it is also possible to bring gold products - gold of traditionally high quality here - and decorations with Nishapur turquoise.

From edible souvenirs it is worth buying spices and precious saffron from Khorasan, Iranian sweets and black caviar from the Caspian Sea. Isfahan is famous for its rose water, obtained by distillation.

Kitchen and restaurants

In order to get a general idea of ​​Iranian cuisine, it's worth remembering the Central Asian cuisine: the rice here is the head, the meat is mostly lamb, there are very common sour-milk products and vegetables in any form, and each meal is generously seasoned with a wide variety of spices .At the same time, the average tourist in Iran will be able to try only the tip of the iceberg: in Iran, a large number of dishes are prepared on holidays or special events in the family's life..The most popular dish is kebab (long cutlet), here a few dozen varieties of it .We also recommend various meat and vegetable stews for the deserved love of Iranians - we recommend you try the "fesenjan" - meat stew with pomegranate juice, eggplant, nuts and cardamom. Traditional bread is a baked bread baked in a primitive oven, along with all kinds of chalets and French baguettes ±​​$ The .

In Iran, there are no problems with public catering: at every step kebabs of any level await: from a snack bar "at noon" to quite civilized restaurants. The cost of lunch starts from 15,000 riyals. The local lunch time is from 1 pm to 3 pm, dinner is often late: after 9 pm.

To the foreigner at first the taste of saffron will not be quite customary, it is put in meat, fish, salads, sauce and even ice cream. The most popular and very tasty fast food in Tehran, and in all Iran, is sandwiches on the principle of "Subway" - assemble yourself. Very popular in recent times and vegetarian restaurants.

Entertainment, excursions and attractions of Iran

To list all the sights of Iran, you need a separate multipage site. Let us dwell on some of them, the most-most-must-see.

On the territory of Persia there is a mass of historical ruins. Their pearl is Persepolis, the capital of the Achaemenid empire. Pasargad, Hegmatan, Susa and the ziggurats of Shogh Zanbil and Sialk Mund deserve the closest attention. Excavations of the ancient Meimand, one of the first settlements of people on the territory of Iran (10,000 years BC) are in the province of Kerman.

In Iran, it is a sin not to honor the memory of great people: the famous mathematician and physician Ibn Sina is buried in Hamedan, Cyrus the Great in Pasargada, Omar Khayyam in Nishapur, his fellow Hafiz and Saadi in Shiraz. Biblical characters - the prophet Daniel, as well as Mordechai and Esther found the last shelter in Sousse and Hamedan, respectively.

Do not miss the opportunity to visit the inland desert regions of the country: camels, jeeps or a combined tour.

The natural sights include Ali-Sadr cave with stunning stalactites, Chevy and Bishe waterfalls, Golestan nature reserve, Gilan forests and Tabriz mountains.

Be sure to visit the remarkable museums: the National Museum of Iran, the National Treasury, the Carpet Museum in Tehran, the Golestan Palace Complex and the Hammam Ali Khan Museum

Iran's photo (229)