Never sleeping Iran's heart - so locals describe Tehran, the country's capital, one of the largest Asian megacities with almost 14 million population .Unlike many Iranian cities, Tehran is comfortable to visit throughout the year: the surrounding snow-capped mountains bring coolness in the summer and protect from cold winds in winter, the abundance of parks, gardens and irrigation canals leads to leisurely walks, and noisy oriental bazaars boil regardless of the thermometer .And here you can get lost in the halls of the richest Museum of Ancient History, be blinded by the magnificence of the shah's treasury and try to reach the azure carved ceilings of the Golestan Palace .
08.03, 29.03, 12.04, 27.09, 18.10, 01.11, 22.11 - 13 days / 12 ncs
Author's tour "Journey to the Ancient" from 151 000 rubles.
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How to get to Tehran
IranAir and Aeroflot regularly operate direct flights from Moscow's Sheremetyevo to Tehran: IranAir flies on Tuesdays, Aeroflot on all days of the week except Monday and Friday. The journey takes about 4 hours. In addition, Tehran can be reached by such airlines as Emirates (with a transfer to Dubai), Turkish Airlines (via Istanbul), Qatar Airways (via Doha), Alitalia (via Rome), Austrian Airlines (via Vienna), Lufthansa (via Frankfurt ), Azerbaijan Airlines (through Baku), etc.
There are two airports in Tehran. International flights land at Imam Khomeini International Airport, 35 km from the city center. You can overcome this distance by taxi. The cost is fixed, regardless of the area of Teheran you are going to: 250 thousand riyals for an ordinary car, 300 thousand for a comfortable Toyota Lumbar and 350 thousand for a minivan (which is convenient if you travel by a company). ±$ The
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How to navigate in the city
Tehran can be divided into two parts: northern and southern. Northern Tehran is urban, flourishing, successful and pompous with all the characteristic attributes: from the degree of intelligence of its inhabitants to the level of restaurants and boutiques of famous brands. The southern districts of the city are more democratic, if not simple, but the prices are lower here.
The city center is an industrial area, there are the cheapest hotels, and in general there is nothing to tourists there. The most picturesque areas and comfortable hotels are at the foot of the mountains
Transport
According to Tehran, you can travel by taxi, bus and metro. Ground transportation can be a real test of patience, as in the city there are serious problems with traffic: traffic jams are not uncommon, and traffic rules are missing as a fact. Try to exclude overland travel during peak hours - from 7 to 8 am and from 5 to 8 pm.
Taxi
Tehran taxis are slightly more expensive than in other cities of the country, but by European standards are very cheap. Taxis carry four people maximum, for the passage to one without stops to collect fellow travelers it will be necessary to pay all the seats. However, in any case, the fare is fixed and quite insignificant - from 0, 5 USD. Such taxis circulate on certain routes, and in some cases you will need to change a couple of cars to get to the right place, or do some part of the walk.
Buses
Tehran buses can be recommended more as an attribute of tourism "with immersion", rather than a really useful vehicle. Route numbers and names of the final points are written in Arabic letters and numbers, however, you can always ask the surrounding people - the Iranians are happy to help tourists. The tariff is 200 rials, tickets are bought at stops and presented to the driver at boarding. On the popular routes there are also red high-speed buses, the journey costs 1000 rials.
The bus is usually divided into two parts (visually, without any partitions and lattices) - for the male and female half, so be careful when landing.
Metro
Metro Tehran - a large and ambitious project, designed to somehow cope with the chaos on the surface. To date, there are 4 lines with a central transfer at the station Imam Khomeini. Tourist value is represented by lines No. 1 (south-north) and No. 2 (east-west). Trains run from 5 am to 11 pm with a frequency of 10-15 minutes. The inscriptions in Farsi are duplicated by English. The cost of tickets for 1, 2 and 10 trips is 2500, 4500 and 14,000 rials respectively.
Climate
Clearly +15 ° С in the day +2 ° С at night ° С water |
Clearly +13 ° С in the day +3 ° C at night ° С water |
Clearly +12 ° С in the day +3 ° C at night ° С water |
| Tehran weather forecast for 10 days | ||
Tehran's cuisine and restaurants
Opportunities to have lunch and just have a snack for absolutely every taste and purse in Tehran, perhaps more than in other cities of Iran..Almost at every corner you will be waited by "folk" snackbars and kebabs .When choosing an inexpensive public catering, rely on common sense: eat only in clean, trustworthy establishments .Unlike similar establishments in the Arab world, local "kahvehane" (coffee houses) serve not only drinks, but also simple dishes, such as meat and vegetable stews .You can also have a snack in the fast-food chain Boof and SFC .In addition, in Tehran, many inexpensive establishments of Indian, Thai, Chinese, Turkish and Italian cuisines .
Haute cuisine restaurants are concentrated in northern Tehran. They are worth visiting at least once to enjoy amazing Iranian dishes. The meal will cost from 300 thousand riyals.
Be sure to spend an evening in one of the traditional cafes for a cup of aromatic coffee or tea from a samovar, sipping a velvet smoke hookah.
You can order alcohol in any restaurant in Tehran, you do not even need to make special efforts, it's enough to say that you are from Russia (except for the city center, you can not find alcohol there). What to drink: cognac, much tastier than at home, Baltika beer and, if you meet, Iranian wine, which can only be found in small restaurants or hookahs.
The average check in the restaurant will be 5-10 USD. Crown dish is a kebab. For a 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.
Shopping and shopping
National art objects, souvenirs and other items can be bought on the vast Tehran Bazaar - one of the largest markets in the country. In addition, it sells almost everything you can buy for money - from household items, clothes and shoes to gold jewelry, furniture and interior items.
Fine Iranian jewelry can also be purchased in specialized boutiques on the streets of Geisha, Karim Khan and Miled Noor.
Popular shopping malls in Valiasr and Tarzhis Square offer products from the world's leading brands. Go also to the shopping center "Golestan". All clothing is foreign brands are not expensive, brought from the UAE.
Entertainment, excursions and attractions of Tehran
The National Museum of Iran has the richest collection of exhibits on the history of the region, from archaeological finds in the parking of ancient people and ending with the Sassanid period. There are also exhibits of contemporary art, masterpieces of folk handicrafts and samples of calligraphy.
The Museum of Modern Art presents paintings by Van Gogh, Picasso, Matisse, Dali, Monet, Miro and other famous artists. This is one of the best collections of Western art in Asia.
The Carpet Museum is located next to the Museum of Modern Art. There are more than 100 exhibits from all over the country, the oldest is dated to the 17th century. Weavers work on the ground floor.
In the National Treasury is literally breathtaking from the abundance of rare jewelry. Pay attention to the Peacock's Throne, adorned with nearly 27 thousand gems.
It is possible to review the greatness of imperial Persia in the numerous palaces of the rulers of the state. Among the masterpieces are the palace complex Golestan, Ivan e-Takht e-Marmar, White and Green palaces, as well as Shams al-Amarat and Amarat e-Badgir.
In Tehran, you can visit the memorable places of Imam Khomeini - his mausoleum and a mosque erected in his honor (to enjoy the outside decoration - an entrance for non-Muslims is forbidden).
Among the archaeological sites stands the ancient fortress of Sheshme Ali (4 thousand BC) and the 20-meter high tower of Togrol, located on the outskirts of Tehran.
Take a walk in the Park e-Lale, in the city center. The Monument on Freedom Square (Azadi Square) is also a popular concert venue, where mainly national ensembles perform.
Disco and nightclubs officially in Iran there, but in some restaurants and institutions can offer tourists flyers to visit discos for tourists outside the city (something like open-air). In the vicinity of Tehran, you can also go skiing and just spend a pleasant time surrounded by snow. Two access points to the mountains - Darband and Darake. Photo by Tehran (176)