Iran Classic Route in 12 days

Upon arrival at IKA airport (Imam Khomeini International Airport) in Tehran, an Adventure Iran representative will greet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel in Tehran. Overnight stay at hotel.

Day 2 is all about what makes this city the capital of Iran. Tehran has a lot of attractions in southern, central and northern part of it. For the day trip, we will focus the tour on the central part of the city which is a combination of different attractions in this busy part of the city. Your hotel that we have considered is in downtown and your sightseeing excursion would begin from your hotel in shape of a walking tour. In the morning, you English speaking guide will take you to Golestan Palace which is the one and only world heritage UNESCO site in the capital. The palace was built during the Qajar Dynasty and it’s constructed in a big garden with long trees and a few different buildings and monuments surrounding it. You will be walking through interesting parts of the city which would be perfect for seeing what it’s like to live in Tehran and taking fascinating pictures as well. After visiting the palace, you will continue your walking tour to Tehran Grand Bazaar. We will spend a couple of hours visiting this historical & important trade center. There is an unwritten rule in Iran that the best food in most cities usually is found in the heart of its grand bazaar so that would make it a good place for having lunch in a Dizi Sara. Dizi is one of the most delicious Iranian dishes which is a traditional Persian food as well. One of the main interesting part of Dizi is that it has a special custom to eat it which makes in one of your first Persian experiences in the trip. After lunch you will continue your walking tour in the afternoon towards Iran National Museum which is the main historical/archeology museum of Iran. Afterwards we will take you to one of the oldest coffee shops in Iran which has a long history even before the Islamic revolution and you will be enjoying a good quality coffee and different types of fresh cake in it. After a short rest, you will walk again through a couple of street which are among the authentic streets of the capital and in late afternoon the plan is to walk to the Artists Park “Park-e Honar Mandan”. It’s a center for Iranian artists who live in the capital to gather around. There is always a painting, photography and modern arts exhibiting at the main building and there is a play always on stage and an indie movie always on the screens. There are coffee shops and restaurants in the park and around it and a special vegetarian restaurant which will be our stop for a vegetarian meal. You will be able to spend some time walking around the park and visiting its attractions depending on your interest. We will spend a couple of hours there. Most of the times there is a painting and photography Show/exhibition in the galleries which is usually pretty interesting.
In the evening we will get back to the hotel. Overnight in Tehran. (B)

Today we drive south towards Qom city which is the second religious city in Iran that will take about two hours (150 km). You will have a stop in the famous Salt Lake “Daryach-e Namak” of Qom to visit this amazing natural attraction of Dash-e Kavir desert. Depending on your travel time you will see different shapes of the lake. Sometimes cover with water and sometimes only the salt or a combination of both with special terrain shapes can be seen in different seasons of the year. Then you will continue the journey toward Qom from the lake. In Qom, you will visit the shrine of Masoumeh (Fatemeh) and Jamkaram mosque. In addition, Qom has a special souvenir called Sohan which is a famous sweet and most Iranians when visiting Qom or crossing through the main road buy this souvenir as well. You will have lunch in a traditional restaurant in the city. In the afternoon you will continue you journey towards south which takes one-hour of driving (110 km). Before reaching the city you will have a stop in Noush Abaad to visit the ancient underground city called Ouee which is located 5 km away from the north of Kashan. Noush Abaad means the city of cold tasty water and it’s a historical man-made city dating back to 1500 years ago during the Sassanid and pre-Islamic period. Afterward we will drive to Kashan and check in the hotel and rest. You are free in the evening to walk inside this historical city. Overnight stay in the traditional hotel. (B)
Note: Visiting the Salt Lake depends on your travel time, when the road is dry its only possible to travel with a sedan or 4×4 car or a minibus. We could not drive to the lake with a van or bus.

Kashan is a one of the most famous ancient cities of Iran which is well-known for its historical houses and being the city of rosewater. You will have the whole day city touring. After breakfast you will start your walking tour from the hotel and you will visit the old parts of the city through narrow alleyways. On your way you will have to stop at Aghabozorg historical mosque to see it and what better time for some photography. You’ll continue your walk towards Boroujerdi House for a visit which is back from Qajar dynasty (1857, about 130 years ago). The next stop would be the old traditional Kashan Bazaar which still has kept its old style. You also visit the caravanserai (Aminoddowleh Timcheh-e) located in it which is the most beautiful part of the Bazaar and it’s our second location of the day for some photography. You will have lunch in Bazaar and walk back to your hotel. In the afternoon we will pick you up from your hotel to visit Fin Garden which is one of the Persian Gardens registered in the world heritage sites of UNESCO. Afterwards you will be visiting Tappe Sialk which is an ancient hill dating back to 7500 years ago. We will drive back to the hotel and you will be free for the evening. Overnight stay at traditional hotel in Kashan. (B)

After breakfast in your hotel we will drive to Abyaneh historical village which takes about an hour (85 km). Abyaneh is one of the most popular villages of Iran which is famous for the special architecture of its houses and traditional dress of its people. It’s a village located in the mountains and have different temperatures compered to the desert city of Kashan. You will have a walking tour through the alleys of the village and according to the interest of the group we will continue our walk towards the Zoroastrian temple which is about 15 km. There is a hill on the trek which has an amazing view and it will give you the most amazing pictures of the village. We will walk back to town and you will have lunch in Abyanehs traditional hotel. After a short rest we will continue our trip towards Esfahan which takes two hours (165 km). You will check in the hotel in the afternoon and will be free for the rest of the day. Overnight stay at hotel in Esfahan. (B)

Todays plan is to have an active walking day in the most popular touristic destinations of Esfahan city. You will have your breakfast in your hotel and your walking tour will start from your hotel which is in the downtown of Esfahan. You will cross Sio seh Pol Bridge (33 pol) to reach Chahar Bagh Abbasi Street which is the most beautiful street in Esfahan. There are a lot of interesting attractions in both side of the street and it would be the best place to meet the locals and taking some pictures. You will continue the boulevard towards Hasht Behesht palace (Eight Heaven) and visit this lovely building with unique wall paintings inside. The next stop would be Chehel Sotoun palace (Forty Pillar) which is located inside of a royal garden. After visiting the palace, you will have lunch in a local restaurant with traditional meals which are very tasty. After having lunch and a short rest, you will continue your walk towards Naghsh-e Jahan (Shah Square) which is one of the most famous UNESCO world heritage sites of Iran. This square covers a big area with many important attractions of Esfahan surrounding it. You will visit Ali Ghapoo palace (Ali Qapu), Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, Shaah mosque (Imam Mosque), Qeysarriyeh Gate and the Grand Bazaar of Esfahan. Basically, you will be spending all day visiting the highlights of Esfahan. There is a nice café (Gheysari cafe) on the roof of a museum which is a nice place to have a rest in this intensive day tour with the view of the whole square. After visiting all the attractions around the square, you will have some time for buying souvenirs from handicraft shops of Naghshe Jahan and have some free time for yourself as well. Then you will walk back to your hotel. Esfahan has beautiful nights with people running around in the city and you will enjoy your walk via special spots that locals visit and experiencing their life style. Overnight stay at hotel in Esfahan. (B)

Our plan for the day is to visit Esfahan’s remaining attractions, which are a combination of different sites. You will have another long walk through authentic parts of Esfahan which is a tailor made active walking tour through the old & modern parts of the city. We will transfer you to Jame mosque of Esfahan (Masjed-e Jame) which is the second UNESCO world heritage site of Esfahan and you will start your day trip from the mosque. You will spend a few hours in the mosque and visit all different parts of Iran’s most famous mosque with your guide. You also have some time to be alone for personal sightseeing as well. Afterward you will continue your trip by walking through the narrow alleys of Grand Bazaar all the way to Naghshe Jahan square (2 km). You will have lunch in a local restaurant and after a short rest you will be heading towards Jolfa neighborhood which is about an hour of walking (5 km), crossing remarkable parts of the city. Jolfa is a special region in Esfahan belonging to the colony of Armenian Christians who migrated from the town of JOLFA (Iran’s northern border) to Esfahan during “King Abbas I”s ruling which was about 400 years ago. Jalfa neighborhood has a few churches with Vank church being the most famous of them all and also one of the most famous churches in Iran, which is open to public and we will spend some time visiting it. Also Jolfa district has many luxury shops, cafes and restaurants which is perfect to have a stop for resting along your active tour. There are some special Persian handicraft shops in Jolfa which is another place to find some souvenir as well. There is a famous restaurant which is a good place for dinner. In the evening we will drive towards east to Kuhpayeh to enter the desert region. Overnight you will stay in Kuhpa boutique hotel which is a renovated historical caravanserai. (B)

After breakfast in the caravanserai we will pack and drive to Yazd. We’ll do a detour from Kuhpayeh to visit a few attractions in Dasht-e Kavir desert. It’s a long drive with 370 km of driving taking about 9-10 hours with our stops included. The first stop would be Na’in historical city and we will visit one of the oldest mosques in Iran and a local museum of anthropology. Na’in is also famous for its carpets and there are a lot of locals with this job as the main source of income which they do at their homes. Then we continue our drive towards Meybod which is another historical city and it’s famous for pottery, tile and special dishes made with clay. There is a chance to buy them from the original handicraft artists of the desert. Also along the souvenirs of Meybod, you will visit the famous mud-brick Narin Castle, dating back to about 1,000 years ago. Depending on the daylight you might also visit a Chaparkhaneh (historical post office building), a caravanserai and an ice house. We will have lunch in a local restaurant in town and have a short rest. Afterwards, we resume our detour desert trip toward Chak Chak Zoroastrian fire temple which is located in the mountainous regions of the desert. We have to ascent to the temple which takes about 15 minutes. Then we will drive to Kharanaq historical village which is located in the desert. You will have a short walk inside of the village to explore a historical house and it would be the perfect spot for some photography. From there we will drive to Yazd which we will reach later in the afternoon. We will check in your hotel which is in the old part of the city and you will be free for the evening. Overnight stay in a traditional hotel in Yazd. (B)

After breakfast you will have a full day of sightseeing in Yazd, visiting most touristic attractions. Yazd is a UNESCO world heritage city registered on the list on 2017. It was the center of Zoroastrians community in Iran many years ago. It’s a desert city and famous for the architecture style of their houses and with the older part of the city still having the same architecture, you can enjoy these beautiful pieces of art exclusively. The narrow alleys of the old neighborhoods would be perfect for having another active walking tour. Yazd is also very famous for their cookies and sweets which has a special taste different from any other Iranian sweet. It would be a good place to buy the most famous ones which are Qottab, Baklava and Loz. Your walking tour start from your hotel again which is in the historical part of the city and you will walk through alleys to have time to sightsee and take photos. You will visit the Zoroastrian site of a Fire temple, Amir Chakhmagh complex and the main Grand Mosque next to the bazaar. Next comes Rokn-o-din Shrine and the old prison named after Alexander, the Alexander Prison. After our walking tour we will drive to Dakhmeh (Towers of Silence & old cemetery) situated 15 kilometers southeast of Yazd city. We’ll have to ascent the hill to visit this Zoroastrians site and having a good view of the area around is a bonus. You will have dinner in a traditional restaurant and you can try their local dishes there. We stay one more night in the traditional hotel in Yazd. (B)

We have to leave Yazd early in the morning as we have a long drive to Shiraz as well as the visit to the important and most famous UNESCO site of Iran. You will have breakfast in the hotel and we’ll start the drive towards the south in the direction of Shiraz which takes about 5-6 hours (450 km). The first stop is Pasargadae site, which is 315 km from Yazd (4 hours) and it was registered in 2004 in the list of Iran’s world heritage sites. Pasargadae was the first dynastic capital of the Achaemenid Empire, founded by “Cyrus II the Great” dating back to 559–530 BCE. We will have a short rest and lunch around Marvdasht town. Afterward we will continue our drive towards Persepolis which takes about an hour (80 km). Persepolis is one of the first Iranian UNESCO world heritage sites which was registered on 1979. We will spend a few hours visiting this huge complex completely. There are two other important sites (Naqsh-e Rajab and Naqsh-e Rostam) which are on the list of the tentative UNESCO sites. Depending on your travel time and the daylight we might have time to visit them. We then drive to Shiraz from there taking an hour to reach it (60km). Overnight stay in hotel in Shiraz. (B)

Shiraz is a city famous for many many things. It’s the city of lovers and the city of poets (the two famous Iranian poets (Hafez & Sa’aadi) are from Shiraz). It’s the city of flavors and gardens and the people of Shiraz are also famous for their hospitality even among Iranians. We start with a walking tour of the historical city centre of Shiraz and visit Karim Khan Zand citadel, Nasir al-Molk famous colourful mosque (also known as the Pink Mosque) and afterward we will continue our walk towards the grand Bazaar, Vakil mosque and Vakil bath (Hamam-e Vakil). Shiraz has an authentic Bazaar which is famous for its original perfumes. You will have lunch in Bazaar (a traditional Shirazi meal), and in the afternoon we will visit the Shah Cheragh and the Mausoleum of the Kings of Lights which is a holy monument in Shiraz with many visits from the locals daily. It’s also a nice place for photography as well. Our walking tour finishes at this place and we will have to drive to Eram Garden which is another important garden in Iran and is registered in the Persian Garden of UNESCO world heritage site which was registered on 2011. After snapping some pictures and walking around the garden, in the evening we will drive to the mausoleum of Hafez, Iran’s beloved poet. Hafezie is a holy destination for many Iranian and they respect this place very much and it’s mostly crowded in the year. Then we will drive to a special restaurant to have the last dinner with your guides and from there drive to your hotel in the centre of the city. Overnight stay at hotel in Shiraz. (B)

This day is the last day of the tour and we will arrange a domestic flight to return to Tehran’s domestic airport of Mehr Abad. From there our driver takes you to IKA airport to catch your return flight back home. (B)