Please Note: We are not currently offering any departures to Iran, following a change in the FCO Travel Advice on 10th January 2020. TransIndus has…
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Tailor-made Tour 14 days from £4495 per person
Places Visited: Tehran, Shiraz, Persepolis, Yazd, Meybod, Naein, Isfahan, Abyaneh, Kashan, Qom
Please Note: We are not currently offering any departures to Iran, following a change in the FCO Travel Advice on 10th January 2020. TransIndus has happily operated tours to Iran for many years, with our clients having greatly enjoyed learning about its rich culture and fascinating history and have repeatedly commented on the warm friendliness of the Iranian locals they've met along the way. We sincerely hope to be able to resume our tours soon and look forward to the day when we can show more of our clients the wonders of Iran. In the interim, TransIndus offers tours to many other countries across the Middle East & Central Asia and we hope one of these other destinations will satisfy your traveller's curiosity. Please do get in touch with our team of travel specialists for further advice.
Experience the very best Iran has to offer - from the glories of Safavid Isfahan to Achemaenid Persepolis – on this carefully honed tour across the central plateau.
Flying via Turkey or the Middle East you arrive into Tehran to begin your tour. The standout sight is the Golestan Palace of the Qajar Shahs, famed for its sumptuous decor (and delightful traditional tea shop!). Day two features the only domestic flight of the itinerary, taking you to Shiraz in the south, which we’ll use as a base for exploring Persepolis and satellite monuments. A winding journey over the outliers of the barren Zagros Mountains takes you on to Yazd, home of Iran’s most exotic skyline and, at the end of the first week, to Isfahan, whose splendid mosques and palaces are unrivaled in the Islamic world.
Holiday Types
Cultural Holidays
Suggested itinerary
Day 1
UK
Fly overnight to Tehran from London via Turker or the Middle East
Accommodation Options
Day 2
Tehran
On arrival in the Iranian capital, you’ll be met by your driver and guide and transferred to your hotel. Spend the morning recovering from the journey. Later, head off to the UNESCO-listed Golestan Palace for lunch at a traditional Iranian teahouse and tour of the palace and its museums.
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Day 3
Tehran, Shiraz
After an early check-out, spend the morning touring the capital’s museums, starting with the glittering collection at the Treasury of National Jewels, followed by the National Museum itself and adjacent Islamic Museum. By then you’ll be ready for lunch, ahead of your transfer to the domestic airport and an afternoon flight to Shiraz.
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Day 4
Shiraz
A full day’s sightseeing in Shiraz begins with a visit to the Nasir-al Molk Mosque, famous for its sumptuous stained-glass windows and intricate ceramic tiles. From there, head over to the Vakil Mosque and nearby bazaar, whose vaulted-arched, domed roofs and traditional shops date from the 12th century. This is a particularly good place to pick up old-style Persian carpets and kilims, arrayed in spectacular displays by the vendors. After lunch at a typical Shirazi restaurant, your tour will continue with a visit to Eram Garden, where the pretty Qavan Pavillion forms a photogenic centrepiece. Spend the remainder of the day visiting more gardens and museums, winding up at the tomb of the great Sufi poet, Hafiz.
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Day 5
Shiraz
Today you’ll visit one of the great highlights of Iran, Persepolis – ceremonial seat of the Achaemenid Dynasty, who ruled Persia in the 6th century BC. The site lies just under an hour’s drive north up the main highway from Shiraz. Before beginning your tour of the ruins, we suggest you take advantage of the gentle morning light to see the nearby tombs at Naqsh-e Rostam, and then continue north to Pasargadae, where the Mausoleum of Cyrus the Great is the most striking among a scattering of monuments surviving from the Achaemenids’ first capital, scattered over a broad plain encircled by hills.
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Day 6
Shiraz, Yazd
Most of today is given over to a long drive over the mountains to Fars Province and the desert city of Yazd, where you’ll arrive around mid-afternoon, in time for a look around the markets. With its distinctive twin minarets, the Masjed-e Jameh mosque makes an ideal starting point for explorations of the mud-walled streets and bazaars behind. Your guide will lead you through a tangle of medieval lanes, to the Art Café, whose rooftop affords the finest view of the city’s fabulously exotic skyline.
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Day 7
Yazd
On the seventh day of your tour, visit the UNESCO-listed Dowlat Abad gardens and Amri Chakhmaq complex of 15th and 16th century shrines and baths. The nearby bazaars are particularly atmospheric in the evening just after sunset.
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Day 8
Yazd, Meybod, Naien, Isfahan
Today’s drive to Isfahan is broken with stops at two particularly interesting towns. The first, Meybod, has roots dating back to the pre-Islamic period, as demonstrated by the ancient Narenj Castle at its heart, whose beautifully restored adobe ramparts survey a sweep of flat rooftops and wind catcher towers. Next stop of the day is Naien, where your guide will show you around one of the country’s oldest mosques, and the remains of a 1700-year-old fort. You’ll arrive in Isfahan around late afternoon, in time for a sunset stroll along the banks of the Zayande River to admire the floodlit Safavid bridges.
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Day 9
Isfahan
A full day’s sightseeing begins with a tour of the majestic Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque on Imam (Naqsh-e Jahan) Square, a shrine reserved for the exclusive use of the Safavid royal family. Its piece de resistance is a magnificent domed ceiling, featuring a famous peacock motif at its apex. The nearby Shah Mosque is even more impressive, built on a vast scale that contrasts to spectacular effect with the brilliance and intricacy of its decoration. In the afternoon, your tour continues with visits to the two other great Safavid monuments in this district, the Ali Qapu Palace, whose upper terrace yields the definitive views over Imam Square, and nearby Chehel Sotoun, an imposing royal pavilion set in splendid gardens, whose murals depicting lavish royal functions are UNESCO-listed treasures.
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Day 10
Isfahan
Begin the tenth day of your tour with a look around the richly decorated Vank Cathedral, over in the Armenian quarter of New Jolfa. The afternoon will be set aside for shopping in the Grand Bazaar, entered via an impressive arched gateway on the north side of Iman Square. Alternatively, visit the Jameh Masjed first, one of the oldest and largest mosques in Iran, and walk from there south through the bazaar– an unforgettable 2.5-mile stroll through an atmospheric, 17th century covered market retaining its original mud-brick, domed ceilings.
Accommodation Options
Day 11
Isfahan, Kashan
Today’s journey will be broken with a detour into the mountains to visit a village called Abyaneh, which is renowned for its striking red-earth architecture. Instead of the regular Iranian hejab, the women all wear floral white headscarves. Older ladies make a bit of spare cash from tourists selling tea and bags of delicious dried apples. Just over an hour’s drive further north, Kashan in your final halt and a great place to wind up your tour of Iran. The town’s antique core holds a bumper crop of fine old mansions.
Accommodation Options
Day 12
Kashan
Spend the penultimate day of your trip exploring Kashan’s mansions, bath houses, rose water factories and 400-year-old bazaars. In the afternoon, you’ll have the chance to travel out of town to see the famous, UNESCO-listed Bagh-e Fin gardens, among the finest in the country.
Accommodation Options
Day 13
Kashan, Tehran
You’ll have time in the morning for a spot of souvenir shopping, or to take in a carpet-weaving workshop or pottery, before continuing north towards Tehran. The route skirts the city of Qom, home to one of the country’s most important shrines, the Tomb of Fatima al Masuma, which makes a compelling detour. Immerse yourself in the devotional atmosphere of this spectacular Shia site, before returning to the more familiar, 21st century atmosphere of the Ibis Hotel at Tehran’s international airport.
Accommodation Options
Day 14
Tehran, UK via connecting port
Transfer to the airport for your return flight home
Accommodation Options
Tailor-made Tour 14 days from £4495 per person
What's included
✓ International flights from London
✓ 12 nights accommodation
✓ All internal transportation and transfers
✓ English-speaking guides
✓ Breakfast daily
✓ Entrance fees to sites and monuments listed in tour itinerary
Places and Experiences in this tour
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