Iran is like no other country. From respecting the local culture to haggling in the right places to the tipping etiquette and how to use social media, there are many things to know before you travel to Iran.
Travel to modern Persia without surprises and enjoy your trip with our tips on the local culture and society.
READ MORE: Check out our guide to planning a perfect trip to Iran.
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Truth be told, Iran is a pretty relaxed country to visit, locals are friendly and very willing to help, plus, in tourist areas, you will now find more people speaking English than before, so you will hardly have problems. However, travelling prepared on what to expect and knowing what to do in different situations is always a good habit.
So, to avoid surprises and make the most of your trip, here are the things to know before you travel to Iran.
1. When in Rome do as the Romans do. Same in Iran
One of the most important things when traveling is to respect your hosting culture, so this aspect could not be left out of the things to know before you travel to Iran.
For example, it’s important to respect Iranian dress code, meaning wearing jeans or leggings under a dress, tunic or manteau, and a headscarf, or a chador when requested, such as entering the shrines or some mosques like Vakil Mosque in Shiraz, the only mosque where I was asked to wear it.
If you want to be extra thoughtful towards the religious sentiment, when you hear Azan (call for prayer), in more conservative and religious cities it will show respect if turn off your music, unless it’s already on headphone and you are the only one who can hear it.
2. Get ready for some taarof
Taarof is something you will understand better while there, and truthfully, it’s more common “between Iranians”, but it’s still good that you go with the right mindset, just in case you find yourself in a situation that you find hard to understand.
When you are buying something or paying the taxi, there is a chance the seller/driver won’t accept your money immediately but will start telling you that it’s not important, that you can pay him next year. While I understand your impulse to thank and leave, it might not be the case, so keep insisting and take part in the overmannered etiquette until when, eventually, you manage to pay.
Sometimes, mainly when buying bigger things such as carpets, especially in tourist places, right after taarof is finished and you are friendly enough that you can’t really negotiate the price anymore, there is a chance you hear a crazy price.
Taarof is a nice ritual and very much appreciated in Iran, but for sure it doesn’t mean you can just leave and don’t pay nor pay whatever price they ask after the ceremony is over.
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3. No handshake between sexes
One of the things to know before you travel to Iran and avoid misunderstandings while there if you are a man you shouldn’t shake hands with women and vice versa. Handshaking is only between men or between women, especially in public or public offices. If you are with friends, it all depends on how your friends are, usually, if you know they are religious, you can assume they are not likely to shake hands unless it’s between men or between women.
Obviously, if you meet clerics, don’t expect to shake hands if you are a woman, although, with the austere aura their turbans convey, I doubt you will even be inspired to try.
READ MORE: Interested to know more about Iran? Click here to read my list of top 10 books on Iran and get inspired!
4. Alcohol is illegal
This is an absolute must among the things to know before you travel to Iran. If partying and heavy drinking is your idea of travelling, then Iran is not for you. Here, you can’t get drunk, even though it’s possible to find alcohol in Iran, it’s illegal and if caught you can face legal troubles, so I will totally recommend you wait until you are back home to get your booze.
5. Be careful when taking photos of people
While taking pictures in Iran is pretty easy and welcome everywhere when you want to take photos of people you might want to ask first as sometimes it’s not appreciated. Be it a conservative family or someone who likes to protect their privacy, it can happen that people don’t want to be photographed and maybe end up in social media. It has also happened that women got upset and demanded to delete the pictures where she appeared.
This is not much of news to me as in Italy people usually don’t like to be photographed, but since in Iran this is rarely an issue, you might start feeling overconfident and forget that also here not everyone wants to be the subject of your artistic expression.
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6. Every province is different
This is definitely one of the things to know before you travel to Iran and keep in mind when travelling to different cities and provinces. For example, you might want to adjust your dress code depending on where you are. In Tehran, you can see women wearing dresses with stockings underneath, albeit thick, while in more conservative places such as Qom or Kashan, this might not be the case. Apart from this aspect, be prepared to see many different Iran, a plethora of cultures, traditions, landscapes and ethnic groups.
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7. The weekend is Friday
As the Islamic Republic following Islamic rules and calendar, the weekend in Iran is Friday, meaning that some offices are open until Thursday evening or even until noon, like some government departments. Tehran Grand Bazaar is open until Thursday evening, on Friday some of the shops will open but not all, which can be better if you are into relaxed shopping and photography since during the week it’s just mental.
Exchange agencies in Ferdowsi Square are closed on Friday, keep that in mind if you are running out of local currency.
8. Exchange your cash at exchange agencies instead of banks
Iran’s local currency is the Rial (IRR) and since bank sanctions are not lifted yet, you need to carry enough cash for your stay. In most countries you won’t be able to buy IRR, so you will have to exchange your money in Iran. At the airport, you will find a bank for this and I suggest you exchange the necessary for the first day, including the first taxi from the airport, the fare of which ranges from 650.000 to 800.000 IRR.
Try to exchange the remaining that you need at exchange agencies, they have far better rates than banks. In Tehran, you can find exchange agencies in Ferdowsi Square, in Esfahan around Naqsh-e Jahan (Imam Square), and most cities will have agencies near the tourist attractions.
Tourists can also get a Mah Card “tourist card” where you can put your money and use it like an ATM card, that will avoid carrying a lot of cash all the time. I’ve never done this before so I’m not sure about the process but I think you can open it at the airport too. If you do it, do leave a comment telling us about your experience!
9. Buy a local SIM Card
Way cheaper than using your own country’s SIM card, I suggest you buy an Iranian one. Usually, you need to be a resident, but phone stores have numbers already registered that can be used for tourists. The first company I tried was MCI and I had problems connecting to the internet because apparently, the normal configuration wasn’t enough. Eventually, I did manage to fix it, but when I went back to Iran a couple of months later, again it wasn’t working, so instead of doing all the process again, I bought a RighTel card and it worked just fine from the minute I opened it. There is also another company, Irancell, which is cheap, but I have no experience with this one.
10. Social media in Iran
In Iran Facebook and Twitter are filtered so if you can’t stay without, you need to install a VPN (Virtual Private Network) in your smartphone (or laptop, tablet, or whatever device you are using). In Iran it’s quite popular Psiphon, which is a free software, I tried it twice and my phones reported some issues (both times), so now I prefer to download a VPN.
You can find many VPN services, a simple Google search is enough to find them, from free to cheap to more expensive. Often the paid versions start from one month, so if you are only staying a week you might opt for a free one. As for me, I always use ExpressVPN because after trying different ones, paid and free, this is what works best for me: I installed it both on my smartphone and my laptop and I haven’t had any issue, it was fast, always working and with a wide range of servers. The last time was 12.95$ per one-month subscription but they always have different offers especially if you subscribe for more than one month. In case you want to have a working VPN as soon as you arrive, you need to buy it before leaving as sanctions haven’t been lifted yet so you can’t use your credit card while in Iran.
Click here for more information on the different ExpressVPN packages and latest prices.
To chat with your Iranian friends download Telegram, it’s more common than Whatsapp and Viber.
11. Use public transport
When visiting Iran, I’ve always found public transport, both extra- and intra-urban, really great. While for some off-the-beaten-path provinces and areas you might prefer hiring a taxi, travelling around the most popular tourist cities can be easily done by public transport, either bus or train, that you can book from a local travel agency or buy the ticket directly at the stations. If you take the bus, do book a VIP one, the difference in price is small and you will get very comfortable seats and even a meal. As I wrote in my post about my experience as a woman travelling in Iran, I often took night buses and trains and they are completely safe with frequent police checks.
On a related note, when you are in Tehran, I strongly advise using public transport, too. I fell in love with Tehran metro, not only for the beautiful interior decorations but because it’s a widespread system connecting all city’s neighborhoods. The first and last cabins of Tehran metro’s trains are for women only, while the cabins in the middle are mixed. I suggest you buy a metro card to swipe when you enter and exit so that you don’t need to queue for a ticket every time, and to get yourself a map of the lines to find your way easily.
There are some apps for the smartphone to help you get by in the metro: one is Tehran Metro and informs you also about landmarks, services, restaurants and buses around each metro station, and Tehran Metro Map for a complete map of all the lines.
12. Renting a car in Iran
Traffic in Tehran is pretty mental, and Iranians’ driving style can be quite… adventurous, so rent a car only if you feel confident and brave enough. Depending on the provinces, highways and country roads are pretty quiet, even though you will find many trucks, so you should inquire what are the best times to get on the road between cities and provinces.
Apart from traffic, safety is an issue too, as Iran has one of the world’s highest rates of deaths by car accidents, so I would suggest relying either on public transport or local drivers.
13. Tips are welcome
While it’s not as mandatory as in India, where even who tells you where the toilet is wants a tip, also in Iran tipping is appreciated. Usually, tips are for hotels’ employees who help you carry your luggage to your room (especially when you are on the third floor and there is no elevator!), where you can leave around 50,000 IRR, and, when in a tour, for your guide and the driver. It will be up to you and depending on how long the tour was, usually, if you ask the tour guide, he will be able to help.
14. Haggling in Iran
Especially in tourist areas, haggling is fine. In tourist bazaars, especially the one around Imam Square in Esfahan, haggling is highly recommended. Like everywhere, the more you buy, the more they are inclined to give you a better price, so if there is a shop you like, you might gather there all your gift shopping.
You can bargain the price with taxi drivers too, even though it’s very likely they will overcharge you anyway. Fares range from 20.000 IRR (less than 1€/$/£) to 200.000 IRR (roughly 6€/7$/5£) depending on the city and obviously the distance. In Tehran, you can find also shared taxis that will pick up also other people during the journey and usually cover a street or a specific distance. With these, the fare ranges from 10.000 to 20.000 Rials and there is no haggling, also because you can hardly go lower than this.
READ MORE: If you are going shopping, you might find useful our tips on how to bargain the price in Persian.
15. Taking a taxi in Iran
Since written Persian uses Arabic letters, when you take a taxi it won’t harm to have the destination written in Persian characters. Especially in non-tourist areas, English is seldom spoken among taxi drivers and they might not understand your pronunciation, so instead of wandering aimlessly looking for the right spot you can just show them your destination or ask the hotel reception to tell them directly.
16. Bring hand soap or sanitizer and wet wipes
In public toilets hand soap is not always present, be it in bus stations or tourist attractions, so among the things to know before you travel to Iran, I suggest you carry a liquid soap or sanitizer with you just in case. Ladies should better always carry tissue with them.
In most places toilets are Turkish/Asian style, meaning squat toilets: as Naz suggested in a comment below, keep your pockets empty as you will have to crouch and you definitely don’t want to see what’s in your pockets going down the black hole!
17. Don’t travel with your dog
I know you love your pet, but one of the things to know before you travel to Iran is that it might not be a good idea to bring your dog. First of all, cats, dogs, and other pets are listed among the prohibited items to carry, unless permission has been previously granted after providing all required vet health certificates and a rabies certificate issued in the country of origin, and second, there are religious/cultural/social issues.
There have been proposals for laws to ban pets in Iran, either because dogs are not considered clean in Islam or because seen, mostly by the most conservative wing of the Parliament, in terms of “Western cultural invasion”. However, many Iranians do keep cats and dogs, and do walk them every day, but they know where to go and this is why they don’t have problems. As a tourist, you won’t, so better not to take your beloved pet with you.
Moreover, you might face other problems when travelling around Iran, for example when taking domestic flights, public transport, or entering hotels and restaurants. Since they are almost never allowed inside, especially in more conservative and religious cities, you will hardly enjoy your trip to Iran or visit places, and if the alternative option is to keep it in shelters, they are probably better off at home.
18. Before going do your homework, essential among the things to know before you travel to Iran!
While this can sound pretty obvious, to the extent that I wasn’t even mentioning it among the things to know before you travel to Iran, I was friendly reminded by an Iranian reader: “Do some research ahead! You should know in front of what you are standing and what the significance and importance of that particular place are. Not only religious places but also shrines, historical sights such as Persepolis or Bisotun and general Iran tourist attractions.
It’s also a matter of respect: if you go to a country to have a good time you should invest a bit of your time studying the culture. What would be the difference between dusk on a random wall or Persepolis then? It is completely senseless visiting Saadi’s tomb if you don’t know who he was and what role he plays for Iranians and Persians.”
If you like this post, you might enjoy also –>>
Places to visit in Iran in 10 days, the ultimate guide
Caravanserai as cultural crossroads along the Silk Roads: Iran’s Izadkhast
Eating out in Iran? Here are some useful tips in Persian language (Farsi)
Persepolis and Pasargadae, a glimpse into Iran’s glorious history
Reaching Half of the World in beautiful Isfahan, Iran
Catching the wind in Yazd desert city, where the Zoroastrian fire still burns
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Helpful list!
Great list! I would add one thing for the ladies when using the bathrooms : 1- ALWAYS have tissues with you and 2-most (99%) of places have turkish toilets meaning you have to squat, keep your pockets empty as you may see the contents of your pockets go down the black hole!
Thanks Naz! Truth be said, I thought about the squat toilets but in the end I didn’t add it, I will add both tips!
Thanks for the helpful list!
I’ve always been fascinated by Iran, and I hope to be able to make it there someday.
It’s interesting that handshakes between the sexes are forbidden. When I lived in Egypt and the UAE, hugs between men and women were taboo, but handshakes weren’t.
I can relate to the weekend starting on Friday, though. I was thrown off quite a bit at the beginning of my time in the Middle East because the work week started on Sunday.
Dear Danny,
Taking trip to Iran (my country) is cheap. So I hope to see you here tomorrow :) .
Shaking hand is officially forbidden, but not with foreigners. Whenever my friends and I meet foreigners we shake hand with them. These limitations exist mainly among ourselves ;).
Hey Danny!
I definitely recommend http://www.asemangasht.com/ as a traveling agency if you’re ever interested to take a trip to Iran. I took a tour with them this past summer and it was simply amazing. They took care of all the paper work as well as getting me a visa and authorization code and all… Some of the information given out is unreliable on some of these website. The Islamic law is not very enforced in Iran… everyone not only shakes hand they also hug each other (i even encountered many public kisses). So it all depends on if you’re visiting the rural areas and villages or the main cities.
Hi Tara, thanks for stopping. Please do not use my website to spread wrong pieces of information. I only write about the places I visit personally to give the reliable information you hardly find on corporate media and I want to keep it like that. I have traveled repeatedly to Iran as both a tourist and also for work, and this is why I tell my readers that in Iran handshaking and public kisses are NOT common and absolutely not done by everyone. Alongside being formally illegal, even those who do it in private, not always will do it in public, and those who plan a trip should know this to respect the law, not listen to misinformed travelers like you seem to be who have been there only once and have a very superficial knowledge of the place.
Don’t understand this: “Sometimes, mainly when buying bigger things such as carpets, especially in tourist places, right after ta’arof is finished and you are friendly enough that you can’t really negotiate the price anymore, there is a chance you hear a crazy price.” is a scam?
No no, no scam, it’s their ta’arof etiquette, but even though, don’t forget to haggle if they are giving you a too high price, especially in tourist areas.
I will soon travel to Iran for the first time. I have read so many mixed comments and scaremongering; thank you for being different and making a helpful list. I hope my experiences will be as rich and happy as yours.
Don’t listen to the media that try to give a wrong image of Iran, they either know nothing about it or are just following a specific political agenda.
Remote judgement is not fair. ?
Thank you for sharing such a helpful list ! Truth be told, I’m little bit afraid of going to Iran but at the same time I cant wait to discover such an interesting, culturally rich country…
No need to be afraid, Iranians are very friendly and the country is very safe!
Feel comfortable to take trip to Iran. I am sure it wont be your last trip here. And I guarantee you at leas making seven friends per week ;)) .
As you can read in any travel report you google, Iranians are an extremely welcoming people and Iran has unlimited cultural, architectural and natural sites to offer.
The fact is “Iranians”, meaning the people of Iran, have absolutely no problem with shaking hands with the other sex. It is the unpopular regime’s laws that forbid those in public. So the image you will receive at people’s homes is completely different from the public one. Another one is covering hair in public for women. A little more complex than with “Romans”.
I’m a little disappointed by the main (top) photo you have published of Iran. That only reenforces the stereotypes most people have been bombarded with for 37 years now.
Travel to Iran and be pleasantly surprised by Persian magic!
It’s difficult to make so many mistakes in such a few words, yet every single sentence you wrote is wrong.
“The fact is “Iranians”, meaning the people of Iran, have absolutely no problem with shaking hands with the other sex.” Wrong: I have friends I’ve known for a long time who wouldn’t shake hands with me, even in private, where the “regime” can’t see us.
“It is the unpopular regime’s laws that forbid those in public.” It’s less unpopular than you think, I know many who want an Islamic Republic.
“Another one is covering hair in public for women. A little more complex than with “Romans”.” Covering hair has nothing to do with the Romans, that was an ironic writing license, looks like you didn’t get it.
“I’m a little disappointed by the main (top) photo you have published of Iran.” I’ve been visiting and writing about Iran for five years, publishing every type of photo and that’s the only photo you can see? You are pretty superficial yourself.
“Travel to Iran and be pleasantly surprised by Persian magic!” Inaccurate again: Iran is not only Persian but a huge diversity of ethnic minorities.
Good luck.
Angela,
For one, I was not that critical of your beautiful article. I just thought, as an Iranian who knows Iran pretty damn well, I could bring some clarifications. Thank you for your article.
You can prove anything with anecdotes of course. Obviously there are some conservative people in Iran but the majority of Iranians especially those living in the cities that tourists will mainly meet are open minded and much less conservative than all other countries in the region and certainly much less than what is portrayed in the media. A vast majority of women in Tehran, would not be wearing the hejab were it not mandatory by the regime. The Iranian people have shown through all possible means, their distaste for the regime through social media, elections, street protests, by leaving the country in millions, … and that is not only regarding the rich neighborhoods of Tehran. A survey inside Iran showed that less than 30% of people pray (and that was from 2008, since it’s even less) for instance. Another one is how little you hear the call for prayer in Tehran compared to almost all other muslim countries such as Istanbul in Turkey.
You make perfect sense by saying that Iran comprises other people and cultures than “Persian” but like in many other places, the word “Persian” symbolizes best the overall culture of the country throughout its long history. I could have said “Go to France and enjoy the French culture” although France has the Basque, the Brittons (La Bretagne), the Alsacians and other major cultures included. Same goes for Italy, Russia and almost any other nation on earth. Persian rugs denominate rugs from all over Iran even when made by Azaris, Persian food refers to food across Iran even when coming from Mazandaran, Persian architecture points to the techniques developed around the country even from Balouchistan…
Most people see the top photo as the main photo of any article and my point was, although, your other photos are great, the one you chose to set at the head of this article is not representing a true image of Iran and Iranians. I am not saying that does not exist in Iran but images like that reenforces the stereotype instead of balancing the views of those who have not seen anything other than that type of photos in the press.
I do want to reiterate, although it might not sound like it, I do appreciate you writing this article. Did not intend to get so wordy either.
All the best and with much respect.
Sorry, I didn’t mean to be too harsh. Although I sort of fail to understand why many Iranians want to avoid the chador images, when you can’t deny that you see so many in Iran. As a matter of fact, in most of my pictures there were loose hijabis and that didn’t seem too real to me. Not all women wear chador of course, but many do. That photo was taken in Kermanshah, which is not Tehran, but still a big city, not a small village. And anyway I saw many chadorees in Tehran too. When I go to Iran I don’t spend my time in Tehran only, I try to visit as many provinces as possible, every time I talk to my Iranian friends they tell me I visited more places than they did themselves, and that’s because I want to see and learn all of Iran’s aspects. Last time I went to Persepolis, the third time, I met a huge group of young girls, I don’t know where they were from, but they were ALL chadorees. I saw modern and “westernized” Iran, but to my experience this is not the majority of the people…
I don’t know about surveys and I don’t know how they are conducted, but again, MANY of my friends pray, albeit not all. Although many keep it private, I just notice at prayer time they go to the prayer room which every place has, even restaurants and do their prayers.
For the handshake too, I met people who would shake hands with me but many who wouldn’t, even if they’ve known for ages. But the idea for this point was given to me by a friend of mine, Italian, who came back from Iran and told me about all the occasions where she felt inappropriate for this. I tried to explain to her that in some situations you can shake hands and in some places you can’t, but it’s something I’ve learned with time and can’t really explain properly, I just know it when I find myself there. So just to avoid embarrassing situations, I advice to wait until the other person offers the hand!
Anyway, I’m always open to know the different “Irans” so you’re welcome to show me aspects I don’t know, I’ll gladly write about it too ;)
Again I think your article has only good points and great advice. I am not debating your suggestions at all. I just think it’s good to give some perspective on some of them. When you say, you should not shake hands with the opposite sex, it is great advice. But it would be nice to add that the Iranian regime since the revolution in 1979 has made it “illegal” to do so and that is why people hesitate doing this in public and probably have gotten used to rarely doing it in private too. I know you have been to Iran very often and probably have been to more places than I have and I am sure you do know that there is a fundamental difference between people’s behavior in public versus private. Much more so than in other countries in the region and beyond. This covers listening to music, laughing, smiling, drinking alcohol, dancing, singing, the way they talk, clapping hands, flirting, wearing the hejab… and shaking hands.
One of the commentators mentioned he was surprised about the hand-shake habit and that in Egypt and UAE he had not experienced that. It seems that the impression he got was that the Iranian society was more conservative than in UAE and Egypt. But the opposite is true. Iranians are more liberal and that’s what makes me hopeful regarding Iran’s future. It is the regime’s laws that make the society behave more conservative in certain ways. And I believe it’s something readers should know. I have often travelled to Iran with my western friends and they are always surprised at how people are, especially in private and we don’t only hang out in Northern Tehran or Dizin. We often go to other parts of Tehran and to much smaller towns.
Thank you for reading my replies.
One more thing to add, would be the amount of
Food you get when ordering in restaurants,
OMG it is more than any one should eat in one
Meal.!!
Oh God you’re right, way too big, I always order half portions!
Did you eat kebab?i am iranian,,if you want to come to iran,,visit rasht,
i live in rasht and rasht has the best food in iran.
Yes I m agree with you I m come from Tehran but Lahijan & Rasht has delicious food, and Masule has spectacular scenery
But I am always hungary after eatting that ?
What a great list! That’s so much for this!
I see an amazing article here, very informative.. Hand shake bit is very true. DO NOT try to shake hands with opposite sex unless they try first, specially if you are a male and in most cases it has absolutely nothing to do with regime. Males in some families wouldn’t want you shake hand with their wife, daughter or mother..
Helpful list! I will soon travel to Iran for the first time. Thanks for making helpful list.
Welcome to iran
Great article, thanks a lot! And really useful comment about the portion sizes!
The only thing I’d like to point out is – and I’m not sure what experience you had in India – I’ve lived in India for two thirds of my life and have never paid anyone for telling me where the toilets are. And tipping is certainly NOT mandatory in India – that’s a fact. You may have felt compelled to do it as an outsider, but that’s your personal experience, not to be generalized.
In India, tipping is not mandatory but DEFINITELY expected, and it wasn’t only my personal experience but also the one of many other travellers I talked to before and after going. Obviously this applies mainly to tourist areas, in Uttarakhand I haven’t experienced it, but in Rajasthan literally everywhere. My tour guides also told me I was expected to give tips everywhere we went.
That seems like a plain case of them taking advantage of you because you’re from outside – so sorry you had that experience! As Indians we do tip, but only where it’s justified – not everywhere!
I have a question regarding dress code for women tourists in Iran. Please could you tell me if 1) it’s ok to wear tops with 3/4 sleeves, and 2) loose fitting but short tops that cover the hips but don’t go all the way down to the knees like tunics do?
Is a full length skirt with a fitted top that’s covered with the headscarf ok?
Thanks so much!
3/4 sleeves are fine but tops shouldn’t be short. They don’t need to go all the way to the knees but at least mid-thighs yes! Full-length skirt is fine too, always headscarf.
I’m coming back from one month in Delhi, btw, and tips were still expected, plus I had a few rip-off incidents, even vendors refusing to give us the change after we bought something…
Thanks Angela!
That is really surprising / shocking, and quite shameful in my opinion. They’re definitely taking advantage of you. Next time you’re there try limiting tipping to only when you feel it’s justified – don’t feel compelled to tip…
Thanks for the info regarding dressing – do I need to wear a mid thigh length loose fitting top even with skirts / palazzo pants? I was planning to carry some fitted full sleeve tops as my headscarf covers them, but my hips won’t be covered by the top…!
And while I’m at it – are there any restaurants you found extraordinary and would highly recommend? Am interested solely in the food, and tasting authentic Iranian stuff, not so much the ambience.
Thanks once again!
Ummm, with a long loose skirt yes, but with pants you will still need a long top.
About resturants, I pretty much went by chance wherever I was at the moment, however, in Tehran I like the veggie restaurants Ananda in Pasdaran area or the one in lovely Artists’ Garden.
Thank you Angela! Your article and responses have been super useful!
You are welcome Sonal, we are glad we could help.
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Great info! Just one question: hand sanitizers have alcohol but you’re not supposed to bring alcohol to Iran. Is it ok to bring hand sanitizer?
Hi Susan, the alcohol in the hand sanitizers is different from the alcohol that you drink, so totally fine, you can buy hand sanitizers in Iran too..
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Besides this helpful article . i invite all travelers visit Qazvin and its beautiful valley(Alamut)
.i would be more than happy to help anyone.
one point to say is to visit the northern regions of iran and taste traditional Gilan food it’s great
Hi . Im dr majid riyahi . Im iranin and i live in tehran city . Befor i say about this text : really its good but traveling in iran its bery easy and my peapol reapact for all peapol . I see some peapol usa , thiks usa and iranin are enemy together . Or they dont like together . Really is not true and we love peapol usa.
Iran have 3500 places for srching and if you 1 year have time is not enoth . But some places is very very best and have food history . I shair my phone number and my email , if you like you can send email to me or send masagge to line telegram or wats up or you can call me if want know more about iran or if you want know about best places in iran .
If you like , i can help you for your traveling to iran and i help you for hotel and car and ticket and airplan and if you want i show you best places .
989124143309 my number
riyahi.majid5@gmail.com
Have good time and i wish best life for all peapol for all country
Thank you
Dr majid
Hi. Thank you for all the interesting content that Angela wrote about my homeland. I am living in Tehran and really all people are satisfied with the conditions of the country except living expenses. Expenditure on living in Iran goes up by rising dollar prices. I’m glad to visit and enjoy the quicker than the beautiful Iran. In Iran, fashion policemen do not complain about women with shawls and fairly worn bodies. So be comfortable.
Thank you for the great tips!
I always struggle to spend all the cash at the end of my trips and ends up in the airport with the unfavourable rate applied by the exchange offices. I believe for my next trip to Iran, I will have the same issue.
Just heard about one mobile application Fairswap to exchange cash.
Widely, you can post your need in foreign currency and if there is someone nearby facing the reverse need, then he can contact you and you will meet him and make the swap.
Could be a good way to change before travelling or get rid of some leftover after holidays.
thank you very much for these useful information, we always welcome everyone here. we have no problem with anyone and any nationality. it’s only politics not people
thanks so much for your tips.
its good to mention about food in Iran
Iran has some of the best dishes in the world. The Persian cuisine consists of a delicious array of stews and different rice among many other dishes. And of course Persian bread.
These used to be all made inside brick ovens (Tanoors) by hand but machines have taken the place of many.
Still, Persian bread is a part of any good meal and they are simply delicious.