Iran is among countries that start with I listed on Countryaah.com. As the legacy of the historical Persian Empire, Iran can look back on a rich culture that flourished in architecture and poetry. Cities like Isfahan or Shiraz give eloquent testimony to this brilliant historical epoch; Of Persepolis, the former capital of the Persian Empire, only ruins remain. Today’s Iran has been an authoritarian republic led by Shiite clergy since 1979.
- Day 1: Flight to Tehran
- Day 2: City tour of Tehran – the capital of Iran
- Day 3: Hike in the Elburz Mountains in northern Iran
- Day 4: Tarikhaneh Mosque in Damghan – the oldest mosque in the country
- Day 5: Starry sky in Mesr
- Day 6: Desert hike and city tour of Yazd
- Day 7: Desert city of Yazd – UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Day 8: Persepolis – City of the Persians
- Day 9: Shiraz – city of love, roses and nightingales
- Day 10: Waterfall hike and Yasuj
- Day 11: Excursion to the Zagros Mountains
- Day 12: Drive to Isfahan
- Day 13: City tour in Isfahan
- Day 14: Drive to Tehran via Kashan with fin gardens
- 15th day: Flight back home
On the drive to Yazd we make a stop and go on a desert hike. In the evening we arrive in the beautiful old city, which lies in the middle of gravel, salt and sand deserts and is the center of the followers of Zarathustra who practice heavenly burial. We walk through the alleys of the old town with its old wind towers and courtyard houses made of clay, visit the site of the Passion Play (Amir Shackmag Takiyeh) and shop in one of the best pastry shops in the country.
Yazd is a UNESCO World Heritage Site – as are numerous other places we visit: Persepolis, the splendid ruins of the former capital of the Achaemenid Empire. Pasargadae, where we hear the story of King Cyrus the Great.
The Persian gardens of Shiraz, the city of poets and roses, are also world heritage sites. Here we make a pilgrimage to the tomb of the world-famous poets Hafis and Khaju Kermani and listen to our tour guide. Later we admire the Sarai-ye Mosque. In the historic center, we sniff our way through the scents of the Orient at the Vakil Bazaar and maybe look over the shoulder of an essence manufacturer.
Meals: B = breakfast / L = lunch / packed lunch / D = dinner
1st day:
Flight to Tehran
We arrive in Tehran, are already expected and taken to our hotel in Tehran, where we will stay for 3 nights. The evening is at our disposal. Depending on the time of arrival, we can do our first little explorations independently in Tehran.
(- / – / -)
Overnight in Tehran
2nd day:
City tour Tehran – the capital of Iran
Today we dedicate ourselves entirely to the capital: Tehran. After breakfast and getting to know each other for the first time, we start our day with a visit to the oldest palace complex in the city (from the 18th century), the Golestan Palace in the center of Tehran (Golestan means rose garden). We visit the national jewelery museum and collect many new impressions of the life of the people in the metropolis of the only Islamic republic in the world at the Tehran Bazaar, the largest bazaar in the country.
(B / L / -)
Overnight in Tehran
3rd day:
Hike in the Elburz Mountains in northern Iran
In the morning we take the bus for about an hour to the starting point of today’s hike in the Elburz Mountains. The Elburz Mountains in northern Iran form a straight border
between the main plain of the country and the coastal areas of the Caspian Sea. The
highest peaks are over 4000 meters.
After our hike we will return to Tehran and in the afternoon visit the Saadabad Palace on a total of 410 hectares in northern Tehran and the summer residence of the last Shah.
Hike approx. 3 h (approx. 4 km, +/- 500 m)
(B / L / -)
Overnight in Tehran
4th day:
Tarikhaneh Mosque in Damghan – the oldest mosque in the country
After breakfast we check out of our hotel and drive to Damghan, approx. 350 km away, where we will visit one of the oldest mosques in the country, the Tarikhaneh Mosque. It is probably the earliest mosque built and preserved in Iran after the Islamic conquest from the 8th century. It was built according to the blueprint of a classic Arab court mosque using local Sassanid architectural forms and craft techniques.
We continue to Cheshme Ali and visit the Qajar pavilion there.
(B / – / D)
Overnight in Damghan
5th day:
Starry sky in Mesr
This morning we drive into the desert and undertake a short hike (approx. 1 km) on the way. We visit the Jandagh Castle and drive to the village of Mesr. We will stay in a typical guest house there and hopefully see the stars when the sky is clear. Drive approx. 398 km
We spend the night in a simple guest house, 4-5 people share a room, shared bathhouse / toilet, no single room is possible here.
Drive approx. 398 km
(
B / – / D) Overnight in Mesr
6th day:
Desert hike and city tour of Yazd
This morning we take a short hike in the desert before we set off towards Yazd. On the way we stop in the old caravan town of Maybod and visit the caravanserai and the castle with the citadel, the origins of which go back to the 4th century BC.
Drive approx. 348 km,
hike approx. 2 h (approx. 3 km, +/- 80 m)
(B / L / -)
Overnight in Yazd
7th day:
Desert city of Yazd – UNESCO World Heritage Site
Yazd is located at about 1200m in a flat valley and, as the provincial capital and important center of the Zoroastrian religion, offers us a lot of sights: Amir-Tschakhmagh-Platz, the Djame-Mosque, Towers of Silence, Fire Temple. Yazd is one of the oldest cities in Iran, located around
250 km east of Isfahan and the old town of Yazd was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2017.
(B / L / -)
Overnight in Yazd
8th day:
Persepolis – city of the Persians
On our way to Shiraz today we will visit the Achaemenid residence Pasargadae (first Achaemenid royal residence), Nasqh e Rostam with four rock tombs of Achaemenid kings and Persepolis, the ruins of which the royal residence offers and remarkable insights into the most important period of pre-Islamic fortunes. The old Persian residence city of Persepolis was one of the capitals of the ancient Persian Empire under the Achaemenids and was founded in 520 BC. Founded by Dareios I in the south of Iran in the Persis region. The name “Persepolis” comes from the Greek and means “city of the Persians”. The Persian name refers to Jamschid, a Persian king from mythological prehistory.
(B / – / D)
Overnight in Shiraz
Day 9:
Shiraz – city of love, roses and nightingales
The provincial capital Shiraz is popularly called the city of love, roses and nightingales, because the most famous Persian poets, Saadi and Hafiz, lived here and created an atmosphere of beauty and romance through their works. Through her work, Shiraz developed into the
literary center of Iran and is now one of the main destinations of a trip to Iran alongside Isfahan.
We visit the Wakil complex with its bazaar founded in the 18th century, the Saraye Moshir and the adjoining bathhouse (hammam), the Karim Kahn citadel with the bathhouse in the citadel, the Nasirol Mulk mosque, the Narenjestan garden, the Eram garden (a very interesting park with three-story castles) and the mausoleum of the famous and revered poet Hafiz.
(B / L / -)
Overnight in Shiraz
10th day:
Waterfall hike and Yasuj
On the way to Yasuj we stop and hike to the highest waterfall in Fars Province. Today’s destination, Yasuj, is in the Zagros Mountains and is the ideal starting point for tomorrow’s hike.
Drive approx. 3 h, 263 km.
Hike: approx. 2 h (3 km, +/- 150 m)
(B / – /
D) Overnight in Yasuj
11th day:
Excursion to the Zagros Mountains
We take a nice hike through the oak forests in the Zagros Mountains. In the afternoon we have free time and stroll.
Hike: approx. 4 h (approx. 8 km, +/- 300 m)
(B / – /
D) Overnight in Yasuj
12th day:
Drive to Isfahan
Without a doubt, Isfahan is one of the most beautiful cities in the world! We look around the Armenian quarter Djolfa and visit the Vank Cathedral there. Then we stroll on the old bridges. Isfahan is the capital of the province of the same name in Iran. Isfahan experienced its heyday under the Safavid dynasty (1501–1722), who made Isfahan their capital in 1598 and embellished it with numerous magnificent buildings and gardens. “Isfahan is half the world,” says a Persian proverb.
Drive approx. 330 km
(B / – / D)
Overnight in Isfahan
13th day:
City tour in Isfahan
Today is a great city tour in Isfahan, during which we pay a visit to Naghshe Jahan Square, among other things. Naghshe Jahan Square is the heart of the old town and as a historical site it is also included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Around the square we have the opportunity to visit the Ali Qapu Palace and the Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque opposite. The two buildings are connected by an underground passage. The Imam Mosque, the Tschehel Sotun Palace (forty pillar palace) and the old bazaar are also very worth seeing. We can organize the evening at Imam Patz according to our preferences.
Driving time approx. 6 hours
(B / L / -)
Overnight in Isfahan
14th day:
Drive to Tehran via Kashan with fin gardens
On the way to Tehran we will hike in the village of Abyaneh and later stop in Kashan on the way. According to legend, the three holy kings set out from here to Bethlehem. The fin garden is said to have been built as early as the 6th century BC. have existed and is therefore the oldest existing garden in Iran. We continue to Tehran and spend the night in a hotel at the airport. Today we say goodbye to our guide, who has shown us his country over the past 2 weeks.
Drive approx. 460 km
(B / L / -)
Overnight in Tehran
15th day:
Flight home
Today it’s time to say goodbye. Depending on the departure time, we go individually from the airport hotel to the departure hall (2 hours before departure, please) and start our flight home packed with lots of new impressions.
(F / – / -)
