9 tips on how to plan a perfect trip to Iran

Even though ranking as one of the top travel destinations every year since 2014, many travelers are still unsure on how to plan a perfect trip to Iran. As this is a relatively new vacation spot, holidaymakers still feel unprepared, and a million questions arise even in the minds of more experienced travelers. This is mainly why many prefer to book an organized tour, even though more tourists are already starting to venture independently.

If you want to travel independently, planning a trip to Iran has finally become easy.
Through 1stQuest, the first Iranian agency to accept online payments, you can apply for your visa, book local buses (so handy for traveling around the country) and soon also domestic flights and hotels with your Visa or Mastercard.

At the moment, the best website to check for hotel deals in Iran is still Hotels Combined.
With more and more readers and travelers requiring tips and pieces of advice before traveling to Iran, We thought it was a good idea to gather the main questions in a single post so it can be a useful reference for future travelers to the Islamic Republic of Iran.
This article covers the “before-you-go” planning process, while next post will be devoted to our tips on how to enjoy your trip once you’re actually here.

So, if you are ready to start, here are best tips on how to plan a perfect trip to Iran. 

1. Nowruz might be a good time to visit Iran

As you know Nowruz is the beginning of the New Year in Iran. In many cities, you can see festivals and some people dressing like (Amoo Nowruz) and putting on some show for the people (especially in Shiraz). Although it might be too crowded you can feel the passion of this anniversary.

2. Plan ahead

The prices of flight tickets vary quite a lot, so planning ahead and checking often the flights through the many comparison websites and travel search engines will definitely help you save good cash. There are many airlines flying into Iran international airports.
There are also Iran airlines, such as Iran Air and Mahan Air. The agreements after the Iran deal are still being discussed and signed, so keep an eye on the news as both of them are resuming their direct flights to Tehran and other Iran airports from the main European capitals right in these days.
Iran is no easy destination, if you don’t feel confident enough to organize your trip by yourself you can rely on our experienced guide or book our 11-day Exclusive Culture of Persia tour to visit all the must-see places if you are traveling to Iran for the first time such as Tehran, Shiraz, Isfahan, and Yazd. Highly recommended.

3. Check the visa requirements

In October 2015, Iran has granted visa upon arrival to 58 nations, and it’s recent news that they are starting to issue 30-day visas to 180 nationalities, so you are likely to be fine, but just to make sure you don’t have unpleasant surprises, get in touch with the Iranian embassy in your country to check their visa requirements. We have devoted a post to the process of getting Iran visa, the different requirements depending on your nationality and what papers you need should you apply at the embassy in your country or at the airport upon arrival.
If you want to travel with the visa already glued on your passport even if you are not joining an organized tour, there is the travel agency 1st Quest that offers the visa service. You will need to fill in an online form and they will send you the authorization code that you need to take to the embassy or consulate alongside the other documents mentioned above.
To apply for an Iran visa, you must submit also travel insurance. With World Nomads, you can buy, extend and claim your travel insurance online also after you left home and are already traveling.

4. Get a tour guide for your Iran tours

This needs a bit of an explanation. You can travel independently around Iran, especially in the most popular cities as they are increasingly tourist-friendly, and it’s very safe, also for solo female travelers. This being said, we think a tour guide would be useful if you want to travel to less popular provinces such as Khuzestan, and of course if you don’t speak a word of Persian.
We would add that, with Iran being a very diverse and complicated country, traveling with a local will be more insightful if you want to delve a little deeper into its society instead of just visiting the historical buildings and main attractions. Obviously, if you have a friend there, that would work even better than booking a guide.

5. To book a room, call hotels directly

Especially due to the sanctions that are not entirely lifted yet, it’s still hard to book hotels online. It’s only recent news, in fact, that Booking.com has included two Tehran hotels on their website, but as for now the easiest way to book (if you are not on a tour package) is to call directly the hotel. Also, if you are going to apply for the visa on arrival, you will need confirmation of hotel booking, while if you are with an organized tour, the tour leader will have made the invitation letter for you so you will travel with your visa already glued to your passport.
To plan a perfect trip to Iran, you can find hotels in Tehran and other cities quite easily online or just checking your favorite guidebooks. The same Lonely Planet has compiled a list of accommodations in Iran from where you can just call them up and make your reservation.
Hopefully, Iranian banks will soon be reconnected to the international banking system and it will be easy to book hotels via the most popular travel sites like you do for most countries. For now, Hotels Combined can be your go-to resource to check deals and reviews of hotels in Iran.
Whatever place you visit, we would recommend you choose a hotel in the City Centre, or at least close to a metro station if in Tehran so that it’s easy to move around.

6. What to pack for a trip to Iran

A list of the main tips on how to plan a perfect trip to Iran couldn’t elude some packing guidance. In Iran, you can find pretty much everything, so in case you forget to pack something, there’s nothing to be worried about. The main news can be for clothing, especially with regards to the female dress code in Iran, as women need to pack some longer tunic or dress to wear with a pair of trousers, jeans, leggings or whatever you are used to. Most of all, don’t forget to carry a scarf in your hand luggage as you will need to wear it when you are getting off the plane. If you are going in winter, do pack some pretty warm clothes, especially if you are going to provinces such as Hamedan and Lorestan, or even Tehran.
If you take medicines, you should bring them with you. In Iran you find pretty much everything and by law, you need to have insurance in order to get a visa, but in case what you are looking for is not available, you are better off arriving well equipped.

7. Money

Iran’s local currency is the Rial. To plan a perfect trip to Iran, what we suggest (and what people usually do) is to try to roughly guess how much money you will need considering the unavoidable travel expenses such as hotels, food, transport and entrance fees for the main Iran tourist attractions, and then add some more in case of some emergency or personal shopping you might want to do such as souvenir and traditional handicraft.

8. If you are married, some proof of your marriage won’t harm

Granted, this is a general rule and it mainly applies to Iranians only (even if you are an Iranian-born and living abroad, you are still an Iranian and subject to controls). For foreigners, it’s pretty loose and they are hardly asked about marriage proof when renting a flat or booking the same hotel room. However, this is still the Islamic Republic of Iran.

9. Join the Facebook page Alibabatrek

The Facebook page Alibabatrek and Tripadvisor is a great resource if you need any tip from locals on how to plan a perfect trip to Iran. As a matter of fact, this post has been concocted also keeping in mind the questions and issues raised by the members of the group as they asked locals for information about tourism in Iran and how to get by in their country. In the group, you can ask both Iranians and foreigners who have already traveled to the Islamic Republic for help on different issues such as visa inquiries, best restaurants, hotels and whatever you can think of.
As you might know, Facebook in Iran is blocked by government filters, so to access it you need a VPN.