Traveling to Tehran was always something I dreamed about. Iran is like nowhere else on the planet. And I would say the same about Tehran. It’s a city like no other city in the world.
This frenetic metropolis in whose streets history is still being written is a playground for those who want to discover the undiscovered and the unknown, and for those who want to understand a misunderstood world. In fact, that is what enticed me to travel to Tehran in the first place.
Before, when I just knew Tehran from books, I always felt that there was something so eerie and simultaneously magical about Tehran. These feelings have changed slowly while discovering the capital city of Iran.
After visiting Tehran several times, I would say Tehran is a purely magical city under a black cover that the modern world created.
Note about prices
Prices in Iran are changing all the time these days. The Ministry has also confirmed that entrance fees will be changing, so some of the prices listed in this guide may no longer be accurate by the time you visit. I’ll keep this guide updated as new prices are announced.
Note about updates
I’m traveling to Iran again later this year and will continue updating this guide with the latest information. I’ll also cover the current changes in Tehran and across Iran and add new updates based on my trip.
I mention 1stQuest a lot. It’s an Iranian travel agency offering travel-related services such as city tours with professional English-speaking tour guides, bus and plane tickets, visa and insurance. You can pay for any service they offer with your international credit card.
The most amazing thing about them is that they offered a 5% discount to you. Use the discount code: Globetrotting, to get your 5% off.
MAP OF TEHRAN’S TOURIST ATTRACTIONS
This plan is pretty tight. In order to enjoy the two days to the fullest and see all the tourist attractions in Tehran, you need to start your day early.
#1 TEHRAN GRAND BAZAAR
It was the first tourist attraction I ever visited in Tehran. I was so thrilled. I remember I was afraid of seeing the religious police on the streets of Tehran. I was wondering what would happen if my headscarf is not on my head properly.
But it was just totally unnecessary. There are a lot of policemen in front of the grand bazaar but they looked very nice. After just a few minutes, I felt so relaxed and I felt I was going to have a lot of fun in Iran.
The bazaar is huge and the perfect place for shopping in Tehran. More than 10 km of lanes with shops can be found in the covered part of the bazaar.
Spices and herbs in the Tehran Grand Bazaar – Tehran Travel Blog
Ceiling of the main bazaar in Tehran – Things to Do in Tehran
The best is to go in the morning when there are fewer crowds. I went to the grand bazaar to hang out and tried different fresh juices including pomegranate juice. Drinking fresh juices at random places is one of the best things to do there.
THINGS TO DO IN THE TEHRAN GRAND BAZAAR
MOSLEM RESTAURANT
I had lunch in the infamous Moslem restaurant located in the grand bazaar. It’s one of the most popular restaurants in Tehran. So, don’t be surprised that you have to queue up to get in and that it’s really noisy. :-)
I had Special Tahchin with Chicken which is one of the best Persian dishes. Its secret ingredients are saffron and dried barberries.
Additionally, I ordered Mast-o-Khier, Iranian yogurt with herbs and cucumber, and Doogh, Iranian yogurt drink with herbs. The first one is sour and the second one is salty.
By the way, Tahchin is Persian rice with saffron.
Other than these items are super tasty, they are really cheap. The meal in the picture was less than 1 €.
If you can’t eat everything, you can pack it or give it to someone. As far as I’ve experienced it, packing your leftover in restaurants in Iran is a common thing to do.
After this exotic feast, I continued the discovery of the old historical grand bazaar of Tehran.
Iranian food and drink: Tahchin with Chicken and Iranian yoghurt with herbs – Iran Travel Tips
IRAN TERMEH HOUSE, BAZAAR’S CARPET SECTION; BAZAAR’S FABRIC SECTION
These are the most important sections of the Tehran Grand Bazar.
IMAM KHOMEINI MOSQUE AND THE IMAM ZADEH ZEID (EMAMZADEH ZEID) SHRINE
It’s one of Tehran’s oldest mosque. (Mind the fact that there is a mosque in Tehran also called Imam Khomeini Mosque in the town of Ekbatan.)
HAJ ALI DARVISH TEAHOUSE
It’s a cute little tea house. It’s the smallest and oldest tea house in the bazaar. It’s also considered to be the smallest tea house in the world. Here, you can experience how Iranian tea is being made and enjoy authentic Iranian hospitality.
If you would like to know more about this awesome place, check out a detailed guide of the Tehran Grand Bazaar.
#2 GOLESTAN PALACE
The enchanting Golestan Palace is the second major tourist attraction in Tehran. The “Palace of flowers” is one the oldest of all historic monuments in Tehran and it’s listed as a UNESCO world heritage site.
It’s not only a palace but a palace complex. It incorporates 17 structures including palaces, halls, galleries, and museums. Most of the buildings were constructed by the Qajar dynasty who ruled over from 1789 to 1925.
One of the buildings of the Golestan Palace in Tehran
Outside the Golestan Palace – Tehran Travel Guide
In front of one of the colorful tiled walls of the Golestan Palace – Iran Travel Tips
#3 TABIAT BRIDGE
On this day, if you have time, From this bridge, you have an epic view of Tehran and its mountains. This 27-meter bridge is the largest pedestrian bridge in Iran connecting two parks, the Teleghani Park and the Abo-Atash Park.
There is also a food court at one of the ends where you can have a nice Persian lunch.
View of Tabiat Bridge over the Modares highway and Alborz mountain range in Tehran, Iran
This is a pretty intense day as I have included both south and north of Tehran. If you want to do the same, you need to start early.
#4 SOUTH OF TEHRAN: MAUSOLEUM OF RUHOLLAH KHOMEINI (IMAM KHOMEINI SHRINE)
This is not a touristy place but I wanted to explore the south of Tehran. Hence, I took the subway there. On the way, you can see the suburbs of Tehran.
The best part of it was chatting with other women on the metro. They asked me where I was going. When I said that I was going to the Imam Khomeini Mausoleum, they were surprised telling me that there was nothing interesting about it.
I really loved the entire journey to the mausoleum and my stay in and around the mosque. It was such a bizarre experience.
The Mausoleum of Ruhollah Khomeini in Tehran – Tehran Tourist Attractions
There is a separate entrance for men and women. I entered one of the entrances which I assumed to be the female entrance. I was a bit shy this time. I left my shoes at the entrance. I went through security. I had to show my cameras to them.
In the shrine on the left there are the women and on the right the men. There is one specific secluded section for women where women are chatting with each other, praying, resting, or sleeping with the carpet wrapped around them. That was so funny. :-)
There are female guards on the women’s site and male guards on the men’s side. They are walking up and down with a green dusting stick. That was kind of funny, too. They looked very sweet with their dusting stick.
As walking up and down admiring the delicate architecture of the mosque trying to make sense of the big posters inside, two guys are waving at me. I was wondering if I should tell the guards that they were checking out girls instead of other things, they would maybe dust their face with the dusting stick.
On the way out I was putting on my shoes. A man sitting at a table at the entrance waved to me with a chador in his hand.
Oh, I was already inside. – I told him kind of embarrassed.
He was just saying something that could mean like whatever. He was maybe sleeping when I came but I’m glad I didn’t have to wear a chador as it’s really difficult to move around in a chador.
NORTH OF TEHRAN: #5 TAJRISH BAZAAR AND #6 IMAMZADEH SALEH SHRINE
Yes, now comes the north of Tehran. Let’s go to the oldest part of northern Tehran. This part of Tehran felt like being in a small town in the mountains. It’s situated at an altitude of 1,1612 m. It was so much colder than the south of Tehran.
The Bazar was super interesting, especially outside. I tried a lot of food outside. I found it totally different from the grand bazaar in central Tehran.
The Imamzadeh Saleh Shrine – Tehran Tourist Attractions
The best shot I could make wearing the chador
If you have more time in Tehran or you would rather do something else than the above-mentioned places on the second day, pick from these ones.
NORTH OF TEHRAN: #7 DARBAND
Darband is a neighborhood in Tehran away from the hustle and bustle of the city with rivers, waterfalls in hiking trails.
This natural environment has numerous cafés, restaurants, and shisha lounges.
From Darband, you can also go to the mountain Mount Tochal. You can either take a cable car (telecabin) or chairlift to get up there or simply hike 12 km (7.5 mi) to reach its highest peak at 3,964 meters (13,000 ft). In winter you can also ski there.
#8 AZADI TOWER
The Azadi Tower is one of the significant landmarks of the capital city of Iran. It was built to mark the foundation of the Persian Empire and its 2,500th anniversary.
You can walk up to the top of the tower and have an epic view of Tehran.
The famous Azadi Tower – Tehran Tourist Attractions
#9 MUSEUM OF ISLAMIC REVOLUTION AND HOLY DEFENCE
It’s the largest museum in Iran. Here, you can learn about the ideology of the Islamic Revolution and the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Moreover, you can learn about the holy defense against Iraqi troops during the deadliest war of the Middle East, the eight years long Iraq – Iran war (1980-1988).
#10 FORMER US EMBASSY
A very significant event is connected to this place, a major event of the Islamic Revolution of Iran.
On November 4, 1979, Iranian students stormed the US embassy in Tehran, took more than 60 American hostages, and held them for 444 days. The hostage marked a break with Iran’s past and the end to America’s interference in Iran’s affairs.
Shortly after this incident, the secular and pro-Western Mohamed Reza Shah Pahlavi was expelled and Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the revolution’s leader installed a militant Islamist government that is ruling Iran today.
After the Islamic Revolution in Iran, the US embassy got closed.
Today, it functions as a museum known as The Den of Espionage featuring the United States as the most hated government in the world and the satan itself.
Moreover, it’s also used as a training place for the hardline defenders of the revolution, the Sepah militia, and revolutionary guards
Extremely interesting!
Hostel in Tehran
See you in Iran: I stayed here twice, and I really liked it. It’s 4 km from Ferdowsi square and 7 km from the grand bazaar.
If you want to make a hotel booking in Tehran, the 1stQuest website is the way to go.
For hotel booking as well, you can use the discount code, Globetrotting, to get your 5% off.
Budget Hotel
Iran Markazi Hotel: It’s a two-star hotel and one of the cheapest budget hotels quite close, 5 km, to the grand bazaar.
Luxury Hotel
Persian Plaza Hotel: This is a 5-star hotel. The most beautiful hotels are not as close to the main attractions as the budget hotels. It’s 9 km from the Tehran grand bazaar.
If you fly to Iran, you will arrive at Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport.
These are the things you can arrange when you are at the airport.
1) Money Exchange
If you arrive too late and the exchange offices are already closed, don’t worry because you can pay for the taxi in Euro or USD. And generally, you can pay in Euro or USD for hostels and hotels as well.
2) SIM Card
If IranCell is still open, buy a SIM card from them with sufficient internet.
3) Getting into the Center
By Taxi
I paid 10 € to get to the See You Iran Hostel when I was at the airport for the first time. Was it a fair price? I don’t think so. I got my taxi through the taxi booth you have outside at the airport.
Now, I know this website where the official price of the taxi is stated. Here, it states that from the airport to anywhere in Tehran both at night and during the day the fixed price is 850.000 – 900.000 Rials.
This means that you should not pay more than 6 € to get anywhere in Tehran. Now, you know that if they want you to charge more, just show them this page and tell them that you would call the police.
I also researched in a group. I found out that most foreign tourists don’t know about the actual price and they were made to pay 2-4 times more than the prices listed on the website above.
As for Iranians in the group, they suggested that it’s normal to pay 15-20 € to get to Tehran from the airport. I personally don’t agree with that.
By Snapp
Snapp is the Iranian Uber. The taxi drivers will tell you that there is no Snapp at the airport. I’ve heard that a lot. It’s because the taxi drivers will want you to use their service and not Snapp. But believe, me, there are Snapp cars everywhere.
To register for Snapp, you should have an Iranian mobile phone number. With Snapp, you choose your source location and destination and you will see how much exactly you will pay. If you just arrived in Iran, it could be your first adventure to figure things out. :-)
When a driver accepts your request, he will probably call you to find out where exactly you are. It might be that your driver doesn’t speak English. Be ready for that. But honestly, even without a common language, I could always find the drivers.
On the way to the airport from the Hi Tehran Hostel, the price of the Snapp ride which was around 40 km cost me 380,000 Rials. Today, in 2020, it will cost you 550,000 Rials.
Consequently, the difference between a Snapp ride and a taxi is quite a lot. After I learned how to use Snapp, I didn’t even think about using anything else.
By Tehran Metro
There is a metro station at the airport in terminal A. It’s the Shahr-e Forudgahi-e Imam Khomeini Metro Station aka Imam Khomeini Airport Metro Station.
From here you can take the Tehran Metro Line 1. For that, you need to buy a metro card which you can charge anytime at any metro station.
The price of a single metro ride is 90.000 Rials from the airport to the center of Tehran. The metro departs from IKIA daily every 80 minutes from 6:10 am to 8:10 pm.
When you get out of the airport, there will be a metro line right in front of the airport building. But that is for a different line. You need to go to the other one.
Here, you find a reminder checklist with the most important things to do to start your journey once you are in the city center of Tehran.
1) Get a metro card for Tehran if you don’t have one.
You can already get it at the airport.
2) Exchange money at Ferdowsi Square
There are a few exchange offices and banks there. Moreover, there are a lot of men on the street exchanging money. That’s the black market. They normally have a much better rate than the offices.
When I’m there, I check out the exchange offices to get an idea about the exchange rates. Then, I exchange money with the guys on the street.
I’ve done that several times. It’s a lot of fun. Normally, they give you their rate and knowing the rate of the exchange offices, I have to negotiate a good rate.
I think it’s not something that foreigners do. Thus, when you exchange money on the street, all the guys doing the exchange on the street will be around you checking what you’re up to. They want to know how much you sold your dollars for. It’s really entertaining.
3) Get a SIM card from Iran Cell with internet if you didn’t get it at the airport.
4) Pick up your Iranian Debit Card after making the deposit on your account.
Tehran is a huge city. There are buses, metro, and taxis in Tehran.
I only needed to use the metro and Snapp. I never needed the bus.
Tehran Metro
For visiting all the tourist attractions in Tehran, I only used the metro.
The metro is one of the best places to learn about life in Tehran.
Most of the compartments in the metro are mixed but the last one on each end is only for women. I always get on the metro using the womens’ section. At peak hours, it’s definitely better for women.
The women-only compartment of the Tehran Metro – Iran Travel Tips
There are a lot of sellers in the metro. Women, men, and children are selling different stuff such as religious cards, socks, underwear, bras, belts, necklaces, gloves, chewing gum, cakes, and makeup. It’s happening pretty much without stop.
There are equally men and women, old and young people selling, even children.
The male sellers are the only men permitted to enter the female section. I saw boys who tried to earn money on the metro in Tehran with cleaning shoes, singing, and dancing.
To complete the full spectrum of society, there are even pregnant women selling stuff on the metro.
What an eye-opening experience! They are just doing their best to earn some money regardless of age, gender, or medical condition.
On the metro in Tehran, you can see women praying by murmuring or women removing their headscarves. I also removed it a few times when it was too hot. Nobody cares. There is no judgment. It’s a free space for women.
Tehran Metro Price
I bought a metro card for 50,000 IRR at a metro station and charged it with around 100,000 IRR. A single ride costs around 10,000 IRR. It’s more convenient than buying a paper ticket each time you want to use the metro.
Tehran Metro Map
Hostels and hotels, they all have it. Remember to pick it up. It’s very useful.
Taxi in Tehran
If you don’t want to use the metro, just take a taxi using the Iranian Uber, called Snapp. This way, you will see the price and the route on the app.
To give you an idea about prices in Tehran, here are a few examples listed.
In the Supermarket
A small choco drink: 30,000 IRR
1 L orange juice: 160,000 IRR
1,5 L water: 40,000 IRR
A small package of cashews: 440,000 IRR
Street Food
Small kebab: 80,000 IRR
Corn with mushroom: 100,000 IRR
A big portion of chicken kebab (take away): 130 000 IRR
Sandwich: 100,000 IRR
Cheap Restaurant
Lasagne: 280,000 IRR
By Bus
You can travel anywhere you want by bus from Tehran. You can check the destination you want to travel to and book your bus ticket right away on the website of 1stQuest.
Use the discount code Globetrotting to get 5% off.
By Train
The domestic train system is pretty good in Iran. There is a train to all major cities from Tehran. The train service is mostly offered by different private companies.
By Plane
Like I mentioned in other blogs, domestic flights are frequent and affordable and
You can also get the 5% off when booking domestic flights by using the discount code, Globetrotting.
Check the flights from Tehran and flight prices on the website of 1stQuest.
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Great description Teheran very useful hopefully will visit it after the Covid-19 crises
Thank you very much. ?
Great itinerary I Will try on my own soon. Hopefully I can’t get Lost. :-)
I’m sure, you won’t! You will have a great time in Iran! :-)
Hi, thanks for your journal from Iran and for nice pictures you shared. it was interesting for me hearing about Iran via a Hungarian touriste. I do hope that you dont limite your trip to Iran in Teheran and next time you will visite other parts of this milliner country.
Best wishes to you.
Thank you for your kind words. I have actually been to many more places in Iran. Did you see this blog about the 42 Most Beautiful Places in Iran?