Day 1 And 2: Arriving in Tehran, a city with the enlighted nights
Milad tower
In a way, I feel that we can have not done justice about Iran to write about its loveliness. Iran is so vast and extraordinarily beautiful that we can never count its beauty. But finally, we can always try.
As you arrive at Tehran airport in twilight and before sunshine, you will be
receive by our team with our transfer information logo that represents us, and you will be cordially transferred to the hotel directly.
Our Tehran tour begins in the morning, so you have had time to rest before.
Tehran is the capital of Iran, a modern city with beautiful museums with its unique art crafts and collections from past to present.
We begin the opportunity of discovering Tehran with the Archeological Museum that gives us the experience to see the “evolution of human”.
Then we will go to the National Crown Jewels Museum which has a priceless diamond in itself named Darya-e-Noor (sea of light). At the end of the day we will visit the Carpet Museum which contains more than a hundred pieces of handmade carpets and we travel into their stories.
Golestan Complex(UNESCO HERITAGE SITE)
The next day we will go to the Sa’ad Abad palace or Golestan Complex(UNESCO HERITAGE SITE) with their immense areas; these historical palaces were built by the Pahlavi dynasty and these palaces will leave on us an immense impression. We finish our Tehran tour at the last stop in the Ceramic Museum to observe its wonderful olden archaeology.
If you guess you have time for visiting more through these two days, we have some other choices like:
Old bazaar
Milad tower:sixth-tallest tower in the world by pinnacle height at 435 m(1,427 ft). can compete Eiffel tower in the case of being loved for all Iranians. When they are from other cities and come to Tehran they wait till the moment they get that close to see Milad tower. About the tower itself, it has the biggest revolving restaurant in the world. And you can also enjoy the show of dolphins dancing for you in Milad Tower Dolphinarium.
Taabiaat pol ( nature bridge ):a very amazing and complicated bridge designed by one of the Iranians best and very young architects, Ms. Leila Araghi. The bridge is like pigeon nest built-in like four floors connecting two of the most beautiful parks of Tehran across the Moddarress highway.
Jamshidyeh park in norths mountain
The choice will depend on your arrival timing, what your tour guide prefers and official and unofficial holidays in Iran.
DAY 3&4: Fly to Shiraz and Visiting this colorful city
Eram Garden(UNESCO HERITAGE SITE)
After breakfast, we will fly to shiraz airport and get transferred to the hotel. We will enjoy one of the most historical cities with half-day and one full-day tour.
Shiraz has a character as an educated city at the center of Iranian culture for more than 2,000 years, and it is known as a city of erudition and it lights up the images of flowers, gardens, birds, and poetry. Shiraz is distinguished by its mosques and palaces with very fine and harmonious patterns. Its proximity to the archaeological sites of Perspolis makes it a must. It is in Shiraz that you can truly understand the Persian culture. Its origin, the beginnings of this culture and its evolution until today. Consequently, this must be probably the reason why most tourists choose to go to Shiraz.
It is also the hometown of some famed poets such as Hafez and Sa’adi. You will enjoy the peace you will find in the tomb of Hafez and you will find interesting all those facts and inspiration the two famous books of Sa`adi gives about his travels. Shiraz was the capital of Iran during the Zand dynasty(1751-1794).
We will visit the inspiring "Karim Khan palace", the "Vakil mosque", "Vakil Bazaar".
If you thought that you could travel without going through a local bazaar then you probably are wrong. There is a special atmosphere in this bazaar, actually very known in all of Shiraz and Iran. Vintage products, the smell of traditional herbs in the air, the laughter of people. The influences are really positive
And then Saray-e-moshir with its architecture and ethnic souvenir shops, and also the NasirAlmolk mosque.
Briefly, this mosque is a jewel of photographs, it is possible to take so many beautiful pictures here that will hypnotize you. This mosque was built during the Kadjar era, its name comes from the lord Nasir-ol-Molk who belonged to the Kadjar dynasty. This mosque is wonderful. The light that passes through reflects, mixes and finally forms unique rays in the mosque. The atmosphere in this place is incredibly positive, you feel comfortable from the moment you enter, something mysterious runs here.
In the evening, we will be heading to Ali-Ebn-e-Hamzeh tomb. Take a promenade in the Jahan Nama Garden and the Delgosha Garden and Khajoy-e-Kermani tomb to watch their beauties and to keep that enigmatic viewpoint of Shiraz in our thoughts.
Eram Garden(UNESCO HERITAGE SITE):
This nice-smelling city is full of flowers and gardens and imaginary houses in them. The most formal tree is Citrus aurantium or in other words, the sour orange tree. The smelling in any season is really mesmerizing. But the garden that has been ranked as the seventh most beautiful garden in the world is Eram Garden(UNESCO HERITAGE SITE). It needs a big article itself and cannot be summarized here, you can read about it further in our Iran gardens article.
Zand king palace and complex could be other choices.
Day 5:Leave SHIRAZ For Nomad
Leave Shiraz for Nomad, The Qashqai are renowned for their pile carpets and other woven wool products. They are sometimes referred to as "Shiraz" because Shiraz was the major marketplace for them in the past. The wool produced in the mountains and valleys near Shiraz is exceptionally soft and beautiful and takes a deeper color than wool from other parts of Iran. Live with these nice people for one day and make your different experiences.
DAY 6&7: Transfer To Kerman, Visiting Kerman And Baam Citadel
Say goodbye to lovely Nomad people and drive to Kerman, We have another stop on the way to visit Perspolis(UNESCO HERITAGE SITE), the capital of the Achaemenid kingdom founded by Darius I in 518 B.C. Technically, this place is out of Shiraz but we will still put it in the shiraz tour. It is difficult to write about this place and describe its magnificence in Persian history. Persepolis is one of Iran's most precious and honored historical sites.
This palace is an important archaeological site and its skeleton is unique.
Persepolis was built during the reign of King "Darius". Even today, Iranians have a deep respect for him. Persepolis was basically the capital of the whole Persian Empire. The site includes many sections. It seems like that the king had the intention to have this palace as a center to govern and also for celebrating the greetings and anniversaries like Nowroz.
The construction of this complex took more than 150 years. Thousands of architects took part in leaving their marks on this work. It is a masterpiece of architecture unique in the world.
Persepolis was, therefore, the capital of Iran throughout the Achaemenid period until Commander Alexander of Macedon invaded Iran and set the entire city on fire. Following this, the city of Persepolis was never the same again. The ruins are present until today but many monuments and structures have been destroyed.
The next palace is proudly Necropolis. the superb entombment of Achaemenid kings with seven bas-reliefs pays court to Elamite and Sassanid dynasty.
Other great palaces to visit are:
- Pasargad (UNESCO HERITAGE SITE)
- Cyrus tomb
- Naghshe Rostam
Then continue to Kerman's desert and its historical mysterious palaces are heaven for paleontologists because of fossils from the variety of the geological ages. The 4th millennium BC, first humans have settled in the Kerman region.
Two days of this Iran tour will be spent to know a diverse part of Persian culture and history.
Salt Lake “Maharloo” and “Bakhtegan” Lake which are important habitats for the migratory birds. This salt lake in Fars Province, about 160 km east of Shiraz and,15 km west of the town of Neyriz is Iran’s second-largest lake. It is fed by the Kor River.
Due to the deserted weather of this province, Kermani people are professionals in constructing gardens and Qanats (aqueduct). We stay the night in Kerman.
Travel to Iran for visiting the most attractive palaces.
Next stop will be the Mahan city, popular for its Shazdeh Garden or Prince Garden (UNESCO HERITAGE SITE), with a rectangular shape and a wall around it and its two-floor residential construction in the middle of the desert, the symbol of Persian garden building which makes the most from natural climate and then also the tomb of Shah Ne’ematOllah-e-Vali.
Then we visit Arg-e-Bam or Bam Citadel (UNESCO HERITAGE SITE) which even its ruins (due to earthquake) will fascinate you. On the way, we will pay attention to Rayen castle, a wonderful and worthy copy model of Bam citadel. We stay the night in Kerman
DAY 8: KALUT DESERT (UNESCO HERITAGE SITE)
Iran desert tour, a blameless choice
We will stay one night in the desert which could be such an unforgettable experience for you. The word “desert” reminds Iranians of a dry area with strong sun rays and hot weather. You can have interesting sightseeing tours like:
Camel riding
Safari
Sight stars
Traditional accommodation
Live music
DAY 9&10: Transfer to YAZD(UNESCO HERITAGE SITE), visiting Yazd
This city has a castle belonging to the Sassanid epoch and a historical caravanserai date back to the Seljuk and Safavid era. visiting Jame Mosque and also Tekiye Amir chakhmagh will be defined in our afternoon tour. Yazd with its spectacular beauty is enclosed between two majestic deserts of Iran, Dasht-e-Kavir, and Kavir-e-Loot.
The next day, we will get astonished by the beauty of the fire temples and the holy sites of different religions. We will keep visiting the Fire Temple, Towers of Silence, the wind Towers in the old part of the city in the afternoon. During these two days, one night we stay in Karvanserai and another night in a city hotel.
- Old jail
- Fire temple: The oldest Persian religion(Zoroastrian)
- Amir chakhmaq complex: one of the most beautiful Yazd structures built in the 15th century.
The museum could be other choices.
DAY 11&12: transfer to Isfahan, visiting Isfahan.
We have a half and a one full day for soaking up every moment in Isfahan, the city of art, architecture, and souvenirs. This city is well-known in Iran because of its artworks and unrivaled garden palaces.
Next day we visit Imam Square or Naqsh-e-Jahan (UNESCO HERITAGE SITE), the second huge square in the world after Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. Then we go to Lotfollah and Imam Mosques, Aliqapu Palace, ChehelSutoon (UNESCO HERITAGE SITE), the palace that has twenty columns and a big pool in front of it, so the reflection of the columns on the pool makes it resemble like forty columns that is why they call this palace (Chehel means forty and Sutoon means column). and HashtBehesht Palaces to marvel at their beauties, and also one of the prominent bazaars in Iran, famous for the art crafts you can find there. We stay overnight in Isfahan.
Isfahan’s Jame’ mosque (UNESCO HERITAGE SITE) holds in itself the title of “pearl of the traditional Islamic archeology” cause it shows the progress of architecture from Islam ages till recent times. Then we will go to one of the most gorgeous Armenian churches, Vank Church which is certainly an attractive place for every Christian. Our day will finish with a visit to MonarJomban, with its shaking minarets which are the tomb of a Sufi and some historical bridges. In the evening you are free for your own program
DAY 13&14: transfer to KASHAN, visiting Kashan
We leave Isfahan to our next station, a small city with a great history and the best quality in the rosewater. Kashan is a city of medium size. It is so more pleasant to visit than crowded cities like Tehran.
It is known for its crafts, especially the silk carpets that have ensured its fortune. Located between Tehran and Isfahan, Kashan will seduce you with its peaceful perfectly kept gardens, its atmosphere that gaps with the surrounding desert and the superb architecture of the splendid houses and its traditional hammams.
You will also discover en route, Abyaneh, 80 km south of Kashan, a small village near the mountains to stare at its remarkable way of architecture and appreciate the inhabitants who speak and dress in the unique way of Persian style to present a beautiful manifestation of the traditional life.
The next day we will pay a visit to some other historical places chosen by our tour guide, for example, Tabatabaiha and Borojerdiha houses date back to the Qajar era. The interior is well decorated also with beautiful engravings and cupolas.
We will visit also the underground city with an amazing and long history(Nooshabad)
Some neighborhoods in Kashan look like a big labyrinth.
We stay overnight in Kashan.
DAY 15: Departure
We will go back to Tehran and will Transfer to Imam Khomeini International Airport (2 hours) for the flight back to home.
15-day historicalGail Yampolsky
As a worldwide traveler, I wanted to visit one of the Middle Eastern countries and Iran for Its long and exiting record took my eye. I got to know the Gapatour travel agency through one of my friends and already know the high-quality services I would get through this agency. I heard so much about the Lut desert and that it has the starriest sky at nights, therefore the package I chose was a 15-day historical tour that included dessert too. Since your packages can be customized I insisted on visiting the Ali Sadr cave (the biggest water cave in the world) and they added visiting Hamadan to my package too. If you want to take a look at eastern Asian vide and go through a completely new adventure, trip to Iran.