An unexpected happened. My trip to Iran, that I booked at the last minute, came out one of the best in recent years. In this post, I will explain why.
I have several Iranian friends in Helsinki. One of them was visiting family and told me I can stay at their place, another married a guy from Finland and they were making the wedding in Iranian style. Good enough reason to go? I booked a flight to Tehran.
Plus in the end, there would be few experiences/stores, that can help you get around. Stay tuned.
There is one significant reason to visit Iran – Iranian people. I cannot thank them enough, they made my trip In Iran. Foreigners are rare, so Iranians have a sincere interest and are very welcoming. They want to share a part of their
I prefer my vacations to be spontaneous, I decide what to do on the same day. (I have enough planning at work in Finland and need rest away from people who can discuss their retirement at age of 25.)
In Iran, I happen to be surrounded by people, who each day, quite randomly decide where to go. Felt a lot like Home (St. Petersburg). I think, because of this, I stayed most of the time in Tehran, without going to smaller, probably more authentic cities.
Table of Contents
Visiting Iran, what is it like?
When I told my friends I wanna go to Iran – everyone had kinda mixed opinions. Those, who already been there told that they are envious because Iran was one of the best places they’ve been to. At the same time, many in Europe hear only nasty things from the Middle East. They were seriously worried.
I felt a little nervous when I arrived, but it all dissipated as soon as I was in a company of Iranian people. It felt weird seeing all the contrast. There are all these displays of military around you and random cute things just right next to them…
Iranian Hospitality, where can it bring you?
“Iranian hospitality can bring you to hospital”
Vahid (my Iranian friend in Helsinki)
It gets weird sometimes. People can endlessly argue about who’s paying the bill. I mean, everyone tries to pay, instead of splitting it.
At barbershop:
– How much do I owe you?
– Nothing
– Is it a joke?
– No
– Why?
– Because we love foreigners
– …Ok, …I can mention your barbershop in my blog
In Europe, it takes an effort to get to know people. In Iran, people want to get to know you. I think it is partly the famous Iranian hospitality, party curiosity. Foreigners are rare. Sitting together with friends (and friends’ friends) I just mentioned that I have no particular plan, and they were suggesting me good places to visit and offering their company.
If you visit Iran, I think, you can just find some lovely people, who you can trust and see where it brings you. Locals have their own favorite spots, often inaccessible without speaking Farsi. You can, of course, read a regular guide and visit the main sights, where you can get around with English, but I don’t think it is going to be as good.
Here are just some examples of the places, where Iranian hospitality can bring you.
Wedding
In the beginning, I made it to a friend’s wedding and I was the only person with a pro camera, so I became an official photographer. I don’t know how to photograph wedding love stories, but I do photograph parties. And that was a hell of a party.
I would say, it was the first wedding with no alcohol that I have seen. I don’t drink, so I was really happy to see people, who are able to have such a good time without drinking. The wedding jump-started everything, since that, Iran felt like home.
Lavasan
Lavasan is a town in Tehran province. There is an outstanding, fresh mountain air and we went there for a short bicycle ride with relatives of the bride.
Iranian people are very easy to invite you home, they invited me, up in the mountains, for some meal in traditional style. They wrap the food in the bread and eat without forks. There I was bombarded with questions about life in Europe and Russia.
A cafeteria without a name
Here is an interesting one. This cafeteria has no board-sign at the entrance and there are no menus.
The owner has a shop on the first floor and keeps the cafeteria on the second one for friends to meet up. They told, that no menus make people talk to each other more. And the owner did come up to every table, receiving orders and doing a small (actually, not small) talk.
In the end, they asked me to tell what I think about the place in my native Russian language. They record every foreigner, who somehow ends up in their place.
Cafeterias in the mountains
I think the mountains in Tehran is the best thing to do in the town. The hikes are not really challenging, there are a lot of shops, small restaurants,
If you get tired, you can stop for fresh juice, tea or lunch. Everything tastes better outside.
But the magic happens when it gets dark. At night, all the restaurants are highlighted with different colors.
Unfortunately, it is hard to get around if you only speak English. Getting to the start of the hike was kinda tricky. There was a bad internet connection, so even the locals had to ask for direction. In the restaurants we visited, the menus were in Farsi.
Samanu
Several women are taking turns, cooking Samanu. It has to be cooked for at least 24 hours and you have to steer it all the time. Samanu is made out of wheat. The pot has wishes written onto it and according to tradition, you have to make a wish while you steer.
I haven’t seen anything like that before, I asked for permission and started taking pictures. They asked if I would like to steer and took photos as well because never saw a foreigner doing that.
The most unusual thing I have seen. I would like to thank Ahmad Ramezani for bringing me there. He is starting own
6 places to visit in Tehran and Isfahan
During my trip, I made it to Tehran and Isfahan, touristic places were not my priority, but I didn’t want to leave them out completely. Here, I have selected 6 places, 3 from each city, which
Tehran
Overall, as a Russian with limited knowledge of Iran, I can compare Tehran and Isfahan to Moscow and St. Petersburg. Like Moscow, Tehran brings together an enormous amount of people. There are many interesting personalities and lots of places. But the traffic is mad and it is hard to get around.
Golestan Palace
Golestan Palace is normally on the top of the list of things to do in Tehran and I would say it worth visiting if palaces are your thing. I was especially impressed with all the mosaics and rooms made of mirrors.
Vaziri Caved Museum
It is located in the mountains of Lavasan. The museum is full of artwork, that is made out of very random stuff. Batteries, old vacuum cleaner, bottles, broken glass. Everything is done over 10 years, by one gentleman.
It may look like not a big deal, but there are several hundreds of exhibition items. And by the way, look at my guide. (As I told, you are never left alone)
Museum of Islamic Revolution and Holy Defense
Iran’s contemplatively history in a nutshell. The open-air museum is massive and worth paying a visit.
Isfahan
People of Isfahan looked to me more relaxed (like in St. Petersburg) and the city felt easy to walk around. There are even traffic lights and cyclists in the city center!
Each time I went somewhere in Iran, there were some locals volunteering to help me out. My host in Isfahan introduced me to Sharareh, who turned out to be a guide.
Naqsh-e Jahan Square and Ali Qapu palace
It is on top of the list of things to do and I think it is a must for someone visiting Isfahan. For me, the most impressive was the music room in the palace.
Azadegan Cafe
This restaurant is crazy. Literally, every centimeter is covered with something. Photos, lamps, dishes, old weapons, it is like an antique shop on steroids. It is popular among locals, which I think is the sign that food is really good.
Mount Soffeh
From Mount Soffeh you can see the whole Isfahan from above, it is easy to reach and easy to go up. The infrastructure is very well built and if you walk on the road – it would probably be the least challenging mountain hike. There are lights, so you can make it even if it is dark. Taxi can deliver you right to the start of the hike.
Bazars and shopping
I don’t really do shopping when I travel. But from Iran, I came back home with 38 kg of baggage, including 1 kg of fresh baklava.
Bazars do hold the atmosphere and there have been thousands of things, that made me stop to take a closer look. All the handicrafts have so much skill and effort put into them.
In Isfahan, bazaar surrounds the Naqsh-e Jahan square, and there is a section with copper handicraft. As you approach it, you can hear hammers knocking.
There is a lot of super tasty pickled stuff, olives, and salads, everything can be stored for a couple of months. I brought a few kilograms to take home.
And the last, I think Iran has one of the best nuts in the world.
Travel realities and tips
My post probably made it look like everything about traveling Iran is just perfect. It is not, but I find that positive things by far outweigh small difficulties that you may face. Here are a few things, that I think a traveler should be aware of.
Getting from Airport
As I stepped out of the departure hall, a guy tried to exchange my euros. He told me that I can check the exchange rate on google to make sure he offers a good deal. I thought he would never leave me. Later, in the city, I found out later that google’s rate is not correct. And overall, it took me a while to get familiar with all the zeros they have in their currency. It would be very easy to trick me at the arrival.
I somehow expected that there would be an annoying crowd of taxi drivers. I just put my hood on and pretend I don’t see anyone around. But, I would tell there weren’t that many. Anyway, I got to the official taxi stand with fixed prices to the city. The driver was super polite, he even called the apartment I was staying and made sure that they meet me.
Taxi in the city
Overall, taxi services are effective and pretty inexpensive. I recommend downloading an app called Snapp. It is an Uber-like app, that gives you the price for the trip straight away and shows where the car is. I was normally tipping a little extra.
The only problem is that taxi drivers normally don’t want to leave their parking spot to pick you up and almost no one speaks English. There have been a few cases when I
Traffic
Traffic in Tehran is insane. Often, we had to think about walking instead of being stuck. Crossing the road is also a bit of a nightmare. I was walking on a zebra, but cars only stop if they going to hit you, motorcyclists don’t stop at all and go around you. Traffic in Isfahan is more civilized.
Intercity bus madness
The Tehran – Isfahan bus was outstanding. There are screens in the seats and they give you food!
The way back to Tehran was hilarious. I was running late and a friend in Isfahan told me to get to a bus, that is about to leave and pay directly to the driver. He also told it to the taxi guy, who was delivering me to the bus station.
At the bus station, the taxi driver sees the bus leaving and stops right in front of it, cutting the way. Bus driver comes out yelling and taxi guy is like: “I brought you a customer”. I enter the bus to find out that it is completely empty. Bus crew than starts driving around the city for half an hour, shouting “Tehran, Tehran”. Then they go to the bus station to pick people up and eventually leave. By trying to get to the first bus I lost one hour.
Photography
Photography-wise, I
But overall, I would tell that photography experience was positive. When asked, people didn’t mind being photographed, and there are many interesting characters
Conclusion
Overall, the trip was more than satisfying, one of the best travel experiences of my life. I doubt that it would be the same without Iranian people helping me out. I think, getting to know the people, is the first thing a traveler should do. Foreigners are rare and there are many locals, who would like to share a journey with you and show their favorite spots. Next time, I would like to visit Shiraz and smaller towns.
Further reading
A long, multi-day Iran itinerary was done by a fellow travel blogger. Fernanda has traveled Iran for 3 months, she will provide you with tips, cities and places to visit.
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