Travelling In Iran

marguerite,

You could have a look at THIS tour firm. I've never travelled with them, but have heard good reports from people who have. Be sure to allow lots of time to get all the Visa and other paperwork done. If you're a U.S. citizen, don't expect ATM's or credit cards to function in Iran. You may have to pack along a lot of cash.

You might also check your local Library to see if you can find a copy of this - https://shop.lonelyplanet.com/products/iran-travel-guide-7?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIksXFtN312wIVxFt-Ch38hgwrEAAYASAAEgKq0_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds .

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/iran-travel-advisory.html

Have you really run out of places to go?

I have used GAdventures for other locations. I would recommend them.

From another travel site I use, there have been multiple recommendations for 'Travel The Unknown's Iran trips.

SR,. which conducts the Turkey tours for RS. may have a tour operating. They can at least get you the visa, book hotels and get you a tour guide.

Sorry, SRM Travel.

Have you booked your trip yet?
I spent 10 weeks traveling solo in Iran, and found it to be the safest country out of 70+ that I have traveled in. I found Iranians to be very gracious as a whole, curious about my impressions of their country, and very patient and willing to assist despite the language difficulties. I did learn a few words, and if you know French, you will recognize some words (like "merci" for thank you, instead of the more formal "moteshakeram"). Respect in Iran is a two-way street, it starts with you/me. I was mindful of of my own behaviour and dressed appropriately. I wore a headscarf always and bought a beautiful embroidered and beaded 'manteau' when I arrived - like a lightweight, below-the-knee overcoat (I had mine shortened from floor length). October is a great month to go - the weather is cool without being cold - hence the 'manteau' coverall works great.
I was able to explore widely, quite a bit of it off the beaten path - towards the Iraqi and the Azerbaijani borders, to remote sites like Takht-e-Soleiman, as far east as Mashad, and down to the Gulf. I was very interested in the archaeology, history, and architecture.
Shiraz, Isfahan and Yazd were my favorite cities. More than the various sites visited, it was the experiences that made this trip one of the best ones of my decades-long traveling life - so many, many stories...
Enjoy Iran, and don't listen to the nay-sayers; they simply reflect the profound lack of knowledge that the West maintains about a complex and very rich country - in culture, history, and manners.

It was the early 2000's when I was there with a small-ish group of Travel Agents (I am not a TA) and it was an interesting experience. The women in our group, as advised, all wore long coat-like garments and head scarves, except one, because as always, there has to be one who thinks the rules are for everyone else. She wore a hip length white lab coat. She was therefore extremely noticeable but no Iranian said a word about it. Our tour leader told us we could remove our head coverings when we were on the tour bus and gave us warning to cover up again when he could see a police check ahead on the highway.

Aside from Teheran, we went to Shiraz and Isfahan, both beautiful, and we stopped at Persepolis one day. There was no one there except our group and man with his young son!

I was rather tired of kebabs by the time the tour was over.

Thank you for sharing your experience of traveling in Iran. I always appreciate hearing from travelers who have "been there, done that." I am told that you cannot travel solo in Iran without a guide with you at all times. I was also told you can't even get into a taxi without a guide. I hear that guides are expensive but very knowledgeable. I was also told that Americans are not allowed into Iranians homes. You cannot have dinner in someone's house much less spend the night. I was invited to do an artist residency there, and stay in someone's home ala AirBNB. Now it seems impossible, and the only option is a guided tour group or private guide. I agree that both our governments are misguided, but that most Iranians are warm and welcoming, much like the U.S.. I do plan to go there sometime to experience their art, architecture, and culture, Please let me know if you hired a private guide and how long ago did you go to Iran?

Hi
I highly recommend Iran Destination group. they are really friendly and they arrange everything you need. just let them do anything for you. the guides were so social and friendly too.
this is their address:
www.Irandestination.com
[email protected]

I was also told that Americans are not allowed into Iranians homes.
You cannot have dinner in someone's house much less spend the night.

I work with several Iranian nationals. Recent immigrants. They tell me that is silly. They also tell me that as much as they love their country, and as beautiful as their country is, and as much as they would like to share it with me (they all go home for about a month each year and would love for me to join them on one of those trips); they say its not such a good idea right now. Its not the people, if the ones i know are any indication then the Iranian people are about the most honorable, polite and giving that i have ever met; its the unpredictable government and their attitude towards Americans. I think it would be nuts for an American to "vacation" there right now (yes, i saw you were Canadian). And I would be pissed if the US government had to spend a lot of money and resources to rescue someone after they were warned not to go.

My first attempt at the region will be Uzbekistan and since a lot of folks in Uzbekistan speak Farsi, I am hoping of making it a trip with some of my Iranian friends (we did Hungary together this year}. They will also understand some of the customs better and will help keep me from making mistakes :-)

Traveling and meeting people of other cultures has changed my attitudes a lot over the year so in theory I think its a great idea for a trip.

The main day I was there was likely one of the greatest culture stuns of my life and I been to a considerable measure places now and was really 5 months into a major excursion. In any case, after you get over that you get the chance to see Iran for what it is.

The urban areas are totally riotous, particularly the activity. Autos don't stop for walkers attempting to cross and they make like there's no tomorrow. I recall how unnerving it was crossing the street my first day there. It was like the insane sulked activity in Vietnam, aside from with autos so you can't anticipate that them will circumvent you. Be that as it may, a portion of the more seasoned city have a considerable amount of appeal and history to them. Spots like Esfahan and Shiraz. Spots like Yazd and Kashan are totally culutrally one of a kind in their design and you can simply feel how old the urban areas are.

The history and culture there is so extraordinary with a portion of the most punctual and most prominent human advancement beginning there with the Persian Empire and Zoroastrianism religion being on shown in places like Yazd. The tea and shisha with your companions. Persepolis, the old Persian capital. Evidently the ex US consulate is justified regardless of a visit for the purposeful publicity you'll witness.