I love to travel, however, I don’t like to plan my travels. Therefore I always leave my decisions on where to go or where to stay to the very last minute (which was not the very best decision for my trip to Iran). Due to the sanctions imposed on the country and aggravated relations with the West, travelling around Iran can be challenging unless you don’t book it well in advance. Using your card for payment or withdrawal, for example, in Iran is impossible. Therefore make sure you bring enough cash with you for the trip that you can exchange at good rate. And due to inflation you will feel like a millionaire with their local money (which they count in previous currency Toman but use Rials as the current one, e.t. 10,000T=100,000R). Very confusing! Another challenge is the internet. Although Instagram and Whatsapp is easily accessed, Facebook and many other websites (hostelworld for example) are blocked.
Another challenge I faced was the language barrier, since not many people speak English and a lot of signs are in Farsi. That is why hiring a local guide isn’t a bad idea. Nevertheless, I still managed to find my way around Tehran with metro, which is very convenient and cheap. The trains are clean and they also have only women carriages. Even as a solo female traveler I felt completely safe during my travel. And you will be surprised just how friendly and helpful Iranian people really are.
I spent only two days exploring the capital Tehran. There are few sights worth seeing like the Golestan palace, National and Jewelry museum, The Grand Bazaar etc. But other than that it is just another busy metropolis with crazy traffic! Having limited time for my trip in Iran, I booked a domestic flight to visit Shiraz, a much smaller city south of Tehran, and simply admired the blend of Persian and Islamic culture. And about an hour drive from there I didn’t want to miss seeing Persepolis, an ancient Persian ceremonial city of The Achaemenid Empire.
Although I spent only a short time in Iran I learned a lot about its history and culture, but mostly about Iranian kindness and hospitality.
