Places to see in Iran

Places to see in Iran: Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz, Yazd and Persepolis

• Tehran
Visiting Iran without having a trip to Tehran is to miss out. More about Tehran
• Isfahan
Who can claim to have seen the most beautiful city of the world without having seen Esfahan? More about Isfahan
• Shiraz
Shiraz is known as the city of poets, wine and flowers. It is also considered by many Iranians to be the city of gardens, due to the many gardens and fruit trees that can be seen in the city.
The locals are friendly, liberal and literate, the climate is moderate with regular seasons; and the nearby attractions of the spectacular ruins of Persepolis and the royal burials of Naqshe Rostam are the equal of anything in Athens or Rome.
If you like bazaars then welcome to the best one in Iran, selling everything from carpets to cake under a vaulted ceiling dating back 250 years. Shiraz also excels in architecture – indeed many of its finest buildings were built to rival Esfahan.
• Yazd
The centre of Iran is dominated by the Zagros mountains and the Dasht-e Kavir desert. Squeezed between the two is Yazd, one of the most ancient and historic cities in Iran, a centre of Zoroastrian culture and an excellent place to walk through and explore.
The architecture here is unique in Iran, particularly the traditional wind towers which provide an ancient form of air-conditioning to the adobe houses below.
Yazd is also home to some excellent accommodation options, staying in old merchant’s houses tucked away in the corners of the bazaar.
• Persepolis
Anyone with even a passing interest in Antiquity should make a visit here their first priority.