Iran

I went to Iran in June 2019. My trip took around 2 weeks. I came back totally in awe with the country, its people, culture, architecture and food. It has been one of the best trips of my life!

You might know something about Iran from the media, from tv and Facebook, where they scare you with terrorist attacks, war, jihad and whatever else they come up with. Iran is dangerous, they say. Iran is the Satan, they shout. Meanwhile, for me Iran is a beautiful country with a very interesting culture and people, who are friendly, open and hospitable. I recommend Iran to everyone. Until the mass tourism hits the country, it’s worth paying it a visit.

If you’re thinking of going to Iran and want to know more, you will find posts below, which I prepared especially for those, who haven’t been in that part of the world. I hope it helps you!

Know before you go

Iran – a country which might not be on everyone’s list of places to visit. There are no tropical beaches, no one wears bikini and shorts. You can’t mingle with other backpackers in bars filled with loud music and cheap alcohol. Despite its very stereotypical reputation and some restrictions that tourists need to follow, Iran attracts quite a large number of people. For a long time now it attracted also me.

Maybe you don’t want to go to Iran. Maybe you have a bad opinion about Muslim countries. I don’t want to force you to change it. I just hope that thanks to my blog you might consider giving Iran a chance. It really deserves it.

Why Iran? Why did I decide to go there by myself? How did I feel before I went? Find out from this post!

Visa

The first thing I did before buying a ticket to Iran was to check all policies and restrictions. I heard about problems the other people had when applying for it and I didn’t want to risk it. As it turned out, getting a visa took me a couple of days and the whole process was very straightforward.

Insurance

I have travel insurance on me at all times. Always. I usually use the services of World Nomads and only in singular cases I resort to buying some others. Traveling to Iran was different and one, quite serious problem occurred.

Organise it yourself

It doesn’t matter if you are going to Iran alone or with someone. Either way, you can organize the whole trip yourself. All you need to do is read a little, get to know more about Iran and use the Internet where you can find a lot of advice concerning traveling in this beautiful country.

Your plan for 2 weeks

I went to Iran exactly for that amount of time. As it turned out, it wasn’t much. Two weeks was enough to see the most important sites, but nothing outside of it. If you have more time, then you can extend your stay in some of the places I’m mentioning below.

The cost of 2 weeks in Iran

Before I left for Iran, I had done a couple of things. I read almost every blog post and watched nearly every vlog about the country. I really needed to know how to organise my trip. I also wanted to set up a budget and stick to it, so I felt in control of the money I was spending.

I advise you to do the same – set up a budget. Calculate everything precisely and stick to the daily limits. This way you will avoid unnecessary trouble.

Is Iran dangerous for travelling women?

I don’t like to be dependent on anyone. If I had had to wait for anyone to travel with me, I would have never gone. So, I booked a ticket and decided to go by myself. Was I afraid? Sure! I knew about Iran a lot and I knew that in general there was nothing to be afraid of, but I am always nervous before every trip. I had never been to the Middle East before and my fear was justified.

Now, from the time perspective, I know that Iran is a safe place for solo female travellers and it offers a lot to visitors. It was my first solo trip since I went alone to South East Asia and I got a new taste for more adventures.

1st Quest – Your Iran Trip Starts Here!

My preparations for my journey to Iran took quite a lot of time. It was my first trip to a Middle Eastern country and I wanted it to go smoothly. Right after booking the tickets I started reading about how to get a visainsurance and book a hotel. I’ve been tearing my hair out. How was I ever going to sort it all out??

Luckily I stumbled upon some blog and found 1st Quest. They were fantastic in helping in my preparations to going to Iran and also thanks to them my journey was so incredible.

Internet in Iran

Maybe during your stay you won’t need to contact the world. Probably you will prefer to focus on the real world instead of Facebook or Instagram. But I would encourage you to buy an Iranian SIM because that allows you to download GPS, contact hotels and even use the Iranian Uber (but only on phones that are not American brands).

What to see in Iran?

Teheran

I loved Teheran from the first sight. I like places, where a lot goes on. Here you cannot be bored. It’s true that the traffic is terrible and people are always in a rush, but it’s easy to find a quiet place to read a book, or just spend a couple of minutes in silence. I spent 3 days in Teheran, but it wasn’t enough for me.

Esfahan

Esfahan is a city in central Iran known especially for its architecture. It touched my heart with something more – the friendliness of the locals and a more relaxed ambiance than in Teheran. During my stay, I got to see just a small part of Esfahan and that is why I regretted not being able to stay longer. This city touched my heart and roused my imagination.

Between Yazd and Shiraz

I can honestly say that if I was at school now and had that opportunity to travel, I would remember more about history and all those facts I used to learn about at school. At the moment it feels like I’m learning everything again, that I’m discovering the world, which I’ve managed to forget about. My two weeks trip to Iran showed me that history can be incredible and beautiful and that you can learn something new all the time.

Shiraz

Of course I wanted to drink wine in Shiraz! If I had stayed longer I would have definitely tried to find something stronger than just tea and coffee, but I only had one day in Shiraz and had to do some sightseeing. I really didn’t think about wine. I liked Shiraz the most out of all the places I saw in Iran.

Travel diaries

Travel diaries is a completely new series on the blog. They stories from my travels, descriptions of the people I met and places I saw. I try to keep them in a light tone to show you my real personality and what goes on behind the scenes of The Blond Travels.

My first impressions of Iranian people

A photo shoot session in Teheran

I met Iranian feminists

A bus to Esfahan

Couchsurfing in Iran

In Yazd

Polish traces in Iran

Saying good bye to Iran