The journey
Classic Persia
tehran · kashan · isfahan · yazd · shiraz · persepolis
No deposit, no card — you pay when you're in Iran and everything is agreed.
The definitive first journey through Iran — the great cities of the Persian heartland.
Fifteen days along the route Iran is famous for, paced slowly enough to actually enjoy it. Tehran's palaces and museums, the merchant houses and rosewater workshops of Kashan, Isfahan's great square and its bridges, the windcatchers and mud-brick lanes of Yazd, then Shiraz for the poets' gardens — ending at Persepolis, where the Achaemenid kings once received the world. If you are coming to Iran once, this is the trip.
Highlights
- Naqsh-e Jahan Square, Isfahan
- Persepolis & Pasargadae
- Yazd old town & Zoroastrian fire temple
- Shiraz gardens, Hafez & bazaars
- Kashan historic houses
Day by day
Days 1-2
Tehran
Arrival; the former U.S. Embassy, Azadi Square, and an evening walk up Darband valley below the Alborz.
Days 3-4
Kashan & Abyaneh
South to Kashan for Nushabad's underground city, the Sultan Amir Ahmad bathhouse, the Borujerdi and Tabatabaei houses and the bazaar; Fin Garden and the red village of Abyaneh on the way to Isfahan.
Days 5-7
Isfahan
Naqsh-e Jahan Square, Chehel Sotoun Palace, Ali Qapu and the Grand Bazaar; Vank Cathedral in the Armenian quarter, Si-o-se-pol and Khaju bridges along the river, an evening at the Qazi hammam.
Days 8-10
Yazd
Narin Castle at Meybod, Chak Chak and the mud-brick village of Kharanaq en route; the fire temple, Towers of Silence and Saryazd Castle, lunch at the Zein-o-din caravanserai, Dowlat Abad Garden and an old-town walk in the late afternoon.
Days 11-13
Shiraz & Persepolis
Persepolis and Naqsh-e Rostam; Hafez's tomb, Nasir al-Mulk mosque, Eram Garden, the Vakil bathhouse and bazaar.
Days 14-15
Return to Tehran
Golestan Palace, the National Museum, the Grand Bazaar and a ride up the Tochal telecabin before the flight out.
Best season
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
What's included
- private guide
- intercity transfers/flights
- hotels
- visa support
Make this journey yours
Every itinerary is a starting point. Open it in the planner: add cities, swap hotels, and watch the price take shape as you go.