Planning Your Visit to Iran
When to Travel:
Plan Your Visit to Iran; it all depends on you, but it’s best if you could arrange your travel sometime between April 1st till May or in fall time. As you may know during summer the temperature rises from 30 to 45 all depends on the cities you choose, so if you love the heat then summer is the time for you. During winter time the average temperature gets close to +5 during day time and zero during the night, what we are telling you is just an estimation because while it is zero in Tehran during January than it is above 25 to 30 in Kish Island. Kish Island is a prime destination for a nice swim and get away from cold, Kish Island is located in the Persian Gulf and will offer you several of fun things to do such as diving, swimming and much more water sports. Let’s not forget the great resorts in Kish. It has many duty free shopping malls so do not miss it!
Try Avoiding the Following in Planning Your Visit to Iran:
Iranian New Year (March 20th till April 1st) will be pretty busy, what it means is a huge volume of domestic travelers Iranians so you would have a hard time finding hotels, and the prices get much higher than usual. During holiday most bazaars, businesses and museums are half closed but most of the sight-seeing places are open. So just to let you know it’s best to avoid traveling at that period of time.
Important Dates to be Cautious before Planning Your Visit to Iran:
Ramadan is an Islamic fasting month (since it is based on lunar month it varies year to year). During this month eating, smoking and drinking is banned. So if you are in Iran at this period of time and need to have something to eat, just go to your hotel or some restaurants that work during that time.
Travel Costs:
We could say Iran is one of the cheapest places in the world to travel; you can travel with a little amount of money for a good length of time. Let’s say you are traveling independently then you can count on having the following cost:
Accommodation: Guesthouses which counts as 2 star hotels with reasonable service and private bathroom would approximately cost you around 20-25$ per person, it depends on the season.
Meals: If you like to eat in restaurants you can get by with a $5.00 to $15.00 for each meal, but you can also go to a market and buy some great fruits and food for much lower price.
Transportation: Bus tickets are pretty cheap, a trip from Tehran to Isfahan which is about 500 km coast probably 10$. If you don’t choose traveling with bus then airplane is the best option and an air ticket from Tehran to Isfahan would cost you around 40-50$.
When you are in the city and need a taxi it is best you have small bills with you, like 500 rials like maybe 50 cents.
Entrance Fees: Some places you go are free, but for those you need to pay entrance fees it ranges to 10$.
Visa: If you apply through an agency, you might be charged about 60$ in order for them to get your visa authorization number, and then you are going to pay another 30-100$ based on your nationality at the Iranian embassy or consulate, when you are picking up the visa. You should be applying at least 4 weeks ahead of your arrival date. American tourists need to be included in a guided tour.
Some 50 to 60 nationalities (most Europeans, Oceania and East Asian counties) can get a 7 to 14 days visa up on arrival to the airport. You need to carry 50$ cash and 2 pictures.
Personal Costs: You can get so many nice and beautiful handicrafts that will cost around 20-30$, or maybe a nice silk carpet (medium size) for around 600$.
Books & Newspapers:
There are a few Iranian English newspapers, its best that you follow the news through the internet. You can also ask the newspaper stands for Tehran Times or Iran Daily news.
Guide Books:
Do not forget a good guide book when you are traveling to Iran, Lonely Planet is the recent version of Iran Travel guide which is very helpful.
