Tehran
Travel Guide > Middle East > Iran > Tehran
In this Article
- Introduction
- Neighbourhoods
- Sights and Activities
- Events and Festivals
- Weather
- Getting There
- Getting Around
- Eat
- Drink
- Sleep
- Work
- Learn
- Keep Connected
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Introduction
Tehran is the capital, largest city and central hub of Iran. A sprawling, modern city whose contemporary architecture belies its rich history, Tehran is home to nearly 8 million.
Tehran lies at the base of the Alborz mountain range in northern Iran. Thanks to the rule of Mohammad Reza Shah, who believed historical buildings had no place in a modern city, many of the symbols of Tehran's history were systematically destroyed over the past half-century. There are, however, a few notable exceptions, such as the Golestan Palace. There are also a number of modern buildings, such as the Maydun-e Azadi or Freedom Square which is the icon of the city.
Neighbourhoods
Sights and Activities
Events and Festivals
Weather
Tehran generally has warm to hot weather. Average summer temperatures (June to September) are between 32 and 37 degrees Celcius, but highs of 43 have been recorded. Nights are still warm, around 20 degrees Celcius.
Winters are mostly mild during the day, between 7 and 11 degrees from December to February, but drop below zero in January mainly. Nights of around -20 degrees Celcius have been recorded.
May to October are almost completely dry, while most of the rain (and some snow, but sparce) falls from November to April. Humidity is fairly low year round, somewhat higher in winter.
Getting There
By Plane
International
Iran Air is the main national airline of Iran and is based at Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKA) near Tehran. It flies to a significant number of cities in Europe, the Middle East and Asia and destinations include Bangkok, Rome, Amsterdam, Beijing, Istanbul, Paris, Moscow, London and Beirut.
Dozens of other airlines serve the airport, for example with Air Arabia from Sharjah and Air France and KLM from Paris and Amsterdam. Most airines are within the region, serving cities like Damascus, Kuwait and Dubai and several cities in Central Asia.
Domestic
Iran Air and Aseman Air among a few other airlines have an extensive network of domestic flights. The main destinations from Tehran include Tabriz, Mashad, Esfahan, Shiraz, Kish and Zahedan, but there are several more options that might come in handy. Prices are very low compared to many other countries and a one hour flight generally won't cost much more than around 40 USD.
By Train
International
The Trans-Asia Express travels on a weekly schedule between the gateway to Asia, Istanbul, and the Tehran. Trains leave Istanbul Wednesdays at around 11pm and arrives in Tehran about 70 hours later. In the opposite directions, trains leave Tehran Thurdays around 6.30pm and take about the same time. The trainride is divided into two parts, one from Istanbul to Lake Van and one from Lake Van to Tehran and only one carriage actually is moved over the lake to make the entire journey.
There is a weekly train travelling from Damascus to Tehran, stopping in Aleppo in Syria and Tabriz in Iran along the way. Like the train from Istanbul to Tehran, the journey contains two stages, one to Lake Van and one from Lake Van onwards.
Domestic
Raja Trains offers a number of comfortable, reliable and cheap rail links across the country, some of which are really spectactular like the Tehran to Mashad overnight train. The main routes include Tehran – Jolfa, Tehran – Gorgan, Tehran – Bandar-e-Abbas, Tehran – Mashhad and Tehran – Khorramshahr. Notable stops on the routes are Qom, Kashan, Shiraz, Esfahan and Yazd, which are all reachable by train.
By Car
By Bus
By Boat
Eat
Drink
Sleep
Budget
| Property | Address | Type | Popularity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pariz Hotel | 17, Mina Blvd, Afrigha Ave. Tehran | Hotel | - |
Mid-Range
Upscale
Work
Learn
This is version 9. Last edited at 16:32 on May 19, 09 by Utrecht (+145). 30 articles link to this page.
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