Everything you need to know before traveling to Iran

This guide to things to know before traveling in Iran was updated in 2019. We have spent a total of 3 months in Iran to compile this guide. Iran is by no means a difficult country to travel to. However, there are some things you should know before you travel to Iran. This list will help you prepare the perfect trip to Iran.

 

Lost with Purpose is blocked in Iran. To access Lost with Purpose in Iran, use a VPN. We recommend ExpressVPN. Read more about VPNs in Iran here.

Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran,  has long been closed-off from the rest of the world, but times, they are a-changin’. Visa policies are relaxing and Iran is gaining a reputation as the next hot destination.

To make your trip to Iran a bit easier, here’s a master list of everything you need to know if you want to travel to Iran, including great Iran travel tips.

 

Iran is an incredible country, but there are definitely things you need to know before traveling to Iran. Here's a list of 60+ things you need to know before traveling to Iran, to ensure you have a safe and memorable trip.

 

Guide to travel in Iran: Everything you need to know before visiting Iran

 

Example of Iranian visas

Visas for Iran

  1. Visas on arrival are only available at airports. A visa on arrival is valid for 30 days. Overlanders, you’ll have to get a tourist visa at an Iranian embassy or consulate ahead of time. If you need help with your visa, we recommend 1stQuest (use promo code LWP-QST for a 5% discount).
  2. If you can’t get a visa on arrival, you need to get a tourist visa at a consulate. Citizens of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Bangladesh, Jordan, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan need to get a consular visa before they travel to Iran. If you’re from one of these countries, you need to get an authorization number before applying for the visa. People from other countries have to apply online first via Iran’s e-visa portal.
  3. If there is proof of entry to Israel in your passport, you cannot travel to Iran. This also applies if you have land border entry/exit stamps from countries neighboring Israel. Want to get around this? See if your country allows applications for a second passport for special circumstances.
  4. UK, US, and Canadian citizens cannot travel to Iran without a guide. Due to recent changes in Iran’s travel policy, travelers from the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada can’t travel to Iran independently. Citizens from these countries have to be on a tour to travel to Iran. We recommend 1StQuest for this (use the code LWP-QST to get a 5% discount).

Check out our two-week itinerary for Iran for inspiration on where to go in Iran!

A girl throwing rial bills around

Rial rial bills, yo.

Money in Iran

  1. International cards don’t work in Iran. Forget ATMs–thanks to the sanctions, you have to bring all the money you’ll need in cash, and change money once in Iran. Dollars are the best, but euros work, too.
  2. Exchange money at currency exchanges. Exchanges give better rates than the government-controlled banks. If not labeled “Exchange”, look for small shops similar to jewelry stores that have foreign banknotes in the window.
  3. Iranian rial is the official currency of Iran.
  4. Prices are given in toman, not rials. 1 toman = 10 rials. People will also abbreviate: for example, if someone tells you something is “5”, they mean 5,000 toman/50,000 rials. It’s confusing in the beginning, but you’ll get the hang of it! Just add an extra “0” to the price to figure out the price in rials. Luckily, people in Iran are very honest and will let you know when you’re making a mistake. Tourist establishments are the exception to this–they usually list prices in rials.
  5. Keep your dollars close at hand. Don’t let people see how much money you have. Though theft isn’t very common, you don’t want to be trapped because something happened to your only supply of cash for the trip. Not all guesthouses and hotels have safes or lockers, so for god’s sake, please get a money belt. We can’t recommend them enough.
  6. If you do lose your money or run out of cash, carpet sellers in tourist areas can occasionally charge credit cards for a fee. The fee is around 10-20% of the transaction, so only use this as a last resort.

Pro Iran travel tip: Iran is a cash only economy. This means you’ll have to walk around with large wads of rials. If you don’t feel comfortable about this, check out Mah Card. Mah Card is a prepaid debit card specifically designed for travelers in Iran. Use the promo code LOSTWITHPURPOSE to get a 40% discount on Mah Card.

 

An empty car with open doors next to the road

Does this explain the safety situation well enough? We left the car like this for half an hour, and nothing happened to it.

Safety in Iran

  1. Iran is extremely safe for foreigners. You won’t have to worry about violent crime when you visit Iran, and petty theft is rare. Let’s Go Iran’s safety page sums things up quite nicely. As for worries about ISIS? Um, ISIS has never occupied any space in Iran. You’ll be fine.
  2. Be careful when talking politics, and don’t insult the Supreme Leader. Speaking badly of the government is punishable by law, so be careful who you talk to. It’s best to pretend to be ambivalent, despite many Iranians being very open about their discontent.
  3. It’s okay to go to strangers’ homes. They just want to show you the famous Iranian hospitality! If someone invites you, do accept. Girls, take note: if a man invites you, it’s not proper to accept unless his wife or other women are present, or you’re traveling with a boy.
  4. Don’t take photos of power plants, factories, transportation hubs, or anything military or police when you visit Iran. You don’t want to look like a spy. The government does not like spies and people have been detained for being too close to military installations.
  5. Hotels will keep your passports while you stay. However, you’re required by law to always have your passport on you. Either carry around copies of your passport while outside or give the hotel copies and ask for your passport back. Make sure you have a copy of the information page and the page with your Iranian visa, including your entry stamp. You can do this once in the country–there are cheap copy shops everywhere in cities.

 

Taxis at night in the center of Zanjan, Iran.

Transportation in Iran

  1. Buses are the cheapest and most common form of transportation between cities. There are also domestic airlines, for those that want to save time and don’t mind paying a bit extra. 1StQuest can help with domestic flight bookings (use promo code LWP-QST to get a 5% discount on your bookings).
  2. Iran also has its own ride-hailing app called Snapp. We recommend downloading it. Otherwise, you have to haggle for your taxi, which can be difficult, especially when you’re not sure where your destination is. We wrote a guide on how to take taxis without getting ripped off, but a good rule of thumb is to haggle for 60-80% of the quoted price unless it seems abnormally high. Taxis within cities should never be more than 100,000 rials or so.
  3. Want a comfortable bus ride? Get a VIP ticket. VIP buses have bigger seats that recline further, and you usually get a snack box for the road. They’re usually twice the price of mahmoolys, regular tour buses.
  4. Don’t sit next to people of the opposite sex unless you know them. It’s an unspoken rule, and people will often shuffle around on buses and in cars to get the order right. If there’s no other option, just sit–it’s not the end of the world.
  5. Any car can be a taxi. Enterprising locals will often act as unofficial taxi drivers. It’s fine to use their cars, and they’re a bit more flexible with their pricing than official taxis.
  6. Many city buses require transportation cards. The cards are sold at little huts next to bus stops. The price of a ride with the card is several hundred rials cheaper than without.
  7. Iranian drivers are insane. You’re going to see a lot of speeding, swerving, and sparse seatbelt usage when you travel to Iran. Prepare yourself.
  8. If the driving makes you nervous, stick to official taxis/savaris when traveling between cities. Official taxi drivers and bus drivers have to adhere to speed restrictions, which limits their stunts to a minimum. If that’s not possible… just close your eyes and pray to Allah.
  9. Don’t expect buses to stop for food. Roadside snack stalls are usually your only option, so make sure to stock up on food and drinks along for long bus journeys. However, most buses have a supply of water somewhere, and VIP buses usually give out snack boxes.
  10. You can ask a bus driver to take a toilet stop. They’ll occasionally stop for guys to take a roadside leak, but ladies have to be more vocal about nature’s call.

Pro Iran travel tip: It has recently become possible to book and pay for buses and planes online with 1stQuest. Check here for buses, and here for plane ticketsuse the code LWP-QST for a 5% discount!

 

People sitting down for a traditional Iranian dinner

Being literally stuffed with love at a family’s house in Shush. We ended up here after the boy pictured invited us to stay at his home… right after we stepped off of a bus!

Hospitality in Iran

  1. Iranians love treating foreigners. People you meet are going to want to take you out and pay for everything. Do offer to pay yourself, but if they refuse you 3 or more times (see the explanation of tarof below), just give in and go with the flow.
  2. Watch out for tarof. In short, tarof is when someone offers something to be polite, not because they want to. It usually occurs in the form of someone offering to you something for free, but can also apply to invitations. To determine if it’s tarof, offer to pay three times. If the person still resists, the offer is legit.
  3. You don’t need to tip. Tipping isn’t common unless you’re at a really nice restaurant, or you were very, very satisfied with a service you received.
  4. Take advantage of Couchsurfing if you visit Iran. It’s extremely popular in Iran, and an excellent way to meet locals/arrange homestays. Just be warned that many hosts will expect to be with you all the time. And we mean all the time. To access Couchsurfing in Iran, you need a VPN that works in Iran.

 

Local Cola and kebab

Be prepared to OD on kebabs while in Iran, possibly involuntarily.

Food and drinks in Iran

  1. Tap water is safe to drink unless stated otherwise. There are also plenty of water fountains all throughout the cities, so bring a reusable water bottle!
  2. Coffee has recently become popular in Iran. While tea is still the drink of choice for the older generation, coffee has become increasingly popular with younger Iranians. Little coffee shops are popping up all over the place.
  3. When drinking tea, put a sugar cube in your mouth, then take a sip. This is the Iranian way of drinking tea. Yes, this means you’ll end up consuming a metric sh*t ton of sugar cubes with each cup of tea… also the Iranian way.
  4. You can often peek in the kitchen to see your options if there isn’t an English menu. Just stare blankly at the Farsi for a bit, shrug, and point to the kitchen. It’ll help you find things other than a kebab.
  5. Don’t feel pressured to eat kebab when out with Iranians. They’ll often order kebab for you because they assume that’s what you want, and it’s a common choice when eating out since not everyone has the luxury of a charcoal grill in the home.
  6. Don’t be surprised if you encounter alcohol when you travel to Iran. Just because it’s banned doesn’t mean you can’t find it, as prohibition has taught us. You’ll be fine drinking in private homes, but be wary about consumption in public places.

Pro Iran travel tip: Never leave home without proper travel insurance! We use and recommend World Nomads. Lucky you, they provide travel insurance for Iran!

 

People buying smoothies in Tehran, Iran

An important aspect of Iranian culture: an addiction to all things blended and delicious!

Culture in Iran

  1. Persian (Farsi) uses the Arabic alphabet and is written right to left. Numbers will also be different, but confusingly enough, they are written left to right. Try to learn the numbers so you can understand prices and times. You can use bus rides to learn the numbers from road signs along the way.
  2. Persians are not Arabs. Even though Iran is technically the Middle East, Iranians don’t consider themselves Arabs or Middle Easterners. Iranians are very firm on this and are offended if you mix the two.
  3. Everything closes between 13:00 and 16:30-ish. During this time people go home to lunch with the family, nap, and avoid the heat. Sights, restaurants, and ice cream places (most important!) will still be open, though.
  4. Everything also closes on Fridays. Friday is the holy day of the week, and many stores are closed for the whole day. Friday mosques close to non-Muslims as well.
  5. Lunch and dinner are late. People eat lunch around 14:00, and dinner can be anywhere between 21:00 and midnight!
  6. No public displays of affection when you visit Iran. It’s illegal to kiss or hold hands in public, though people bend the rules for the latter in big cities. Of course, this doesn’t mean that all things sexual are off-limits—dating is common, and there’s even an active Tinder scene in Iran!
  7. Don’t wear shoes on carpets. Pack shoes that you can easily take on and off!
  8. The portraits on billboards and sides of buildings are of martyrs. It’s a “great honor” to die as a martyr for Iran, and the government plays this up by putting their faces on billboards and having martyr murals painted throughout cities.

 

Three men standing in front of a ticket stall.

Attempting to haggle down the price of foreigner tickets… unsuccessfully.

Sightseeing in Iran

  1. The Lonely Planet only offers guidelines. Prices change all the time, and with its long lead time, by the time a Lonely Planet hits the shelves, a considerable amount of information is outdated. Use as a guideline only.
  2. Foreigner price for sights is usually 6-8 times the local price. And according to locals, foreigner ticket prices are still on the rise. For the budget travelers, the ticket people sometimes bend the rules and give you the Iranian price if you charm them a bit (and it’s not busy). Otherwise, try going in with a local, and have them buy your tickets while you hide.
  3. Tour agencies often give out free city maps. Check them out–there’s usually interesting things on the maps that you won’t find in guidebooks.
  4. Visit sights at night when possible. Many religious sites are open in the evening and are much more pleasant: fewer tourists, more locals, cooler weather, and beautiful lighting. Sounds good, right?

Looking for more Iran inspiration? Check out our off-beat Iran itinerary!

A boy showing bedbug bites

When bedbugs attack: the downsides of cheap guesthouses. Not so healthy after all!

Health in Iran

  1. Carry toilet paper/tissues everywhere when you travel to Iran. Cheap accommodations won’t always have toilet paper, and public toilets definitely don’t. Alternatively, get used to using a bum gun! Remember, you wipe with your left hand, and shake hands with your right.
  2. If looking for a toilet, ask for a “WC”. In English, that is. It’s more commonly used than “toilet”. If you do want to ask for a toilet, try using the French pronunciation, “toilette”.
  3. Most toilets are squat toilets. Hotels will sometimes have western toilets, but you’ll be doing a lot of squatting away from home. Start building up those leg muscles!

 

Foreigner with a laptop, tablet, and phone

FYI: the internet in Iran will make you want to strangle yourself and/or other innocent things.

Internet & mobile data in Iran

  1. The internet is censored. Many common social media networks (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest), Google services (except Gmail), app stores (for paid apps), and western news outlets (BBC, CNN) are blocked, so you’ll need a VPN that works in Iran if you plan on maintaining your internet existence while in Iran.
  2. Internet is slow and can be hard to find. The government throttles internet speeds, and many cheap guesthouses and hotels outside of the main tourist track in the center of the country don’t have wifi.
  3. Consider getting an Iranian SIM card. Mobile connections are faster than wifi and SIM cards are cheap. An Irancell SIM card is 500,000 rials, and 10GB of data is 300,000 rials.
  4. Telegram has recently been blocked. Telegram used to be the most popular messaging app in Iran, but since the government blocked it, more and more Iranians have started using WhatsApp.
  5. Iran uses European outlets. If your chargers don’t have the two rounded prongs you’ll need an adapter – get your travel adaptor here.

 

Woman standing on a roof overlooking a city

Rocking the demure Iranian ladydress (more formally known as a “manteau”) on the rooftops of Kashan.

Women in Iran

  1. Women have a strict dress code in the Islamic Republic of Iran. You must wear a headscarf when you travel to Iran, your shirt needs to cover your bum, and you can’t wear shorts or anything with short sleeves. Yay freedom! Tight pants are okay, though.
  2. Sit in the back of the bus on city buses. Always enter from the middle of the bus, and if you need to pay the driver, do so at the end of the ride by leaning in through the front door after getting out.
  3. Wear whatever you want at the beach when in the women-only area. Beaches are separated into separate sections for men and women, and a mixed-gender area for families. Alas, you’ll have to cover up if you’re lounging in the mixed area. Don’t forget sunscreen to prevent strange tan lines!
  4. It’s often okay to take off your hijab in homes or when hiking. Follow other women’s examples in homes. As for the great outdoors, if there’s no one around, who will get you in trouble? You’ll see many Iranian ladies doing the same.
  5. If a man harasses you, make a scene or firmly turn him away. Punishment for crimes against women is severe, and men are too afraid of being caught to let things progress. The tourist police are also very willing to help, providing you have information or photos they can use to track down offenders.

For more tips on traveling Iran as a woman, check out my female travel guide to Iran.

And there you have it, our master list of things to know when traveling to Iran. Let us know if you have any questions.

Iran is an incredible country, but there are definitely things you need to know before traveling to Iran. Here's a list of 60+ things you need to know before traveling to Iran, to ensure you have a safe and memorable trip.

 

Yay transparency: there are affiliate links in this post. If you buy anything through our links, we get a small commission at no extra cost to you. We promise we only recommend stuff we actually like, and it helps us cover the costs of running the blog!

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Alex Reynolds

American by birth, British by passport, Filipina by appearance. Addicted to ice cream. Enjoys climbing trees, dislikes falling out. Has great fondness for goats which is usually not reciprocated.

More about Alex

64 thoughts on “Everything you need to know before traveling to Iran

    Athar says:

    I’m iranian and i got surprised by this artical! Take it easier! something like bedbug i’ve never seen that i want to be worry about. Or internt is common in houses and sometimes in the resturants and caffeshops; but for example in the parks you can use internet data and there is not wifi. Afterall, thank you!
    (Sorry for my english skills! It will get better!)

    Sebastiaan says:

    What’s so surprising? Plenty of people find the information in this post very useful. And just because you haven’t seen bedbugs, doesn’t mean they’re not there. I was covered in bites 😉 This post is just here so people can visit your beautiful country well prepared 🙂

    Hayden says:

    Awesome list. I totally agree with no. 22 Iranian drivers are insane. I grabbed a taxi to my hostel at 2am. He went like a bat out of hell down the highway. As soon as he went over 120km/h his car started beeping at him. I think the beeping was meant to make him slow down, but I feel he used it more as encouragement that he was going nice and fast :/

    Sebastiaan says:

    Haha, that sounds like an Iranian driver for you!

    Ali says:

    As an Iranian, I would say it was a fairly accurate depiction of what a tourist needs to know about Iran. However, there are some inaccuracies, specially about transportation and prices which have changed during the last 2 or 3 years.
    In big Cities (Specially Tehran) the first choice for transportation is urban train known as “metro”. With the same transportation card mentioned in this article (No. 21), and only with that, you can use metro. It covers most of Tehran and is expanding fast. The second choice in Tehran would be a specific type of bus called “BRT” which also accept only transportation cards. The third option would be regular urban bus that accept cash as well as transportation card. In cities other than Tehran (and maybe few other big cities), the first choice would be regular buses. All of the mentioned transportation systems are very cheap (around 15 cents for each trip).
    On the other hand, Taxis in Iran might be very surprising. regular taxis, also called “taxi khati” are the cheapest type of taxi in Iran witch only travel in specific routes. They take 4 passengers and using them means you are OK with other people sitting beside you. Other type of taxi, also called “darbasti” take you wherever you want (just like other countries) without taking other passengers, but charge you a lot higher. I never use them because they may overcharge me (as an Iranian), let alone you (as a tourist). The best alternative to that is a very popular mobile app called “Snap” which allows you to choose your location and destination on a map on your smart phone and sends a car to pick you (usually takes less than a minute in Tehran to “take a Snap”, as Iranian would say). The price is very reasonable and you will be sure no body is ripping you off (for a regular route in Tehran it costs around 70,000 Rials. However, Using a “darbasti” taxi might cost you 10 times as much !!!!). So, I strongly recommend you to download the app and learn how to use it. it is now only working in big cities, but will be soon available in most cities.

    As a comment on No. 13, It’s completely true that Iran is an extremely safe place to travel. But, don’t just accept any invitation from any person. There are bad people everywhere. However unlikely, but you may encounter some of them in Iran.

    No. 48 about toilet paper is also not clear enough. We use water stream and left hand to clean ourselves and use toilet papers to absorb the moisture. in all private houses and I guess most hotels there is toilet papers.
    Also about bedbug, what the hell??? I’ve lived all my life in Iran and have no such experience. You may have chose your accommodation poorly. I recommend to use hotels with 3 stars or more, or instead, make some friends on your first day in Iran and use their private houses. It will be much more easier than you imagine in Iran cause, as mentioned, Iranians love to interact with foreigners. I think it is mostly because the world tries to show a bad face of Iranians and we try to prove them wrong :). It might be a little hard to find people who know English. Try young people (20 to 30) who you seem to be students. They mostly know English.

    At the end, thanks again for being fair about us and special thanks for No. 37. We are not racists but hate being confused with Arabs.

    Sebastiaan says:

    Thanks a lot for all the extra information. As for the bedbugs, let me assure you, they exist in Iran, as they do almost anywhere. And we choose budget places because we’re budget travelers. We simply can’t afford 3 star hotels 🙂

    Saleh says:

    Hi ALI
    You said about subways and (BRT)
    And many thing else it would be perfect if they refreshed this page

    Joanna says:

    Hi,
    Plenty of useful info, thank you. I am planning to spend 10 days in Iran in one month. Either alone or with my partner. So two questions: what is the best way to travel in Iran, including to remote places? And in case I go alone, even though as you say it is perfectly safe to travel in Iran, is it ok for a woman to travel solo? I like travelling alone and hence I would prefer not to join a guided tour. Unless it is advisable in Iran.
    Many thanks in advance, Joanna

    Sebastiaan says:

    Hi Joanna, thanks for reaching out. Best way to get around is either by bus or shared taxi (savari). Buses go to most cities and towns, as do savaris. Our guides section has a lot of info on transportation and getting to/from places: https://www.lostwithpurpose.com/things-know-traveling-iran/

    Traveling solo as a woman is fine. Plenty of girls do it. Just make sure to adhere to standard safety practices, and don’t be overly friendly with men you don’t know well. Alex wrote an article about female travel in Iran: https://www.lostwithpurpose.com/female-travelers-code-conduct-iran/

    Hope this helps. Have fun!

    Alireza says:

    Hi to you.
    My name is Alireza.
    I can not speak English very well
    But I wanted to say.
    I am an Iranian and it is surprising to me that you know so much from Iran.
    It is an honor for us Iranians who care about our country and our culture.
    I wanted to say, come to our city, Isfahan.
    I really respect the foreigners who come to our city and I would like to talk to them.
    I hope good luck in your work.

    Thanks
    Bye.

    Sebastiaan says:

    Hi Alireza, thanks for reaching out. We did visit Iran for 2 months. We had a great time and absolutely loved the people. Isfahan is a beautiful city. Hopefully we can visit again one day!

    Arif Mehmood says:

    Assalam o alaikum Athar, Alireza n all. Hi to Sebastiaan. Aam Arif from Pakistan. I’ve planned to visit Turkey via iran by road. But after reading all this, great work by Sebastiaan , the way how you express what u observe, Aam planning not to just pass the Iran , but to spent some time to explore The Great Country IRAN.. I’ve a question from Iranians that I’ve come to know that due to some political issues, Pakistanies are not welcome by heart by the people of Iran . I strongly condemned all these rumors but a statement of Iranians may help me to accomplish this trip.. Regards. With love and Respect for u all. Arif.

    Saleh says:

    I am iranian and I used to read false informations about iran, but this page is different and its true,by the way if you have questions about my country ill be glad to answer. Telegram ID:@saleh_alirez

    Sebastiaan says:

    We’re super happy to hear that!

    Misha says:

    Iran is a very beautiful tourist place. I like travelling but I never visited in Iran. I am planning a trip with next month. Thanks for sharing.

    Sebastiaan says:

    Hope this was helpful then. Have fun in Iran!

    Hossein Sarailoo says:

    about money
    You can use Mah Card which is an Iranian debit card.
    to find out more visit https://www.mahcard.com

    Sebastiaan says:

    Thanks for letting us know. Very useful!

    Milad Shadifar says:

    Greeting from north of Iran.
    My name is Milad Shadifar. I am working in tourism and hospitality industry in Iran. As an Iranian it’s an honor for us to be your host. Generally, Iranian love their host, especially who are come from outside the country because Iranian loves to show their respectful and rich hospitality culture. If you know some one in Iran, be sure he or she will invite you to his or her own home to have a lunch or dinner. It’s common and they usually invite and a Persian mother cook local food for you. Don’t miss it….
    In addition, you can keep in touch with me for more question in Iran (especially north of Iran, Mazandaran province):
    +989111270867
    milad.shadifar@gmail.com

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