A guide to getting from the Iranian city of Yazd to Meybod by public transport, and how to get to the Kabutar Khaneh pigeon tower, and Narin Castle (Narin Qa’leh) once in Meybod. Includes travel time, bus locations, ticket costs, and photos.
Meybod is a sprawling town about 50 kilometers from Yazd, a popular destination in central Iran. It’s famous for the Narin Castle (known as Narin Qa’leh), and the Kabutar Khaneh pigeon tower, the last standing pigeon tower in the Yazd area.
It’s possible to get an organized tour from Yazd to visit Meybod and surrounding sights such as Karanbagh and the Chak Chak fire temple for $20-30 per person for the day. But, we were feeling a bit cash-strapped after paying exorbitantly high prices for accommodation in Yazd and found a way to get to Meybod by public transport instead. Here’s how we got there.
How to get from Yazd to Meybod by public transport
Getting a minibus from Yazd to Meybod
Minibuses from Yazd to Meybod leave from Imam Hossein square in Yazd. They run regularly throughout the day, and leave when full.
A taxi to Imam Hossein square from the Yazd city center should cost about 50-60,000 IRR. Careful that you don’t mix the square up with Imam Hasan square. At the time of writing, the latter was labeled as Imam Hossein square on Google Maps, and that threw us off when trying to get there.
Imam Hossein Square in Yazd, where you can get a minibus from Yazd to Meybod.
The minibus from Yazd to Meybod, Iran.
The minibus ride to Meybod is about 1 hour. Once you start seeing signs that you’re in Meybod, ask to get out of the bus. The sights are closer to the outskirts of the town, a long (and hot) walk from the city center! Just ask someone where to get off for Narin, and they’ll probably be able to help you.
Want to visit more places like this? Check out our off the beaten track Iran itinerary!
Kabutar Khaneh pigeon tower
The pigeon tower is a large, round, freestanding structure that looks a bit like a fat castle turret. It’s down the street from the Janbaz sware roundabout with big statues of some kind of vase-like structure.
Entrance is 50,000 IRR, though when we arrived around 15:00, there wasn’t anyone there. Free entrance ahoy!
Narin castle
We didn’t have time to go to Narin, as we spent too much time being seriously lost on the wrong side of the town, and then having to walk across.
However, Narin castle is quite close to the pigeon tower–it’s basically two blocks away, around the corner. We’re not sure how much entrance is, but given that it’s on the major tourist day-trip route from Yazd, we assume 150,000 IRR. We didn’t see any people walking around there in the late afternoon.
Getting back to Yazd from Meybod
The white minibus back to Yazd leaves from Modarres Boulevard, underneath a white structure that goes over the road. There’s a waiting room with chairs and a water fountain next to where the bus waits.
The minibus back to Yazd from Meybod.
We’re not sure how regularly these buses run, but we assume every hour or two, given Meybod’s close proximity to Yazd. Our bus left at 17:00, and there was a man locking up the waiting room around when the bus left, so we assume that meant there aren’t many (if any) more buses from Meybod to Yazd after that.
Again, the bus ride was 1 hour and cost 20,000 IRR. You’re dropped off in Imam Hossein square, close to where you can get the bus to Meybod.
Have you been to Meybod, Iran recently? What did you think?
Hello Alex & Sebastiaan,
I went last April from Yazd to Meybod by a shared taxi, which costs 50,000 IRR, as I had to wait too much time for the minibus at Imam Hossein Square.
Thanks for sharing your travel experiences!
Thanks for sharing Antonio! The more information the merrier 🙂 Did you get the shared taxi from Imam Hossein Square?
I just went here a few days ago, so I figured I’d give feedback.
We took a bus to Imam Hussein square from Amir Chaqmaq (changed once), but were dropped off at a square just north/northwest of Imam Hussein on the way to Meybod (Sadooqi Road/Street/Blv?). The minibus was waiting there and there were a bunch of (shared?) taxis going the same way, so I assume it’s a regular departure point.
The bus was 25.000 now and getting off at the right spot and walking to the castle was straightforward. The entrance fee was indeed 150.000 and as long as you’re not paying 30 euro for a taxi to get there, I think it’s worth the effort. Nice views of the city. The return bus was where you’d said and left at 12:00, so possibly every hour. We were dropped off on Imam Hussein Square. The whole trip made for a nice half day.
As a side note, from Imam Hussein it should be easy to find a bus to Shohaday-e Mehrab square, where there will be multiple busses to the Towers of Silence. Getting back to Old Town from that square should be easy as well, as there’s a ticket booth to ask for directions. You can even stop at the Fire Temple (interesting, but a little overpriced at 150.000 for basically one good photo and some information in Farsi) and the Zoroastrian Museum (didn’t go, but good reviews) without spending a cent on taxis.