Days 1-2: Tehran — Crown Jewels & Qajar Splendor
Day 1: Arrive Tehran. Evening walk at Tabiat Bridge. Day 2: Golestan Palace (UNESCO) — Mirror Hall, Marble Throne, and Qajar-era gardens. Crown Jewels Museum — the Darya-ye Noor (Sea of Light) pink diamond (182 carats), Peacock Throne, and Naderi Throne. National Museum of Iran. Grand Bazaar — 10km of covered lanes. Overnight Tehran.
Days 3-4: Kashan — Underground City & Merchant Palaces
Day 3: Drive to Kashan. Fin Garden (UNESCO, 1590) — the oldest existing Persian Garden. Tabatabaei House — 40-room merchant mansion with intricate stucco and stained glass. Borujerdi House — another architectural masterpiece. Sultan Amir Ahmad Bathhouse with its stunning rooftop. Day 4: Nushabad underground city — 1,500-year-old three-story labyrinth 18m below ground. Afternoon: drive to Abyaneh — the 2,500-year-old ‘Red Village’ where crimson-clad women speak a dialect preserving Middle Persian. Evening drive to Isfahan. Overnight Isfahan.
Days 5-7: Isfahan — Half of the World
Day 5: Naqsh-e Jahan Square — Imam Mosque (54m dome, seven-echo acoustics), Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque (peacock-tail dome), Ali Qapu Palace (Music Room), Grand Bazaar. Evening: Si-o-se-pol bridge at sunset + Zurkhaneh performance. Day 6: Jolfa Armenian Quarter — Vank Cathedral (1655) with gold-gilded frescoes. Chehel Sotoun Palace. Afternoon free to revisit the square or explore Isfahan’s art galleries. Day 7: Jameh Mosque of Isfahan (UNESCO) — an encyclopedia of Islamic architecture spanning 12 centuries. Hasht Behesht Palace. Evening: traditional music performance. Overnight Isfahan.
Days 8-9: Yazd — Zoroastrian Heartland
Day 8: Drive to Yazd through desert landscapes. Afternoon: Yazd UNESCO old city — mud-brick alleys, 2,500+ wind-catchers, and the Jameh Mosque with Iran’s tallest minarets. Evening: rooftop tea at sunset overlooking the desert city. Day 9: Atashkadeh Fire Temple (flame burning since 470 AD), Towers of Silence, Amir Chakhmaq Complex, Dowlat Abad Garden, Water Museum. Free evening to explore Yazd’s magical old lanes at dusk. Overnight in restored caravanserai.
Days 10-11: Persepolis & Pasargadae
Day 10: Drive to Shiraz. First stop: Pasargadae — the tomb of Cyrus the Great (founder of the Achaemenid Empire, 6th century BC) with its famous inscription ‘Passer-by, I am Cyrus, who gave the Persians an empire.’ Then: Naqsh-e Rostam — four cliff-cut royal tombs of Darius I, Xerxes I, Artaxerxes I, and Darius II, plus Sassanid reliefs showing Roman emperors Valerian and Philip the Arab submitting to Persian kings. Overnight near Persepolis. Day 11: Full day at Persepolis — Grand Staircase, Gate of All Nations, Apadana Palace (72 columns, tribute-bearer reliefs from 23 nations), Hundred Column Hall, Treasury, Royal Tombs. Late afternoon drive to Shiraz. Overnight Shiraz.
Days 12-14: Shiraz — City of Poets, Roses & Gardens
Day 12: Early morning at Nasir al-Mulk (Pink Mosque) for the stained-glass light phenomenon. Narenjestan-e Ghavam. Vakil Complex (Mosque, Bazaar, Bathhouse). Afternoon: Eram Garden (UNESCO Persian Garden). Evening: Hafez Tomb for poetry and fal-e Hafez. Day 13: Qalat village — ancient cave settlement. Shah Cheragh Shrine (optional). Free afternoon for shopping or the Delgosha Garden. Day 14: Saadi Tomb, Afif-Abad Garden. Free afternoon. Farewell dinner with live Persian music. Overnight Shiraz.
Day 15: Departure
Transfer to Shiraz International Airport.
