Tour Overview
| Duration | 8 Days / 7 Nights |
|---|---|
| Destination | Iran — Tehran, Shiraz, Persepolis, Isfahan |
| Price From | $1,395 per person (twin share) |
| Tour Style | Private Cultural Journey — The Classic Persian Route |
| Best Season | March-May, September-November (pleasant weather, rose gardens in bloom) |
| Data Source | SURFIRAN / Irandoostan 2026 verified pricing |
Itinerary Highlights
Day 1: Arrive Tehran
Arrive in Tehran. Afternoon: Golestan Palace (UNESCO), a Qajar masterpiece of mirrored halls and tiled courtyards. The Marble Throne, carved from a single block of yellow Yazd marble and supported by demons and angels, was used for the coronation of every Qajar and Pahlavi king. Continue to the National Jewelry Museum — the Darya-ye Noor pink diamond (182 carats), the Peacock Throne, and over 1,000,000 carats of gems from 2,500 years of accumulated Persian royal wealth. Evening: Darband neighborhood in the foothills of the Alborz Mountains — traditional restaurants built into the mountainside along a stream, with carpets spread on platforms above the water. Overnight in Tehran.
Day 2: Tehran to Shiraz
Morning: fly to Shiraz (1.5 hours). Afternoon in the city of poets: Nasir al-Mulk (Pink Mosque) — arrive when morning sunlight streams through the stained glass, the tomb of Hafez (the spiritual heart of Persian culture — Iranians recite his poetry and divine their futures from his words), and the Vakil Bazaar. Shiraz’s gardens — Eram Garden (UNESCO) with its 19th-century Qajar palace reflected in a pool lined with cypress trees, and Narenjestan Garden (Orange Garden) with its intricate mirror work — embody the Persian concept of paradise (the English word “paradise” comes from the Old Persian “pairidaeza” meaning “walled garden”). Overnight in Shiraz.
Day 3: Persepolis — The Empire of the King of Kings
Full day at Persepolis and Naqsh-e Rostam. Persepolis, the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire (550-330 BCE): the Gate of All Nations guarded by winged bulls, the Apadana Staircase depicting 23 nations bringing tribute, and the Palace of 100 Columns. Alexander the Great burned Persepolis in 330 BCE — supposedly while drunk, at the instigation of a Greek courtesan, but more likely as deliberate destruction of the symbol of Persian power. Naqsh-e Rostam: the cliff tombs of Darius the Great, Xerxes, Artaxerxes I, and Darius II, carved 60m above the ground, with Sassanian reliefs showing Roman emperors kneeling before Persian kings. Return to Shiraz for a traditional Persian dinner: fesenjan (chicken in pomegranate-walnut sauce — the quintessential Persian dish, sweet and sour and utterly unique), saffron rice with tahdig (the crispy golden crust at the bottom of the pot, fought over at every Persian meal), and shirazi salad (cucumber, tomato, onion with dried mint). Overnight in Shiraz.
Day 4-5: Isfahan — Half the World
Day 4: drive to Isfahan (5 hours) through the Zagros Mountains. Afternoon in Naqsh-e Jahan Square — the second-largest public square in the world, a UNESCO masterpiece of urban design. The Imam Mosque’s 52m turquoise dome, the Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque’s peacock-tail ceiling, Ali Qapu Palace’s music room, and sunset at the Si-o-se-pol bridge over the Zayandeh River. Day 5: explore the Jameh Mosque (900 columns, 12 centuries of architecture), the Armenian Vank Cathedral, Chehel Sotoun palace, and the Grand Bazaar — 2km of vaulted passages where you can commission a custom carpet, buy saffron (the world’s best), or simply absorb the atmosphere of a trading tradition that has continued since the Silk Road. Overnight in Isfahan.
Day 6: Kashan — Fin Garden & Abyaneh Red Village
Morning drive to Kashan (2 hours). Visit the Fin Garden (UNESCO), the oldest surviving Persian garden (1590) — a perfect expression of the Persian garden design with its central water channel, fountains fed by natural springs without pumps (ingenious qanat system), and cypress trees framing the Safavid bathhouse where the reformist prime minister Amir Kabir was murdered in 1852 on the shah’s orders. Continue to Abyaneh (1 hour), a 1,500-year-old “red village” built into the mountainside at 2,235m. The houses are made of red mud bricks, the elderly women wear distinctive floral headscarves, and the people speak an archaic dialect of Persian that preserves words from Middle Persian (the language of the Sassanian Empire). Abyaneh’s Zoroastrian heritage is visible in its fire temple ruins and the layout of the village. Return to Tehran or overnight in Kashan.
Day 7-8: Tehran & Departure
Return to Tehran. Visit the Azadi Tower (Freedom Tower) — a 45m marble-clad monument built in 1971 to commemorate the 2,500th anniversary of the Persian Empire, blending Achaemenid, Sassanian, and Islamic architecture into one iconic structure. Visit the Tabiat Bridge — a award-winning 270m pedestrian bridge connecting two parks, designed by young Iranian architect Leila Araghian (she was 26 when she won the competition), a symbol of modern Iran. Faremeal dinner with live Persian classical music (setar, tar, and daf). Day 8: transfer to Imam Khomeini Airport for departure.
Included
- 7 nights: Tehran(2), Shiraz(2), Isfahan(2), Kashan/Tehran(1)
- Daily breakfast + 3 dinners
- English-speaking guide
- Private vehicle + domestic flights
- All monument entries
- Visa invitation letter
- All transfers
