Iran Travel Tips

The new 'Iran cheques' make dealing with such large numbers of rials much easier, a lot easier to carry around than huge wads of notes. They are available in 1 million and 500,000 rial denominations.
Philip Walker, UK (Sep 05)

Shiraz: Do make it a point and taste the local biscuit delicacy called Youkheh. I was absolutely hooked. I can only described it as like an chinese egg roll biscuit, but the biscuit is much lighter and is rolled tightly into many layers which are filled with icing sugar.
Mong-Yang Loh, UK (Aug 05)

In order to climb Mount Damavand, foreigners are now requested to pay US$25 at the start of the trail (Gusfand Sara, 3035m). While it is possible to escape the fee by starting from Reyneh, we were checked at the main shelter (4250m) the same evening by someone from the Indian Mountaineering Federation.
Marc Laperrouza, Switzerland (Aug 05)

Things are changing fast in Iran. I have been travelling around alone as a woman. The dresscode is changing. Outside Tehran you can easily get away without socks in your sandals. Your trousers don't need to cover your ankles and your shirt should only go down below your elbows. Of course you should still be wearing a scarf, a bandana is not enough yet. Be aware that at very religious places you should be wearing more.

VERY IMPORTANT: DO NOT GIVE THUMBS UP SIGN. This is the Iranian f**k you sign by ten. It is considered extremely rude and bad behavior even though most Iranians can see if it is given with a smile that it is purely ignorance. This piece of information is really missing in the guidebook.
Tove Gronbaek Jensen, Denmark (Oct 03)

I am a vegetarian. Vegetarian food is very difficult to find in restaurants and I got sick of eating rice, tomatoes and bread all the time. I started to buy vegetables at the market and then cook it up at the kitchens of the hotels.
Anthony Paine, Switzerland (Aug 03)

In Esfahan bazaar some carpet sellers can take visa. The transaction is done via a phone call to Dubai - which adds 8% on to the value of your purchase. I found that hotels gave pretty bad rates. If you must change money on the street make sure a local goes with you. I got ripped off badly, and was threatened verbally when I complained. His excuse was "I need commission, its dangerous here, lots of police around!"

I was informed that since 11 September 2001 all banking connections between Iran and UK have been suspended. Since I ran out of money during my trip I can confirm the necessity of bringing enough dollars in cash, since the alternatives are very complicated. I eventually had money transferred from home to the Foreign Office in London then to the British Embassy in Tehran. But that process takes up to a week.

The dangers posed by the traffic in Tehran cannot be overstated! Crossing the road is a daily battle of wits, and can get very annoying for the person used to being able to cross the road safely at traffic lights and zebra crossings. Vehicles ignore all road regulations, driving as if pedestrians are an obstruction to them. Motorbikes are the worst culprits, riding on the pavements and the wrong way down the street. I nearly got mown down by a bus whilst trying to cross the road. The bus was hurtling its way towards me against the flow of traffic and straddling two lanes.
Alex Melbourne (Apr 03)

While driving past the US embassy, the tour guide I was with insisted that if the military guards see you taking photos they will make arrests. I returned to the embassy a week later with some students I had befriended and they kept saying that it was absolutely no problem to take photos. In the end, I made them ask the guard in the guard tower - and he agreed! So, it's worth it to ask.
Sarah Ohring, USA (Mar 03)

A very interesting object on display at the museum in the Vank Cathedral in Esfahan was a bible verse (Proverbs 1:2) sculpted on a strand of hair, which can be viewed under a microscope. But the entrance fee is an exorbitant 25000 Rials.
Betty Sam, India (Feb 03)

Dress does vary somewhat. In Tehran we saw young women in sandals with painted toe-nails! Jeans are de rigeur among the young. The flowing, all enveloping shawl is undergoing change. Some women wear ones that are made of lace, others are dotted or have flower sprigs in varying dark shades. The headscarf is going ever further back on the head. Many women complained to my wife about the necessity to wear hejab. There is an increase in the number wearing simply a coat over the trousers in the Syrian/Jordanian fashion. One woman we spoke to said that in her home town she would have to wear the black cloak but elsewhere she could be more relaxed and just wear the coat. In Tehran some of the outfits look just like trouser suits. A number of older women are also knotting the long shawl under their bust to give more use of their arms for lifting and carrying. It all appears to be in a state of flux.
Margaret & Michael Clark, Australia (Feb 03)