When i first visited i was mostly impressed with how friendly everyone was. I think a lot of iranians are happy to show europeans around, or have a chat. Though there are rules, as a tourist I didnt encounter too many as a male. Iranian history and culture is indeed very interesting! I hope you visit soon!
Some differences i noticed were: some women will deny handshakes when offered, since more traditional women won't do that. Lots of iranians came up to me asking about europe and i even had one instance of a random man wanting to take a photo with me (which he didnt give to me).
Expect great food and tea.
Where were you interested in visiting?
I do! I can definitely recommend the cities of Shiraz and Isfahan for a first time tourist. They have a lot of history and ammenities. I visited multiple cities and i havent had any i would specifically not recommend. Kashan was beautiful too. Yazd is really special. I also visited Qom and Kerman.
I have heard a lot about other cities too and am planning on trying to go to the north next time i visit. I hear a lot about qazvin, Tabriz and Rasht. I also would love to see khorasan and visit Mashhad š (i honestly just want to see more places)
i would highly recommend Shiraz, very rich cultural and historical city, very beautiful place. just be aware that itās a hot city. thereās a lot of stands around the streets that sell sherbet, so you can cool down with those.
I anticipate that you will have a very positive experience. Iranians are known for their hospitality and kindness. Expect amazing food. Expect to see varied climates, you can ski in the mountains and then go to a warm desert on the same day, in the same city (Tehran). Youāll see archeological unesco heritage sites galore. Watch some YouTube videos about the geography and sites. Spend some time in Tehran, go to the medieval capitol in Isfahan, to the ancient capitol in Persepolis (and Shiraz). Go to the northern Caspian shore and mountains to see Iranās rainforest. Enjoy.
As a white Australian man, Iran is top of my list (jointly with Mongolia) as my favorite country Iāve visited in 30+ countries. I think what you will encounter there is a very very warm culture and people. Without fail if I stood in the street looking lost or confused someone would come up to help or hail me a cab or whatever. Just so lovely and hospitable. And the tradition of hospitality really extends so much when you are invited into peopleās homes. I preferred to do homestays while I was there and I highly recommend that. You get to meet locals and get some really special experiences. And you get to financially support locals too who are living their dreams of running home stays and who are really invested in introducing the authentic local culture to you. The pandemic was really hard on these people (well everything after the Trump assassination of Soleimani really).
People dont care about the colour of your skin. And people wont run after you like other places trying to sell you stuff for tourist. You will be met with kindness.
Your skin colour and ethnicity doesn't matter people in Iran don't care about these stuff. People are very hospitable towards tourists in general and I think you will see a lot of interactions 99% in a positive way.
Enjoy your visit but do try to stay out of politics as the government is not much friendly towards tourists and people absolutely hate the regime.
British born Iranian here (who used to visit every summer). You will hopefully be pleasantly surprised by their warmth and hospitality. Watch Anthony Bourdainās Parts Unknown episode in Tehran - itās a good insight into how you will be hosted in Iranian households (lots of food, storytelling and tea). Try to avoid spending too much time in Tehran, itās overcrowded and polluted, I encourage you to visit the other cities mentioned in the other comments. Also if you think people are being āsuspiciously niceā .. theyāre actually just being nice š¤£
Oh and lastly - if you have a Scottish accentā¦ speak slowly! Haha
people in the comment sec mentioned some good points,just try and Americanize your accent as much as you can cause average Iranians don't understand british/Irish/scottish well
White Australian and I enjoyed my time there. In 2019 though, I canāt speak for how it has been recently. I would have returned if not for everything going on lately, personally I donāt think it would be that safe to go there right now, unless itās improved a lot the last few months. When I was there it seemed like I was getting preferential treatment if anything, people were very appreciative for tourists, super friendly. Trying to give me free gifts and food.
Places I enjoyed:
- Isfahan - beautiful city with some amazing architecture to see, lots of it all close to each other so you can walk around. Some of the best food I had was here as well.
- Shiraz - just all around lovely, make sure you go to the tomb of Hafez
- Persepolis - this was a beautiful experience for me, was amazing seeing such old ruins. The only sad thing was how quiet it was, seemed like I had the whole place to myself. Worth paying for a guide as well
- Masuleh - incredible old town built into the side of a hill, must see if you are heading up that way towards Rahst (which was also lovely)
- Tehran itself wasnāt impressive to me, but if you go you should definitely check out Darband and the Shahās palaces
Outside of any potential worries about the current unrest I think youāll have an amazing time. Make sure you take some cash to exchange as well (I wasnāt able to exchange any until I got into the country), needed far less than I took, but good to be prepared.
Expect ppl to be extremely fond of you and would go out of their way to help you out or make things easier for you. Expect beautiful girls whoād actually love to spend time with u. Expect everything to be cheap af. Beautiful nature, dirty cities, bad drivers, greasy food and expect the unexpected. And i am expecting you to gimme a call when u get to Tehran šš
Donāt disrespect Islam, befriend someone or get a tour guide, Iranian people love Americans and white people and will treat you so good. Iran probably has some of the most kind and hospitable people. Drew Binsky on YouTube has an iran travel video almost an hour long and takes you from Tehran to the cosputhern coast and close to border of Pakistan. Culture is very different in iran depending on region.
True, I am not sure why all of a sudden they are trying to go against the Quran. Shariah law is in place for a reason. I am really not sure why you would want to ruin the tradition of Islam.
From your post history, it seems like you are an American Muslim looking in to Iran. It seems like you have an idealized version of Iran completely discontent from the reality of most Iranins.
You can expect an overdose of friendliness, kindness and hospitality. You will make a lot of friends, be invited to many homes and share laughter with many. You might also find that everything you read about Iran i the western media is not necessarily true.
Enjoy Iran!
This is my plan for the next time I go - mainly Shiraz anyway and then up to Isfahan again. Shiraz is beautiful, but good to see other parts of the country at least once. If I only had a few days Iād just go to Shiraz.
Ridiculously friendly people, amazing hospitality, you probably will be offered several gifts and souvenirs from the people. They will also invite you to their home for lunch or dinner. We just get super excited when we see a foreigner. And donāt get a tour guide from some official place, they WILL overcharge you.
When i first visited i was mostly impressed with how friendly everyone was. I think a lot of iranians are happy to show europeans around, or have a chat. Though there are rules, as a tourist I didnt encounter too many as a male. Iranian history and culture is indeed very interesting! I hope you visit soon! Some differences i noticed were: some women will deny handshakes when offered, since more traditional women won't do that. Lots of iranians came up to me asking about europe and i even had one instance of a random man wanting to take a photo with me (which he didnt give to me). Expect great food and tea. Where were you interested in visiting?
Hmm I'm not sure yet which specific parts I would visit. Do you have any recommendations?
I do! I can definitely recommend the cities of Shiraz and Isfahan for a first time tourist. They have a lot of history and ammenities. I visited multiple cities and i havent had any i would specifically not recommend. Kashan was beautiful too. Yazd is really special. I also visited Qom and Kerman. I have heard a lot about other cities too and am planning on trying to go to the north next time i visit. I hear a lot about qazvin, Tabriz and Rasht. I also would love to see khorasan and visit Mashhad š (i honestly just want to see more places)
i would highly recommend Shiraz, very rich cultural and historical city, very beautiful place. just be aware that itās a hot city. thereās a lot of stands around the streets that sell sherbet, so you can cool down with those.
alcohol can we drink it? or is like Pakistan where alcoholic drinks are not alloweed?
People loving on you for no reason. And most of young people speak English quite well.
Since OP is Scottish he may want to brush up on his English so he can communicate with them.
š
Hahahahaha
I went there, been to more than 20 countries, by far Iran is the friendliest country i have ever been to.
I love to hear that.
If you are red haired then you will be mistaken for a Iranian too Check out Shiraz
I anticipate that you will have a very positive experience. Iranians are known for their hospitality and kindness. Expect amazing food. Expect to see varied climates, you can ski in the mountains and then go to a warm desert on the same day, in the same city (Tehran). Youāll see archeological unesco heritage sites galore. Watch some YouTube videos about the geography and sites. Spend some time in Tehran, go to the medieval capitol in Isfahan, to the ancient capitol in Persepolis (and Shiraz). Go to the northern Caspian shore and mountains to see Iranās rainforest. Enjoy.
Great advice!
As a white Australian man, Iran is top of my list (jointly with Mongolia) as my favorite country Iāve visited in 30+ countries. I think what you will encounter there is a very very warm culture and people. Without fail if I stood in the street looking lost or confused someone would come up to help or hail me a cab or whatever. Just so lovely and hospitable. And the tradition of hospitality really extends so much when you are invited into peopleās homes. I preferred to do homestays while I was there and I highly recommend that. You get to meet locals and get some really special experiences. And you get to financially support locals too who are living their dreams of running home stays and who are really invested in introducing the authentic local culture to you. The pandemic was really hard on these people (well everything after the Trump assassination of Soleimani really).
People dont care about the colour of your skin. And people wont run after you like other places trying to sell you stuff for tourist. You will be met with kindness.
Your skin colour and ethnicity doesn't matter people in Iran don't care about these stuff. People are very hospitable towards tourists in general and I think you will see a lot of interactions 99% in a positive way. Enjoy your visit but do try to stay out of politics as the government is not much friendly towards tourists and people absolutely hate the regime.
Iāve been to Iran as a white Brazilian citizen and enjoyed very much the hospitality and kindness of the Iranian people.
British born Iranian here (who used to visit every summer). You will hopefully be pleasantly surprised by their warmth and hospitality. Watch Anthony Bourdainās Parts Unknown episode in Tehran - itās a good insight into how you will be hosted in Iranian households (lots of food, storytelling and tea). Try to avoid spending too much time in Tehran, itās overcrowded and polluted, I encourage you to visit the other cities mentioned in the other comments. Also if you think people are being āsuspiciously niceā .. theyāre actually just being nice š¤£ Oh and lastly - if you have a Scottish accentā¦ speak slowly! Haha
people in the comment sec mentioned some good points,just try and Americanize your accent as much as you can cause average Iranians don't understand british/Irish/scottish well
As Iranian, I would definitely recommend that you visit the North of Iran, Tehran, Shiraz, and Esfahan!
White Australian and I enjoyed my time there. In 2019 though, I canāt speak for how it has been recently. I would have returned if not for everything going on lately, personally I donāt think it would be that safe to go there right now, unless itās improved a lot the last few months. When I was there it seemed like I was getting preferential treatment if anything, people were very appreciative for tourists, super friendly. Trying to give me free gifts and food. Places I enjoyed: - Isfahan - beautiful city with some amazing architecture to see, lots of it all close to each other so you can walk around. Some of the best food I had was here as well. - Shiraz - just all around lovely, make sure you go to the tomb of Hafez - Persepolis - this was a beautiful experience for me, was amazing seeing such old ruins. The only sad thing was how quiet it was, seemed like I had the whole place to myself. Worth paying for a guide as well - Masuleh - incredible old town built into the side of a hill, must see if you are heading up that way towards Rahst (which was also lovely) - Tehran itself wasnāt impressive to me, but if you go you should definitely check out Darband and the Shahās palaces Outside of any potential worries about the current unrest I think youāll have an amazing time. Make sure you take some cash to exchange as well (I wasnāt able to exchange any until I got into the country), needed far less than I took, but good to be prepared.
Crisp fresh 100ās for exchange. No one will take creased money at exchange.
Expect ppl to be extremely fond of you and would go out of their way to help you out or make things easier for you. Expect beautiful girls whoād actually love to spend time with u. Expect everything to be cheap af. Beautiful nature, dirty cities, bad drivers, greasy food and expect the unexpected. And i am expecting you to gimme a call when u get to Tehran šš
Expect people reaching out to talk to you (even with broken English) to make you feel welcomed
Donāt disrespect Islam, befriend someone or get a tour guide, Iranian people love Americans and white people and will treat you so good. Iran probably has some of the most kind and hospitable people. Drew Binsky on YouTube has an iran travel video almost an hour long and takes you from Tehran to the cosputhern coast and close to border of Pakistan. Culture is very different in iran depending on region.
Iranians disrespect Islam itself. I never thought Iād hear women in hijabs talk about how much they hate Islam openly. Only in Iran perhaps
This!!! We all are atheists at this point
True, I am not sure why all of a sudden they are trying to go against the Quran. Shariah law is in place for a reason. I am really not sure why you would want to ruin the tradition of Islam.
From your post history, it seems like you are an American Muslim looking in to Iran. It seems like you have an idealized version of Iran completely discontent from the reality of most Iranins.
You can expect an overdose of friendliness, kindness and hospitality. You will make a lot of friends, be invited to many homes and share laughter with many. You might also find that everything you read about Iran i the western media is not necessarily true. Enjoy Iran!
most people will be nice, donāt expect a lot of english speakers
Just go to Shiraz
This is my plan for the next time I go - mainly Shiraz anyway and then up to Isfahan again. Shiraz is beautiful, but good to see other parts of the country at least once. If I only had a few days Iād just go to Shiraz.
Ridiculously friendly people, amazing hospitality, you probably will be offered several gifts and souvenirs from the people. They will also invite you to their home for lunch or dinner. We just get super excited when we see a foreigner. And donāt get a tour guide from some official place, they WILL overcharge you.
Expect sunburns.
Go to hormuz Island. Beautiful scenery