Tehran Province · Iran
Tehran travel guide
Tehran is a city in Tehran Province, Iran, home to about 8,694,000 people.
- Best months
- April, May and October
- Nearest airport
- THR7 km · Mehrabad International Airport
- Currency
- IRRIranian rial
- Time zone
- Asia/Tehran
- Language
- Persian
About
About Tehran
Tehran is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is also the capital of Tehran province and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District.
The city can be roughly divided into two parts - north and south. The northern districts of Tehran are more prosperous, modern, cosmopolitan and expensive while southern parts are less attractive but cheaper. At the time of the Zand dynasty, it was a little town that was significant from a strategic point of view. The first of the Qajar kings, Agha Mohammed Khan, named Tehran as the country's capital in 1778, and most of its growth started during the reign of a subsequent Qajar monarch, Fath-Ali Shah. The castle that Agha Mohammed Khan had built was to contain the new majestic buildings.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Tehran
See
- The Azadi Tower
- Mausoleum of Ayatollah Khomeini
- Milad Tower
- Golestan Palace
- Takht Marmar
- Khalvat Karim Khani
- Hoze Khaneh
- Negar Khaneh
- Talar Berelian
- Niavaran Palace
- Masoudieh Palace
- Saadabad Palace
Do
- Ab-o-Atesh Park and the Tabiat Bridge
- Chitgar Lake
- Jamshidieh Park
- Paradise Garden, Baq-e Ferdous Park?
- Tochal Complex
- gondola lifts' 1st station
- Darband
- Darake
- Tehran City Theater
- Talar Vahdat Theater
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Which part of Tehran to stay in
The old-styled Mosaferkhanehs and budget hotels are often low quality and overpriced. The reason is that Iran has had very limited exposure to the outside world. In many low budget places there are no European toilets or even no toilet paper and staff can be rather unfriendly with no English-speaking ability. However, a couple of modern hostels have opened in Tehran.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
When to go
The best time to visit Tehran
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Tehran are April, May and October. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 35 °C; April is the wettest, with about 48 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Tehran: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Mehrabad International Airport (THR), about 6.8 km from the city centre in a straight line; Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKA, 37 km) and Payam International Airport (PYK, 52 km) are also within reach.
Getting around
Getting around traffic-clogged, sprawling Tehran is a true test of patience. While taxis are your best bet, they are pricier here than the rest of the country. A large local bus network will also take you almost anywhere you need to go, as long you can make sense of the routes and Persian line numbers. The true star of Tehran's transport system, however, is the metro. Tehran has an inexpensive but confusing bus network.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
THR · Mehrabad International Airport
IKA · Imam Khomeini International Airport
PYK · Payam International Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Tehran
Eat
Prices quoted on the menu may exclude an 8% tax, a 10-15% service charge, and a 10% tip. Be prepared to add as much as 1/3 to the prices quoted on the menu. You'll find cheap & good enough abgoosht stew in any of the places they call ghahvekhuneh (قهوهخانه) which you can find in any non-strictly-residential area. Just ask for a ghahvekhuneh or get this قهوهخانه printed and show it. Nice traditional working class ambience as a rule. You can find several food courts around Tehran with a variety of cuisines from Thailand, India, Italy, China and Turkey.
Drink
For information on popular drinks in Iran, see Iran. Alcoholic beverages are illegal in Iran, other than some allowances for ritual use by Jews and Christians. Coffee shops are a great place for people watching as well as drinking.
Stay safe
Considering that the population of Tehran is around 15 million, it is still one of the safer cities to visit in global terms. Violent crime is rare and exercising common sense and taking the usual precautions against pickpockets in crowded areas should ensure a hassle-free visit. Most areas are safe even late at night, although it is not advisable to take a private taxi at 02:00 for example (but the lack of public nightlife means that few tourists would be out at that time in the first place). South Tehran (or the areas south of the Tehran Bazaar) is the only area that should really be avoided after dark, as some of the more deprived neighborhoods are there.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Tehran: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Tehran?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Tehran are April, May and October. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 35 °C; April is the wettest, with about 48 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Tehran?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Mehrabad International Airport (THR), about 6.8 km from the city centre in a straight line; Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKA, 37 km) and Payam International Airport (PYK, 52 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in Tehran?
Iranian rial (IRR).
Nearby
Destinations near Tehran
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.