Tehran will always have a special place in my heart. It’s the very first city I saw in Iran and will likely be my future journeys’ starting and ending points. It’s the city we roamed together with Hamid for two days packed with places, people and stories. I remember these first two days of my trip walking and thinking “wow, here I am in Iran”. I remember the sense of absolute wonder during the quiet times when the conversations with Hamid turned into a peaceful silence.

Some people told me not to spend time in Tehran because it’s not the “real Iran”. I don’t agree with this statement. Many paramount events for Iran happened in this city. If you care about understanding Iran, especially its recent history, spending time in Tehran will be a worthwhile experience.

The Numbers

I’m a scientist and I love numbers, so here are some cool numbers about Tehran (source Wikipedia).

1,780 is the urban area of Tehran in sq. km.

+8-9 million is the urban population of Tehran.

+5 million is the estimated number of cars on the streets of Tehran.

+2,100 is the number of parks within the metropolis of Tehran, it’s a green city!

111 metro stations with a total length of 177.5 km cross the city.

2 airports operate in Tehran - Imam Khomeini International (IKA) and Mehrabad International (THR) used mainly for domestic flights.

3 of Iran’s total 12 operating ski resorts are located in close proximity to Tehran - Tochal, Dizin, and Shemshak. Note: I don’t ski because it’s a kind of expensive sport and due to financial reasons I never had the chance to learn in Bulgaria… Maybe on my next visit to Iran?

5,609.2 is the height in meters of Mount Damavand, a snow-capped, conical volcano surrounded by hot springs & steeped in Persian legends. It’s definitely on my bucket list to-trek-and-climb and it’s close to Tehran.

Useful Information

You can read my very long article about all things travel & Iran.

If you want to be like a local, use the metro and the buses. The metro network covers major tourist sites, except Miliad Tower which you can reach by taking Snapp.

Everything in the daily life in Iran is segregated by gender. Ladies have a separate place to sit in public buses and in the metro. It’s unacceptable to enter the ladies area if you are a man. Because I was with Hamid I was traveling in the male area in the metro and buses. It is acceptable for a woman to enter the men section, especially if the women’s section is full. In mosques, ladies and gentlemen have separate entrances and prayer areas. In some mosques ladies need to wear full cover, i.e. chador, which is given for free at the entrance. If a chador is not offered at the entrance for free, then probably it’s better not to enter as a tourist out of respect.

I personally had zero problems shaking hands with women and men as a greeting. If you don’t feel comfortable doing so, the way to greet people of the opposite gender is by placing your hand on your heart and saying “salaam”. I was happy to find a cultural similarity with Bulgaria as the standard greeting between good friends is a hug.

Tipping in Iran is not expected from you. However, if you give tips, people will be visibly happy as it’s a hard time for them at the moment due to the US sanctions.

Tehran’s grandeur: Golestan Palace and Azadi Tower

See & Do

I personally find a lot of joy in discovering places to visit during my trips. As such I don’t want to “spoil it” for anyone else who’s like me. You can skip the list below if you want to discover the magic of Tehran on your own. If you like travel recommendations, here’s my list of things to do and see in Tehran. I’ve grouped them by physical proximity. This list is doable in 2 full days in the city. Prices for each of the below listed places ranges from 50,000 IRR to 400,000 IRR (less than 5 EUR with the exchange rate at the time of writing).

Day 1

Former US Embassy in Tehran (A must visit if you care about Iran’s history) • Iranian Artist Forum.

Valiasr Street (The longest street in the Middle East) • Tajrish Bazaar (A local non-touristy bazaar at the end of Valiasr Street) • Imamzadeh Saleh (A beautiful mosque next to Tajrish Bazaar).

Tajrish Bazaar and Imamzadeh Saleh

Milad Tower (The 6th tallest in the world radio tower. Offers stunning views of Tehran. My recommended time for visit is around sunset).

Milad Tower

Day 2

Golestan Palace (Stunning architecture and tile-work, don’t go to Tehran without seeing it!) • Tehran Grand Bazaar • Haji Ali Darwish’s Tea House (Tehran’s smallest tea house) • Oudlajan, District 12 (Terhan’s oldest neighborhood with a Synagogue) • Navab Bath house (A bath house in Kashan architecture style).

Hang out in Tehran’s cafes and tea houses. Modern coffee shops in Tehran are hip and serve artisan coffee. You must try Iranian chai!

Azadi Tower (The iconic landmark of Tehran. It’s the Persian version of L’Arc de Triomphe in Paris).

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Finally, I’d like to share that I love researching local music before visiting a country and one of the iconic Iranian singers you must know about is Googoosh. She has the status of a diva in Iran and is adored by everyone I met without exception. I’m sharing my favorite Googoosh song, “Nemidouni” (“You don’t know”) + two of my other favorite discoveries of Iranian contemporary music here below.

My personal story with this Googoosh song is kind of funny. I had no idea what the words mean, so I thought it’s a party song because the music is upbeat and kind of jolly. It was later, during my trip in Kashan that we listened to this song with a few Iranian ladies and they explained to me that it’s a sad love song. I have no idea why a sad song sounds so positive, but I guess it’s part of the Iranian attitude for life in general.

Feel free to enjoy the photos while the short playlist is rolling. 

Streets of Tehran

One last big thanks to Hamid, my legendary guide and friend!