One Week Tour Iran, Isfahan, Meybod, Yazd, Persepolis, Shiraz

Day 1 Arrival Isfahan

Arrive at Isfahan international airport. You will be met & assisted with our representative and transfer to hotel

Day 2 Isfahan

First day of your tour in the amazing city of Isfahan where you find yourself walking in boulevards surrounded by beautiful gardens and splendid art and architecture masterpieces.

This city is famous for its Persian – Islamic architecture and one of the largest city squares, Naghsh-e Jahan square. Your city tour will start with visiting this famous and truly beautiful square, where you will find Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque on its eastern side, this mosque was built during Safavid dynasty, Shah Abbas I and was a private mosque for the royal court.

The next monument is Imam Mosque (formerly Shah Mosque) on the south side of the square also built under the order of Shah Abbas I considered as one of the masterpieces of Persian architecture. Next site, opposite Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, is the imperial Palace of Ali Qapu, the best example of Safavid art and architecture. Now time for one of the oldest Bazaars in Isfahan, Qeysarie Bazaar in the north side of the square. The entrance of Bazaar is full of paintings and you will be amazed by the high ceiling and all the art details you find on the roof. You can find different shops on both sides and it can be the best place for buying souvenirs; Persian carpets & rugs, miniature, calligraphy, tile work…  or sitting in one of the tea houses to get refreshed.

Among other places you can visit in the afternoon Chehel Sotoun is highly recommended, this Pavilion that was built under the order of Shah Abbas II is in the middle of a park and used for his entertainment. After visiting the Chehel Sotoun and its collection of paintings, you can sit in its park and enjoy a cup of tea.

In the evening you will enjoy the city on your own, having dinner in one of the many local restaurants that all of them serve high quality food and no matter where your hotel is located, you can always find some of these good places easily.

Day 3 Isfahan

You wake up again in Isfahan while your head is still full of those dreams you had last night of all the Eslimi patterns, miniature, frescos… and still another day.

Isfahan is also famous for its Zayandehrood, the largest river of the Iranian Plateau. Anywhere there is a river there are some bridges and bridges in Isfahan are among the most beautiful ones. There are eleven historical bridges over Zayanzehrood. You will visit 2 of them. Allahverdikhan Bridge, popular as Si-o Se Pol is the largest one. The next bridge is Khaju Bridge, in the words of Arthur Pope and Jean Chardin, Khaju is "the culminating monument of Persian bridge architecture and one of the most interesting bridges extant ... where the whole has rhythm and dignity and combines in the happiest consistency, utility, beauty, and recreation.

Isfahan also has a great number of Armenian population. You will have a visit to Armenian Quarter in Jolfa district and will visit Vank Cathedral and its museum. While you are walking in the streets and alleys of Jolfa you can smell coffee, no wonder, you can find many coffee bars here and all serve nice coffee. Jolfa is also a very nice part of the city to spend your evening. Many young people will come for dinner here and you see a lot of street food and also good restaurants.

Day 4 Isfahan - Yazd via Nain and Meybod

Today while keeping all the pictures of splendid Safavid arts and architecture in your mind, you will head to Yazd. On the way to Yazd there are some nice cities and villages that you can make a stop at. Your first stop will be in Nain. Like much of the Iranian Plateau Nain has a desert climate. Due to this kind of climate Iranian many years ago learnt how to construct aqueducts underground (Qanats) to bring water from the mountains to the plains. Nain is one the best places to see these Qanats. Nain also has some few outstanding monuments, Jame mosque of Nain is among the oldest ones in Iran. Nain is also very famous with its textile and carpet workshops.

 Continue to Yazd you pass Aghda, Ardekan and Meybod. No doubt to make a stop in Meybod, this small city in the desert has great history that goes back to pre-Islamic era. You visit the ancient Castle of Narin Ghaleh which dates back to the Sassanid dynasty almost 2000 years ago. Also you can visit some Safavid and Qaajar sites in Meybod too such as Caravanserai and also Chapar Khaneh (Postal Service Office) and the most interesting one is the Meybod Ice Reservoir. Ceramic and pottery in Meybod is also very much well-known in Iran. You will see some of the workshops while walking in the streets.

Late in the afternoon you arrive in Yazd. You will stay in one of the cute boutique hotels in the old town, therefore you can easily walk around and get the vibe and also enjoy sitting in one of the roof coffee bars, these cafes are unique in their own kind, until tomorrow we show this special city to you.

Day 5 Yazd

Yazd has a unique architecture adapted to its desert climate. In the city of windcatchers you see how these people could manage to have a natural ventilation system to chill the hot days of summer inside their houses.

Yazd houses a remarkable number of Zoroastrians, and you will start your city tour with a visit to the Zoroastrian Fire Temple, the sacred fire of the temple is stated to have been burning since about 470 AD.

After the Fire Temple you will visit Dowlat Abad Garden, as the sample of Persian garden Dowlat Abad was also built with residential purpose and the tallest windcatcher has been built in the center of the garden.

Walking in the old town, Yazd Jame Mosque & Amir Chakhmaq façade can be visited in the afternoon.

Yazd also has a nice Bazaar and its silk textile (Termeh) is very much famous worldwide, even Marco Polo in his visit in 1272 has remarked on the city's fine silk-weaving industry. Take a walk in the Bazaar and enjoy seeing colorful Termeh hanging on the walls in front of each shop.

One special activity to see in Yazd in the evening is going to Zurkhaneh, Traditional gymnasium in which Varzesh- Bastani (ancient sport) is practiced. Ancient Sport is a traditional system of athletics originally used to train warriors in Persia. 

Day 6 Yazd - Shiraz via Persepolis

Leaving desert, windcatchers and mud bricks walls toward the splendid history and glory of Persia. On the way to Shiraz, we make 3 important stops. Your first stop will be in Pasargadae, the first capital of the Achaemenid Empire built by the order of Cyrus the Great. The most important monument in Pasargadae is the tomb of Cyrus the Great. In about one hour you will be in Persepolis, the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire, located on the skirt of Rahmat Mountain. Persepolis was built mainly during the time of Darius I. Persepolis was a spring/summer royal residence and seems to have been intended as a ceremonial center where representatives of subject states came to pay respects to the king. The complex has nine structures that you can visit some of them  as the Gate of all Nations, The Apadana staircase and Apadana palace, Palace of Darius I, Palace of Xerxes and Achaemenid Kings. Not far from Persepolis you will visit Necropolis (Naghsh-e Rostam). Naghsh-e Rostam is the necropolis of the Achaemenid dynasty. There are four large tombs cut high into the cliff face. There are also some reliefs below the tombs from the Sassanid dynasty.

In the evening you will be in Shiraz.

Day 7 Shiraz

It is really good to end such a wonderful trip in Shiraz. The rhythm of life in this beautiful city is delicately slow & easy, people are very warm and friendly.

 As Shiraz has a rich background in poetry and literature, many famous Persian poets were from this city, that’s why you may see that shiraz is introduced as the city of rose and nightingale. 

We suggest you start your tour in the morning and first a visit to Nasir-al molk mosque known as Pink Mosque, because of the usage of a considerable number of pink-colored tiles for its interior design. Also, its stained-glass façade with the reflection in the morning, makes you just say Wow and take 1000 pictures. Since Shiraz was the capital of Persia during the Zand dynasty, you will see more monuments of this era. Karimkhan Complex including Shiraz famous Bazaar. You can visit the tombs of two Poets that have worldwide fame, the Tomb of Poet Hafez and Sa’adi. A visit to Eram Garden specially in May with the smell of orange blossom should not be missed. As you may have already noticed, people of shiraz enjoy eating out and having fun outside. In the evening you see many people having picnic dinner in any green space they can find in the city. Families are together and kids are playing. Also, there are many good restaurants with live music that you can go to for the last dinner in Persia.