Iran is so rich in historical, cultural and natural heritage that it’s impossible to select just 20 of the best tourist destinations in Iran from all its other priceless assets, even though the country has 24 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These sites represent only a small part of Iran’s vast treasure, despite the country’s boundless enormity, while listing the top destinations first.
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Perspolis was the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire and is one of Iran’s most famous tourist destinations. This must-see site was once the seat of the first Persian empire and the birthplace of Persian civilization. The country’s great kings, such as Cyrus the Great, Darius the Great and Xerxes, came here as part of the Persepolis palace complex. Construction of Persepolis began around 518 BC under Darius the Great, and it remained a major ceremonial center of the Achaemenid Empire until it was burned by Alexander the Great in 330 BC.
Some of Persia’s greatest emperors, including Darius I, Xerxes I, Artaxerxes I, and Darius II, were laid to rest in this monumental necropolis. The nature has worked its magic on the rock here. The Naqsh-e Rostam necropolis, like so many of Iran’s great necropolises, is a showcase for the beliefs and artistic and architectural skills of its craftsmen. The sculpted and ornate cliffs house the tombs of the great Achaemenid kings, as well as details of various Sassanid rock reliefs and ancient inscriptions.
Location: 67 km N.E of Shiraz.
Naqsh-e Jahan is certainly a leading tourist spot one should visit when in Iran. Ali Qapu, and also the Shah Mosque, plus the Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, along with the Grand Bazaar exist amid architectural masterpieces coming from the Safavid era. These sites display the city’s 16th-century splendor coupled with ornate Islamic designs plus script.
Location: Isfahan
The main beauty of this historic monument in the city of Shiraz lies in its colorful stained-glass windows, which transform the setting into a kaleidoscope in the cool of the morning. While following traditional Persian mosque architecture, it is distinguished by its extensive use of stained glass and unique pink tiles, this masterpiece is adorned with pinkish bricks, floral motifs and Western extracts. The Muqarnas at the Pink Mosque are among the most refined and complex, along with all the other partners who make this Pink Mosque, in terms of monumental photographic tourism, the emblematic destination of Iran.
Location: Shiraz
From the height of its beauty, the splendid architecture of its public baths and its oriental magic, the Vakil complex is one of Iran’s most popular tourist destinations. Karim Khan Zand, the founder of the Zand dynasty in the 18th century built these monuments to please the people of Shiraz he preferred to be called “the People’s Advocate” rather than calling himself king. The Vakil mosque is now a masterpiece of Persian-Islamic architecture; the Vakil public baths, whose ingenious beauty still blooms in our minds, are magnificent; and the Vakil bazaar, one of the witnesses to traditional architecture, remains a lively place to buy the Persian souvenirs we dream of bringing back in our luggage.
City: Shiraz
Built in the 19th century by the Qajars, this royal complex is today considered one of the most beautiful palace-museums in Iran, with its restful garden, the plurality of its architectural traditions and the finesse of its interior decorations, the imprints left by Iranian and European architecture in the 18th and 19th centuries, it is one of Iran’s most accessible tourist attractions, with the Hall of Mirrors, the Throne Room, the Reception Hall and the Sun Building among the best-known rooms in the royal complex.
Location: Tehran.
You can’t help but marvel at the refined ceilings, touching frescoes, singularly original architecture and refreshing courtyards! The Tabatabai House is THE finest example of traditional Persian architecture, and is the archetype of Iranian artistic taste and elegance, making it one of the top 20 tourist destinations in Iran.
Location: Kashan
The tomb of Sufi mystic Sheikh Safi Al-Din has become an architectural complex comprising a Sufi Khaneqa (meeting place of the Sufi brotherhood), a library, a mosque, a school and the graves of Safavid kings. The fascinating architecture of the Khaneghah and Shrine of Sheikh Safi Al-Din complex reflects not only the skills of Persian architects and designers, but also the main aesthetic elements of the Sufi movement.
Location: Ardabil
This feat of engineering is an ancient irrigation system, parts of the system date back to the Achaemenid era, but most of the visible structures were built during the Sassanid period (3rd century AD – still so charming – has the water supply system of a civilization in mind. Today, the historic hydraulic system of Shushtar, with its water mill, waterfall, tunnel, bridges and other elements of this igneous mechanism, is a must-see tourist destination in Iran.
Distance: approx. 98 km from Ahvaz
The peace created by the union of Iranian architecture, meticulous decorations, refreshing trees, ponds and pleasant streams, gives the Fin Garden a charisma that makes this historically significant tourist destination in Iran, as a UNESCO Persian Heritage Garden, all the more fascinating because the engineering as an operating strategy as well as the water supply make the beauty of the garden.
Location: Kashan
In the heart of a garden of roses, trees, poems and romances in Shiraz, lies Hafez, one of Iran’s most popular, quoted and appreciated poets, whose vision of the world and spiritual knowledge complement each other in an architectural setting, governed by symbols, of particular beauty: a charming garden, a mausoleum, a choice space in which Iranians express their love for the poet in his poetry collections. This is one of Iran’s top tourist destinations, a place highly charged with Persian culture, spirituality and literature.
Location: Chiraz 12.
Shahdad Desert is part of the Lut Desert, which was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2016, this fascinating natural phenomenon is one of the most sought-after tourist destinations in all of Iran, between magnificent Kaluts (Yardangs), one of the rarest in the world, an extraordinary sunset, dreamlike nights, a place of restful peace, thrilling adventures, breathtaking geology offering a land of beauty, peace and wonder.
Location: Approximately 90 km from Kerman
Yazd, the present-day home of Zoroastrianism, is a unique district, combining tradition and oriental ambience. A stroll through its winding streets, past wind towers, cob houses and numerous historical treasures, is simply enchanting. Iran’s most popular tourist destination also offers a wide range of tea and confectionery shops.
Location: Yazd
Exotic landscapes, magnificent beaches and a unique culture make this small Persian Gulf island one of the most popular with tourists. The island of Ormuz, in fact, concentrates all the follies of the rainbow, thanks to the interplay of rocks and volcanic soils. The hills and beaches of Hormuz are simply dazzling in their reds, yellows, oranges, dispositions and shades, which, combined with its extraordinary valleys, make this an ideal site for geology and nature lovers.
Location: Persian Gulf
One of the most sought-after fantasy spots on the island of Qeshm (a UNESCO World Heritage site), the Valley of the Stars is the result of centuries of erosion by wind and rain. The area is so supernatural that it gives rise to the legends of the djinns who are lost there. According to the locals, a meteorite fell here and caused the appearance of this Iranian tourist spot. With a little imagination, the valley’s zany rock formations take the form of animals and human faces.
Location: Qeshm Island
This ziggurat was built around 1250 BC by the Elamite king Untash-Napirisha. It is made just like the ziggurat movies you’ve already seen! A relic of the Elamite Empire, this ancient marvel is part of the sacred city of the great kingdom. Chogha Zanbil boasted a temple dedicated to the Elamite deities Inshushinak and Napirisha. This mud-brick vestige bears witness to the culture, beliefs and rites of the peoples of yore, making it one of the most visited tourist sites in Iran.
Location: About 120 kms north of Ahvaz
Pasargadae, the very first capital of the vast Achaemenid Empire, is one of the first Persian gardens to be renowned the world over. This was the birthplace of the vast, multi-ethnic empire sacked by Cyrus the Great, which stretched from the eastern Mediterranean and the land of Egypt to the Hindu River. What remains today of the glorious palaces and gardens of Pasargadae is little more than the mausoleum of the great king Cyrus and a few ruins drowned in the heart of the site.
Location: About 100 km from Shiraz
Little monument, Chehel Sotoun is the precious pearl of the dazzling memory of the great Shah Abbas, the king of Isfahan’s golden age. Possessing ensembles of art and architecture, Chehel Sotoun is a refreshing royal palace that wedges a grand iwan of twenty elegantly constituted pillars. The reflection of the pillars emerges from the enormous pool that unfolds, in the middle of the garden, to the view of Chehel Sotoun (literally “40 pillars”). The interior of this fabulous tourist destination offers admirable masterpieces of Iranian art.
Location: Isfahan
This dazzling, gilded monument is a focal point of piety for many Iranians. The sanctuary of Imam Reza is a vast religious site with immense courtyards, powerful minarets, Islamic architecture and gushing springs, which offers not only a stroll in the silence of the place where the smallest pilgrims gather for prayer, but also a museum with its collection of carpets, rugs, manuscripts and many precious objects. Next door, in its bazaars teeming with turquoise, Iranian barberry and saffron.
Location: Mashhad
The citadel of Bam dates back at least to the Parthian period (4th century BC), with major expansions during the Sassanid era, the UNESCO-listed citadel of Bam became a crossroads for the world’s trade routes between the 7th and 11th centuries. This Iranian landmark, with its superb ancient adobe monuments and ingenious underground qanat irrigation system, is a model of the medieval fortified city.
Location: about 190 km from Kerman.
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