From Wikitravel

Tehran (also spelled Teheran) (Persian: تهران), is the capital city of Iran. A bustling metropolis of 14 million people it is situated at the foot of the towering Alborz mountain range.

[edit] Understand

Tehran is a cosmopolitan city, with great museums, parks, restaurants, warm friendly people and the chance to watch the daily life of Tehranis, it deserves at least a few days of your Iranian itinerary.

Tehran has also earned itself the rather unenviable reputation as a smog-filled, traffic-clogged and featureless sprawl of concrete housing bursting at the seams with 14 million residents. But, guided by the right guides, you can find an endless number of nice and cosy places in and around the city. Tehran is also a city of parks and possesses more than 800 well-kept parks. The city is nearly a mile high and as a result is extremely temperate compared to other cities in the middle east. Summer temperatures are in the 32 Celsius range or about 90-95 Farenheit. The air tends to be very dry.

[edit] Get in

[edit] By plane

There are no direct flights from North America or Australia, but there are flights direct from numerous European, African and Asian cities as well as cities in the Middle East. Also, Iran Air has recently started a flight from Caracas via Damascus.

Tehran's Mehrabad airport is the old pre-revolution airport and is being replaced with the new Imam Khomeini International Airport, recently all the International flights are destined to Imam Khomeini and Mehrabad became a local flights host. The old airport is located relatively close to the city center and the abundant taxis are definitely the best way to get to the city. There is a booth organizing taxis for you right outside the arrivals hall.

The new airport IKA is a significant improvement over Mehrabad and is still only lightly used. Be warned that it can take up to an hour and a half to get to the airport in bad traffic but if you book your departure early in the morning it can be much faster. Taxis are cheap and plentiful. The best way to get in is via Dubai and then take Emirates [1] or Air Arabia [2] to Tehran.

Despite the warnings in some travel guides, there are no EXIT FEE for foreign travelers, neither in Mehrabad nor in Imam Khomeini Airport. The EXIT FEE' may apply to foreign travelers only when leaving Iran on land or by sea.

[edit] By train

There is a three-day train journey going from Istanbul to Tehran for around 50 Euros. You change trains during the journey at Lake Van which requires a four hour ferry ride to get across. Both the Turkish and Iranian trains are comfortable and clean.

[edit] By car

Traffic is very congested but has improved with the completion of several new tunnels across the city and highways (referred to as autobahns by the locals). You can drive in from Turkey fairly easily as well as from the south. Driving is often dangerous and seat belts should be worn at all times.

[edit] By bus

Almost every city and far-flung village in Iran has bus services to Tehran, as evidenced by the hundreds of buses that pour in and out of the capital each day. Most buses arrive to, or depart from one of four major bus terminals:

• The Western bus terminal (Terminal-e-gharb) is the biggest, busiest and best equipped of Tehran's terminals. Most international buses, as well as those heading to the Caspian sea region and destinations west of Tehran originate and terminate here. The terminal is ten minute walk north-west from Azadi Square, and a few minutes walk west from the Tehran (sadaghieh) metro station.
• The Eastern bus terminal (Terminal-e-shargh), seven kilometres north-west of Emam Hossein square, handles buses to / from Khorasan province, as well a small number of services to the north.
• The Southern bus terminal (Terminal-e-jonoob) is well equipped and unsurprisingly handles buses head to and from destinations south of Tehran. It is 2 km east of Tehran's main train station and easily accessible via the dedicated Terminal-e-jonoob metro stop.
• The Central bus terminal (Terminal-e-arzhantin) is located beside Arzhantin Square, around 1.5 km south-west of the Mossallah metro stop. (Frequent shared taxis to/from the metro should be no more than IR 1,000). The station has services to /from most major destinations in Iran including Mashhad, Esfahan, Rasht, Shiraz, Tabriz and Yazd.

[edit] Get 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 brand new metro.

[edit] By bus

Tehran has an expansive but confusing bus network. Tickets (IR 200) can be bought from booths beside the bus stops. Since bus numbers, route descriptions and other information is in Persian, your best bet is to look confused enough at a bus terminal; a local will surely stop to help. Each bus line has a certain and almost invariable path but there are only people, who are regulary familiar with the lines, exactly know where bus stations exist for a certain path. You shouldn't expect a map or a guidance even in Persian showing the bus network or bus stations. Perhaps even asking the bus driver wouldn't help you much to find your way. If you get in a bus and looking for a certain station to alight, ask one to help you. Mostly you will find many people wish to help you to find your way.

[edit] BRT (Bus Rapid Transportation)

The BRT buses are colored in red. BRTs has special line and travels very fast from Azadi square (west of Tehran) directly to east (Terminal-e-Shargh). Tickets (IR 200) can be bought from booths beside the bus stops. In high traffic hours (7AM to 9AM & 4PM to 8PM) it could be best choice to travel West-East-West part of your way. BRT has too many station near main streets. You may not find empty place to seat because of crowd, but people give their place to you if they know you are a tourist! The women and men sits and queues are separate.

[edit] By metro

Tehran's new metro system [3] is comprised of three lines that will whisk you quickly from one end of the city to the other without having to deal with the noise, pollution and chaos of Tehrani traffic.

There are currently four lines (rather strangely numbered 1, 2, 4 and 5) but the two most useful are lines 1 (north to south) and 2 (east to west) which connect at the central Imam Khomeini station. All stations are double signed in English. Trains run every ten minutes (25 minutes on holidays) from around 6:30AM until 10PM every day.

Tickets (IR 2000) are valid for two trip (including interchanges) and can be bought from ticket booths at every station. The Tehran metro is segregated, with two women-only carriages at one end of the train. Despite this, some women choose to travel in the men's part of the train, usually accompanied by a man.

[edit] By taxi

As with the rest of the country private and shared taxis abound in Tehran, although you may find flagging down a shared taxi more difficult amid the traffic and chaos, and private taxis are more expensive than in the smaller cities. See the Get Around information on Iran for details on flagging a taxi. If getting about by shared taxi, your best bet is to hop from square to square, drivers will be reluctant to pick you up if your shouted destination deviates too much from their route. Currently in each square you would find certain places where the private taxis are lined up in a queue and drivers call for passengers to a destination. It is mostly happening in the time when the number of waiting taxis exceeds the number of passengers. In this case, they would wait until the car gets full of passengers (mostly one people at front and 3 people at back, except the driver). Otherwise the people have to line up in a queue waiting for the taxis to come. This is the case during rush hours (approximately 7AM to 8AM and 5PM to 8PM). All these depend upon finding their regular station in the square. You may also ask them to alight sooner than destination wherever you like but you have to pay their total fee up to destination. To get a clue, the cost of such a ride from Azadi square to Vanak Square has recently been 5,000 Rls (500 Tomans) for each person. Most drivers are very poor at English.

Motorcycle taxis are a Tehran specialty and offer a way to weave quickly through the city's traffic-clogged streets. You'll see plenty of these drivers standing at the side of the road calling "motor" at all who pass. Keep in mind motor taxi operators are even more suicidal than the average Tehran driver, agree on a price before you take off and expect to pay slightly less than chartering a private taxi.

[edit][add listing] See

• The Former US Embassy now renamed US Den of Espionage (Taleghani St; Metro: Taleghani) is all that remains of the US embassy in which 66 American citizens were held hostage for over a year; a major embarrassment that is believed to have cost President Carter his reelection. You'll know you've arrived when you ascend the steps from Taleghani metro station and are confronted with the words "Down with the USA" painted on its wall. The compound walls are now decorated with typically anti-US paintings depicting the evils of the "Great Satan" and you can still make out a somewhat battered national crest on the front gate. A bookshop near the metro station sells copies of shredded documents found at the embassy--outlining coup plots, CIA agent covers and other James Bondish details--that were laboriously glued back together by Tehrani students. The building was opened to visitors during March 2005 as the "US Democracy Fair", but appears to have closed again. Keep an eye out in case it re-opens.
• If you want to drool over some truly excessive wealth, take a look at the Treasury of the National Jewels (Ferdosi St, near the corner of Jomhuriyeh Eslami Ave; Metro: Saadi; look for the heavy iron gate and rife wielding guards beside the Central Bank). For the IR 30,000 admission fee you'll get to see a collection of some of the most expensive jewels in the world. Highlights include the world's largest uncut ruby, the world's largest pink diamond (the Sea of Light) and a free standing golden globe made from 34 kilograms of gold and an astounding 51,366 precious stones. An informative IR 6,000 information book is available at the ticket counter.
• The National Museum of Iran [4] has ceramics, stone figures and carvings dating all the way back to around the 5th millennium BC.
• The gigantic Mausoleum of Ayatollah Khomeini (Metro: Haram-e-Motahar) is on the southern edge of the city. The sheer size of the shrine / shopping center is enough to make the trip worth it. Entrance to the actual mausoleum is free.

• Milad Tower. Milad tower is the fourth tallest tower in the world and 12th tallest freestanding structure in the world, it is visible from almost everywhere in the city.  edit

[edit] Museums

• Golestan Palace, [5], the oldest of the historic monuments in Tehran.
• Niavaran Palace, [6]
• Kolahstudio-an Art Basement, [7]
• Sa'd Abad Gallery of Fine Arts, [8]
• Glassware Museum of Tehran, [9]
• Iran's National Rug Gallery, [10]
• Reza Abbasi Museum, [11]
• Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, [12]
• Tehran Theater of the Performing Arts (Te'atr e Shahr)
• Talar Vahdat Theater
• National Museum of Iran, [13]
• Darabad Museum of Natural History
• Saadabad Palace, [14](Persian site).
• Time Museum, Evolution of time-measurement instruments. Located in Farmaniye district, north of Tehran
• Money Museum, Coins and banknotes from different historic periods. Located in Mirdamad street.
• National Arts Museum, Located in Baharestan district.
• Ebrat Museum, The prison of Shah ages.

[edit] A1one Graffiti

A1one (aka Alonewriter, tanha) graffitis and street art works are a sort of interesting stuff in Tehran's Urban Space. A famous local graffiti artist at the center of controversy about whether his work is art or vandalism. You can see his early works on the Tehran-Karaj Expressway, on the southern side walls UP in Ekbatan and Apadana districts, and a more recent stencil is located on the entrance of the Saba Art Institute.

[edit][add listing] Do

[edit] Ski

• Take a ride up the Tochal gondola lift (تله‌کابین توچال) on the northern outskirts of the city. Tickets range from IR 10,000 to IR 50,000 depending on how far up the mountain you want the telecabin to whisk you. If you're poor and energetic, you can simply hike all the way up, or just start walking and hop on the telecabin at the next station when you get tired. If you're going to the top, you may want to bring a jacket, even in summer, at over 4,000 metres the summit is chilly. To Tochal, take the Metro line 1 to Mirdamad, then bus line 33 for 25 minutes to Tajrish Square (ask the driver to let you off at Meidan Tajrish). If you visit on a holiday when Tehranis flock to the mountain, you should be able to jump in a shared taxi to the telecabin entry gate for IR 4,000 otherwise charter one privately. From the entry gate a minibus service (IR 1,500) will take you to the base station.
• The Darband chair lift is an alternative to the one at Tochal. Taxis to Darband go from Tajrish Square.m
• For skiers a ride to the Dizin Ski Resort is a must do! Iran's best ski area, Dizin, is located in the Alborz mountains north of Tehran. Driving time is about 2.5 hours from the capital city. Note that there are two roads leading to Dizin. One directly passing through Shemshak which is the fastest but is often closed due to . The other road goes via Karaj and is a safer option but it is longer, maybe three hours. The road to Dizin is of a good quality but four wheel drive or chains are required for the last 10 or 12 km (6 or 7 mi) when there's snow - which is frequently the case. Dizin ski amenities includes one hotel (420,000 to 540,000 rials per night for double), 19 cottages and 4 restaurants. The ski activity in Dizin complex is not confined to winter season.[15]. A day-pass costs between 120,000 and 150,000 rials (more on the weekend). A snowboard can be rented for 100,000 per day, but can go as high as 300,000 per day depending on where you rent and quality. For the cheapest rent in Shemshak or at the parking-lot on the top of Dizin. The shops in the hotel and by the parking-lot in the bottom of the slope is the expensive option. Transportation from Dizin can be done through travel agents, taxi for 300,000 rials one way or with minibus for 100,000 rials with return.

[edit] Bazaar

• Wander around Tehran's massive bazaar (بازار) in the city's south (Metro: Panzdah-e-khordad). The main entrance on 15 Khordad Ave leads to a labyrinth of stalls and shops that were once the engine room of Iran's commodity markets and one of Imam Khomeini's greatest sources of conservative, pro-Revolution support. As usual shops are clustered according to the products they sell. If you're planning on heading out into remote areas, the bazaar is an ideal and cheap place to stock up on almost anything you need.

[edit] Malls

• Shopping in numerous shopping malls almost every where in the city. Valiasr street and Tajrish square (Also includes a traditional bazaar) are just two of the many locations full of shopping centers in Tehran.

[edit] Learn

• Amir Kabir University of Technology, [16]
• K.N.Toosi University of Technology, [17]
• Iran University of Science and Technology[18]
• Shahid Beheshti University[19]
• Sharif University of Technology, [20]
• University of Tehran,[21]
• University of Allameh TabaTabaei, [22]
• University of Art, [23]
• Power & Water University of Technology, [24]
• Islamic Azad University, [25]
• Alzahra University, [26]
• Imam Sadiq University, [27]
• Tarbiat Modares University, [28]
• Iran University of Medical Sciences
• Tehran University of Medical Sciences, [29]
• Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences & Health Services, [30]

It is easy to find work in Tehran, but you must have a university diploma to be applicable for good jobs. Although there is some inflation, many of the people in Tehran have good and well paying jobs. Like every other big developing world city, there's a big difference between poor and rich.

[edit] Money

ATM's in Iran do not accept foreign (non-Iranian cards) except some which accept cards from arab state banks, so bring all the money you might need in cash, preferably in US or a selection of European currencies. Once in Iran, changing your money to Rials should not be a problem. You can always check the latest rate beforehand at Xe [31] for instance.

Currency exchange can be done in most banks for a small commission after filling out between two and five forms depending on the bank. If you know the exchange rate then it is a better option to visit one of the many exchange offices on Ferdosi St. All will give you a good rate but some might give slightly less than the official rate or claim a commission. Just say no and go to the next one.

Do not exchange your money with one of the many individuals offering to exchange along Ferdosi St. It is a lot more risky.

Be aware that prices in Iran are quoted in tomans, a thousand tomans is equivalent to one of those ten thousand Rials bills. You will soon get used to this. Iranians are also sometimes prone to state prices in thousands of tomans, saying "four" when they mean four thousand tomans or forty thousand rials.

[edit][add listing] Buy

For those staying in southern Tehran, there is a cluster of private money changing offices offering reasonable rates on Ferdosi St, just south of Jomhuriyeh Eslami St. Most will change US dollars, pounds, euros and yen. Lone moneychangers who stand on street corners whispering "Dollar, dollar" are expert hustlers and not worth risking. Central branches of most banks are also south of these offices.

• Melli Iran Exchange Co. on Ferdosi Street (closer to Khomeini Square) offers a better rate than the ones further up the street.

Those looking to stock up on computer software--copied, but legal thanks to Iran's refusal to sign up to the Bern Convention--can start looking at the computer bazaar on the corner of Jomhuriyeh Eslami Ave and Haafez St. Just remember that importing these CDs into any country that is a signatory to the Convention may be a criminal offence. You can also try "Computer Capital" at intersection of Vali-e-Asr and Mirdamad, a 7 storey modern complex filled with computer equipments but also latest pirated copies of every software imagineable.The prices at "bazaar reza" (at charrah-e-vali-asr) are usually less . In both these bazars you also may find individual hardware parts. You may find some famous hardware brands really cheap but you should be careful not to buy the fake one. It is hard to distinguish the original one. Sometimes even the fake one would work quite well comparing to its cheap price!

To save even more money you can buy one of those software packages . For example you can buy "King of the Programming" with about 70,000 Rls . This is a 5 or 6 CD package of compressed programs which contains almost any well-known software you can imagine .

[edit][add listing] Eat

[edit] Budget

• Some of the best of Iran's ubiquitous felafels are to be found sizzling away in stalls on 15 Khordad Ave, across the road from the bazaar. The cost greatly depends upon lots of aspects but there you should expect like 3,000-5,000 Rls(300-500 Tomans) for such a budget type meal.
• The Iranian Traditional Restaurant (Agha Bozorg) on 28 Keshavarz Blvd offers great and cheap dizi (2500 tomans). Afterwards there is the option to sit back with a flavored Qalyan water pipe and people-watch the Iranians who gather in this place.
• You can find several food courts around Tehran with a variety of cuisines from Thailand, India, Italy, China and Turkey.
• Note that the Jaam-e-Jam food court at the moment only sports an Italian restaurant, a Boof branch and a coffee shop. You can find western import products in several stores underneath however. There is also a decent bakery here with western type bread.
• Boof is a fast food chain serving burgers etc, similar to McDonalds.
• SFC is the Iranian version of KFC. Serves very good chicken burgers.
• Kabab and sandwich joints are found everywhere.

[edit] Mid-range

• For a somewhat exhilarating experience, head to Armenian Club on 68 Khark Street, corner France Ave. Almost like walking into another world (or country rather) you will be surprised to see women not wearing their hejab, which they can choose not to as it is a Christian establishment - for non-Muslims only, however.
• Try Khayam Restaurant just some meters from Khayam Metro Station. It is the one on the street right opposite to the Mosque. A no-limits evening of a chef kabab with rice and drink - and qalyan pipe, tea and sweets for dessert will set you back around 120000 Rials in total. Worth it.

• Coffee Shop & Veggie Restaurant of Iranian Artists' Forum, Baghe Honarmandan, Moosavie Str, Taleghani Ave. (just behind the Den of Espionage (former US Embassy)inside the Iranian Artists' Forum building), ☎ +98 21 88310462. Fantastic place to stock up on those much needed vegetables. The menu is pure veg and very, very good. Also, great coffees and desserts at very reasonable prices. Nice outdoor area as well.  edit

A new Kabob restaurant called Naveed has opened that offers excellent food comparable to Alborz but at lower prices. The atmoshpere is very European looking and feeling but not as high end as Alborz.

[edit] Splurge

• Many locals regard the upper class Alborz Restaurant, Nikoo Ghadam Alley (North Sohrevardi Avenue) as a somewhat goodchelo kababi in Tehran. There are also many western style restaurants around the city with more interesting food.

• For something different try Monsoon. A trendy Asian restaurant serving good Thai curries and decent sushi. Located in Gandhi Shopping center.

• Boulevard is a cool and modern place on a small street heading east of Valiasr Avenue between Vanaq Square and Park-e Mellat serves very good French and Italian food.

[edit][add listing] Drink

For all you coffee-starved travellers through Iran (or the soon to be coffee-starved if Tehran is your first port of call in the country) you'll be glad to find the string of coffee shops on the south side of Jomhuriyeh Eslami Ave, a couple of hundred metres west of Ferdosi St. You can stock up on coffee beans and related paraphernalia, or even sample a cup for IR 4,000. There is also a well-known, but small coffee shop called Hot Chocolate - they stock cigars and a number of European cigarettes as well. This coffee shop is on occasion, a meeting place for some of Iran's sporting elite.

A few doors west of these shops is a delightful coffee shop next to Hotel Naderi. They serve coffee, tea and pastries to a mix of Tehran's intelligentsia and bohemian elite. It's a great place to sit and watch hip young guys eyeing gossiping girls while old men reminisce about the "good ol' days" under the Shah.

Coffee shops (called, in Farsi, "coffeeshop" versus "ghaveh-khane" (literally, coffee house) which means a tea house) have become especially popular in the affluent North, so if need, a visit to the White Tower (Borj-e Sefid) along Pasdaran Ave, or any other mall in the area should suffice. These coffee shops can also be very appealing to tourists interested in watching how young, affluent locals deviously bend the government regulations on contact between the sexes. Definitely worth a visit if in the area- try "White Rose" in the White Tower.

• A visit to Sanaee Coffee Shop on Sanaee Street, 13th Street is definitely worth it for their absolutely fabulous chocolate milkshakes.
• Many places you can find fresh sickly-sweet carrot juice - as well as some other juices - for just 500 tomans a cup.
• By most main bazaar in Tehran you can get a drink of blended honeydew melon with ice and sugar. Its delicious and extremely refreshing on a hot day.
• The quintessential Persian drink is a Doogh. Its is a mixture of yoghurt, water, salt and spices. It can be purchased at almost any establishment and is often consumed in the afternoon while eating kababs. It comes in two main varieties fizzy (gaz-daar) and non-fizzy (bigaz). Typically the flavour has a slightly subtle mint flavour and is a good accompaniment to most foods.
• For trendy cafes filled with liberal Iranins try Gandhi Shopping center where you will find about ten coffeshops as well as a few very good restaurants, including Monsoon.
• The best and most atmospheric cafe in Tehran must be Entracte Cafe. Bohemic cafe operated by actor Leila Hatami and her husband. Ask for the traditional Iranian tea which is amazing. They serve a fantastic brunch between 11am and 2PM on Fridays and it includes sausages, normal bread and brie! It is located upstairs in a cinema on Jomhuri Avenue, just west of Valiasr Avenue.

[edit][add listing] Sleep

[edit] Budget

Amir Kabir Street a grubby street filled with car-repair shops near Imam Khomeini square offers accommodation options for the budget-minded. Expect to pay around 50,000 Rials (5,000 tomans/roughly US$5) for a tiny single. The area is not nice but it is safe and is central to the metro and buses.

• Firouzeh Hotel, Dolat Abadi Alley, Amir Kabir Street, ☎ +98 21 33113508 (info@firouzehhotel.com), [32]. Good hotel with very friendly receptionist, who is a good source for information, especially regarding embassies and visas. Great place for breakfast, tea and meeting other travelers. Internet available. Rooms from 130,000 Rial.  edit

• Hotel Khazar Sea, 12 Ohady Alley, Amir Kabir Street, ☎ +98 21 33113860. Very friendly place and relaxed atmosphere around quiet courtyard 60,000 Rial for a single and 80,000 Rial for a double room | shared bathroom facilities.  edit

• Hotel Naderi, Jomhuri Ave.. One of the cheapest hotels outside the grubby Amir Kabir Street. Still in central Tehran but Jomhuri Ave. has more restaurants which Amir Kabir st. lacks. Hotel Naderi is an old famous hotel where writers and intellectuals still meet in the downstairs Cafe Naderi. Some bathrooms are very old and somewhat dirty but the beds are reasonably clean. 150,000 Rial for a single.  edit

[edit] Mid-range

[edit] Splurge

• Simorgh Hotel, Valiasr Street near Saei Park, [33]. Cheapest rooms currently US$139. Nice location on cosmopolitan upmarket section of Valiasr St. Saei Park is almost next door and a beautiful green oasis in a deep valley. Hotel was once the Miami Hotel, and on the top floor is still the Miami Restaurant. Excellent food - try the strogen (sturgeon) fish kebabs, and the chicken cordon bleu. Rooms are comfortable and well equipped. Business centre with very fast internet. Terrific indoor pool with separate bathing times for men and women.

[edit] Contact

[edit] Telephone

Since few if any foreign phone companies have roaming agreements with the Iranian one, an alternative to mobile phones is needed. One very good one is purchasing a regular telephone card for local calls and then the Pars Net international telephone card. It offers international calls to anywhere in the world at the comparatively cheap price of IR 1,500 a minute and with the regular phone card you can use it from any of the abundant public phones or the phone at your hotel.

[edit] Internet

• Ferdosi Coffee Net (Enghelab Ave, a few doors east of Ferdosi Square) is hard to find (look for the small sign plastered to a building) has two banks of computers for IR 8,000 an hour.
• Pars Net is one of south Tehran's hottest coffee nets, dishing up reasonable speed for IR 9,000 an hour. It is on the eastern side of Ferdosi St, between Jomhuiyeh Eslami Ave and Enghelab Ave, across from the British embassy. They also provide fax and long distance phone services.
• Another place in Tehran's south is the Coffee net Firouzeh which you find in the nice and very friendly Firouzeh Hotel. [34] They charge you IR 8,000 an hour.
• Iranian Trade Center around Valiasr Square offers several Internet cafes (coffee nets) lined up.

[edit] Stay safe

Tehran is still relatively one of the safest cities to travel through, particularly considering its size and security. Common sense and the usual precautions against pickpockets in bazaars and crowds should ensure your visit is hassle free.

Never take unmarked taxis.

Even late at the mid-night it is safe in most parts of the city while you will find the city still crowded. It is advisable not to take a private taxi for instance at 2:00 AM.

The fake police that target Esfahan's tourists have also found their way to Tehran in recent years. These are usually uniformed men in unmarked cars flashing phoney IDs are requesting to see you passport or search your luggage. It goes without saying that you should just ignore such requests and head to the nearest police station if you feel unsafe. The trouble is that it can be a little hard for the untrained tourist eye to tell these from the real police.

The traffic in Tehran is very dangerous and should be considered some of the worlds worst. Try to cross the street when the locals do. At first it looks impossible but the drivers do a very good job to avoid pedestrians even though they drive crazy.

Gay and lesbian travellers should be careful when traveling to Tehran due to strict regulations on homosexual activity (though quite rarely enforced). If a tourist is found to be a homosexual the government will technically immediately deport them- however, as mentioned before, this is extremely rare. Exercising caution in public is the key thing to remember. The jam-e-jam food court on Valiasr Avenue is an occasional meeting place for gay Iranians on Tuesday nights.

[edit] Cope

The traffic in Tehran is horrendous. To get a break from it head to the parks in the north of the city. Jamshidieh Park which is located in the Niavaran district at the base of the Kolakchal Mountain, is one of the most picturesque and beautiful parks in Tehran. Mellat Park in Valiasr street is one of the largest recreation areas in the Middle-East. Niavaran Park is one of Tehran's famous and most pleasant public city parks. It is located within the Niavaran district and is situated immediately south of the Niavaran Palace Complex.

[edit] Get out

• If the hustle and bustle of Tehran becomes too much, it's possible to go to the Caspian Sea for a day or two. The holiday town of Ramsar is about five hours away, and the drive across the Alborz Mountains is spectacular. A taxi round-trip for a day shouldn't set you back more than IR 500,000 (ask for taxis near Azadi Square).
• Namakabrud Villa city and gondola lift in beautiful green coasts of Caspian Sea in the northern Iran is about 4.5 hours away.
• Qom is about two hours away from Tehran by bus and one hour by car [120 km].

This is a usable article. It has information for getting in as well as some complete entries for restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow!