Anyone been to Iran for a holiday

[nzdiaspora]

Hi

My inlaws are visiting from NZ this year (aged 60 and 65yrs) they are very well traveled so thought I would organize something different and take them on a guided tour through Iran (apparently its beautiful).

I have heard conflicting stories weather its safe or not, has anybody had any experiences of traveling/holidaying to Iran? Would you recommend it?

(we are all NZ'ers)

Cheers

[VitaEsMorte]

Originally Posted by nzdiaspora

Hi

My inlaws are visiting from NZ this year (aged 60 and 65yrs) they are very well traveled so thought I would organize something different and take them on a guided tour through Iran (apparently its beautiful).

I have heard conflicting stories weather its safe or not, has anybody had any experiences of traveling/holidaying to Iran? Would you recommend it?

(we are all NZ'ers)

Cheers

I have been to several cities of Iran just for sightseeing. I can say that it's safe, there is no such kind of ordinary crimes or boring people. But AVOID southeastern part of it (Belucistan). You can visit Tahran, Esfahan, Shiraz and Yazd. I spent about 3 weeks with my car and if you need any information, I will be glad to help you

[pamela0810]

I know a couple of people who have been to Iran about 5 years ago, not sure if it has changed much. But they spoke very highly of the place.

Have your in-laws been to the Holy Land? I have always wanted to go there, especially to pay a visit Jericho.

Have you also visited Lebanon (and I don't mean just the city of Beirut). You could stay in the Chouf Mountains close to the Beiteddine Palace. There is a hotel called the Mir Amin Palace Hotel. It's like a different world.

Just sharing a couple of ideas, hope you don't mind

[hubbly_bubbly]

I only got to Tehran once, which was for the elections and the first few days of the subsequent crackdown. I would love to do a good road trip through Iran, or especially the places mentioned above. Fascinating place. Needless to say, but I felt very safe there, despite the rallies. Food was excellent and I really wanted to buy a Persian carpet from "Persia"... but ran out of time.

And I agree with Pammy; a really good trip is to do the Jordan, Syria, Lebanon run, or vice versa. The "Holy Land", even though not so holy anymore imho, is well worth a trip too. Jericho, Dead Sea and the West Bank are must-sees as well as the usual suspects.

Anyway, happy travels, whatever you decide.

[Tropicana]

Have visited Tehran, very interesting place; language might be an issue, as very few people speak English. The mountain scenery and the smog make for a very setting very different to that of the UAE.
Weather in April/May is just perfect.

[qetadgzcb]

I've been to Tehran for an exhibition and didn't have too much time to discover the place but I can still suggest a trip there. The country is full of history, the nature is great(compared to Dubai), weather is pleasant(could be too cold nowadays though).. For Tehran, I can say that it's perfectly safe.. Language barrier is a big problem you'll face, just to give an example throughout a 4day international exhibition, I could speak English with only 4-5guys. Food is nice, people can be quite strange sometimes though. All ladies have to be covered throughout their stay. No short skirts or skirts without proper dark stockings, no short sleeves, hair is not to be visible etc.. Just my brief observations..