Treasures of Persia, Iran tour...
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9 days / 8 nights group tour from £1395 per person
Independent tour from £2245 per person
Extension available

This tour can be taken as part of a group or independently with your own guides. 

Day1

Flight:                           British Airways London to Tehran flight BA 6633
                                    This is a non-stop flight

Day2

 Area Information:        Tehran

Tehran is a modern metropolis set at the foot of the Alborz Mountain range.  Mt. Damavand (at 18, 550 feet the highest mountain in Iran) is clearly visible from the city.  Tehran is not however considered to be an old city and remained a relatively unimportant settlement until the end of the 18th century when it was made the Persian capital by Agha Mohammed Khan, the founder of the Qajar dynasty.

Transfer:                       You will be met and taken to your hotel.

Accommodation:           Laleh Hotel for 2 nights  (includes immediate occupancy)

The Laleh International Hotel has 400 air-conditioned guest rooms and suites with private bathroom, television, fridge and 24 hours room service. There are 4 restaurants serving buffet meals, French, Far Eastern and Persian cuisine.  Facilities include a business centre and a swimming pool. Please note that women are not permitted to use the swimming pool. The Laleh is located in the Laleh Park area close to the carpet museum and short drive from the museums of the city centre.

Morning at leisure

Excursion:                     Afternoon tour of Tehran.

This afternoon you will have a sightseeing tour of Tehran, including visits to the Carpet Museum, which houses more than 100 pieces from all over Iran dating from the 16^th century to the present day, and the Crown Jewels Museum, a cavernous vault under the central branch of the Melli Bank where most of the collection dates back to Safavid times. 

Meals:                          Breakfast, Dinner

Day3

Transfer:                       You will be collected at your hotel and taken to the airport.

Flight:                           Iran Air Tehran to Shiraz

Area Information:        Shiraz

Shiraz is the capital of the Fars province of Iran, and lies about 935 kilometres south of Tehran. The city's altitude is 1,600 metres with a very pleasant climate and mild winters. Shiraz is a must on the travellers list as it boasts numerous sites of interest such as the tombs of Saadi and Hafez who were each considered the greatest poets of thier time. The populous quarters in the centre of Shiraz are busy trading areas. The picturesque quality of the Iranian bazaar is enhanced here by the presence of nomads or semi-nomads belonging to southern Iranian tribes.

Transfer:                       You will be met and taken to your hotel.

Accommodation:           Homa for 2 nights

Recently refurbished, the Homa Hotel has 209 en-suite rooms. Hotel facilities include a 24 hour coffee shop, 2 restaurants, a tea lounge, 24 hour room service, outdoor swimming pool, sauna and Jacuzzi. Please note that women are not permitted to use the swimming pool.

Excursion:                     Afternoon tour of Shiraz.

This afternoon's sightseeing will include a visit the beautiful Eram gardens, the Nasir ol-Molk Mosque which exhibits some fine Qajar period tile work, the tomb of the poet Hafez and the Ali Ibn Hamzeh Shrine emblazoned with mirror tiles.

Meals:                          Breakfast, Dinner

Day4

Excursion:                     Full day visit to Persepolis and Nagash-e-Rostam. 

Today you will see the palace of the Achaemenid kings at Persepolis, and the rock cut tombs and reliefs at Nagash-e-Rostam, a 50 minute drive from Shiraz. 

The palace at Persepolis was the site to which the Archaemenid kings came to celebrate the Iranian New Year (Now-Ruz), and the achievements of their ancestors in religious ceremonies, to receive foreign delegations, and to be buried.

Construction of the palace was started by Darius I, the great Achaemenian king who created and reorganised an empire which was eventually larger and more efficiently ruled than any other the ancient world had yet seen.  Darius conceived Persepolis as the spiritual hub of empire and it became one of the grandest and most important palaces in the Persian empire (along with those at Susa and Ecbatana) until it was burnt to the ground by Alexander the Great of Macedon in 330 B.C.  

From the classical accounts of the city's destruction we can gain an impression of the immensity of the riches that had once been contained within Persepolis.  The Roman Historian Quintus Curtius Rufus talks of: "...mounds of gold and silver, huge quantities of clothing, and furniture which was not functional but ostentatiously ornate" and that "the quantity of money captured here was huge almost beyond belief".  The burning of Persepolis was tragic but did have one happy unforeseen consequence in that preserved for posterity all the palace's clay records which were turned to brick by the fire. 

The most important buildings at Persepolis were crowded onto a terrace of natural rock that rises 12 metres above the plain.  There are about 15 major buildings including the apadana, the Hall of One Hundred Columns, the Gate House of Xerxes, and the Treasury.  The existing remains consist of stone columns with elaborate bases and capitals and facades and staircases many with splendid base reliefs.  These remains make Persepolis one of the most impressive sites in the whole of the ancient world. 

You will also visit Naghsh-e-Rostam, 5 minutes drive from Persepolis.  Here you will see four large Archaemenian tombs carved in the style of a palace entrance.  There are also some fine Sassanian rock reliefs here, one of which represents the submission of the Roman Emperor Valerian to the Sassanian king Sharpur I. 

Meals:                          Breakfast, Dinner

Day5

Road Journey:               Drive from Shiraz to Pasargadae a distance of 120km and journey time of approximately 2 hours.

Excursion:                     Pasargadae.

Pasargadae was once the capital of Cyrus the Great and is also his last resting place. Here Cyrus fought and won his last battle against his former suzerain Astyages, in or near 550 B.C. According to Strabo, Pasargadae, named for the chief tribe of the Persians, was built as a "memorial to that epic victory". The ruins of this site are situated on a windswept plain surrounded by mountains.

The majestic Tomb of Cyrus has six receding steps, upon which rests a gabled tomb chamber and is the best preserved of the Pasargadae ruins.  According to Arrian, Cyrus placed an inscription in Persian on the tomb saying:

"O man, I am Cyrus son of Cambyses, who founded the empire of Persia and ruled over Asia.  Do not grudge me my monument".

On a hillside are the remains of a large stone platform known as Tall-e Takhte which overlooks the ruins below. You will see the ruined remains of three Achaemenid Palaces (the Entrance Palace, the Audience Palace and Cyrus' Private Palace), a monumental gate marked by a winged animal with an Egyptian crown and an enigmatic stone tower known as the Zendan-e-Sulaiman (Prison of Solomon).

Road Journey:               Continue from Pasargadae to Isfahan, a distance of 370 km and journey time of approximately 6 hours.

Area Information:        Isfahan

It is not known when exactly Isfahan was first established as a city, but, it is known that its origins go back more than fifteen hundred years. Over the centuries, this city has played many roles. It has always been a beautiful place in which to live and an important centre of commerce, and twas he capital of the old Persia for many years. Isfahan is known for its beautiful arts, from its world famous Persian rugs to handcrafts and other unique products. Currently the second largest city (after Tehran) in Iran, it is located in the centre of the country. A river, Zayandeh Rood (life giving river), runs through the city. Summers are not too hot, and winters not very cold; above all, the weather is not humid. The total annual rain rarely exceeds five inches.  Its many green trees and flower gardens, the beautiful and very long walkways along the Zayandeh Rood, and its many historic places attract hundreds of thousands of visitors from other Iranian cities as well as other countries every year.

Accommodation:           Abbasi Hotel for 3 nights

The Abbasi Hotel is located approximately 5 minutes from Isfahan's historical sights. The large central courtyard is filled with flowers and fountains and the public areas of the hotel have beautiful Persian decoration and paintings. There are 225 rooms and suites with air-conditioning, satellite television and a small fridge. Facilities include 3 restaurants, an indoor swimming pool and sauna and a handicraft gallery and shop. Please note that the indoor swimming pool has different opening hours for men and women. Single travellers should be aware that the Abassi Hotel does not offer single rooms overlooking the interior courtyard. All single rooms face away from the hotel.

Meals:                          Breakfast, Dinner

Day6 

Excursion:                     Full day tour of Isfahan. 

Visit the Vank Armenian Cathedral.  Shah Abbas moved the Armenians from Julfa on the border of Iran and Azerbaijan to New Julfa in Isfahan. The Shah allowed the Armenian to build churches, the finest and grandest of these being the Vank Cathedral which reflects the imperial style of the period.

From New Julfa you will be driven to the Maidan-e-Naghah-e-Jahan (The Imam Square), which Shah Abbas planned to be the centre of the city.  The square is framed by a wall of blind arches and surrounded by the Majid-e-Imam (Shah Mosque), noted as the supreme perfection of Islamic Architecture, and the Sheikh Lotfollah (the ladies mosque) with its colourful detailed work ranking among the world's best tile work.  You will then visit the Ali Qapu Palace which overlooks the Iman Square and was formerly a residence and ceremonial palace of the Safavid kings who used to watch polo tournaments from its balcony. 

Meals:                          Breakfast, Dinner

Day7

Excursion:                     Morning tour of Isfahan.

This morning continue your sightseeing with a visit to the Friday Mosque, one of the most magnificent buildings in Isfahan. Compared to the Safavid mosques this one is very sombre.  Its dome of undecorated brick and the vaulted halls around the central courtyard have also been left plain.   The undecorated walls are all part of the mosque's beauty as they serve to draw attention to and highlight the magnificent tile work decoration of the courtyard and the eivan.

Today's sightseeing will conclude with a visit to the bazaar. Isfahan's bazaar is considered by some to be the most exotic in the Middle East and offers a rich variety of carpets, tiles and miniature paintings. The main bazaar leads off from the Imam Square and the remainder of the afternoon will be at your leisure to explore this area.

Meals:                          Breakfast, Dinner

Day8_

Road Journey:               Drive to Tehran, a distance of 450 km and a journey time of approximately 8 hours, including stops. Stop en route to visit Kashan, a distance of 200km and approximately 2½ hours from Isfahan.

Excursion:                     Kashan.

Kashan is a beautiful oasis town with splendid Islamic architecture and some beautiful gardens. Visit the Fin Gardens, designed for Shah Abbas I and containing the remains of his palace, these pretty gardens are known for their natural springs, pools and orchards. Continue with a visit to Taba-Tabai House, the former home of a wealthy carpet merchant. Built in 1834, it consists of 3 sections with a central courtyard and has beautifully designed reliefs carved into stone, stuccowork, mirror and glasswork.

Continue to Tehran, a distance of 250 km and a journey time of approximately 3.5 hours.

Accommodation:           Laleh Hotel for 1 night

Meals:                          Breakfast, Dinner

Day9

Transfer:                       You will be collected at your hotel and taken to the airport.

Flight:                           British Airways Tehran to London flight BA 6634

                                    This is a non-stop flight

Meals:                          Breakfast

Please note the following:

Iran is an Islamic Republic and visitors are required to conform to the Islamic dress code. These rules are enforced by the civil penal code as well as social and religious customs.  Visitors are requested to dress appropriately at all times in public areas. Men should refrain from wearing shorts or short-sleeved shirts. 

For women, it is essential that the following clothing guidelines are adhered to except in the hotel guestroom; at all times a head scarf must be worn as well as a tunic style, long sleeved garment approximately knee length, this is to be worn over a long skirt or trousers.  For scarves and clothing, there are no restrictions in terms of design or colour, however material should not be transparent or tight fitting. With regards to footwear, sandals are accepted.

This tour involves long drives and walking over rough terrain.

Your holiday includes all flights, transfers, accommodation and excursions as specified above in your itinerary. The board basis for your holiday is detailed at the end of each day. Our accommodation uses standard rooms unless otherwise specified on your itinerary. Air Passenger Duty (UK Departure Tax) is included

The following are not included in your holiday price: hotel extras, such as telephone calls, bar bills and laundry services; tipping; optional excursions unless detailed in your itinerary; and airport departure taxes where they must be paid locally.

Local Airport Taxes: The following airport taxes must be paid locally in the currency shown. Please note the amount shown is a guideline only and subject to change without notice: Currently none

Please ensure that you hand your air tickets to our local representative at least 72 hours prior to departure, so that they can reconfirm your return flights.

Your domestic flight tickets will be issued locally and given to you on arrival by our representative.

All journey times are approximate and dependent on road and weather conditions.

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How to book...

Call Dave on 0845 003 2211 or 01543 258631

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