10 guides, each rated 1 to 5 with the reason — and two lists per place, where you are comfortable and where to pay attention. Nowhere is called dangerous; the specific thing is what helps.
Isfahan Reasonably safe
Street crime is low, the centre is calm to walk after dark, and Iranians are famously hospitable to visitors — expect to be stopped by students who want to practise their English. The real issues are of another kind: several Western governments advise against travel to Iran, and dual nationals and some foreign nationals have been detained. Check your own government's current advice before booking; travel insurance usually follows it. Never photograph government or military sites, the police, or a protest. Women must cover their hair in public by law and dress modestly; men do not wear shorts. The carpet-shop invitation from a friendly stranger in the square is a sales pitch, a pleasant one.
Comfortable: Naqsh-e Jahan Square · New Julfa · Si-o-se-pol · Chahar Bagh
- A camera near government or military buildings — photographing one is treated as a serious matter rather than a mistake
- Any demonstration or gathering — not a place for a foreign visitor to be, or to film
- Naqsh-e Jahan Square — friendly approaches that end in a carpet shop; say no politely and it stays friendly
Shiraz Reasonably safe
Street crime is low, the centre is calm to walk after dark, and Shirazis are famously hospitable even by Iranian standards — expect invitations to tea and to people's homes. The real issues are of another kind: several Western governments advise against travel to Iran, and dual nationals and some foreign nationals have been detained. Check your own government's current advice before booking; travel insurance usually follows it. Never photograph government or military sites, the police, or a protest. Women must cover their hair in public by law and dress modestly; men do not wear shorts. At the Shah Cheragh shrine women are lent a chador at the door, and non-Muslims go in with a guide the shrine provides.
Comfortable: Vakil Bazaar · Tomb of Hafez · Eram Garden · Karim Khan Citadel
- A camera near government or military buildings — photographing one is treated as a serious matter rather than a mistake
- Any demonstration or gathering — not a place for a foreign visitor to be, or to film
- Persepolis — in summer there is no shade on the terrace and it is well over 35°C by late morning; go at opening, with water
Yazd Reasonably safe
Street crime is low, the old town is calm to walk after dark, and Iranians are famously hospitable to visitors. The real issues are of another kind: several Western governments advise against travel to Iran, and dual nationals and some foreign nationals have been detained. Check your own government's current advice before booking; travel insurance usually follows it. Never photograph government or military sites, the police, or a protest. Women must cover their hair in public by law and dress modestly; men do not wear shorts. In summer the heat is the main hazard: carry water, and see the old town early and late.
Comfortable: the old town · Amir Chakhmaq Complex · Jameh Mosque of Yazd
- A camera near government or military buildings — photographing one is treated as a serious matter rather than a mistake
- Any demonstration or gathering — not a place for a foreign visitor to be, or to film
- The summer heat — over 40°C in high summer; the lanes are shaded, the Towers of Silence and the desert trips are not
Kashan Reasonably safe
Street crime is low, the old quarter is calm to walk after dark, and Iranians are famously hospitable to visitors. The real issues are of another kind: several Western governments advise against travel to Iran, and dual nationals and some foreign nationals have been detained. Check your own government's current advice before booking; travel insurance usually follows it. Never photograph government or military sites, the police, or a protest — which matters around Kashan more than most places, because the Natanz nuclear site is beside the road south-east towards Natanz. Women must cover their hair in public by law and dress modestly; men do not wear shorts.
Comfortable: Fin Garden · Kashan Bazaar · Tabatabaei House · Agha Bozorg Mosque
- A camera on the road towards Natanz — the nuclear site is beside it, heavily guarded, and photographing it is a serious offence
- Any demonstration or gathering — not a place for a foreign visitor to be, or to film
- Maranjab desert — go with a driver who knows it; the tracks are sandy and unmarked
Tabriz Reasonably safe
Street crime is low, the centre is calm to walk after dark, and Tabrizis are hospitable to visitors, who are still few here. Most people speak Azeri Turkish first, so a word of Turkish goes further than Persian. The real issues are of another kind: several Western governments advise against travel to Iran, and dual nationals and some foreign nationals have been detained. Check your own government's current advice before booking; travel insurance usually follows it. Never photograph government or military sites, the police, or a protest. Women must cover their hair in public by law and dress modestly; men do not wear shorts.
Comfortable: Tabriz Bazaar · El Goli · Blue Mosque · Arg of Tabriz
- A camera near government or military buildings — photographing one is treated as a serious matter rather than a mistake
- Any demonstration or gathering — not a place for a foreign visitor to be, or to film
- The roads to the Armenian monasteries — they run close to the borders with Nakhchivan and Turkey; go with a driver, carry your passport, and photograph only the churches
Qeshm Reasonably safe
Street crime is low, Qeshm is a quiet island, and Iranians are famously hospitable to visitors. The real issues are of another kind: several Western governments advise against travel to Iran, and dual nationals and some foreign nationals have been detained. Check your own government's current advice before booking; travel insurance usually follows it. The Strait of Hormuz is a military zone, so never photograph naval vessels, ports or the coastguard. Women must cover their hair in public by law and dress modestly, beaches included; men do not wear shorts. Summer heat and humidity are a real hazard.
Comfortable: Qeshm town · Laft · Valley of the Stars
- A camera near ports, naval vessels or the coastguard — the Strait of Hormuz is a military zone and photographing them is a serious matter
- Any demonstration or gathering — not a place for a foreign visitor to be, or to film
- The summer heat — high-thirties and humid from late spring into autumn; the canyons have no shade
- Naz Islands — reachable on foot only at low tide; check the tide and come back before it turns
Street crime is close to nil and villagers are welcoming, but these are people's homes, so ask before photographing anyone or going up to a door. Several Western governments advise against travel to Iran, and dual nationals and some foreign nationals have been detained; check your own government's current advice before booking, and know that travel insurance usually follows it. Women must cover their hair in public by law and dress modestly; men do not wear shorts. The steps are uneven and icy in winter: wear proper shoes.
Comfortable: Kandovan village
- The steps between the cones — uneven rock, steep, and icy from late autumn into spring
- Photographing the residents — this is a lived-in village, not a museum; ask first
- Any demonstration or gathering — not a place for a foreign visitor to be, or to film
Masuleh Reasonably safe
Street crime is close to nil and the village is calm at any hour. Several Western governments advise against travel to Iran, and dual nationals and some foreign nationals have been detained; check your own government's current advice before booking, and know that travel insurance usually follows it. Women must cover their hair in public by law and dress modestly; men do not wear shorts. The stone steps are slippery in the mist and the rain, which is often.
Comfortable: Masuleh village
- The steps and roofs in the wet — stone, steep, and slick in the mist; proper shoes
- The road up from Fuman in winter — mountain bends that ice over; go with a local driver
- Any demonstration or gathering — not a place for a foreign visitor to be, or to film
Street crime is low, the centre is calm to walk after dark, and Iranians are famously hospitable to visitors — expect to be asked where you are from and invited to tea. The risks are of a different kind and need saying plainly: several Western governments advise against travel to Iran, and dual nationals and some foreign nationals have been detained; Iran does not recognise dual nationality. Check your own government's current advice before booking, and know that travel insurance usually follows it. Never photograph government or military buildings, the police, or any protest. Women must cover their hair in public by law and dress modestly; men do not wear shorts. The traffic is the everyday hazard, and winter smog can be heavy enough to close schools.
Comfortable: Tajrish · Darband · Golestan Palace · Tabiat Bridge
- A camera near government or military buildings — many are unmarked, and photographing one is treated as a serious matter rather than a mistake
- Any demonstration or gathering — not a place for a foreign visitor to be, or to film
- Tehran Grand Bazaar — tight crowds, so watch pockets, and motorbikes and handcarts come through the lanes at speed
- Crossing the big avenues — traffic does not stop for pedestrians; cross with a local, on their far side
Street crime is low, the city is calm to walk after dark, and Iranians are famously hospitable to visitors. The real issues are of another kind: several Western governments advise against travel to Iran, and their advice has long been strictest for the south-east, towards the Afghan and Pakistani borders to the east of here. Dual nationals and some foreign nationals have been detained. Check your own government's current advice before booking; travel insurance usually follows it. Never photograph government or military sites, the police, or a protest. Women must cover their hair in public by law and dress modestly; men do not wear shorts.
Comfortable: Kerman Bazaar · Ganjali Khan Complex · Mahan
- A camera near government or military buildings — photographing one is treated as a serious matter rather than a mistake
- Any demonstration or gathering — not a place for a foreign visitor to be, or to film
- The Lut Desert — go with an operator who knows it and stay in the cool season; the summer surface is among the hottest on earth
- The roads east and south-east of Bam — the border regions where advisories are strictest; check your government's current map before going past Bam
The ratings are this site's own, from the guides' authors and the corrections readers send in; they are not an index. Read the general advice in travel safety tips.
