Esfahan
Overview
Esfahan is one of the most beautiful cities in Iran. Don’t even try to miss it. It is also the most touristry city, so expect to see quite a lot of tourists. Especially interesting is the Imam Square, which is everything you expect from Iran: Huge blue-tiled mosques, palaces and probably the best bazaar in Iran. Besides, the river and the bridges make for some relax time, especially on weekends when families are going picnic there. You can see all the main sights in 2 days, but 3 or 4 days would be better to have a better look at the whole city.
Sightseeing
The main place to be in Esfahan is the Imam Square. It is said to be the second biggest square in the world after Tiananmen square in Beijing, and it probably is. You can just sit down in different places of the square and admire the Ali Qapu palace, the Imam mosque or the Sheikh Lotfollah mosque.
The square is really big, it has a pool in the middle, the sides are filled with shops from the bazaar and you’ll see even horse-drawn carts if you feel like having a ride.
Being a main tourist destination, the bad side is that you have to pay for entering everywhere. Some places are worth paying for, some are not that much.
-Esfahan bazaar: a must. Really beautiful bazaar and the best place in the whole Iran to buy stuff, especially handicrafts and hand-made goods. The bazaar is really huge, having its main entrance at one end of the Imam Square. From there, just get lost and eventually try to get to the Jameh mosque.
-Jameh Mosque: One of the biggest mosques in the Islam world. 100000 rials to enter. It’s not working anymore and it makes an interesting visit if you have some spare time in Esfahan, but definetely not the most impressive sight.
-Imam Mosque: the landmark of Esfahan. This huge blue-tiled mosque is really impressive from the outside, but unfortunately not that much from the inside. When we visited it it was undergoing some renovation, so everything looked a Little bit ruined. 100000 rials per person.
-Sheikh Loftollah mosque: The other mosque in Imam Square. Its dome is beautiful from the outside and also from the inside. The mosque is quite small, but the interior is worth a visit, although try to avoid paying the ticket, quite overpriced for spending a maximum of 10 minutes inside it.
-Ali Qapu palace: the third sight in the Imam Square. It was undergoing renovations, so we didn’t enter, but it must be the best place to have an aerial view of the square, as there used to be some teahouses from where to have a view, but they are not standing anymore.
-The river and the bridges: Go there on a Friday and you can join the hundreds of families having picnic. Walk along the river, cross a couple of beautiful bridges and stop for a tea somewhere on the grass (there are people selling cheap tea).
-Hasht Behesht Palace: Of all the palaces in Esfahan, this one is probably the mst beautiful from the outside. Within walkimng distance from the square.
The square is really big, it has a pool in the middle, the sides are filled with shops from the bazaar and you’ll see even horse-drawn carts if you feel like having a ride.
Being a main tourist destination, the bad side is that you have to pay for entering everywhere. Some places are worth paying for, some are not that much.
-Esfahan bazaar: a must. Really beautiful bazaar and the best place in the whole Iran to buy stuff, especially handicrafts and hand-made goods. The bazaar is really huge, having its main entrance at one end of the Imam Square. From there, just get lost and eventually try to get to the Jameh mosque.
-Jameh Mosque: One of the biggest mosques in the Islam world. 100000 rials to enter. It’s not working anymore and it makes an interesting visit if you have some spare time in Esfahan, but definetely not the most impressive sight.
-Imam Mosque: the landmark of Esfahan. This huge blue-tiled mosque is really impressive from the outside, but unfortunately not that much from the inside. When we visited it it was undergoing some renovation, so everything looked a Little bit ruined. 100000 rials per person.
-Sheikh Loftollah mosque: The other mosque in Imam Square. Its dome is beautiful from the outside and also from the inside. The mosque is quite small, but the interior is worth a visit, although try to avoid paying the ticket, quite overpriced for spending a maximum of 10 minutes inside it.
-Ali Qapu palace: the third sight in the Imam Square. It was undergoing renovations, so we didn’t enter, but it must be the best place to have an aerial view of the square, as there used to be some teahouses from where to have a view, but they are not standing anymore.
-The river and the bridges: Go there on a Friday and you can join the hundreds of families having picnic. Walk along the river, cross a couple of beautiful bridges and stop for a tea somewhere on the grass (there are people selling cheap tea).
-Hasht Behesht Palace: Of all the palaces in Esfahan, this one is probably the mst beautiful from the outside. Within walkimng distance from the square.
Accomodation
Plenty of accomodation. We stayed at the cheapest one: Amir Kabir hostel. At 500000 rials per night breakfast included and with a nice garden to chill out, it’s not a bad deal. The downside is that Internet is inexistant, it just works right next to the router and at a turtle speed. Anyway, recomendable if you are on a low budget.
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Food & Drink
Being a tourist destination, Esfahan has some more options to eat than the average Iranian city. Try the traditional restaurant on the main square for some nice atmosphere and traditional Iranian dishes. Not really special food, but the place is really nice.
You can also try Iranian ice cream, a kind of frozen spaghetti. Quite weird but worth a try.
There used to be a couple of nice teahouses in the square from where to have nice views from the square, but they are both shut down, so no nice teahouses in Esfahan anymore.
You can also try Iranian ice cream, a kind of frozen spaghetti. Quite weird but worth a try.
There used to be a couple of nice teahouses in the square from where to have nice views from the square, but they are both shut down, so no nice teahouses in Esfahan anymore.
Transportation
Within the city, walking or taxis are your best bet. We got to Esfahan from Kashan after a 3 hour bus which drops you at the main north bus station. From there you can take a bus to the centre.
To get out of Esfahan, we went to the bus station past the Jameh mosque to catch a bus to Toudeshk, where we arrived after a couple of hours.
To get out of Esfahan, we went to the bus station past the Jameh mosque to catch a bus to Toudeshk, where we arrived after a couple of hours.
Safety
No issues at all. Totally safe place. Take care when crossing the Street, as in all Iran, traffic is the main danger.
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