When you are about hitting the road to Iran, you shall definitely consider different options of transportation that you will have in your Iran trip. There are various transportation ways for tourists by air or by land. You can simply book a flight to go from one city to another and if you prefer to travel across the road, you can catch a train, bus or simply rent a private car. An overview of public transportation also helps you have a better understanding of transportation in Iranian cities.
As the easiest and fastest way to travel, booking a flight can be one of your first options, as the distance covered by a 1 hour flight can take up to 15 hours by bus or train. There are many domestic air routes in Iran. The capital city of Tehran with two main airports is usually the first city where tourists land. In Tehran, Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKIA) and Mehrabad National Airport (the former international) are the destinations for your international and domestic flights.
International flights:
Some international airlines have regular and also direct flights to Tehran and other Iranian cities with international airports and this gives tourists the chance to choose their desirable flight. In the table below, we introduce some of these airlines:
Qatar airways |
Turkish airline |
Air Arabia |
Tajikistan airline |
Iraqi airways |
Fly Dubai |
Azerbaijan airline |
British Airways |
Austrian Airways |
Emirates |
China-southern |
Lufthansa |
Kuwait Airways |
Air France |
Aeroflot Russian |
Alitalia Airways |
KLM Airways |
Thai Airways |
The international Iranian Airlines are also a budget and safe option for your flight to Iran.
Mahan Airline |
Iran Airline |
Kish Airline |
Qeshm Airline |
Iran Aseman Airline |
Meraj Airline |
Other Iranian cities with International Airport are:
City |
Airport |
Shiraz |
Shahid Dastgheib International Airport |
Isfahan |
Shahid Beheshti International Airport |
Tabriz |
Shahid Madani International Airport |
Mashhad |
Shahid Hashemi Nejad International Airport |
Kish |
Kish International Airport |
Qeshm |
Qeshm International Airport |
Bandar e Abbas |
Bandar Abbas International Airport |
Kerman |
Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani Airport |
Kermanshah |
Shahid Ashrafi Esfahani Airport |
Urmia |
Urmia Airport |
Domestic flights:
There are many domestic air routes in Iran. The cities of Shiraz, Isfahan, Yazd, Kerman, Tabriz, Kish, Qeshm, Mashhad, Ahwaz, Bandar-e Abbas and Chabahar are the popular tourist destinations where you can fly to/from to start or continue your Iran adventure.
Iranian Airlines
Iran Air - http://ebooking.iranair.com/Booking
Mahan Air - https://www.mahan.aero/en
Kish Airlines - http://en.kishairlines.ir/
Iran Aseman Airlines - http://www.iaa.ir/
Qeshm Airlines - https://www.qeshm-air.com/Default.asp?lang=en
Zagros Airlines - https://www.zagrosairlines.com/en/
Taban Airlines - https://taban.aero/en/
Ata Airlines - https://ataair.ir/Default/en
Atrak Air - http://www.atrakair.com/en/
Karun Air - http://www.karunair.ir/en
IranAir Tour - http://iat.aero/Default.asp?lang=en
Another comfortable transportation option for long distances is the train. Traveling on the train is a charming way to travel across the country as it lets you enjoy unique sceneries in addition to paying reasonable fees for your ticket. Iran is a vast country with beautiful and eye chatting landscapes and traveling by train gives you the best chance to see these beauties from sandy deserts to green mountains more conveniently.
To give you an idea of distances, here is how long it takes to get between Tehran and some of the major cities in Iran:
Tehran to Shiraz: around 16 hours
Tehran to Isfahan: around 7 hours
Tehran to Yazd: around 7 hours
Tehran to Kashan: around 2 hours
Tehran to Tabriz: around 12 hours
Tehran to Mashhad: around 12 hours
Tehran to Kerman: around 14 hours
Different kinds of Train:
4 –bed Train |
|||
luxury train |
First class |
Second class |
Third class |
Zendegi |
Ghazal |
4-bed lux |
Khalij fars (4-bed) |
Simorgh |
Pulur sabz |
Alborz (4-bed –lux) |
|
Sabz vip |
Parsi (4-bed) |
||
Sabz |
6-bed Train |
||
Class 1 |
Class 2 |
Class 3 |
Milad |
Parsi |
6-bed train |
Zargros |
Saloon Train |
|||
VIP Train |
Class 1 |
Class 2 |
Class 3 |
Tondro pardis |
Saba VIP |
Saba |
Bus Train |
Eram |
Metro (Double decker) |
||
Normal |
Iran features a wide number of routes between different minor and major cities through which hundreds of passengers pass by car and by bus every day. The comfortable air-conditioned coaches, ordinary and VIP, are ready to take passengers to their desired destinations. To get your bus ticket, you have a few options; you can either go to a bus terminal (or one of the bus terminals in Tehran base on your destination) to get your ticket or simply ask a travel agency, like Fotros, who provides bus ticketing services in Iran.
Bus terminals in Tehran:
Bus Terminal |
Location |
Telephone |
Jonub Terminal |
(021) 55185556 |
|
Shargh Terminal |
(021) 77887840 |
|
Gharb Terminal (Azadi) |
(021) 44656218 |
|
Beyhaghi Terminal (Argantin) |
(021) 8874 3760 |
Subway:
The subway system in Iran is operating in five cities of Tehran, Mashhad, Isfahan, Shiraz, and Tabriz.
Tehran metro consists of 5 lines Identified by 5 different colors; Line 1 (Red), Line 2 (Dark Blue), Line 3 (Light Blue), Line 4 (Yellow), and Line 5 (Green). Although Tehran Metro may be crowded in the early morning and late evening (Rush Hours), it is still a very popular and fast way of transportation connecting north-south and east-west of Tehran. Here is the Tehran Metro Map that you can use to find your way….
Bus:
Bus is another popular option in Iran’s public transportation system especially in big cities like Tehran. The most efficient bus transportation in Tehran is called BRT (Bus Rapid Transit). You can find these red buses in main streets of Tehran which are carrying hundreds of passengers daily and rapidly through the specific routes (BRT Lines). Though the buses may be very crowded in rush hours and passengers may not really enjoy enough space inside the bus sometimes, they still choose it as it is highly budget and fast and also available in almost all districts of Tehran.
Taxi:
When we talk about taxi in Iran, you shall know that we are referring to the official taxi cabs colored in Yellow and green. Although giving a ride to passengers using the private cars is a usual way of making money Iranians, we do not consider them as taxi drivers.
The taxi system in Iran is a bit different from other countries as none of them has taximeters or in case they are equipped with the meter, it doesn’t work. Taxi drivers and people know about the transportation fees according to the rates that the Iran Taxi Association declares annually. These rates may sometimes raise because of inflations or similar financial reasons in the country. Another difference you may see at the first place is that you shall share your taxi with up to 3 more passengers normally. This happens for Iranians and their daily city transportation and is considered very usual. At the same time, if you want to hire a taxi all for yourself, you shall ask for “Darbast” which means you shall pay for 4 seats altogether and enjoy the way privately.
Online ride-hailing apps:
Uber is a famous ride-sharing app known in many countries. Unfortunately, this app or the similar ones do not work in Iran. Instead, there are similar local apps that can help you transfer in cities with a very budget price and without waiting in taxi or bus stations. Using these apps brings the city transportation at your fingertip in your Iran trip. From your smartphone, with just a few clicks, you can order a ride and then the closest driver will pick you up and you can finally pay with credit card or in cash.
Snapp is one of these apps and the most popular one in Iran. At the moment, Snapp is active in cities of Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz, Tabriz, Ahwaz, Qazvin, Qom, Kerman, Karaj, Arak, Urmia, Bandare Abbas, Babol and is covering more and more cities little by little. Carpino and Tap30 are two more popular apps among Iranian users.
Here is the link to download Snapp app for your iPhone…
https://snapp.ir/ios/passenger/download?utm_source=WEBSITE&utm_medium=SMS&utm_campaign=ios
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