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Travel and Tourism in Iran
Travel alerts, currency, climate, transit, health, and safety information for visitors to Iran.
Practical Information
Travel alert status, currency, climate, and transit details.
- Travel Alert Status
- Level 4: Do Not Travel
- Time Difference
- UTC+3.5 (8.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC)
- Currency
- Iranian rial (IRR)
- Climate
- mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast
- Language(s) Spoken
- The official language in Iran is Persian, but many other languages or dialects are spoken.
- Ethnic Groups
- Persian 51%, Azeri 24%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%, Kurd 7%, Arab 3%, Lur 2%, Baloch 2%, Turkmen 2%, other 1%
- National Holiday
- Republic Day, 1 April (1979)
- Geographic Coordinates
- 32 00 N, 53 00 E
- Location
- Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea, between Iraq and Pakistan
- Airports
- 303
Destinations
Regions and cities, top sights, national parks, UNESCO sites, and festivals for visitors.
The Other Great Destinations
Beyond the four major tourist cities, Iran contains a remarkable range of destinations that reward the traveler willing to move beyond the standard circuit.
Tabriz, capital of East Azerbaijan Province in the northwest, is one of Iran's oldest and most historically significant cities. Its bazaar, the Tabriz Historic Bazaar Complex, was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010 and is by area the largest covered bazaar in the world, a labyrinthine complex of caravanserais, mosques, schools, and trading halls extending for many kilometers beneath brick vaulted roofs.
Health and Safety
Medical facilities, vaccinations, disease risk, and sanitation conditions.
Basic medical care and medicines are available in the principal cities, but may not be available in rural areas. Medical facilities do not meet U.S. standards and sometimes lack medicines and supplies. Iranian authorities confirmed outbreaks of avian influenza (bird flu) in January 2008 in northern Iran, as well as earlier reports of outbreaks among wild swans in the Anzali Wetlands and in domestic poultry in the northern provinces of Azerbaijan and Gilan.