Day 1

Arrival expected in the night. Reception by the guide and transfer to the hotel.

Day 2

Panoramic city tour with the National Museum and the Archaeological Museum. Here we get a good impression of the history of ancient Persia. We also see the former summer residency of Shah Reza Pahlavi.

Day 3

After breakfast we travel to Hamadan. Near Hamadan, we see the Achaemenian writing tablets Ganj Nameh carved in rock. We take our hotel and then take the city tour, which takes us to the Mausoleum of Avicennaa and the Hegmataneh settlement hill. From the Abbasabad hill we have a good view of the city.

Day 4

On the way to Kermanshah, we visit the Anahita sanctuary in Kangavar, the famous Darius relief in Bisotun and see the caves of Taq e-Bostan. Overnight stay in the provincial capital of Kermanshah.

Day 5

Drive through the Zagros Mountains to the plain of Khuzestan. For overnight, we reach Ahwaz, in the Iranian oil region.

Day 6

Today day trip to the biblical city of the ancient Elam to the excavations of Susa and to the ruins of Haft Tepe. Afterwards we visit the Elamish temple complex Chogha Zanbil.

Day 7

We drive through the coastal mountains of the Persian Gulf to the high plateau to Shiraz. On the way we will visit the remains of the Sassanian city of Bishapur. In the nearby Tang e-Chowgan Gorge you will find numerous rock reliefs from the Sassanian period.

Day 8

Morning visit of Persepolis (UNESCO world heritage site). The ruins show the ancient capital of the Achaemenian kings. Nearby we visit the necropolis of Naq e-Rostam. Back in Shiraz we see the mausoleum of the poet Hafiz and visit the Eram Garden.

Day 9      

In the morning we see the Ali Ebne-e Hamze Mausoleum and then drive over the Persian high plateau interrupted by bizarre mountain chains and fertile oases. In Passargadae we visit the tomb of King Cyrus. We see an over 2500 year old cypress in Abarkuh. The desert town of Yazd is one of the oldest cities in Persia. The historic old town is protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Day 10

City sightseeing in the morning. We see the Friday’s mosque, the historic old town, the Zoroastrian fire temple and the towers of silence. In the afternoon, continue via Nain to the Oasis city of Isfahan, which is probably also the most beautiful city of Iran.

Day 11

Today we visit the former capital of the Safavid Empire with the very well preserved buildings. We visit the Imam Square (UNESCO World Cultural Heritage). Here you will find the well preserved, magnificent Royal Palace and magnificent mosques. Its turquoise-colored domes are one of the city’s landmarks. We then stroll through the historic Great Bazar, where today still high-quality craftsmanship is manufactured and offered. Also impressive are the historic bridges over the river, which we visit in the afternoon. We see the Palace and Garden of the Eight Paradises and visit the Armenian Quarter, south of the river, with Vank Cathedral.

Day 12

After breakfast we travel back to the metropolis of Tehran via an expressway. On the way, in Natanz we visit the mosque and the Sufi shrine.

Day 13

Still in the night or early morning transfer to the airport and return home.