Tehran tourism attractions | Find out about the best places to visit in the capital of Iran!

Iran Tour Packages | Tehran is the most populous city in Western Asia and the second largest metropolitan area in the middle east. Due to the fact that the city has been capital of Iran during three government generations, it is full of lovely tourism attractions.

The capital has been moved for several times during the history of Iran and Tehran is the 32nd capital city of the country. It was first chosen by the king of Qajar dynasty, Agha Mohammad Khan, in October 6th, 1796. And every year we celebrate this day as the day of Tehran! On this day you can buy cinema tickets with 50% discount; and also, visit all museums and monuments located in Tehran for free!

Tehran tourism attractions

As we mentioned, Tehran is home to many historical collections and beautiful landmarks. The fun thing about Tehran tourism attractions is that they separate into two kinds: 1. The older ones like Golestan palace that belong to the 18 and 19 century and 2. The modern ones that belong to the 20 and 21st century. Large scale demolition and rebuilding began in the 1920’s. And after that, Tehran started to become populated; because the city has been a destination for mass migrations from all over Iran due to this modernization.

From Golestan palace to Azadi tower …

History was always interesting for me! Learning about the history of a nation, helps the imagination! Specially Tehran, which have been the capital of Iran since Qajar dynasty and have seen three different periods of Iran’s history. Although nowadays most people know Tehran as a modern city and expect urban and modern places to visit, the city is home to both structures built in traditional Persian architecture style and modern style.

Almost all of the buildings, palaces and gardens you find in Tehran that are built in Persian architecture style belong to before 1920 and are historical places. But the modern structures such as Azadi tower, Milad tower and etc. are more of a symbol of Tehran.

Golestan palace | Glowing in the heart of Tehran

Golestan palace, is one of the most popular Tehran tourism attractions, located in the center of Tehran. Although the palace was mostly used during Qajar dynasty, it’s foundation returns to Safavid era with a boulevard plan, which we can’t see today; and building the buildings goes back to Zand dynasty. Golestan palace consists of different buildings, each built for a purpose. Edifice of the Sun (Shams ol Emareh), Edifice of the Sun (Shams ol Emareh), Museum Hall, Karim Khani Nook (Khalvat e Karim Khani) and Building of Wind catchers (Emarat e Badgir) are some of these buildings. To read more about this gorgeous tourism attraction of Tehran read our article on Golestan palace.

Sa’dabad Complex | A lovely Tehran tourism attraction

This place is a 300 hectare complex which natural forests cover more than 180 hectares of it. Sa’dabad complex is one of the most famous and popular tourism attractions of Tehran; and it was built dring the Qajar and Pahlavi dynasties.
Building the complex was during the Qajar dynasty and it was the residence of Qajar kings during the summer – quarts. And after that, Reza Shah of the Pahlavi Dynasty resided there in the 1920’s; and his son, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, moved there in the 1970’s.

The latest building of the complex is “Leila palace“. They named it after the youngest daughter of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The complex became a public museum after the 1970’s revolution. And nowadays is one of the most gorgeous garden museums of Tehran.

Shahvand, the green palace of Sa’dabad complex

Shahvand palace, or the Green palace, goes back to 1922; and the architecture of this palace was Mirza Ja’afar Kashi. It took 6 years to complete the palace. The palace is located in North west of Sa’dabad complex and it was residence of Reza Pahlavi. The outward appearance was built with marble stones; and that’s why some people also know it as the Marble palace. Some of the most noticeable things about this palace is that the walls are covered with Hossein Behzad’s illuminations. And also, you can see that the pattern of the rug, located in the center of the hall, that have harmony with the ceiling’s motif!

White Palace, the biggest palace of Sa’adabad

White palace or Nation palace is the biggest palace in the whole Sa’dabad complex. The outward color of the palace has given the name “White palace” to it. It was Mohammadreza and Farah Pahlavi’s Summer-quart residence. The appearance of this palace is in Iranian-Roman style; and there are some paintings around the first floor’s balcony with the content of Iranian mythology, Shahnameh.

Azadi tower | The symbol of Tehran!

Azadi tower, also known as Shahyad tower, is a memorial building from the modern phase of Tehran. They built it under the order of Mohammad Reza Shah, to mark the 2,500th year of the foundation of the Imperial State of Iran in 1971.This monument that was built by Hossein Amanat is located on Azadi square in Tehran; and has the name of the place of it’s location.
Hossein Amanat had won an award do design the tower in 1966. According to an interview he had with BBC World News, he was inspired to design the tower in the way that “it starts from the base and moves up towards the sky”; because of the feeling he had that Iran “should move towards a higher level”.

At first they planned to name the building Darvāze-ye Kuroš (“Gate of Cyrus”); but Bahram Farahvashi, a scholar and professor of ancient Iranian languages who worked with the Council of Celebrations, came up with the officially designated name of the structure, Šahyād Āryāmehr. They finally named the structure “Shahyad” (means: (“Shah’s Memorial”) in honor of the Shah (Mohammad Reza Pahlavi). They opened it to public in 1972; and after 1979 Revolution the building’s name changed to Azadi tower.

Milad Tower | The tallest tower of Iran

Milad tower or ,Tehran tower, built in 2000 in order to be a new symbol for Tehran city instead of Azadi tower. With 435 meters tall, it is the sixth-tallest tower and the 24th-tallest freestanding structure in the world. Milad Tower was part of the Shahestan Pahlavi project, a vast development for a new government and commercial center for Tehran. They designed the project in the 1970’s but never got the chance to materialize it, except for the Tower.
In 1997 they finally commenced the construction of the tower; but building it officially started in 2000 and it took about 7 years to finish. In October 7, 2008 people could finally visit the new symbol of the capital. Milad tower has 5 main parts:

1. The foundation
2. Transition (lobby) structure
3. Shaft
4. Head structure
5. The antenna mast

The lobby structure consists of six floors. The first three floors consist of 63 trade units, 11 food courts, a cafeteria, and a commercial products exhibition which is supposed to be about 260 square meters .
Milad Tower has an octagonal base, symbolizing traditional Iranian architecture.

Tabiat bridge | A place to stay and ponder, not simply pass …

Tabiat bridge is a two floor bridge built in 2009 which connects “Taleqani park” to “Ab o Atash park“. The bridge is one of Tehran signs. Tabiat bridge it is a structure with an organic design inspired by tree design and combined with traditional Iranian architecture.
It is more crowded at night and there are some restaurants and cafes on the second floor of it; so you can go there and eat while you’re enjoying the spectacular view.

Chitgar Lake | Do you like modern to visit more of modern Tehran attractions? Here they are!

Chitgar lake is an artificial lake, located on the north side of Chitgar park. The lake was built in 2012 and you can go boat riding on it. Chitgar lake has got a beautiful view at night; and there is a shopping and recreational complex near it called “Bam Land”. The complex is divided to three A, B, C zones; each have four floors. You can all kind of shops and restaurants in this complex.

Tehran streets!

In my pinion, streets are underrated among tourism attractions! No one thinks that walking along a street and enjoying the trees, houses and the crowd of people is something fun you can do on a trip. But my favorite thing is to walk and maybe even get lost (!) on new streets! If you are anything like me, read the rest of this article and get introduced to the most beautiful streets of Tehran.

Vali-easr street | The longest street in the middle east!

Vali-easr street starts from “Tajrish square” and ends in “Rah Ahan square”. And connects the north part of Tehran to it’s south part. They build the street in 1921 by the order of Reza Shah Pahlavi. The street is so famous for it’s plane trees which were planted in 1939; a number for every two meters.
If you are a fan of taking long long walks, you can plan a day to walk all the street long and have fun. In this case you will be able to see the culture changing district by district! and enjoy the differences and the view of plane – trees every time you look up to the sky.
The most popular parts of the street are “Ferdows garden” at the beginning of the street, “Saei Park”, “Vali-easr junction” and “Monirieh square”.

Vali-easr junction | The most happening spot of Tehran!

Vali-easr junction is the intersection of Enqelab street with Vali-esar street, located in the center of Tehran. It is also, the most populated part of Tehran.
The junction is full of cafes, restaurants and sandwich sellers. The most popular cafes of this area are “Lamiz”, “Andora” and “Godo“. You can find different kinds of drinks and cakes in them.

You can see people from different group standing outside on the pavement, talking, drinking coffee, smoking cigarettes and having fun all day in this most populated spot of Tehran! There are also peddlers on the sides of pavements, selling socks, jewelries and hats which some of them can be a lovely memento of your trip; so we recommend you to take a look at their stuff!

The city theater is located on the south side of the junction; and next to it is “Daneshjoo park” where you can chill and eat food.
The “City theater” subway station is located in the junction. There are plenty of shops in the passageways of the station; and you can also see people sitting on the platforms of the station, talking together and eating confections or food.

Keshavarz Boulevard | Are you looking for a pleasant street to walk?

Keshavarz Boulevard is one of the most popular streets in the center of Tehran, which starts from the west side of Valiasr Square and continues to Dr. Gharib Street. The proximity of Keshavarz Boulevard to Valiasr and Enghelab squares, which are the gathering places of higher education institutions and various colleges, has made this boulevard a place for students! Just like the surrounding streets. Perhaps for this reason, we can consider this part of the city as a place of movement for students and young people of the capital during the day.

The fountain in the middle of the street and the thick trees on Keshavarz Boulevard make the atmosphere of this street more pleasant. Keshavarz Boulevard is one of the best places to go walking in the city center; and despite the crowded streets around it, still attracts pedestrians. Along Keshavarz Boulevard, benches have been set up for sitting and relaxing, as an opportunity to freshen the streets.

30 Tir | The food street!

Are you a food lover?! If your answer is yes, you have to visit 30 Tir street! 30 Tir is located near Golestan palace and next to National garden. So due you will have to pass this street during you sight seeing; but pay attention to stop on the street and have an adventures rest among all the food available in all the restaurants, cafes and food carts in 30 Tir. Also, the national museum of Iran is also in 30 Tir.

Darband Street | Along the mountains!

Darband Street is one of the coolest and airiest streets in the north of Tehran. This street starts from Qods Square in the north of Shariati Street and continues to the foot of Darband Mountain. Darband Street has a steep slope in some parts due to it’s location at the foot of the mountain.

Darband Street has been one of the most beautiful promenades in Tehran since ancient times. Gulab Darreh and Darband rivers are located along parts of Darband street. At the end of the street is Sarband Square, which is a gathering place for climbers on special days to climb the heights of the resort. Mountaineering route at the end of Darband Street is one of the most difficult mountaineering routes in Tehran.

Darakeh street | surrounded by garden and the mountain

Darakeh Street is another street with a pleasant climate in the north of Tehran. The Darakeh River runs parallel to it in many parts of Darakeh Street. This Street has many fans due to it’s access to another mountaineering route in the north of Tehran. Darakeh restaurant cafes also have a pleasant environment in the cool foothills of northern Tehran. If you like hiking in the mountains or mountaineering, you can visit this street and reach the beginning of the mountaineering route along the Darakeh River to the north. At different times of the year, gardeners pick garden and forest fruits on carts. You can enjoy the pleasant taste of fruits by buying directly from gardeners.

Tehran Gardens and Parks

Are you a fan of nature? If your answer is yes, you have to visit at least some of Tehran gardens. Natural tourism attractions of Tehran divide into two groups: 1. Parks 2. Museum Gardens

Tehran parks

Spending a day in nature can be very satisfying. But in the modern world and among all the tall buildings of urban cities, this seems impossible! And that’s were parks come to the rescue! Parks can satisfy your needs of being in nature. There are many great parks in Tehran and in some of them such as Saei park or Pardisan park you can have more than a picnic. The following consists a list of Tehran parks.

1. Ab o Atash Park
2. Mellat Park
3. Saei Park
4. Laleh Par
5. Jamshidieh Park
6. Chitgar Park
7. Taleqani Park
8. Pardisan Park
9. Parvaz Park
10. Persian garden

Tehran museum gardens

The name of Persian architecture always comes along with glorious gardens. Iranians were always fans of gardens and it has a very important place in our traditional architecture as well as our hearts! Museum gardens of Tehran were actually places of residency in the past; and now, for better care they’ve turned into museums. All historical palaces of Tehran such as Golestan palace or Niavaran palace are considered as Tehran’s museum gardens. There is a list of Tehran museum gardens in the following:

1. Negarestan museum garden
2. Ferdows garden
3. Mas’oudiyeh mansion
4. Moghaddam museum house
5. Time museum garden
6. Qasr museum garden
7. Niavaran palace museum
8. Saad Abad complex
9. Golestan palace

Tehran Bazaars

Bazaars are one of the most important tourism attractions of every city. Because in addition to their great architecture they are the best place to meet the culture of the city. You can buy anything form bazaars and due to this fact it’s perfect for souvenir shopping. Tehran grand bazaar and Tajrish bazaar are the two bazaars of Tehran that you can go enjoy spending time in them alongside buying some mementos from your trip to Iran. There are also some great restaurants in both bazaars of Tehran that we strongly recommend you to have a meal in them.

Tajrish bazaar | Let’s have fun, shopping!

Tajrish neighborhood, is located in the northern edge of Tehran and it is one the oldest neighborhoods in Tehran. The most famous part of this region is “Tajrish bazaar”, consisted of fruit and vegetable bazaar, malls and restaurants. As the bazaar is next to “Imam zadeh Saleh mosque”, there are some shops where you can find some interesting stuff such as colorful scarfs and different kinds of stone; specially a traditional Iranian stone called “Cheshm nazar”.

Tajrish bazaar is one of the best places to buy souvenirs from; and also to try edible souvenir of Tehran such as different fruit roll ups and Samanoo. This bazaar starts from “Qods square” and it finishes at “Tajrish square”.

In addition to the beautiful bazaar, there is a big mall called “Arg”. The mall is located on the northern side of Tajrish square. You can go shopping and roving in Arg mall, or eat in the food court; or if you are travelling with child, there is a funfair in the mall.
If you want to go sightseeing don’t forget to visit the magnificent Saadabad Palace. You can see cafes and sandwich sellers on every corner of the square; and the south side of the square is the place where the longest street in the Middle East, Vali-easr, starts.

Tehran grand bazaar | Now it’s time for the real bazaar!

You can find everything in Tehran grand bazaar, it is located between “Molavi – Khayyam – 15^th Khordad – Sirus” streets. The important parts of bazaar are: “Charsough”, ”Sabzeh Meydan” and “Timche Mahdieh”.
The other reason that the grand bazaar is so famous and important is because of the buildings and places around it. “Shah mosque” and “Golestan palace” are the most famous buildings, located in 15^th Khordad street on the North side of bazaar.

There are also some famous restaurants in the street too, where you can enjoy the delicious Iranian food. If you walk Naser Khosrow street to the North, you can see beautiful old buildings and different shops; and also “Marvi bazaar”, where you can buy cosmetics. There are some sellers, selling “Faloodeh Shirazi”, an Iranian dessert – black cherry and barberry juice in Summer; and hot beetroot – turnip and broad bean in Winter on the side of the street.
When you arrive at Imam Khomeini square, if you walk a little to the North West, you will arrive to “30th Tir street” which people call it the food street too! So it is strongly recommended to go there if you are a foodie!

Which of Tehran tourism attractions was your favorite? Let us know!

References: Wikipedia
BBC World News