An 8-day, 6-night Iran tour timed for the rose harvest festival in Kashan, with Tehran, Shiraz, Persepolis and Isfahan, flights and visa included.
Trip highlights
- Join the rose harvest at the Rose Festival, held for around a thousand years
- Visit a former capital of the Persian Empire
- Explore Iran's key historical and cultural sites
Led by historiansEvery trip travels with an expert history lecturer who brings each site to life in plain language.
Off the beaten pathCentral Asia, the Middle East, the Himalayas — places most tour companies never go.
Private groups, no rushingRight-sized groups and unhurried time at the places that matter most.
Beyond ordinary travelEvery tour is designed by writers and professional travellers to create experiences that reflect who you are — for travellers who want more than an ordinary holiday.
About this tour
A Rose by Persian Tales is an 8-day, 6-night Iran tour by The Wild Chronicles, scheduled for 17-24 May 2024 to coincide with the annual rose harvest. The word "gulab" (rose) comes from the Persian "gol-ab", meaning flower water, and Iran has been growing roses for perfume for some 7,000 years, with a Rose Festival held for about a thousand years.
In Kashan you visit the Damask rose fields, watch the harvest and the traditional copper-pot distillation of rose water, and shop for rose products. The rest of the route covers Tehran (Golestan Palace, the Azadi Tower and the former US Embassy), Shiraz (Nasir al-Molk Mosque, Vakil Complex, Karim Khan Citadel), Persepolis and the Necropolis, and Isfahan (Naqsh-e Jahan Square, Shah Mosque, Ali Qapu, Sheikh Lotfollah, Chehel Sotoun, Vank Cathedral).
Hotels are 5-star, with breakfast daily and lunches and dinners provided. Flights are with Mahan Air.
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 1Bangkok – Tehran (evening departure)
Meet at 19:00 at Suvarnabhumi Airport, 4th-floor departures, at the Mahan Air check-in counters, where staff will assist.
Depart at 22:20 for Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKA), Tehran, on flight W5050, about 7 hours 25 minutes.
Day 2Tehran – Shiraz
Land at 02:15 and rest at the airport hotel (Espinas Hotel). In the morning travel about 60 km into Tehran for a full day of sightseeing.
- Golestan Palace, the "Rose Garden Palace", home to several dynasties, blending Persian and neoclassical architecture; a World Heritage site.
- Former US Embassy museum, tracing the Iran-US conflict from the Islamic Revolution.
- Azadi Tower, a symbol of Persian civilisation and freedom, built with more than 8,000 marble blocks.
Then fly to Shiraz, about 1 hour.
Day 3Shiraz
- Nasir al-Molk Mosque, the "Pink Mosque", with pink tilework and stained glass that fills the hall with colour in sunlight.
- Vakil Complex, with the Vakil Bazaar and Vakil Mosque, whose minbar has 14 steps of pale green stone, a masterpiece of the Zand era.
- Karim Khan Citadel, a former fortress and palace of the Zand dynasty with four round brick corner towers.
- Ali Ibn Hamzeh Holy Shrine, a revered site commemorating a descendant of the Prophet.
Day 4Shiraz – Persepolis – Isfahan
- Persepolis, the vast ruins of the Achaemenid Empire's ceremonial city, where vassal states brought tribute; a World Heritage site.
- Necropolis, the tombs of four great kings including Darius I and Xerxes I, with carved reliefs and cuneiform inscriptions on the cliff.
Then travel to Isfahan, Iran's third-largest city and a former capital, praised as "half of the world".
Day 5Isfahan
- Chehel Sotoun, the cedar-columned palace from the 17th century.
- Naqsh-e Jahan Square, a huge square ringed by Safavid palaces and mosques; a World Heritage site.
- Shah Mosque, among the most beautiful mosques in Iran.
- Ali Qapu Palace, the royal palace where the Safavids received foreign envoys, decorated with murals.
- Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, the royal family's private mosque and a Safavid masterpiece.
- Qeysarie Bazaar, one of the great Silk Road markets, and Khaju Bridge, built by Shah Abbas II over the Zayandeh River.
Day 6Isfahan – Kashan
- Vank Cathedral, the largest and finest Armenian church in Iran, built under Shah Abbas II, with European-style frescoes and gilded carving.
- Drive to Kashan, about 1 hour 20 minutes and 90 km.
- Fin Garden, an ancient Persian garden and World Heritage site, known for its historic irrigation system and many fountains.
Day 7Kashan – Damask Rose Gardens – Tehran – Bangkok
- The Damask rose gardens in pink bloom: watch the harvest and the distillation of petals into rose water and perfume, a tradition thousands of years old, and shop for rose oil, soap, shampoo and rose water.
- Borujerdi Historical House, a 19th-century merchant's home typical of Persian mansion architecture.
- Soltan Amir Ahmad Bathhouse, with one of Iran's finest domed roofs.
Drive back to Imam Khomeini Airport, about 2 hours 30 minutes (210 km), for flight W5051 departing at 21:45, about 7 hours 5 minutes.
Day 8Arrive in Bangkok
Arrive safely at Suvarnabhumi Airport at 08:20.
Included
- All international and domestic flights as specified
- All accommodation as specified
- All meals as specified
- Entrance fees as specified
- Transport as specified
- Guide and tour leader throughout the trip
- Travel insurance
- Iran entry visa fees
Not included
- Personal expenses
- Business class seat upgrade
- Baggage over 30 kg on international flights and 20 kg on domestic flights
- Plastic wrapping of baggage before loading, for example boxes, cartons and foam crates
- Airport porter fees if you call the service yourself
- Tips for guide, driver and Thai tour leader (USD 54 for the whole trip)
- 7% VAT, 3% withholding tax and all other taxes
About this tour
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Iran: A Rose by Persian Tales
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