Best Time to Travel to Iran 2023-2024
Determining the best time to travel to any destination depends on the weather conditions, local calendar, ceremonies and festivals, religion and beliefs of the host community.
This becomes a little more complicated in the case of Iran, which has the Iranian calendar and is also subject to the Islamic and Arabic calendars at the same time.
For example, if you have no interest in religious ceremonies and travel to Isfahan during the month of Ramadan or are in Yazd on the day of Ashura, you are in the worst possible time and place! Or if you are not a fan of hot weather, visiting Persepolis at noon on a summer day in July will surely bother you!
Iran, a Four Season Country
First of all, a look at the world map and the location of Iran shows us that Iran is located in an intermediate geographical area. So you can experience all kinds of geographical climates in Iran:
- In the west of Iran are Turkey and Anatolian mountains and a gateway to green Europe.
- In the north-west of Iran is the Caucasus Mountains and they go far as to Russia.
- In the north of Iran and on the other side of the world's largest lake, Siberia begins.
- In the west of Iran, the highest and largest mountains in the world, the Himalayas, begin.
- In the south and on the other side of the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, the Arabian Desert and Africa begin.
So that’s why after skiing at Tochal ski resort near Tehran in the morning, you can easily reach the central desert of Iran, put on a thin t-shirt and ride a camel to the caravanserai in the evening.
The best time to visit Iran classic tour
The most important historical attractions of Iran can be visited on a tour route which is known as classic tour of Iran. Classic route include Tehran, Isfahan, Yazd, Shiraz, Kashan and Kerman. All these cities are located in the center of Iran, and of course, with a great distance from each other, so that to start from one point and return to it again, you have to travel 2500 km.
The best time to visit the Iran's classical route in terms of weather is autumn and spring. Iran's spring high season is the months of April and May and June is considered shoulder season. Autumn high season is October and November, and December is shoulder season.
In our experience, since the spring high season of incoming tours to Iran overlaps with the high season of Iranians, the prices, especially for accommodation and domestic flights in April and May, are the most expensive and most sites are crowded. For this reason, the autumn season is more attractive for foreign tourists, See Iran Tour Packages.
Travel to Iran during January holidays
New Year holidays coincide with the coldest days of the year in Iran. Some years, the temperature in some cities in the center of Iran reaches zero, but in the southern cities of Iran and the coasts of the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, you can experience spring-like weather at this time.
If you like the cold and you are a skier, Dizin ski resort and Tochal ski resort near Tehran can be your destination.
Desert cities like Yazd and Isfahan have a dry cold, and the weather in Shiraz and Tehran is comparatively better. The northern cities of Mazandaran Sea have pleasant weather during the January holidays, which is usually accompanied by rain. East, West and North-West of Iran experience the coldest days of the year during January holidays. See Iran Ski Tours.
Traveling to Iran during Ramadan and Muharram
Ramadan in Iran
Ramadan is almost the same in all Islamic countries and not only do you have restrictions on eating and finding restaurants during daylight hours, but also the working hours of everything change and the activities are significantly reduced.
During this month, some people neither eat nor drink anything from sunrise to sunset. Iran's Islamic law is based on the same and you are not allowed to eat or drink in public places until sunset. Even drinking water and smoking in public places are prohibited.
Most cafes and restaurants are closed during daylight hours, and only a few restaurants are open for travelers in big cities. Of course, restaurants and cafes are open in hotels.
The working hours of sites and museums change in this month and everything is in accordance with time of Iftar, which is at sunset.
Muharram in Iran
The months of Muharram and Safar are known in Iran as the months of mourning for the 3rd Imam of Shia Muslims, which means that any celebration gathering or fun and happy program is prohibited during these two months.
The most important religious holidays of Muharram, which are accompanied by traditional Iranian Islamic ceremonies, are on the days of Tasua and Ashura. From ten days before these two days, traditional ceremonies are held every day and night in all cities localities and free food is distributed among the people.
If you are interested in traditional and religious rituals, watching large groups of people with mourning instruments and religious chanting will be very interesting for you.
Since the month of Muharram and Ramadan are a part of Islamic culture, it is subject to the lunar calendar and its time is not fixed. This means that before planning for your Iran tour, you should check your travel date so that it does not overlap with these dates.
Do not travel to Iran during the Iranian New Year holiday (Nowruz)
Almost all of the travel agencies in Iran refuse to organize Iran tours for foreign tourists during Nowruz. The reason for that is the unusual and excessive crowdness of roads, hotels, tourist sites and even restaurants during this time of year.
Most Iranians travel during Nowruz, which makes all the hotels in major and even small cities to be fully booked from weeks in advance. Domestic plane tickets and intercity trains fill up in the first few hours of Nowruz sales, and the quality of tourist services drops significantly.
The Iranian New Year holiday unofficially lasts at least 2 weeks and starts from the middle of March and continues until 5th April.
The best time for Iran desert tours and traveling to the south of Iran
The climate of the southern half of Iran, especially the southern coasts, is very hot in the summer, and also humid in the coastal cities. For this reason, the travel season to the southern islands of Iran begins with the cooling of the air and from mid-November, which coincides with the high season of the classic route tours of Iran (Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz, Yazd). The weather is enjoyable in southern islands of Iran until the last days of April.
The southern ports of Iran such as Bandar Abbas and Bushehr or the cities of Khuzestan such as Ahvaz and Abadan are also the same in terms of weather conditions.
The most beautiful deserts of Iran are located in the center and east of Iran, and the best time to visit Iran deserts is from mid-November to mid-April. See Iran Desert Tours .
Best time for Iran Ski Tour
Snowing in the mountains of Iran start from November and December and reach their peak in January and February. Ski resorts such as Tochal and Dizin are open from December or January, depending on the amount of rain. These ski resorts can be open even until mid-April depending on the weather condition.
If you are an adventurous skier, you can plan your skiing trip in Alborz and Zagros mountains as well. Iran Mountains: the heights & tranquility .
Best time for climbing Mount Damavand and climbing in Iran
Professional and experienced Iranian mountaineers organize programs to climb Iran's highest peaks in all seasons and enjoy these challenges. Almost all the high and famous peaks of Iran such as Damavand, Sablan, Alamkoh and Tochal are difficult to climb in spring and autumn. Also during winter climbing these mountains is not recommended to tourists due to very cold weather. Because climbing during winter requires high physical fitness and full equipment. But if you have little time for climbing in Iran or you just want to have a pleasant climbing experience in Damavand, then summer is the best season for climbing in Iran.
More specifically, the second half of July until the end of August is the best and safest time to climb Damavand Mountain.
The unstable weather of Damavand peak, especially at an altitude higher than 4000 meters, can make the peak inaccessible even in summer. For this reason, it is very important to be sure of the weather conditions before climbing.
Also for other hiking and trekking routes in the high altitudes, summer is the best time. Of course, some routes are specifically beautiful in autumn, such as Asalem to Khalkhal or Soha to Laton, and some routes beautiful in spring, such as Neor to Subatan or Tarem to Masuleh. Iran Mountaineering | Trekking Tours .
Iran weather in winter: Are the roads closed in winter?
More than 20 thousand kilometers of freeways and highways have connected the cities of Iran. Road stations in different places have the task of serving drivers and road passengers.
This strong communication network of roads has made the connection between the cities always established even in the coldest days of the year.
For this reason, tourists who travel to Iran in winter will not encounter any problems in the coldest days of the year and in the rainiest cities of Iran.
