Ultimate Guide to Shiraz | Everything you need to know

Stunning Iran’s Pink Mosque in Shiraz

Shiraz, the heartland of Persian culture with more than 4000 years of history, is located in the southwest of Iran. Shiraz is the capital of Fars province and is 800 Km away from Tehran.

Shiraz was located in the central area for Persian civilization in 2500 years ago, and was one of the oldest cities of ancient Persia. Persepolis, which is The Glory of the Persian Empire, is the most popular touristic attraction, together with Necropolis and Pasargadae.

Shiraz is the city of splendid gardens, and is known as the city of flowers, poets, wine, education, fun and love. It was completely covered with gardens and green trees before, and some of them still remains. Generally, The garden is an important part of Iranian culture, which is famous as Persian Garden. It worth to visit the Eram garden and the Afif abad garden, specially in spring.

Eram Garden Shiraz | Photo By: @Mohsenhsni

People in Shiraz are really kind, sociable, fun, relax and hospitable. Many people have their own small garden. It is very famous among locals to say that “Let’s go to our garden to chill and have fun”. It simply shows shows how they seize every opportunity to have fun. That’s why Iranians call it The Capital of Fun in Iran.

Shiraz is a center for Iranian culture, known as the poetic capital of Persia and has produced a number of famous poets such as Hafiz, Saadi, etc. The tombs of Hafiz inside the city is a very good place to see youngs who gather there mostly at night during spring and summer to have fun and run their small gatherings. It is a holly place for many people in Iran. Majority of people have a Hafiz book in their house.

There are many different handicrafts in Shiraz such as inlaid mosaic work of triangular design; silver-ware; pile carpet-weaving and weaving of kilim, called gilim and jajim in the villages and among the tribes.

There are more than 25 shopping malls in Shiraz, and The Persian Gulf Complex, located at the north end of the city, is one of the largest malls in the world, which also has entertainment park. The Vakil Bazaar in the old city center is one of the oldest bazaars in the world, and suitable for people who doesn’t like modern malls.

Persepolis in Shiraz

Persepolis in Shiraz | Photo by: Mostafa Meraji

Language

Most people speak in Persian (Farsi) language, while there are other ethnic groups such as Qashqai who speak in Turkish language beside Persian.

Climate

The coldest month in Shiraz is January, with an average high temperature of 12.1°C  and an average low temperature of -0.4°C. During the whole year it rains about 48 days (305.6mm). From Dec to Feb you may experience snowfall. July is the warmest month and Jan is the coldest month, with the most rainy or snowy days among others.

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Average temperature in Shiraz

Best time to visit

The best time to visit Shiraz is during the spring and autumn because it is not too hot and not too cold. April is the best month for visiting Shiraz. May 5, is Shiraz National Day. Oct and Nov is also high season. If you arar a photographer, it is better to come there after Nov to have less crowds in most attractions.

Public transportation

There are  many options s such as taxi, bus and metro to travel inside the city. Now there is one metro line including 19 underground stations from South-East to North-West of the city. You can take a Token Card which is a rechargeable electronic ticket, available in metro stations.

Bus Terminals

DestinationDuration (hr)
Bandar Abbas11
Esfahan8
Hamadan15
Kashan10
Kazerun (for Bishapur)2½
Kerman10
Kermanshah16
Mashhad20
Rasht16
Sanandaj19
Tabriz20
Tehran13
Yazd6½

Train

Shiraz Railway Station located in the north part, outside of the city. It takes about 40 minutes by taxi to get there. There are high quality train between Tehran and Shiraz. it takes 18 hours.

Airport

Shahid Dastgheyb International Airport is the second most reliable and modern airport in Iran, after Tehran-Imam Khomeini airport. Terminal 1 is for domestic flights and Terminal 2 is for International flights.

Attractions

  1. Persepolis
  2. Pasargadae
  3. Naqsh-e Rostam and Naqsh-e Rajab
  4. Nasir al-mulk Mosque
  5. Eram Garden (Baq e Eram)
  6. Afif Abad Garden
  7. Tomb of Hafez
  8. Vakil Bazaar
  9. Vakil Mosque
  10. Qavam House
  11. Shah-e-Cheragh Shrine
  12. Tomb of Saadi
  13. Arg-e Karimkhan
  14. Naranjestan-e Ghavam
  15. Karim Khan Citadel
  16. Qur’an Gate (Darvazeh-e Quran)
  17. Vakil Bath
  18. Pars Museum
  19. Delgosha Garden
  20. Jahan Nama Garden
  21. Zinat Al-Molk House
  22. Shapouri Pavilion & Garden
  23. Manteghi Nezhad Historical House
  24. Madrese e-Khan
  25. Atigh Jame Mosque
  26. Ka’ba-ye Zartosht
  27. Baba Koohi Tomb and Heights
  28. Meshkinfam Art Museum
  29. Saraye Moshir
  30. Moshir Mosque
  31. Khwaju Kermani Tomb
  32. The Stone (Haft-Tanan) Museum
  33. Building Art Gallery (Persian Tiles)
  34. Natural History and Technology Museum of Shiraz
  35. Bibi Dokhtaran Mausoleum
  36. Sibouye Tomb
  37. Simon the Zealot Church
  38. Bogh’e-ye Sayyed Mir Mohammed
  39. Forough Al Molk
  40. Luna Amusement Park
  41. Mount Derak
  42. Qasre Abunasr
  43. Dom-e asb Canyon
  44. Mortaz Ali Well
  45. Qalat Village
  46. Maharloo Lake

* Written by  Mohammad Naderi.

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