Iran itinerary questions (25 days)

[Davey]

Hi all!

Our big summer trip is coming closer, and I was wondering whether anyone of you has some comments on our 25-day itinerary through Iran. The current plan would more or less the following, and it excludes travel days (which are days with more than 4h of driving):

- Tehran: 2 days
- Shiraz: 3 days (day trip to Persepolis)
- Kerman: 3 days (day trips to Mahan/Rayen and Kalut Desert)
- Yazd: 3 days
- Isfahan: 3 days
- Kashan: 4 days (day trips tp Abyaneh and Maranjab Desert)
- Qom: 2 days
- Qazvin: 2 days (day trip to Alamut Valley)
- Tehran: 1 day

Unfortunately, I had to leave out quite a few places (eg, Ahvaz, Hamadan, Tabriz ...), but would love to hear your opinions on whether I should swap one of the destinations above with any of these.

Thanks!
Davey

[TomasS]

I fell in love with Kurdistan, definitely the best and most authentic part of Iran with the unbelievable kind and curious people. So i cannot see longer itinerary to Iran without it... consider please.

You should insert to your itinerary leg Hamedan-Sanandaj (day trip to Palangan must be), from there either back to Tehran or better to Tabriz (day trip Kandovan).

Ok, but it is enough days.. You can skip Hamedan or use some night buses, and i advice to skip Abyaneh-for me maybe the only disappoitment, Palangan is milion times more interesting, Kandovan too, i would skip Qom as well... And you get it:)

[Davey]

Thanks!

If we skip Abyaneh and Qom, that would give us three extra days to work with. However, that would mean taking a night bus from Qazvin to Sanandaj, stay there for two days, and then take the bus back to Tehran (because we have a flight the next day. If we try this, how would you recommend to spend two days in Sanandaj? One day Palangan, but what for the other day?

[TomasS]

It is tight schedule, lot of driving...day in Sanandaj is ok, bustling city, so many people on the streets, museum, bazar... I would skip Qazvin too and add Tabriz-Kandovan, and went to Sanandaj from Kashan, then it looks like reasonable route

[Davey]

That is why I was not planning on going to Kurdistan, because the distances are ridiculous and there are no trains (nigh bus doesn't sound very comfortable). Thanks for the info, we will see whether we can tweak it a little bit.