Top Tourist Attractions in Shiraz
Nasr al-Mulk Mosque
Nasr al-Mulk mosque is the most famous attraction in the city of Shiraz.
The windows are heavily ornamented with colourful glasses. To fully appreciate the beauty of this mosque, head there early in the morning. You will beat the crowd and also, the sun is in position to radiate colourful rays in the interior.
Entrance fee is 100,000 IRR/ 2 EUR/ 3.30 AUD/ 2.40 USD for foreigners.
Vakil Bazaar
Vakil Bazaar is one of the most overwhelming bazaars that I have been to. There is just so much to see in this bazaar! You can’t turn your head around and NOT see a carpet. There are also spices, clocks, handbags amongst 1000 other things that you can find in this bazaar.
Entrance fee is free but you have to hold true to your wallet when you’re walking down the aisle.
Vakil Bath
Vakil Bath is a national heritage site that is located right in the city centre. It is an old public bath. There are statues places in there to demonstrate the functionality of this bathhouse. It is not like a Turkish Hamam and I highly recommend visiting any Iranian bathhouse.
Entrance fee is 150,000IRR/ 3 EUR/ 5 AUD/ 3.50 USD for foreigners.
Tomb of Hafez
The Tomb of Hafez is very common among the locals. It’s a place for the locals to gather in the afternoon to have a chat, to have tea or just to enjoy the serenity of the place. Some say the entrance fee is too expensive for just a simple tomb.
Entrance fee is 200,000IRR/ 4 EUR/ 6.50 AUD/ 4.75 USD for foreigners.
Eram garden
Eram Garden is a magnificent garden that is carefully curated. You will be greeted with 2 straight lines of gigantic trees side by side upon your entry. The Qavam House, which is the centrepiece of the garden, radiants brightly amidst the garden with its unique architecture style.
Entrance ticket is 200,000IRR/ 4 EUR/ 6.50 AUD/ 4.75 USD for foreigners.
Shrine of Imamzadeh-ye Ali Ebn-e Hamze
Visiting the Shrine of Imamzadeh-ye Ali Ebn-e Hamze is free. However, you need a guide during the visit. The shrine has an appointed guide every day (also free) and you just have to notify the guard before entering the shrine that you would like to visit the shrine. They will scan your bags and belongings before you enter. We had a very knowledgeable guide who could narrate everything about the shrine. It is a tranquil place to be at. We stayed there for a while after the guide left us. Highly recommend!
Food in Shiraz
Eat around the Bazaar
My Iranian friend once told me that food from the bazaar is normally the best. It is definitely true from my perspective. I always had the best food around an Iranian bazaar.
I love Golshan Traditional Restaurant. It’s located just a block or two away from Vakil Bazaar.
The menu is only in Persian. The price is reasonable. You know that you’re getting a local experience once you walk in because you might be the only foreigner there (just like we were)! They will kindly help you with your order, so don’t worry too much if you don’t speak the language.
Amazing Restaurants in Shiraz
Another place that I really liked was Qavam Cafe Restaurant. I assumed that places with English menu would serve “meh” food, but Qavam restaurant definitely defied the odds!
A worthy mention is Haji Baba Traditional Restaurant. I was introduced to this restaurant by the hotel staff that we were staying with. They serve rustic and authentic Iranian dishes. I can’t recall having an English menu there. But don’t you worry, the friendly waiter will help you with your order!
Getting into Shiraz - Shiraz Travel Guide
You could get into Shiraz from most Iranian cities. I caught a midnight bus from Yazd to Shiraz, which took around 6 hours. The sleeper bus is of very high quality and it only costs me 350,000 IRR/ 8.50 USD/ 11.50 AUD/ 7.00 EUR.
You could also catch a train from Tehran directly to Shiraz. However, if you have more time, I recommend stopping by other cities on the way because they are all fantabulous!
Check out my ultimate 14-day itinerary around Iran!
I flew out from Shiraz back to Tehran. Shiraz has an international airport that is well connected to the countries around Iran.
Money in Shiraz - Travel Guide Shiraz
Please bear in mind that you need to get enough money before you enter Iran. The Iranian banking system is not connected to the outer world on our level. ATMs here will not accept your foreign card.
We couldn’t get Iranian rial out of Iran, so we brought in USD and EUR. These two currencies are widely accepted.
If you don’t know how much money you should bring, check this blog post out in which I break down all my expenses for my whole trip to Iran.
Must-do day trip - Persepolis
The highlight of my trip to Shiraz is my day trip to Persepolis.
I highly recommend hiring a guide for the day when you visit Persepolis. This historical diamond deserves it. Also, because it is a ruin complex, you need the back story for you to connect all the dots together. That’s when a guide becomes handy.
Hiring a guide for the day might be expensive so you could also hire a guide when you are at Persepolis.
I had a FANTASTIC guide – she is so knowledgeable about Persepolis, Shiraz and Iran in general. We hired her at the entrance of Persepolis and it costs 500,000 IRR. Highly recommend!
We also fit in Naqsh-e Rostam into our day. I got to ride a camel for the first time there!
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