shonamac

You do have a valid point and I do not take it lightly. More so, because my passport has more stamps than most folk and even my friends do not really understand why I travel so much, let alone a suspicious Immigration officer, who goes nowhere and does not see any reason why others should.

However, in my experience, I have faced far more pointed questioning from Canadian and New Zealnd border control staff than from US agents.

jadecocoa

I didn't (don't) speak Farsi when I went to Iran and it was no issue getting around in English. Used some German and French occasionally as well.

I didn't really use taxis in Tehran due to the horrendous traffic. At the time I went (2011) prices were really low so didn't bother negotiating with taxis elsewhere.

regtur

I don't speak or write Farsi. For booking the mentioned places to stay English works fine. For getting around it isn't a problem either (I agree with the previous author). Tehran is so busy, there's always somebody around who does speak English. And they will help you. Iranian people are extremely helpful.

Regarding taxi drivers, some speak a bit of English, others don't, they use a paper or their phone to show you the price. As mentioned above, taxi's are really cheap compared to Europe. But it really helps to know aprox. how much a ride should be. Otherwise you can end up insulting them by offering a ridiculous low price. Airport taxi's are more expensive than taxi's downtown (where you can spend an hour in a taxi well under 10 euro).

But you should consider taking the metro for trips where stations are not to far from where you want to go. Download a free app with the metrolines and you can easily find your way around. Extremely cheap, fast and a good cultural experience I think. For some destinations taxi's are mre convenient though, just try to avoid rush hour, the traffic can really be horrendous.

GUWonder

I do know EU citizens legally resident in the US who have Iranian stamps in their passports, and they have fewer issues with entry into the US than a variety of their US-visiting EU citizen relatives and friends who may have never even been to a non-OECD country beside say Thailand. And nowadays my bet is that a Turkish visit history can cause more hassles at US airports of entry than even an Iranian stamp for legal US-resident EU citizens at US airports of entry.

For EU citizens with a very recent Iranian stamp, the US visa waiver program can't be used for entry into the US. But for those of them with both a currently valid US visa for entry and an Iranian stamp/travel history, the Iranian travel history is not likely to be a problem at a US airport of entry. Other US ports of entry can be a different beast than US airports of entry.

jphripjah

Iran is very safe.

My problem with your plan is I don't know why anyone would want to visit only Teheran and spend a week there unless you have some business in Teheran or friends in Teheran.

Teheran doesn't have a lot of tourist sites. Meanwhile, Ishfahan is one of the most beautiful and interesting cities in the world. Internal flights and buses in Iran are very inexpensive. I strongly recommend visiting Isfahan if you are there.

rivlinm

I second this. A trip to Iran without a stop in Isfahan (and shiraz) (possibly yazd) isn't a trip to Iran. Please reconsider.

regtur

Although I agree with the previous contributions that Isfahan is an amazing place, I wouldn't go as far as to claim that a trip to Iran can't be very rewarding without visiting Isfahan, or the other tourist highlights (Kashan, Yazd, Shiraz).

Traveling to other - less visited places - can be a great experience as well. It all depends on what gets you excited. My personal favorit (after 4 trips) so far is the Island Qeshm. Which is amazing if you love nature.

I agree that Tehran is a pretty intense city with lots of traffic and polution. But I think it's perfectly possible to spend a week there doing interesting things every day. There are great parcs, cafes, restaurants and bazaars to soke up the local vibe. There is a decent amount of museums and art galleries for people interested. You can take the cable car up to 4.000 meters, just from the city. You can ski there 9 months are year. Otherwise you can hike.

Many people like to travel around and get a glimpse of a country that way. It gives a lot of different impressions, views and possibilities for photos in a short time. Other people prefer to travel in a more slow pace and prefer to spend more time in one place.

magendim

I've been researching Iran a bit as I may tag along with a friend on a trip there in the spring. There are no travel restrictions imposed by the US government on US citizens traveling to Iran so even if the US border control agent has a hair up their butt, there's nothing they can do except ask their usual inane questions if they see an Iran stamp. And if you have GOES, they don't look at your passport and flight wise you would probably be coming back from some European city connection.

Note that if you are a traveling into Iran on a US passport, you must have an Iranian escort or tour agency accompany you within the country and arrange a visa ahead of time. If you're a dual national like me (US/Italy), from what I've read, you can enter on your EU passport (even with a US address), do a visa on arrival and can travel freely w/o an escort. Also, if you happen to have an Israeli stamp on your passport, Iran will not allow you to enter the country. Lastly, even if you did have a Iran stamp in your EU passport, the US Border Control agents will never see it since you are entering back in the US on your US passport.

Safety wise, I hear from my Persian friends that Iran is relatively safe in the interior areas and friendly to westerners. If you're stupid enough to travel around the Iraq/Afghanistan border areas then you get what you deserve.

jphripjah

Well, they probably would see it because you hand them a form listing the countries you visited along with your passport. When you form lists Iran and your passport has no Iran visa, they will ask why. Then you tell them you entered on another passport and they ask to see that passport.

GUWonder

For users of Global Entry kiosks, APC kiosks, and MPC, listing the countries visited does not commonly come up at the airport of entry.

OccasionalFlyerPerson

When you say "EU Passport", which one?

Some countries qualify for visa on arrival, some don't. I've heard that some people turning up for visa on arrival are turned away.

I'm a UK/NZ dual citizen. It will be MUCH easier for me to travel to Iran (which I plan to do) on my NZ passport, but I will definitely have accommodation arranged before I go there. On a UK passport I would have to apply for a visa, and to have arranged a tour.

There are hotels with websites. There is OrientStay, which is similar to AirBnB. However, the prices seem quite high and not having used it I can't vouch for it. The prices seem higher than I would pay for similar accommodation in the UK. http://www.ferdowsihotel.com/en

I've never been to Iran yet (hopefully in the spring.) But, as far as I know, Rick Steves' documentary looks interesting and useful.

regtur

From the beginning of this year Iran started issueing e-visas. Probably not for every nationality, but worth to check. I think it will be more relaxed than the VOA, which can be a bit disorganised. I will give it a try coming weeks and report back after.

OccasionalFlyerPerson

Please do.

og

VOA is only possible if you do the paperwork before leaving home and get the Iranian approval / reference number which triggers the VOA. Just have a bucket load of foreign cash to pay for the VOA. Foreign credit cards NOT accepted (for VOA or anywhere / anything else - unless you find the right carpet seller). Cash only.

jadecocoa

I'm a Singaporean citizen and received VOA without prior paperwork. I even got VOA for free. My parents who went a few months later had to pay though.