48 Hours in Shiraz

Shiraz is the city of poets, love, literature, wine, and flowers, blessed with a moderate climate. Shiraz city is named as the capital of Iranian culture and the city of Persian Gardens. During the 9th century, Shiraz was Iran’s wine capital. Shiraz City is where you will be amazed by the glory of Persian civilization and the Beauty of orange gardens.

Shiraz city has been the capital of Iran in several eras, and that’s why it has too many historical attractions. In Iran’s national calendar, 5th of May in spring is named as Shiraz day.

The First 24 Hours

VISIT: Pasargadae, Persepolis, Naqsh-e Rustam, Naqsh-e Rajab.

• Pasargadae

This 2500 years old UNESCO World Heritage site was the capital of Persia in the Achaemenid era. Pasargadae is the Tomb of Cyrus, The great king of Persia, which consists of seven stone stairs. Seven represents the Iranian sacred number. Pasargadae architecture is so impressive. Due to its enormous stones, people believed that Pasargadae made by Solomon. Pasargadae site includes the beautiful relief of the human with wings, Tall-e Takht, Cyrus’s Private Palace, Audience Palace, and the Prison of Solomon.
Pasargadae is about 75 kilometers north of Shiraz and 50 kilometers north of Persepolis. You can visit Pasargadae from 8 AM to 7 PM. The entrance fee for foreign visitors is 200,000 IRR and the best time to visit is during the morning.

• Persepolis

The 3000 years old Persepolis was the magnificent capital of the Achaemenid Empire and it last150 years. This ancient site consists of majestic palaces, impressive reliefs, and beautiful tombs. Visit Apadana Palace, the Palace of 100 columns and the Gate of all Nations. A bas-relief depicting Armenians bringing their famous wine to the king, at the Apadana. The most impressive bas-reliefs are in Apadana staircase. Pay attention to the reliefs when you visit this astonishing place. The reliefs show Persian soldiers guarding Lotus flowers and 23 delegations bringing their gifts to the Achaemenid king. The most famous reliefs are in the entrance of Apadana palace, The Nowroz symbol and a ring with wings in Tachara palace. Persepolis has still kept its glory. Sadly this magnificent site was burnt and plundered by Alexander.

Persepolis is placed in the 60 Km northeast of Shiraz. The site is open from 8 AM to 6 PM, and Persepolis museum is open from 8 AM to 7 PM. The entrance fee for foreign visitors is 200,000 IRR.

The Persepolis Museum is located in Persepolis complex. The building of museum is the oldest building in Iran, which has been renovated and dedicated to the museum. It was built about 2500 years ago in Achaemenid era. You can see the foot of the marble statue and part of the burnished curtain, which it has been discovered in Persepolis site, in this museum.

• EAT: Iranian Traditional Cuisine

If you are hungry and looking for a restaurant that serves up delicious food, we suggest Laneh Tavoos Restaurant. It is the best restaurant in the way of Naqsh-e Rustam. It is located about 6 kilometers in north of Persepolis and 3 kilometers in the south of Naqsh-e Rustam and also it takes about 10 minutes to Naqsh-e Rustam. You can try a lot of kind of Iranian food such as Kebab in a peaceful and beautiful place.

• Naqsh-e Rustam

As part of your trip to Persepolis visit Rostam and Rajab reliefs. There are four huge wonderful rock tombs in the cliffs in Naqsh-e Rustam including tomb of great Darius. Right in front of the tomb of great Darious there is Ka'ba-ye Zartosht meaning “Cube of Zoroaster” thought to be a fire temple or a treasury. Naqsh-e Rustam includes many beautiful reliefs and fortunately many of them are not damaged. The most beautiful reliefs are Anahita relief, a Persian woman goddess. Also, Naqsh-e Rustam includes many reliefs showing the victory of Sasanid Kings over romans.
Naqsh-e Rustam is 6 km northwest of Persepolis it is open from 8 AM to 7 PM and the entrance fee is 200,000 IRR.

• Naqsh-e Rajab

The beautiful bas-reliefs of Naqsh-e Rajab shows reigns of Sassanian kings and definitely worth visiting. Persepolis, Naqsh-e Rustam and Naqsh-e Rajab are very close to each other and you can take a walk to visit them all. But forget to do it in the summer because Shiraz has really hot summers. Tourists can visit Naqsh-e Rajab from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM and the entrance fee is 80,000 IRR.

• Dessert: Yellow Shirazi Halvah, Muscat

There is a variety of Iranian dessert in Shiraz such as Yellow Shirazi Halvah and Muscat. The one of the best place that we highly recommend, is the Reza confectionery. To get there, you have to go to Felestin Street.

The next 24 hours

VISIT: Nasir al Mulk mosque, Vakil Complex, Saraye Moshir, Shah Cheragh Holy Shrine, Arg e Karimkhan, Eram Garden

• Nasir al Mulk mosque

The Nasir al Mulk mosque is one of the most elegant and most photographed pieces of architecture in the south of Iran. Due to its colored tiling, it is named the Pink mosque. The best time to visit the Nasir al Mulk mosque is early in the morning when the sun streams in the stained glass, carved pillars and polychrome faience of the winter prayer hall. So, if you don’t want to miss this dazzling and unbeatable sight, wake up soon in the morning and visit there between 8AM to 10AM. It’s located on Lotfalikhan Street and it’s also close to other historic and tourism site, such as Vakil Bazaar, and Shah cheragh Holy Shrine. The Nasir al Mulk mosque is open from 8AM to 1PM in the morning and from 3PM to 7PM in the afternoon. The entrance fee to the Nasir al Mulk Mosque is about 150.000 IRR for foreign visitors.

• Vakil Bazaar

Visiting the beautiful Vakil complex needs half a day. Vakil complex is located in Lotfalikhan Zand Street, Taleqani Street. This 400 years old Bazaar, located in Zand Street is full of photo opprotunities. Walk around in one of the most famous Bazaars of Shiraz and Iran. Vakil Bazaar with its unique architecture, is a great place to enjoy your afternoon. With more than 200 stores, Vakil Bazaar is a great place to buy Persian carpets and other Souvenirs. This is where you can see local life of Shirazi people. You can easily spend 1 or 2 hours there.

• Vakil Mosque

The magnificent Vakil mosque in located in the west of Vakil Bazaar and near Vakil Bath. Vakil Mosque has 48 carved columns and well detailed yellow and green tile work in its portal. A beautiful Marble Minbar is another attraction of this simply beautiful mosque. According to some history books, this marble minbar is carried from Azerbaijan by the order of Karim Khan Zand.
Vakil mosque is open from 8:30 AM to 7 PM and the entrance for foreign visitors is 150,000 IRR.

• Vakil Bath

Vakil bath is both a museum and a bathhouse. In Vakil Bathhouse you can imagine how a Persian bath would have looked like. In Vakil Mosque you can see some statues which show Persians having traditional bath. These statues can recreate Iranian traditions bath very well, like how they used to spend hours in the bath house eating, gossiping and spending time. The Bathhouse in Shiraz has beautiful decorations on its ceiling which worth a visit. Vakil Bath is open or visit from 8 AM to 7 PM and the entrance is 150,000 IRR for foreign visitors.

• EAT: Polo Shirazi, Kalam Polo, Traditional Shirazian Cuisine

If you are looking for the delicious local cuisine, the Vakil Restaurant is the best choice. One of the advantages of this restaurant is that you can get the historic and tourism site easily. For instance, you can come over whole the Vakil complex and then enjoy the delicious local cuisine in there. We recommend trying Polo Shirazi and Kalam Polo, which consist of Rice and Cabbage, in this restaurant. In addition to the delicious local cuisine, the Vakil restaurant is so tidy and has beautiful interior design and is very affordable.

• Saraye Moshir

Saraye Moshir is one of the oldest Bazaar in Shiraz which was built in Qajarieh era. This beautiful and spectacular Bazaar is located in the southeast of Vakil Bazaar. The Architecture of Saraye Moshir is same as Vakil Bazaar. There is a beautiful and large pool in the middle of the courtyard that dazzle the eyes of visitors. This courtyard with its beautiful orthodox trees create a delightful space within the Bazaar.

• Arg Karim Khan

Once Shiraz city was the great capital of Iran, this place and many other attractions were built by the order of Karim Khan Zand. The Arg is large and it will take about 2 hours to visit. There are some beautiful attractions inside the castle, there is a beautiful courtyard filled with citrus trees, and an interesting tilework showing a battle between Rostam and the white demon from Shahnameh. Arg has also a museum with sculptures of Zand period.
Arg Karim Khan is located in Shohada square in Hejrat Street. Arg Karim Khan is open from 8 AM to 8 PM and the entrance for foreign visitors is 200,000 IRR.

• Eram Garden

Eram Garden is one of the most beautiful and popular Persian gardens in Iran. This beautiful UNESCO listed garden has many cypress trees, a beautiful pool and an elegant palace with a great architecture. The palace is not open to public. The best time to visit Eram Garden and probably Shiraz is during May and April when the garden is filled with flowers. From April to May, Eram Garden is open for visit from 8AM to 8PM. In autumn and winter, Eram Garden is open from 8AM to 1PM in the morning and from 2PM to 5PM in the afternoon. The entrance fee is 200000 IRR.

• Tomb of Hafez

Hafez is probably known as the most famous poets in Iran and his tomb is an important attraction for Hafez fans and lovers. Iranian believe that Hafez can see the future, so you may see many Iranians and lovers performing faal- Hafez. His poems are about love, freedom and god. As Iranian believe, every home must have 2 things: A Quran and a collection of the works of Hafez. There is a coffee shop in Hafeziyeh where you can enjoy having tea. There is also a book shop selling Hafez poems. If possible, visit Hafeziyeh in the late afternoon. Hafeziye looks as a beautiful, tranquil place in the afternoon. During spring and summer, Hafez Tomb is open from 8AM to 10PM and during autumn and winter from 8AM to 9PM. Its entrance fee is 200,000 IRR. Hafeziyeh is located in the south of Quran gate in the north east of Shiraz city.
Translation of one of the most famous Hafez Poems:
Ho! O Saki, pass around and offer the bowl (of love for God)
For love at first appeared easy, but difficulties have occurred.

• Tomb of Saadi

You can easily take a taxi from Hafeziyeh to Tomb of Saadi. It’s about 100,000 IRR. On the left side of the Tomb, there is a pool full of fishes fed by a qanat. Around the Tomb is surrounded by a beautiful garden full of flowers. Tomb of Saadi architecture is simply unique, it is designed with marble stones and beautiful azure tailings. There is a pool in front of the building, people believe if they throw coins in it their wishes will come true. A picture of The Tomb of Saadi is pictured on the 100,000 IRR Iranian Money. Tomb of Saadi is very crowded during Nowroz but it’s less crowded in the early morning and late afternoon. The entrance fee is 200,000 IRR for foreign visitors. In spring and summer, Tomb of Saadi is open from 8AM to 10PM and in autumn and winter, from 8AM to 8PM. Tomb of Saadi is located in north east of Shiraz City in Boostan Street and near Delgosha Graden.

• Faloodeh

Faloodeh is an Iranian cold dessert consisting of thin-sized noodles mixed in a semi-frozen syrup made from sugar and rose water. You can eat the most delicious and finest one in Shiraz and we recommend trying Faloodeh in Kolbe ice-cream shop. It’s close to Saadi's Tomb at Golestan Boulevard.

• Qavam House

A small Persian garden filled with orange trees. Qavam House in Shiraz city, is famous for its beautiful mirrored ceiling. Qavam House is designed with wooden ceilings and fine paintings. The walls have pink, yellow and green tile works depicting Persian women, battles and flowers. Qavam House belonged to Qavam ol molk, a Shirazi’s wealthy family. In spring and summer Qavam House is open for visit from 8AM to 8PM and during autumn and winter, from 8AM to 6 PM. The entrance fee is 200,000 IRR. There is also a gift shop in its basement selling miniature paintings and other handcrafts with good prices. Narenjestan e Qavam is located in Lotf Ali Khan Zand Street. Narenjestan Qavam, Shahcheragh Shrine and Nasir al Mulk Mosque are all located around Lotf Ali Khan Zand Street. You can visit them in a half day.

• DRINK: Herbal Flavored Syrup

You can try a variety of Herbal Flavored Syrup in Shiraz. In order to drink some of these healing syrup, you can get to the west Saheli Street. These Herbal Syrup has a lot of health benefits for the body, such as Kidney, Stomach, Heart and Nerves.

• Shah Cheragh Holy Shrine

The Shah Cheragh Holy Shrine is located next to the Ahmadi Square in Shiraz. Mir Seyyed Ahmad (known as Shah Cheraq) is the son of Imam Musa Kazem (AS) and brother of Imam Reza (AS) were buried in The Shah Cheragh Holy Shrine. The blue-tiled dome and dazzling gold-tipped minarets form a magnificent context for the Shiite rituals at this revered center of pilgrimage. The shrine has the typical Shirazi bulbous dome, intricate mirror work and four slender wooden pillars that boast near perfect proportions. Visitors are welcome to enter the courtyard in the middle of the complex and to take discreet photographs, but entrance to the shrines was not permitted to non-Muslims at the time of writing. Women must wear chador within the whole shrine complex. The Chador (The Islamic women’s dress) are available for free at the women’s entrance. It’s often open 24 hours, but, the time is variable.