GETTING TO IRAN
BY AIR: A large majority of tourists, businessmen and even Muslim pilgrims coming to Iran now travel by plane. The national airline company, the Airline of the Islamic Republic of Iran (Iran Air), has international services to Paris, London, Hamburg, Geneva, Frankfurt, Rome, Athens, Istanbul and Moscow in Europe; to Kabul, Karachi, Rawilpindi, Bombay, Shanghai, Peking, Malaysia, Tokyo and neighboring Persian Gulf nations in Asia. Iran Air's fleet is large enough but other European, American, African, and Asian airline companies stop over in Tehran, traditionally a crossroads, is thus linked every day to the rest of the world.
Fixed-program organized package tours were for a long time about
the only kind of tourism practiced in Iran by Westerners. Or,
in other words, it was the only possible one. The main failing
of these trips is the very limited choice of tours. However,
the individual travelers, on arriving in Tehran will find a fairly
large number of travel agencies capable of organizing his/her
stay (reservations, self-drive cars, interpreter-guides, etc.).
Most of them arrange package tours covering half a dozen major
beauty-spots. Even for those who plan to travel independently,
these rapid and superficial excursions are worthwhile since they
enable you to gain a general impression, to spot places where
you would like to spend more time, to get acquainted with traffic
regulations and hotel procedure, and so on.
BY ROAD: Any driver with some experience of long-distance driving can take out without apprehension for Iran in any car in good mechanical conditions. He should have a small reserve of petrol, oil, and water and a couple of spare tires.
All itineraries converging upon Istanbul are good. More than
half the journey is carried out on motorways. Istanbul is about
half way to Tehran form Europe. Travel in Turkey may seem a bit
slow with its sharp slopes, sometimes harsh climate, long laps
and mountain dwellers still well accustomed to tourists and motor
traffic. Modern halts with sleeping facilities have been set
up along the main itineraries. There are sufficient petrol facilities
and the beauty of the site - untouched Mediterranean coastline,
the Anatolian plateau, the approaches of the Caucasus and the
picturesque towns and villages - soon make you forget the length
of the journey.
BY SEA: A handy way of reducing by at least one third of the length of the journey from Paris, London or Hamburg is to load the car at Venice or Brindisi on the "Truva" Turkish-run car ferry. This solution is particularly convenient on the way back. A mini-cruise on the Aegean and Adratic can be very relaxing.
Another very pleasant itinerary could be through Russia: Ukraine,
the Don river, the Soci Riviera, the Caucasus mountains and the
Republic of Azarbaijan entering Iran at Jolfa. Certain travelers
can choose one of the many Iranian ports on the country's southern
shores and enter Iran through Bandar-e Abbas, Khorramshahr, or
Abadan (both under reconstruction at present).
BY RAIL: The final portion of a railroad which connects
an inhabitant of Glasgow, Groningen, or Frankfurt to Iran was
inaugurated in 28 September 1971. Thus the tourist has the possibility
of traveling to Iran in a sleeper if he/she so desires. The journey,
say from Paris, takes five and a half days through Milan, Zagreb,
Sofia, Istanbul, Ankara, Van Lake which is crossed on a ferry-boat.
The London-Tehran trip takes 150 hours, Munich-Tehran 121 hours.
Jl. HOS Cokroaminoto 110, Menteng, Jakarta 10310
Phone : +62-21-31931378, 31931391, Fax : +62-21-3107860
E-mail : irembjkt@indo.net.id