Iran Food Tour

Welcome to Iran! Arrive at IKA INTL Airport in Tehran, the big capital of Iran and get transferred to your hotel. After your hotel check in and meeting your guide, you can do some sightseeing in Tehran like visiting the Iran National Museum and the glorious Golestan Palace. In the evening you will join a local family to have your first Iranian home cooked meal. Tonight’s dinner will be Ghormeh Sabzi, which is a green stew with lamb pieces and beans served with rice.

You will be transferred to Mehr Abad Airport to catch a flight to Rasht the foodie capital of Iran. Rasht is located in the north of Iran, which is a very lush area located near the Caspian Sea with a high rainfall and plenty of herbs and fish, making Rasht cuisine so tasty and aromatic. Meet your host in Rasht and do some shopping in the thriving bazaar of Rasht, where you can find fresh and colorful herbs and fruits and different types of fish. Then start your cooking class in the evening and learn how to cook Mirza Ghasemi (made with barbecued eggplant, garlic, tomato and egg), Shami Kebab, or Pan Kebab and some other side dishes.

Say goodbye to northern Iran and drive to Qazvin (175 km). In the afternoon enjoy having lunch with a local family and taste Qazvin’s famous cuisine, called Gheimeh Nesar, glorious jeweled rice with mutton. In the evening, do some sightseeing in the city of Qazvin, including the Chehel Sotun palace and Imamzadeh Hossein

Drive to Kashan via Qom (340 km). In Qom visit the Sohan making factories to learn how this sweet is made. Sohan is a saffron brittle toffee made with flour, egg, rose water, and nuts, etc. Continue to Kashan and after your hotel check in, join your leader for a Kashan city tour including the historical Tabatabai House, Sultan Amir Ahmad Bathhouse and the Fin Garden.

Continue your trip to the magnificent city of Isfahan (218 km). Today you will go to a traditional sweet factory to learn about Gaz, this famous nougat made specifically in Isfahan. Gaz is mainly made of the sap of the Gazangebin bush and mixed with pistachios or almonds. In the afternoon, join your cooking class in Isfahan to cook Biryani, minced lamb cooked over a fire and served on a piece of Taftoon bread and the unique side dish of Isfahan named Khorest e mast (Yogurt stew), made with yogurt, lamb, saffron and sugar! In the evening take a walk by the Zayandeh Rood River and visit the historical bridges Si- o Se Pol and Khaju Bridge.

Today you are going to enjoy a city tour of Isfahan. Isfahan was the capital of Iran during the reign of Shah Abbas the Safavid King (16th and 17th centuries BC), who paid a lot of attention to Iran’s art and architecture. Royal palaces, glorious mosques and charming gardens were built in Isfahan and many renowned travelers and ambassadors made journeys to this city. Visit the Naqsh-e Jahan Square, the great Ali Qapu Palace, Sheikh Lotfollah and Jaame Imam Mosque and the Chehel Sotun Palace, which are all protected by UNESCO as world heritage sites. Then take a stroll through the old handicrafts bazaar around this square and finish your city tour by tasting Doogh and Gooshfil, exotic snacks at the famous tea house of the bazaar.

Enjoy a road trip through the central desert and drive to the historical city of Yazd (320 km), famous for its labyrinth of old alleys and mud brick houses and this old neighborhood is protected by UNESCO. Enjoy a city walking tour and visit the Zoroastrain legacies including the Tower of Silence and the Fire Temple and then visit the old city district, Amir Chakhmaq Square and the Jaame Mosque of Yazd. With numerous sweet factories and confectioneries making a variety of traditional and tasty sweets with special recipes, Yazd is also known as the city of sweets! Visit a traditional sweet workshop and taste Iranian Baklava, Pashmak (Iranian cotton candy), and Ghotab. In the evening join your cooking class and learn how to cook Gheyme Yazdi.

Early in the morning start your road trip to Shiraz (440 km), and on the way visit Pasargadae the ancient capital of Cyrus the great, which is protected as a world heritage site by UNESCO. In the evening visit the historical Zand complex including the Karimkhan Citadel, Vakil Mosque and the thriving Vakil Bazaar where you will find a lot of Iranian spices and dried herbs. Then taste some traditional ice cream made in Shiraz with fresh milk, rose water and nuts and the amazing fizzy desert of this city called Faloodeh. You will also get familiar with the herbal drinks of Shiraz and hear about their hot and cold essence theory of herbs and foods.

Today you will have an excursion to Persepolis (60 km) the fabulous legacy of the Achaemenid kings, but before that you will visit the charming Nasir al Molk Mosque known as the Pink Mosque. The ruins of Persepolis belong to the ceremonial city of Parseh with glorious palaces, bass reliefs and high columns. You will also visit the Necropolis and the ancient tombs of the Achamenid kings above the amazing Sassanid bass reliefs. Drive back to Shiraz and after visiting the Tomb of Hafez (the great Persian poet), learn to cook Kalam Polo with a local chef and enjoy it as your dinner. Kalam Polo (cabbage rice), which is the traditional cuisine of Shiraz, is a mixture of small meat balls cabbage and rice, which is a specialty in Shiraz.

Drive to the southern Iran to visit Bushehr (296 km), a famous port on the Persian Gulf. Bushehr is the city of warmhearted people, energetic southern music and spicy sea food! In the afternoon enjoy your last cooking class and see how the locals of Bushehr cook their most amazing dish, called Ghaliyeh Mahi. This fish stew is made with aromatic herbs like parsley and lots of garlic and spices. Tonight you can spend some time at a beach park and meet the locals.

After a city walking tour and getting acquainted with this city’s magnificent architecture, you will be transferred to the airport for your flight back to Tehran. In Tehran you will be transferred to IKA INTL Airport for your flight home. In case your departure flight is from Shiraz, you can also catch a Bushehr-Shiraz domestic flight.