Erbil

Erbil (Hawlêr in Kurdish and also transliterated as Arbil) is the capital and largest city in Iraqi Kurdistan, and the fourth-largest city in Iraq. It is one of the oldest continually-inhabited sites of human civilization, and is also a rapidly-growing and urbanizing center for the oil industry and NGOs in the Middle East.

Districts

 * Old Erbil The historic and geographic center of the city. Home to most major tourist sights, including the Citadel, Qayseri Bazaar, and museums, as well as many government offices.
 * South Erbil Neighbourhoods immediately south of the old city include Minaret Park, Shanidar Park, and Iskan Street.
 * Northwest Erbil Brand-new developments between 60 Meter Road and 100 Meter Road, west of Ankawa include many of the city's restaurants and hotels, as well as Sami Park and many upscale villa and apartment communities.
 * Northeast Erbil Developments east of Ankawa and outside 60 Meter Road include Erbil's three major shopping malls, hotels and restaurants, and sprawling, brand-new villas and apartment towers.
 * American Village On the eastern outskirts of Erbil, this community contains a large number of foreign companies and workers as well as a popular bar.
 * Komari Where the stadium is located.
 * Ankawa Christian suburb to the north of the city and close to the airport, home to most of the city's bars, many hotels, and a large expatriate community.

Climate
Erbil has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Csa), meaning it has extremely hot summers and cool wet winters. January is the wettest month.

Visas
Comprehensive and up to date info on visa requirements and cost can be found in the article Iraqi Kurdistan under Get in.

By plane

 * Austrian Airlines has flights between Vienna and Erbil on a daily basis.
 * Turkish Airlines and Iraqi Airways fly to Istanbul daily or almost-daily. Pegasus flies three times a week to Ankara; Turkish and Pegasus also fly to Antalya during summer.
 * Middle East Airlines flies to Erbil from Beirut on 7 flights per week.
 * Royal Jordanian has daily flights to Amman, while Iraqi Airways has several flights a week to Amman.
 * Qatar Airways flies 4 times a week between Erbil and Doha.
 * FlyDubai has flights to Dubai daily, while Emirates flies twice a week to Dubai.
 * Lufthansa flies two weekly round-trip flights from Frankfurt.
 * Lufthansa flies two weekly round-trip flights from Frankfurt.

Other destinations are served with less frequent flights. In Europe, destinations with at least weekly flights include Berlin (Iraqi Airways), Dusseldorf (Iraqi Airways), Copenhagen (Iraqi Airways), London (Iraqi Airways). Egypt Air has flights four times a week to Cairo, while Mahan Air has three flights weekly to Tehran. Iraqi Airways provides frequent flights to other parts of Iraq, but the security situation in these places is rarely safe even for experienced travellers.

By bus


There are many Iranian bus companies that run services connecting Iran to Erbil. This is about 916 km or 10 hours. There are many cities in Iran that connect to Erbil by bus including Tehran, Isfahan, Tabriz, Shiraz, Kurdistan, and Ahwaz. The VIP buses travel from Tehran to Erbil every day, 2 buses per day. If you move to Erbil by bus, you should stop in Piranshahr city, at the Iran-Iraq border, to show your passport. If you have an Iranian passport, you don't need a visa to cross the border. Companies include
 * Seyr O Safar (Seyr O Safar : +982144648484)

Bus companies also connect Erbil to Diyarbakir in Turkey (10–15 hours) and Istanbul (36–48 hours). You can find ticket offices of most of these companies at Erbil International Terminal. Arrival time depends on border formalities (around 1 hour from Turkey to Iraq in May 2019 and 2 hours back to Turkey).


 * Cizre Nuh (Tel Erbil: 0750 340 47 73)
 * Can Diyarbakir (Tel Erbil: 0750 895 62 17-18-19)

Get around
Public transportation is available in the form of taxis and some bus routes, but automobiles are the main mode of transportation. Compared with other cities in the Middle East, shared taxis and buses are very infrequent and impractical. If you don't know your way around or have a guide with local knowledge it is inadvisable to try public transportation alone. In terms of taxis there are several choices:



Talk
Almost everyone can hold a basic conversation in Arabic. Many people (especially the young) can also speak English, and may well prefer this, as some regard Arabic as a colonialist language, associated with painful episodes in Kurdish history.

See




Parks




Do

 * Stroll around in the deserted city inside the citadel in the centre of Erbil. Hundreds of houses that appears to have been abandoned in a hurry. Walk into the court yards, sleeping rooms and bed rooms or up to the rooftop terraces to enjoy a spectacular panorama of Erbil or ponder what life might have been in this place before the inhabitants were repopulated.
 * In season, see the Erbil SC football team play a match at Franso Hariri Stadium, south of the city center. Erbil SC is a regular winner in the Iraqi Premiere League, runner-up in the Asian Football Cup, and beloved by many locals.
 * Explore Erbil's nascent local art scene at the Shanadar Gallery, in Shandar Park, then take in Kurdish, Arab, and Persian music at one of the many restaurant/show venues in the city.

Eat
Many good restaurants exist in Erbil. However, the vast majority serve kebabs and chicken, with some Lebanese and Turkish restaurants. Options for foreign food are limited. Most restaurants, except those in high-end hotels, do not serve alcohol or accept credit cards.

Drink


You can buy a wide variety of beer, wine and liquor at pretty reasonable prices in Ainkawa, the Christian suburb of Irbil. Just look for any of the local liquor stores. A litre of Jack Daniels for about US$22 is cheaper than in Tennessee where it is bottled! Remember that Erbil is a predominantly Muslim city: drinking in public is unacceptable and public drunkenness is frowned upon.

In addition, the bars at the major luxury hotels (such as the Divan and the Rotana) are popular gathering spots.



Sleep
There is an active couchsurfing community in Erbil, which offers a low cost alternative for hotels if you only plan to stay a few days in Erbil.

Consulates

 * 🇨🇳 China
 * 🇷🇴 Romania

Go next
Sulaymaniyah is an easy 2-3 hour drive. Described as the centre of education and culture in Kurdistan. The city features the best museums in Iraqi Kurdistan, good hotels and a number of pleasant parks including Chavvy Land.