Shiraz



Shiraz (Persian: شیراز) is the capital city of the Fars province and a treasure trove of Persian culture. It was the capital of Iran during the Zand dynasty's era (1747–79), and is the celebrated birthplace of the great Persian poets Hafiz and Saadi. The city has a population of about 1,500,000. In previous centuries, Shiraz was famous as a locally produced wine, although this has no connection to the modern Shiraz (or Syrah) wine, which is of French origin.

By plane
has regular flights to all major and some smaller cities in Iran. There are International flights to Istanbul, Kuala Lumpur, Dubai, Sharjah, Bahrain, Kuwait, Doha.

Turkish Airlines is operating weekly 4 direct flights from Istanbul to Shiraz and back.

By train
There are several trains per day to Tehran, travel time is 10-15 hours, and costs 700,000-1,500,000 rials (as of 2017).



By bus
From Tehran, many buses depart from South Terminal. Costs around 600,000 rials and takes around 12 hours.

From Isfahan, many buses depart from Soffe Terminal (the southern terminal of Isfahan). Costs around 300,000 rials and takes around 6 hours.

From Yazd about 10-15 buses a day, 5 hours.

From Kerman several buses per day, 8 hours.

By car
Motorways connect the city to Isfahan, Kerman, Bushehr, Ahvaz and Yasouj, and Bandar-e Abbas is reachable by highway.

Get around
For non-Iranian visitors, taxis are probably the most convenient means of transport. However be sure to haggle for a good price prior to getting into the car, average fare inside the city 50,000-100,000 rials (as of 2017).

If an unmarked car stops while you are hailing a taxi, don't be alarmed. Many taxis in Shiraz are unmarked and also as a means to supplement their income, is not uncommon to find private car owners touting themselves as taxis.

However, it is always best to find a taxi through a reputable "telephone taxi" agency. For a set fee, drivers of these agencies will take passengers to their destination, drive them around town and also wait for them while they shop or run errands. All hotels and local residents will have a phone number of one these agencies. There are also taxis driven by women that specifically cater to women passengers.

The most secure way (if you have mobile internet) will be to use the taxi app called Snapp. With Snapp you can see the exact price before ordering the taxi and you can also call a taxi driven by women.

The city also has a reasonable bus service.

The city has two metro lines open, as of May 2024: They intersect at Imam Hossein Sq.
 * Line 1 runs between Ehsan on the north side of the city and the airport in the south of the city.
 * Line 2 runs between Imam Hossein (Zand Street) and Heroes (Mianrud).

Talk
Don't hesitate to talk to people, especially youths. Almost all of them speak English well enough to talk to you, answer your questions and chat with you. Respect the Iranian government(Of course, most of the local people hate the government, but don't talk for political caution). and do not air condescending views of Iran.

Gardens










Buy
Shops usually open 09:00-13:00 and 17:00-21:00. It is customary to haggle for a discount, which is referred to as a takhfeef.

Shopping malls

 * Setareh Fars Shopping Center, Afifabad Blv.
 * Setareh Fars Shopping Center, Afifabad Blv.
 * Setareh Fars Shopping Center, Afifabad Blv.
 * Setareh Fars Shopping Center, Afifabad Blv.

Money exchange
Exchange rates offered in local safaris are 10-15% higher than the official bank rate.

Local specialties



 * Kebab with rice - Like elsewhere in Iran, the mighty old kebab with rice is a common fare, though Shiraz does offer a local variation on the national dish.
 * Shirazi salad - A delicious and famous salad available throughout Iran, made with cucumbers, tomatoes, onions and a simple lemon juice and olive oil dressing.
 * Kalam polo - Traditional food cooked only in Shiraz. Some delivery food restaurants serve this food, but it can hardly be found in normal restaurants. It is made of rice, meatballs, chopped cabbage and some other vegetables and spices.
 * Ash-e Sabzi - Ash-e Sabzi or Ash-e Shirazi is a kind of soup made of vegetables and meat. It is served all over the city, but mainly early in the morning, 05:00-07:30.
 * Masghati Halva - A great dessert and snack.
 * Nokhod (Chickpea) Cookie - Delicious cookie made of chickpeas, it makes for great souvenirs.
 * Shirazi Faloodeh - Paloodeh/Faloodeh is an ice cream made of rice starch, which takes the form of noodles. It is flavored with "sharbat" (sugar water), which can be of different flavors. Shirazi paloodeh is the best of its kind, especially when mixed with Bahar-e-Naranj Distill.

Restaurants
Many of these places have live music playing.


 * Lotus Restaurant, on the 13th floor of Pars International Hotel
 * Lotus Restaurant, on the top floor of Setareh-e-Fars Shopping Centre
 * Soofi Restaurant, traditional restaurant located at Sattarkhan St.
 * Noor, Lebanese restaurant, Chamran Blv
 * Soofi Restaurant, traditional restaurant located at Sattarkhan St.
 * Noor, Lebanese restaurant, Chamran Blv
 * Noor, Lebanese restaurant, Chamran Blv
 * Noor, Lebanese restaurant, Chamran Blv

Fast food
You can find at least one fast food parlor in every street of Shiraz.


 * Bagro, experience the real taste of pizza and sandwich in a lovely place
 * Givani, modern restaurant offering Burgers, FC, Pizza
 * Safir SFC, another Modern themed restaurant
 * Exis, Italian and Mexican fast foods
 * Sand, a lovely fast food with a unique interior design
 * Zaver, great Italian pizzas

Cafés
You can find coffee shops of every size, at shopping centres and on the main streets.


 * Brentin, Sattarkhan Blv
 * Blensi, Dena Building, Moali abad Blv
 * Wafi, Dena Building, Moali abad Blv
 * Parmin, Parmin Building, Moali abad Blv
 * Tulip, Khakshenasi st
 * Safir, Ghasr dasht st
 * Soofi, Chencheneh Intersection

Food gardens
There are a lot of gardens out of Shiraz, and many have been remodeled as restaurants. Most have live music playing in the evenings and offer great view.


 * Nakhlestan Garden
 * Padra Garden, relatively new
 * Darband Garden
 * Silvia Garden

Drink
Traditionally, Shiraz was known for producing high-quality wines, and had a thriving wine industry, though this was shut down after alcohol was banned following the Islamic Revolution in 1979. That said, the Christian and Jewish minorities are allowed to ferment limited quantities of wine for personal consumption and religious ceremonies, and you may get a chance to try the local wine if you have local Christian or Jewish friends. Even some local Muslims continue to clandestinely consume local wine obtained from the black market. For more information on typical drinks in Iran, see Iran


 * Distills - Shiraz has many kinds of aromatic distills.
 * Taropood Art Gallery, behind the national museum. Art gallery with a nice cafe attached to it. Regular free exhibitions as well (updated Oct 2016).
 * Taropood Art Gallery, behind the national museum. Art gallery with a nice cafe attached to it. Regular free exhibitions as well (updated Oct 2016).

Budget
There are a few budget hotels about 200 m south of the roundabout at Arg-é Karim Khan.

Stay safe

 * Shiraz is the safest city in all of Iran, and Fars province is also the safest province in Iran
 * See also the information at Iran.

Emergency services

 * Police: 110
 * Fire Assistance : 125
 * EMS: 115
 * Road EMS: 115 or 112

Go next

 * Firouzabad &mdash; revived old town destroyed by Alexander of Macedonia. With two stumbling palaces of those days: Qal'eh Dokhtar and Castle of Ardeshir e Babakan.
 *  Jahrom, to the south of Shiraz
 * Isfahan
 * Kerman
 * Margoon Waterfall &mdash; 70 meter high and 100 meter wide waterfall
 * Pasargad was a Persian capital built by Cyrus the Great in the 6th century BC. Around 500 BC, Darius I built a new capital at Persepolis 50 km away. Both are now listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List and are near Shiraz. Pasargad has the limestone tomb of Cyrus and the 'prison' of Solomon. 200.00 rials (Oct 0219)
 * Persepolis &mdash; a historical site 60 km north of Shiraz that used to be a ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire. The earliest remains of Persepolis date back to 515 BC.
 * Yazd