Yazd

Yazd is a desert city in central Iran and the capital of the Yazd province. It is an ancient city dating back to the Sassanian period (224-651 AD). It is nicknamed "the City of Windcatchers" in Persian, and in 2017, this city of 530,000 people (2016) was listed by as a.

Get in
Yazd is midway between Isfahan and Kerman, 689 km (427 miles) south east of Tehran. Yazd is well connected to the rest of the country by planes, trains and buses.

By bus
Buses come from Shiraz (300,000 rials, 5-6 hours), Na'in (150,000 rials, 2½ hours), Isfahan (260,000 rials, 4 hours).

Getting there: public buses depart every 15 min and cost 10,000 rials (the bus stop is by a little white hut, in front of the bus station) to the pretty close to the city centre. From there you can get a bus virtually to any part of Yazd, including old town area. Taxi: there is a taxi booth in front of the bus station, taxi to the old town costs 150,000 rials (as of 2017).

By plane
There are International flights to Dubai, and daily flights to Tehran and Mashhad.

By train
Yazd stands on the railway line connecting Tehran and Kerman (6 hr), passing Kashan (3-4 hr). Several trains per day including one overnight one. There is also one train daily which passes Isfahan (3-4 hr). There is no train connection to Shiraz.



By taxi
Taxi to Na'in costs 1,200,000 rials (besides, it's possible to go there via Chak Chak and Meybod sights which will cost then - about 2,000,000 rials), to Isfahan - 2,200,000 rials.

Get around
Most sights are in the old town near the Friday Mosque. You can easily walk between them on foot and enjoy the rabbit warren of old passages and buildings as you do so. Get a good map from your hotel.

By foot
Most places in the old town are within easy walking distance from each other.

By bus
Local buses are also available, work with a pre-paid card.

By taxi
Taxis are inexpensive, 50,000-100,000 rials per ride anywhere inside the city. Motorcycle taxis are another fast and cheap way to move around the city but try to settle on a price beforehand.

Snapp (like Uber) is cheap and efficient.

See




Do

 * Walk around in the historic neighbourhoods and relax in the parks. You can also hike up in the beautiful mountains of Yazd and enjoy a spectacular view of the city. If you are the more social type, relax in the cafes and chat with local Iranians. Most likely, they will be very interested in talking with you.

Buy
Yazd is famous in Iran for its various handicrafts, such as carpet, silk fabrics and cashmere. A good place for these is bazaar, where also can be found snacks such as nougat and cashews. It is also famous for its sweets and confectionery most notable of which is haj khalife located near the chaqmaq gate.



Eat
For a friendlier and more cultural atmosphere try Persian restaurants. Many restaurants serve the standard Iranian kebabas. There are a few international restaurants in Yazd which serve Italian, Indian, Arabian and Mexican food.

The traditional restaurant and tea house of Kohan Hotel serves various Iranian traditional dishes such as fessenjun, gheime as well as some European and Indian dishes. It has a nice atmosphere and is located near the Alexander Prison.

Drink
For typical drinks available in Iran, see Iran

Sleep
It is best to stay in the old town near the Friday Mosque, from which you can walk to most sights. There are many decent hotels to choose from. A number of traditional houses have been converted into atmospheric hotels. Some are good and others not so much. Many of them offer clean comfortable rooms encircling peaceful central courtyards where you can eat, drink tea or puff away on a ghalyan while gazing at the sky.

Go next

 * Isfahan &mdash; the ancient city which is a little bit more cultural and beautiful than Yazd
 * Na’in &mdash; a small desert town north of Yazd
 * Varzaneh &mdash; town northeast of Yazd with a beautiful desert 12 km away from it. Besides, it has number of historical buildings