Iran amazes with its colors and ancient attractions, but that’s not all. The country is fairly well developed, in spite of the prejudices that have long kept the tourists away from visiting Iran. The first thing that strikes you is perfectly smooth asphalt roads not only in Tehran but also across the country.

The roads were built on the territory of modern Iran from the V-th century BC to establish trade routes. Modern Iran, realizing the importance of the transport system, maximally developed all kinds of transport for both locals and tourists. In our today’s article, we will try to give the most useful information for tourists about transport in Iran.

Transport in Iran: Public Transport

The classical tour to Iran generally begins in Tehran, so let’s start with the public transport in the capital. The organization of public transport here strikes. There are several types of buses in Tehran – regular and high-speed. High-speed buses follow the main streets of the capital.

Major roads of Tehran have five lanes on both sides and two lanes specially reserved for high-speed buses. Special overground crosswalks help to cross the street and get to bus stop safely. High-speed buses are free.

Another unique feature of the Iranian public transport is that the transport is divided into sections, where women travel separately from men.

Long distance buses are also present in Iran, and you can travel to any city from Tehran by bus. More expensive buses provide the necessary comfort for a long journey.

Taxi in Iran is an inexpensive fun. The taxis do not have any enumerators, the price is fixed. Prices are displayed in a special box office for the prepaid fare. You can find yellow taxis for both men and women while green taxis are only for women. Do not be surprised if the taxi driver will pick up another passenger.

Transport in Iran: Metro

Metro in Tehran was built in the late 90s. Today there are 4 lines. Two branches are outside the city and they can be called suburban trains. Do not try to find a familiar symbol “M” indicating that you are close to a metro station. In Tehran, find another sign that shows the train itself. Wagons are new, very clean and comfortable. Just like the buses the subway has separate wagons for women only: men are prohibited to travel in those wagons.

Transport in Iran: Air Transport

Iran can not be called a small country; the cities are located at a distance from each other, and that is why the air transport is so well developed in the country. Iran currently uses about 60 airports (with a capacity of up to 60 million passengers per year), 10 airports are international, and the rest are used for internal and local transportation.

Both local and international airports are modern and of a high standard. Local flights are not an expensive pleasure, so both tourists and locals could well afford to travel by air, while saving time.

Transport in Iran: Railway Transport

In Iran, the railway transport has started to develop relatively late. The first major railroad that is used up today, was built in 1915 by the Ministry of Railways of the Russian Empire. The railway passed through the Russian-Persian border, and became the part of the Russian railways.

After the Iran-Iraq war, Iran started the plan for the development of railway transport. Currently, they are on stage of upgrading transport. In Iran, the railway transportation is the most economical means, so this is the most popular form of transport for both passengers and for freight.

Railways connect Iran with Iraq and Turkey. Passenger trains, though not new, they are still quite comfortable. The coupe has 6 seats, first-class car is more modern, in addition, the food is ordered into the coupe. There also operates a restaurant wagon. Finally, traveling by train is much more convenient and safer than by bus.

Transport in Iran: Water Transport

Water transport is widely used for local trade. In the north, there is the Caspian Sea, in the south – the Persian and Oman gulfs. There is only one navigable river Karun and one navigable lake Urmia.

Water transport provides 20 major oil ports and 70 small commercial ports in the country. Internal and external trade is carried out mainly by water transport, so this form of transport is the most important for the country’s economy.

Transport in Iran: Car Rental

Car rental is not as popular in the country, but every city has a car rental service. To rent a car you need to have a driver’s license of international standard. If you have a car, be prepared for extreme driving: local drivers are not committed to the rules on driving.