| | Location | Day | Afternoon | Night | Remarks |
| 5th June | Singapore/Tehran | Singapore - Tehran | Transfer from IKA to Tehran | Transfer to Khayyam Hotel? USD 35 for 5 pax | |
| 6th June | Tehran | Archaelogical Museum | Islamic Museum, Glass and ceramic Museum | Free | I am assuming there is no night life other than bazaars in town |
| 7th June | Tehran | Saadabad Palace, Golestan Palace | National Jewels Museum (2 - 4pm), Carpet Museum | Free | Besides we have to wake up early everyday in Iran |
| 8th June | Tehran/Yazd | 10 Hour Bus Ride | Free | Free | Looking at the map, it would make sense to go to Yazd (2nd furthest from Tehran) |
| 9th June | Yazd | Towers of Silence | Free | Free | |
| 10th June | Yazd | Free | Free | Free | |
| 11th June | Yazd/Shiraz | 7 Hour Bus Ride | Free | Free | Shiraz is the furthest from Tehran and a worthwhile place to visit |
| 12th June | Shiraz | Persepolis | Free | Free | |
| 13th June | Shiraz | Free | Free | Free | |
| 14th June | Shiraz/Esfahan | Shiraz - Yazd - Esfahan (7 + 5 Hours Bus ride) | I see roads connecting Shiraz to Esfahan but no buses | Free | Esfahan is nearest to Tehran |
| 15th June | Esfahan | Imam Square/Imam Mosque | Zoroastrian Fire Temple | Free | |
| 16th June | Esfahan | Free | Free | Free | |
| 17th June | Esfahan/Tabriz | 16 Hour Bus Ride | Free | There's nothing much in Tabriz except that its' the last major city for travllers crossing into Turkey | |
| 18th June | Tabriz/Dogubiyazit | Tabriz - Maku - Bazargan - Dogubiyazit (4 Hours Bus - 30 Mins Bus - 60 to 90 mins Customs - 45 Mins) | Free | No sightseeing here as we are crossing for the sake of extending our visas? | |
| 19th June | Dogubiyazit/Tabriz | Dogubiyazit - Bazargan - Maku - Tabriz ( 45 Mins - 60 to 90 Mins Customs - 30 Mins Bus - 4 Hours Bus) | Free | There and back. Nuff' said. | |
| 20th June | Tabriz/Tehran | 10 Hours Bus ride | Free | Free | Maybe we could squeeze in Mount Arafat in the small buffer |
| 21st June | Tehran | Buffer | Buffer | Buffer | 1 Buffer day is all we can afford in 17 days |
| 22nd June | Tehran/KL | Buffer | Transfer to IKA from Tehran | Tehran/KL | We would want to be in Tehran in the morning, takes 2 hours to go IKA and our flight is around 7pm |
| 23rd June | Tehran/KL/Singapore | Arrive In Singapore @ 1055hrs | |||
| List of Tehran Places | List of Esfahan Places | List of Yazd Places | List of Shiraz Places | ||
| Archaelogical Museum | Imam Square/Imam Mosque | Main Bazaar | Persepolis | ||
| Glass and Ceramics Museum | Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque | Towers of Silence | Tomb of Hafez and Saadi | ||
| Islamic Museum | Ali Qapu Palace | Kharanaq | Naqsh-e Rotam | ||
| Carpet Museum | Bozorg Bazaar | Jameh Mosque | Afifabad Garden | ||
| Saadabad Palace | Chehel Sotun Palace | Ateshkade | Eram Garden | ||
| Golestan Palace | Shaking Minarets | Amir Chakhmaq Complex | Vakil Mosque | ||
| National Jewels Museum | Vank Cathedral | Doulat Abat Garden | Ali Ebne Hamzeh Mausoleum | ||
| Abyaneh Village (En route to Esfahan) | Madrase-Ye Chabar Bagh | ||||
| Kashan (En route to Esfahan) | Zayandeh River Bridges | ||||
| Friday Mosque | |||||
| Zoroastrian Fire Temple | |||||
| HIGHLY RECOMMENDED | |||||
| Sources | |||||
| http://www.babakoto.eu/Articles/Iran/Turkey-Iran/Turkey-Iran-English.htm | |||||
| http://www.thelongestwayhome.com/resources/overland/turkey%20to%20iran%20overland.html | |||||
| : http://www.outtheresomewhere.ca/turkey/crossing-the-border-from-turkey-into-iran/ | |||||
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Itinerary 1st Draft!
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Turkey Route - Invalid
Assuming we cross the Iran border early.
Day 1
Arrive in Turkey (0800) from Iran at Dogubayazit - Mount Ararat (Day 1)
We can choose to stay at Dogubayazit to view Mount Ararat. Otherwise, a transfer to Van would take approx 2.5h. (http://www.allaboutturkey.com/tur-ararat.htm and http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Middle_East/Turkey/Agri_Ili/Dogubayazit-1844604/Transportation-Dogubayazit-TG-C-1.html). We leave Dogubayazit at 0800 on day 2 morning.
O/N in Dogubayazit
Day 2 Dogu-Van
Van(1000) - Lake Van (Day 2 morning, choosing to stay a night in Dogubayazit)
We arrive at van early at 1000 by chartered vehicle. The biggest lake in turkey with astonishing views. Trails across snow-capped peaks are accessible as well. From here, we can take a ferry to tatvan, if there is a train station in tatvan. the ferry ride is 6h(http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/travellers-advisories-safety-security-road/bordercrossing-iran-turkey-iraq-train-47179). Otherwise, a confirmed train will depart from Van at 1612 arriving at Malatya at 1654. Most likely we can find a chartered vehicle willing to take us all the way to Kayseri (nearest train station to Cappadocia)
O/N in Van
Day 3 Van - Malatya - Kayseri
Malatya (1654) - Nothing interesting (Day 3 afternoon)
Here, the next train to Kayseri is at 1937. I think there is a straight train from Van to Kayseri but i couldnt find any. Departing at 1937 and arriving at Kayseri at 0441.
Day 3 night on train from Malatya 1937 to Kayseri
Day 4 Kayseri
From here, we will find a vehicle to bring us to Ugrup, the nearest nicest town to base ourselves before we explore the cappadocia and goreme. (http://www.thereareplaces.com/newguidebook/pdest/tupts.htm) It takes an hour to travel from Kayseri to Ugrup by car.(http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/go/CentralAnatolia/Kayseri/trans/times.html)
Ugrup (0800) - Cappadocia+Goreme Valley (Day 4 morning)
We will spend 1 night here to visit cave houses etc. Nice scenery here. On day 5 afternoon at 1600, we will take a vehicle back to Kayseri to board the train(buy tickets when we first arrive at kayseri) that departs at 2033 to arrive at 1311 at haydarpasa station in Istanbul.
O/N in Keyseri
Day 5 Keyseri - Istanbul
Istanbul (1311) - Sure got things to see (Day 6 morning)
We are finally here in the afternoon of day 6.
Note
This is a highly compacted schedule for turkey and we can allocate more days depending on the Iran side of the trip.
All train schedule obtained from https://etcdd.tcdd.gov.tr/tcddrezwebapproot/danismatcddservlet?ulkeid=ENG
The transit at Malatya might not happen if we are able to find a direct train service.
We have a total of 17 days for this trip.
Day 1
Arrive in Turkey (0800) from Iran at Dogubayazit - Mount Ararat (Day 1)
We can choose to stay at Dogubayazit to view Mount Ararat. Otherwise, a transfer to Van would take approx 2.5h. (http://www.allaboutturkey.com/tur-ararat.htm and http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Middle_East/Turkey/Agri_Ili/Dogubayazit-1844604/Transportation-Dogubayazit-TG-C-1.html). We leave Dogubayazit at 0800 on day 2 morning.
O/N in Dogubayazit
Day 2 Dogu-Van
Van(1000) - Lake Van (Day 2 morning, choosing to stay a night in Dogubayazit)
We arrive at van early at 1000 by chartered vehicle. The biggest lake in turkey with astonishing views. Trails across snow-capped peaks are accessible as well. From here, we can take a ferry to tatvan, if there is a train station in tatvan. the ferry ride is 6h(http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/travellers-advisories-safety-security-road/bordercrossing-iran-turkey-iraq-train-47179). Otherwise, a confirmed train will depart from Van at 1612 arriving at Malatya at 1654. Most likely we can find a chartered vehicle willing to take us all the way to Kayseri (nearest train station to Cappadocia)
O/N in Van
Day 3 Van - Malatya - Kayseri
Malatya (1654) - Nothing interesting (Day 3 afternoon)
Here, the next train to Kayseri is at 1937. I think there is a straight train from Van to Kayseri but i couldnt find any. Departing at 1937 and arriving at Kayseri at 0441.
Day 3 night on train from Malatya 1937 to Kayseri
Day 4 Kayseri
From here, we will find a vehicle to bring us to Ugrup, the nearest nicest town to base ourselves before we explore the cappadocia and goreme. (http://www.thereareplaces.com/newguidebook/pdest/tupts.htm) It takes an hour to travel from Kayseri to Ugrup by car.(http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/go/CentralAnatolia/Kayseri/trans/times.html)
Ugrup (0800) - Cappadocia+Goreme Valley (Day 4 morning)
We will spend 1 night here to visit cave houses etc. Nice scenery here. On day 5 afternoon at 1600, we will take a vehicle back to Kayseri to board the train(buy tickets when we first arrive at kayseri) that departs at 2033 to arrive at 1311 at haydarpasa station in Istanbul.
O/N in Keyseri
Day 5 Keyseri - Istanbul
Istanbul (1311) - Sure got things to see (Day 6 morning)
We are finally here in the afternoon of day 6.
Note
This is a highly compacted schedule for turkey and we can allocate more days depending on the Iran side of the trip.
All train schedule obtained from https://etcdd.tcdd.gov.tr/tcddrezwebapproot/danismatcddservlet?ulkeid=ENG
The transit at Malatya might not happen if we are able to find a direct train service.
We have a total of 17 days for this trip.
Singaporean in Iran
Nope, we were not in any difficult situation in Iran. Not at all. Our trip was very smooth and enjoyable. We did not even encounter any protest throughout our 10 days in Iran.
Our ticket costed $1.3k return on emirates.
Getting from town to town in Iran is most convenient by bus as some bigger cities such as Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz has more frequent bus services. Plus you can save on accom by taking a night bus also.
Have fun planning for the trip, it is a very nice country to visit. I am sure u guys will enjoy it as much as we had.
regards :)
On 19-Mar-2011, at 7:12 PM, Chanzl wrote:
> Hi,
>
> Did u get caught in any difficult situation? We are quite worried about protests in Iran. Were you in the area when the major protests were taking place?
>
> We are planning to take airasia from sin to kl den from kl to Tehran by airasia again. How much was your airticket? In Iran we are still planning our route but most likely we will be taking bus around. Is it okay for us to do that?
>
> Hope you are enjoying your trip!
>
> Thank you!
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Mar 19, 2011, at 16:06, Kok Kiong Tongwrote:
>
>> Hi there,
>>
>> At the time that we were there, it is very peaceful. I guess is partly due to the Iranians are preparing for their new year, so they dun have much time to go around protest. However on our first night, we were told that there was a minor protest. Nothing much has been reported about it and we din even know about it until our guide in Shiraz told us about the protest. The rest of our trip was very quiet and peaceful. We get alot of curious looks asking where we were from.
>>
>> I have seen your blog, you guys are visiting quite a number of places. Are you guys going on bus from town to town in Iran? As air travel although cheap and fast needs at least 3 days booking and we can't just walk in to buy tickets like what we would do in Sg.
>>
>> You question about airline allowing you to board without a visa, Iran is unlike places like australia, we got on our plane with no visa either and we flew from sg to tehran. it is alright i guess. We flew by emirates as they have more flighs to tehran from sg daily (3 flights per day) and easier for us to plan our time.
>>
>> regards
>> KK
>>
>> On 19-Mar-2011, at 3:52 PM, Chanzl wrote:
>>
>>> Hi!
>>>
>>> Thank you so much for your information. It is really very helpful. My group of friends are actually planning to arrive at Tehran and cross border to turkey in June. We were wondering how is the situation in Iran now? I'd it safe?
>>>
>>> Hope to receive your link soon! You can check our website at vsnpccfusionoize.blogspot.com for information on our coming trip to Iran-turkey we have posted.
>>>
>>> Thanks so so much!
>>> Zhan liang
>>>
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>
>>> On Mar 19, 2011, at 2:54, Kok Kiong Tongwrote:
>>>
>>>> Hi Zhan liang,
>>>>
>>>> Sry for the late reply as I did a Dubai stopover after my Iran trip and just touched down today. We were quite surprise about the visa process in Iran when we landed there. There is no need to apply for any visa at all, no need to even pay 50 euros to get the visa on arrival that you might have read abt on some forums. What happened to us was we went to the Visa on arrival counter in IKA, the guy was shock tat we even went to him. He then told us to go to immigration control (the counters tat u get ur passports stamped). We followed his instructions and the customs guy at the immigration control simply see our passport, keyed into the computer and then stamped our passport. The whole process takes less then 2 mins, even faster then going to malaysia. There isn't any immigration cards for us to fill as well. Wif our passport we can stay in Iran up to 15 days. I am now in the midst of writing up my travel blog on my Iranian trip. I will be happy to share with u the link once it is done.
>>>>
>>>> meanwhile do not hesitate to ask any questions abt traveling to Iran, I'll try my best to reply u
>>>>
>>>> have fun,
>>>> regards
>>>> KK
>>>> (aka diviva on tripadvisor)
>>
>>
Our ticket costed $1.3k return on emirates.
Getting from town to town in Iran is most convenient by bus as some bigger cities such as Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz has more frequent bus services. Plus you can save on accom by taking a night bus also.
Have fun planning for the trip, it is a very nice country to visit. I am sure u guys will enjoy it as much as we had.
regards :)
On 19-Mar-2011, at 7:12 PM, Chanzl wrote:
> Hi,
>
> Did u get caught in any difficult situation? We are quite worried about protests in Iran. Were you in the area when the major protests were taking place?
>
> We are planning to take airasia from sin to kl den from kl to Tehran by airasia again. How much was your airticket? In Iran we are still planning our route but most likely we will be taking bus around. Is it okay for us to do that?
>
> Hope you are enjoying your trip!
>
> Thank you!
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Mar 19, 2011, at 16:06, Kok Kiong Tong
>
>> Hi there,
>>
>> At the time that we were there, it is very peaceful. I guess is partly due to the Iranians are preparing for their new year, so they dun have much time to go around protest. However on our first night, we were told that there was a minor protest. Nothing much has been reported about it and we din even know about it until our guide in Shiraz told us about the protest. The rest of our trip was very quiet and peaceful. We get alot of curious looks asking where we were from.
>>
>> I have seen your blog, you guys are visiting quite a number of places. Are you guys going on bus from town to town in Iran? As air travel although cheap and fast needs at least 3 days booking and we can't just walk in to buy tickets like what we would do in Sg.
>>
>> You question about airline allowing you to board without a visa, Iran is unlike places like australia, we got on our plane with no visa either and we flew from sg to tehran. it is alright i guess. We flew by emirates as they have more flighs to tehran from sg daily (3 flights per day) and easier for us to plan our time.
>>
>> regards
>> KK
>>
>> On 19-Mar-2011, at 3:52 PM, Chanzl wrote:
>>
>>> Hi!
>>>
>>> Thank you so much for your information. It is really very helpful. My group of friends are actually planning to arrive at Tehran and cross border to turkey in June. We were wondering how is the situation in Iran now? I'd it safe?
>>>
>>> Hope to receive your link soon! You can check our website at vsnpccfusionoize.blogspot.com for information on our coming trip to Iran-turkey we have posted.
>>>
>>> Thanks so so much!
>>> Zhan liang
>>>
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>
>>> On Mar 19, 2011, at 2:54, Kok Kiong Tong
>>>
>>>> Hi Zhan liang,
>>>>
>>>> Sry for the late reply as I did a Dubai stopover after my Iran trip and just touched down today. We were quite surprise about the visa process in Iran when we landed there. There is no need to apply for any visa at all, no need to even pay 50 euros to get the visa on arrival that you might have read abt on some forums. What happened to us was we went to the Visa on arrival counter in IKA, the guy was shock tat we even went to him. He then told us to go to immigration control (the counters tat u get ur passports stamped). We followed his instructions and the customs guy at the immigration control simply see our passport, keyed into the computer and then stamped our passport. The whole process takes less then 2 mins, even faster then going to malaysia. There isn't any immigration cards for us to fill as well. Wif our passport we can stay in Iran up to 15 days. I am now in the midst of writing up my travel blog on my Iranian trip. I will be happy to share with u the link once it is done.
>>>>
>>>> meanwhile do not hesitate to ask any questions abt traveling to Iran, I'll try my best to reply u
>>>>
>>>> have fun,
>>>> regards
>>>> KK
>>>> (aka diviva on tripadvisor)
>>
>>
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
FAQ - Iran Visas for Singaporeans
i am a singaporean who wish to visit iran this coming june with my group of friends. i would like to ask afew questions about visa for singapore passport.
1) Can we get Visa-upon-arrival at IKA airport? do we need to get some sort of pre-approval ref. number? (eg. from iranianvisa.com)
2) Would the airline allow us to board the plane without a valid visa?
Thorn Tree Forums - http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?messageID=18255955
Singapore (Turkey, Malaysia)nationals do NOT need visa for Iran, at least not when flying here! and your visa is FREE, meaning you wont be paying 50 euros for VOA like other nationals do! call and contact Singapore FM to double check....and....also major international air carriers over there. good luck.amir.
Your airline will use a tool such as Timatec to check the visa requirements. There's a good one available online at http://www.staralliance.com/en/services/visa-and-health/
According to that, you'll get a free visa on arrival for a maximum of 14 days, and you'll need to register within eight days.
TripAdvisor - http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g293998-i9139-k4321832-l31941697-Visa_for_singaporeans-Iran.html
The Singaporeans can get the airport via with 15 days validity and they can extend it to next 15 days if they want to stay more.
The airline will allow you to board definitely. (doubtful)
Maybe it is safer to check with the airline in advance. (more convincing)
(b) had all the docs with you proving you are eligible for VOA and intend to only stay for 15 days in Iran, (passport photos, contact in iran, hotel booking confirmation etc)
(c) get ready to talk to the airline’s officers and convince them into checking you on and letting on board.
1) Can we get Visa-upon-arrival at IKA airport? do we need to get some sort of pre-approval ref. number? (eg. from iranianvisa.com)
2) Would the airline allow us to board the plane without a valid visa?
Thorn Tree Forums - http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?messageID=18255955
Singapore (Turkey, Malaysia)nationals do NOT need visa for Iran, at least not when flying here! and your visa is FREE, meaning you wont be paying 50 euros for VOA like other nationals do! call and contact Singapore FM to double check....and....also major international air carriers over there. good luck.amir.
Your airline will use a tool such as Timatec to check the visa requirements. There's a good one available online at http://www.staralliance.com/en/services/visa-and-health/
According to that, you'll get a free visa on arrival for a maximum of 14 days, and you'll need to register within eight days.
TripAdvisor - http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g293998-i9139-k4321832-l31941697-Visa_for_singaporeans-Iran.html
The Singaporeans can get the airport via with 15 days validity and they can extend it to next 15 days if they want to stay more.
The airline will allow you to board definitely. (doubtful)
What is the airline? I do not think that they make ant problem for you as you are allowed to enter Iran airport without the visa and then get the airport visa. In fact the Singaporeans do not need the visa if they want to stay just 15 days and it is a permission stamp in their passports.
Maybe it is safer to check with the airline in advance. (more convincing)
(a) contact the airline and ask about their policies,
(b) had all the docs with you proving you are eligible for VOA and intend to only stay for 15 days in Iran, (passport photos, contact in iran, hotel booking confirmation etc)
(c) get ready to talk to the airline’s officers and convince them into checking you on and letting on board.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Air Fare + Timing
Per Pax: 65 SGD
Per Pax: 314.80 SGD
Per Pax: 327.16 EUR x 1.77 = 579.07 SGD
Total per pax: 65+314.80+579.07= 958.87 SGD
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