Welcome to Iran. Now that you have reached the borders of Iran, you need to know how to travel from one city to another. On this page, you will get to know the general tips and ways you can explore Iran. If you have bought a tour to Iran, reading this page will not be of much help. But if you are one of those who plan to come to Iran by yourself without a tour and design your travel plans yourself, reading this page can be very useful. Here we go with the Ultimate Guide to Public Transportation in Iran.
In Iran, you can travel from one city to another in three main ways: road transport, rail transport, and air transport. If you look carefully at the map of Iran, you will see that due to the location of the country’s seas and due to the fact that Iran is located in the dry belt of the world and does not have any navigable rivers, Water transportation is not one of the main ways of getting about the country.
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Public Transport in Iran – Between Cities
Air Transport
Many cities in Iran have airports that you can use for your trip to the country.
Pros: You can save your time and spend less time on the road, and as a result will be able to visit more cities and attractions.
Cons: You have to pay more. Air travel within Iran is the most expensive type of transportation.
Where to get tickets: You can buy tickets from Iranian airports. You can also purchase tickets from travel agencies that operate in the field of domestic travel. An easier solution is to use online booking sites. Using these sites, you can easily buy tickets for your desired destination. The advantages of using this method include the possibility of benefiting from discounts for last-minute flights. You can also compare the prices and make the best choice for yourself.
N.B: In Iran, like most countries in the world, the price of domestic airplane flights is quite variable and depends on the flight time, airline, distance, proximity to the destination, national and religious occasions, as well as the other usual factors.
Below you can see the list of airports in Iran and have a better perspective for planning your trip to the country.
List of Iranian Airports
| Airport | City |
| Mehrabad International Airport | Tehran |
| Shahid Hashminejad International Airport | Mashhad |
| Imam Khomeini International Airport | Tehran |
| Shahid Dastgheib International Airport | Shiraz |
| Kish International Airport | Kish |
| Isfahan Shahid Beheshti International Airport | Isfahan |
| Ahvaz International Airport | Ahvaz |
| Tabriz International Airport | Tabriz |
| Kermanshah International Airport | Kermanshah |
| Abadan Airport | Abadan |
| Shahid Sadoughi Airport | Yazd |
| Asalouye Airport | Asalouye |
| International Airport | Bandar Abbas |
| Qeshm Airport | Qeshm |
| Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani International Airport | Kerman |
| Zahedan Airport | Zahedan |
| Rasht Airport | Rasht |
| Orumieh Airport | Orumieh |
| Dasht Naz Sari Airport | Sari |
| Bushehr Airport | Bushehr |
| Gorgan Airport | Gorgan |
| Ilam Airport | Ilam |
| Ardabil Airport | Ardabil |
| Mahshahr Airport | Mahshahr |
| Konark Airport | Chabahar |
| Larestan Airport | Larestan |
| Birjand Airport | Birjand |
| Ramsar Airport | Ramsar |
| Sanandaj Airport | Sanandaj |
| Zabol Airport | Zabol |
| Khorramabad Airport | Khorramabad |
| Bojnourd Airport | Bojnourd |
| Yasuj Airport | Yasuj |
| Lamard Airport | Lamard |
| Nowshahr Airport | Nowshahr |
| Sirjan Airport | Sirjan |
| Sabzevar Airport | Sabzevar |
| Shahrekord Airport | Shahr-e Kord |
| Iranshahr Airport | Iranshahr |
| Bandar Lengeh Airport | Bandar Lengeh |
| Hamedan Airport | Hamedan |
| Rafsanjan Airport | Rafsanjan |
| Bam Airport | Bam |
| Abu Musa Airport | Abu Musa |
| Jiroft Airport | jiroft |
| Tabas Airport | Tabas |
| Shahroud Airport | Shahroud |
| Zanjan Airport | Zanjan |
| Khoi Airport | Khoi |
| Arak Airport | Arak |
| Kalaleh Airport | Kalaleh |
| Jahrom Airport | Jahr0m |
| Makoo Airport | Makoo |
Road Transport
Road transportation between different cities in Iran is done in two major ways: buses and taxis. As a general rule about transport in Iran, remember that there are always buses to be found in Iran from each provincial center to other provincial centers. Iran’s intercity buses are classified into two types: ordinary and VIP. Some large passenger terminals have buses to smaller cities in addition to provincial centers. In every province, there are buses connecting all the cities and towns located in the province.
The general rule in Iran is that if there is no direct bus from an origin to a destination, you can easily travel from any province to its neighboring provinces by bus. Minibuses also run on shorter routes and smaller cities, but we do not suggest you take them due to their low standards based on UNWTO unless you have traveled with the aim of experiencing how the people of the country actually travel or would like to have this trip on the cheap as minibuses are much cheaper than buses in Iran.
Intercity taxis are another thing that you can experience when traveling to Iran to go from one city to another. In Iran, taxis travel from and to most of the big cities. These taxis are safe and operate under the supervision of the Taxi Organization but they cost more than buses.
Pros: Road transport is cheaper than air travel.
Cons: The possibility of unexpected accidents in road transport is generally much higher than in other types of transport.
Where to get tickets: There are no tickets for taxis in Iran. The cost of intercity taxis must be paid to the driver in cash. You can buy a ticket to use the buses, however. Tickets are sold at the offices of the bus cooperatives located inside the passenger terminals. You can go to the terminals and buy tickets directly. This method of procuring your tickets is less risky when the demand for travel is low – for example, in the middle of the week or during winter. We do not recommend it during peak travel times, however. Because you probably won’t get a ticket as there will be too many passengers inside the terminal trying to get about.
Another way is to use online ticket booking sites. By paying a visit to these sites and specifying the origin and destination as well as the date of your trip, you will be offered various options based on the time of departure.
N.B: Online ticket sales sites are mostly in Farsi language. Therefore, either get help from Google for translation, or \from your guide in Iran or any reliable person who can understand what you mean, to buy a ticket. Iranians love tourists and will be glad to help you out.
Railroad Transport
In Iran, most cities are connected to each other through railway lines. Iranian trains with different classifications are busy transporting passengers on these lines. Iran’s north-south railway with the historical bridge of Versk is world famous and played an indirect role in World War II. Also, it might be interesting for you to know that Savadkouh, Gadouk, Dogol, Versk, Sorkhabad, Tirtash, and Mirjaveh train stations have been registered in the list of Iranian national heritage. The Trans-Iranian Railway itself has been recognized as a World Heritage Site.
Pros: By using rail transportation, you will have more comfort than buses and taxis. You can rest on the bed and use the bathroom and restaurant. Iran’s railway tracks are often very beautiful and allow you to see the most pristine natural landscapes of the country. You will be paying less than you would if you were traveling by plane. Trains are also the safest means of transportation.
Cons: You will be on the road for a bit longer.
Where to get tickets: You can go to the railway stations and buy tickets directly from there. You can also use online booking sites, which requires the help of Persian-speaking people and having an Iranian tourism credit card.
For more information about the route and movement of Iranian trains, you can visit Raja’s website. This site belongs to the Railway Company of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which is the largest rail transport authority in the country. On the website, you can see the list of cities that have railway stations and plan your trip better.
Public Transport in Iran – Within Cities
Public transportation fares in Iran are much lower than the global average. Subway is available in some cities while buses and taxis are the most common types of public transportation in Iran.
Buses
Big cities of Iran, such as Tabriz, Mashhad, and Tehran, are equipped with two types of intra-city buses. One type is the regular buses that travel on routes with less traffic. Another type is high-speed buses that operate on high-traffic routes on special bus lanes and have semi-mechanized stations. Normally bus tickets must be purchased. Big cities like Tehran however use electronic tickets or just a debit card. You place the card on the device installed at the entrance of the station so that the gate will open for you. In Tehran, bus tickets can be used on the subway and vice versa.
Keep in mind that men and women enter Iranian buses through separate doors. In other words, gender segregation is observed in Iranian buses. Also, due to the ever-present high traffic in Iran’s big cities, don’t rely too much on the regularity of intra-city buses. You may also be interested to know that there are no intra-city buses in the smaller cities of Iran. For example, in most cities of Mazandaran province, the intra-city bus does not operate and taxis take over the entire traffic load.
Taxis
Taxis are relatively cheap in Iran. Therefore, a large number of people prefer to use taxis to move around the city. Iranian taxis move with four passengers. One passenger in the front seat and three passengers in the back. Many taxis are equipped with a taximeter system. That means you have to pay for the distance you ride in a taxi. However, there are taxis that charge you according to the taxi organization’s tariff and often take passengers from one place to another on certain routes. If you want to be the only passenger in the taxi, you will have to pay more.
Taxi Vans
These Vans are also taxis that transport passengers in big cities of Iran like Tehran with the difference that the vans move with 10 passengers. There is almost no price difference between vans and regular taxis. You just have to wait a few more minutes for it to fill up.
Public Transport in Iran: App Taxis
In Iran, the two companies of Snapp and Tapsi are among the largest providers of ride-hailing services. Some cities, such as Tabriz, Mashhad, Yazd, Shiraz, etc., have their own e-taxis, which come with different applications. You must install the app related to these taxi service providers on your smartphone and take app taxis in almost all major cities of Iran.
Public Transport in Iran: TBT Taxis
There is a type of taxi in Iran known as TBT or Bisim Taxi. By dialing 133 (this number may be different in some cities) and announcing your location, a taxi will come to pick you up and take you to your desired destination. In cities that are covered by app taxis such as Snapp and Tapsi and other types of e-taxis (sometimes there are different types of these taxis with different names in each city), TBT taxis have lost their popularity. But in smaller cities, they may still come in handy. These taxis are usually cheaper than app taxis and their fares are calculated based on the taximeter.
Public Transport in Iran: Subway
Only some cities in Iran are equipped with subway lines. Tehran, Isfahan, Tabriz, Mashhad, Karaj, and Shiraz are among the cities whose subway system is in operation. Many Iranian cities will also be equipped with subway lines in the future. Keep in mind that in Tehran, subway lines are connected to Mehrabad Airport as well as Imam Khomeini Airport and the passenger terminals of West, South, and Argentina Sq.
Bikes
In some Iranian cities, bicycles are rented out. You can rent a bike and when you reach your destination, return the bike to the nearest bike stop. Due to the lack of proper infrastructure in Iran including special bicycle routes – this type of transportation is not very popular in Iran. In Tehran, Kashan, Kish, Yazd, and some other cities, you can find a bicycle place and rent a bike.