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How
are the
health and hygiene
observed in
Iran?
In fact,
cleanliness is part of the Iranians? belief and it is
evidently observed everywhere both in the public and in the
private. There have been overwhelming campaigns, like
vaccinations and trainings, to eliminate many diseases used
to exist in remote settlements. It has been a success and
today you see clean streets, restaurants, hotels, shops,
supermarkets, parks, etc.
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How
are the
variety and quality of foodstuff
in Iran?
Those
who have been to Iran have felt spoiled by the variety of
high quality stews and kebabs among many other dishes. There
are restaurants of various kinds. You will find a lot of
herbs and spices, but Iranian dishes are not as hot and
spicy as the Indian ones. A moderate amount of them is added
to food just to give them different tastes. As there are not
genetically manipulated vegetables and fruits in Iran, they
taste the same old natural tastes everybody appreciates
them. The meat usually served in the restaurants is chicken,
veal, fish and lamb. Of course, you may find turkey, quail
and shrimp too, but no pork, snake, frog, dog or other
kinds. They are prohibited to be taken in Islam and this is
observed everywhere. The vegetarians can order raw or cooked
vegetables in the hotels as well as restaurants. It is also
recommended to let your tour guide know about it beforehand
so that he/she can arrange it for you, because in some
restaurants people need to be already informed. That is
because it is not so popular in Iran to be a vegetarian.
Just feel free to tell your guides about it.
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What
kinds of drinks
are possible to buy in Iran?
You can
buy Any kinds of soft non-alcoholic drinks. There are
Iranian made drinks as well as international brands served
everywhere. People drink tap water. It is filtrated and
refined before supplied to them, but for the newcomers
traveling to Iran, I do not recommend it. Instead, you?d
better take Iranian bottled water prepared according to the
international standards for both domestic and export uses.
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How
is the
quality of roads
in
Iran?
The
roads are asphalted and the maintenance is regularly done.
There are highways in many routes and separate lanes to and
from cities to safeguard transportations. As a matter of
fact, contrary to many tourists' expectations, roads are of
very good quality.
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How
far are the
distances
between the destinations?
Usually
there are not short distances between the major destinations
compared to most of the distances between the European
cities or towns. Instead, you can see a lot of landscape,
meet the people in the intact rural areas and experience the
real life situations in addition to many other opportunities
you will not find inside cities. For instance, Iranian
guides can take possible opportunities to arrange picnic
meals for you. Iranians are picnic lovers and take every
opportunity to arrange for it.
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What
is the
usual clothing
in Iran?
Women
wear non-transparent, loose garments covering all their
bodies except for the hands and face. Color is a free
choice, but red, orange, pink or similar colors are not put
on during national or private sad occasions. Black is not a
must. Chador is not a must either, but when it comes to
visit a holy mausoleum and you have the opportunity to
experience wearing a chador for a few minutes, do not skip
the opportunity to feel the atmosphere. Men put on
non-transparent garments too. They may wear short-sleeve
shirts or T-shirts (unlike women), but not shorts in the
public. The choice of color is the same for men as well. Due
to the heat of the Sun and in order to protect your skin, I
would not recommend wearing short sleeve shirts. If you do,
do not forget to put on some Sun block cream on your skin.
But, it is your choice!
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When
are the
high and low seasons
of tourism in
Iran?
Usually
the majority of tourists visit Iran during two periods of
time: 1) from the beginning of March to the end of May, and
2) from the beginning of September to the end of November. A
couple of weeks before or after each New Year, there is
another wonderful choice to visit Iran. Also, the very best
time to visit the south of Iran (like Persian Gulf islands
and shorelines) is during January and February. The story is
different for the lovers of nature who like trekking or
skiing. They find an extraordinary variety in Iran four
seasons a year.
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What
is the
time difference
with the rest of the world?
The formula to set your time is very simple:
GMT + 3.5 (GMT + 4.5 from March 20 to
September 21).
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What
is the
electricity voltage
in Iran?
220 volts AC, 50Hz. Plugs are of the
round two-pin type. If you have 110 volts appliance to use
on your trip, like shaving machine, hair drier, etc, it is
recommended to take a 110-to-220 plug with you while
traveling. Of course, you can find it in Iran too, but it
can be a waste of time in some situations.
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What is the
communications service?
IDD service is available. Country code
is 98. Outgoing international code is 00. In case you need
to make a short distance call in the street, the telephone
booths are yellow and marked in English. There are also
phone cards for domestic as well as international calls
available.
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What
is the
mobile service
used in Iran?
It is GSM 900 network. In other words,
if you have a mobile phone from any part of the world, it
will not work in Iran unless your phone company has made a
contract with Iranian Telecommunication Company (ITC). It is
a service to be used inside Iran to make short as well as
long distance calls.
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Are
there any
fax facilities
in hotels?
Yes, you can find fax facilities in
most of the hotels as well as at main post offices in Iran.
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Are
there any
Internet facilities
in Iran?
Yes, there are a growing number of
Internet users in Iran. So, almost all the major hotels
provide their guests with Internet facilities and the others
are being equipped for the same purpose. Also, many Internet
cafes are already opened to the public and many other ones
are going to be opened due to the increasing need of the
people.
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How
fast are
mailing services
done in Iran?
Airmail
to Europe
as well as Canada and the United States can take around two
weeks.
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What goods are regarded as
forbidden postal items?
1) Narcotics and laxatives, 2)
Explosives, radioactive and inflammable materials or other
dangerous materials, 3) Items against Islamic moralities, 4)
Live animals except for honey bees, leeches, silkworms,
parasites and bug-busting animals recognized by the
institutes, 5) Goods forbidden to enter the destination
country, 6) Items that might cause a danger for post
company?s personnel or might hurt the other postal items or
equipment, and 7) Private documents corresponded between
parties other than the sender or the receiver or any of
their family members.
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Is it possible to mail
post cards without envelopes?
Yes. If post cards are made up of hard
paper or cardboard without any raised parts and both sender
and receiver?s names and addresses are written on the back
of the cards, it will be possible.
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Are there any
local English newspapers
available in Iran?
Yes, there are several dailies in
English. Most of the times, you can find one in the lobby of
the major hotels.
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What is
Iranian Currency?
It is called Iranian Rial (IR). Notes
are in denominations of IR 20,000, 10,000, 5000, 2000, 1000,
500, 200 and 100. Coins are in denominations of IR 500, 250,
100, 50, 20, 10 and 5. You may come across the word Toman
there. 10 IR = 1 Toman. Everyone is using this word instead
of Rials except for some special cases. The rate of exchange
goes through very little fluctuations everyday, but you can
exchange one US dollar for approximately 8800 Rials.
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Are
credit cards
accepted in Iran?
Not exactly. There are not any
official services for the internationally known credit cards
in Iran. Some Iranian private banks are trying to arrange
services for the international credit cards these days.
Also, some smart businessmen can accept credit cards. In
some particular shops you can purchase some items like
carpets, handicrafts, jewels, etc by credit cards like in
some major hotels or some other shops outside hotels.
Generally, it is recommended to take some cash with you
while traveling in Iran.
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Is it
safe to have cash
while traveling in Iran?
Of course, it is. This doesn?t mean
that you don?t have to be careful with the cash you have on
you.
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Are the
prices high or low
in Iran?
Fortunately, the price for the
majority of the items that tourists are looking for are
relatively low. Items like high quality books, souvenirs,
meals, foodstuff and transportation are very tempting
because of their relatively high quality yet low prices.
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What
are the
prohibited items
while traveling to Iran?
Alcoholic beverages, narcotics, guns
and ammunition, all horticultural and agricultural goods
including seeds and soil; aerial photo cameras, transmitter
receiver apparatus, pornography, most films, cassettes, CDs
and videos and any kind of fashion magazine. Of course,
hunters who are visiting Iran on hunting tours can get
necessary permits for carrying their guns and ammunition via
their travel agents beforehand.
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What
are the restricted
items while going out of
Iran?
Antiques
and large amount of gold, silver and jewelry. By definition,
antiques are the objects older than 100 years.
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What are the
working days and off days
in Iran?
Iranian working days are from Saturday
to Thursday and Fridays are the National off days. On
Thursdays, some companies are totally off and some are
working only half day.
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Is it customary to do
tipping
in Iran? Where and when?
Yes. It is customary to tip porters,
servants and janitors in hotels, porters in the airports,
waiters or waitresses in restaurants, drivers giving
services during tours as well as guides.
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