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Eating

Qazvin’s local speciality is qimeh nasar (also spelt gheymeh nasser), a tangy lamb stew made with diced pistachios.

Nobahar ( 222 2451; Bazar Dimaj; mains IR13,000-30,000; 10am-4pm Sat-Thu) This is a fairly large, comparatively low-stress bazaar eatery that serves stews (including qimeh nasar), which you can choose by pointing at the relevant kitchen cauldron.

Pizza Yekta ( 222 2407; Ferdosi St; pizzas IR16,000-35,000; 11am-3pm & 6-11pm Sat-Thu, 6-11pm Fri) Designer off-line windows add a little architectural smile to this popular air-conditioned fast-food place. There is a bit more seating upstairs.

Hezardasan ( 335 0100; Hafezi Alley, off Khayyam St; meals IR20,000-40,000; 11.30am-3.30pm & 7-11pm) At the upmarket northern end of Khayyam St, Hezardasan makes a valiant attempt at giving its cellar room that sofrakhane sonati feel, but the overall effect is a little too neat to be memorable. Its delicious qimeh nasar comes mounded into barberry rice.

Eghbali ( 223 3347; Taleqani St; mains IR20,000-83,000; 11am-4pm & 7-10pm) Prices are high and despite the odd fake stone frieze there isn’t much atmosphere. Nonetheless it’s popular with travellers for its English menu and reliable food.

The convivially crowded Yas, in a dead-end alley opposite Hotel Alborz, is cheaper. There are several similar restaurants on Ayatollah Khamenei Blvd east of Valiasr Sq.

Chaykhaneh Aqaqia (off Imam St; tea IR1000; 8am-10pm Sat-Thu) This wonderfully unpretentious, cheap and down-market all-male teahouse has chess and nard to play. Easily missed, the entrance is on the left off a covered access-way to the workaday Sadd Sultani caravanserai.

Getting There & Away

BUS, MINIBUS & SAVARI

Handy bus services from the main terminal include the following:

Official Tehran and Karaj savaris leave from outside (IR30,000). Unofficial ones pick up at Valiasr Sq.

Cranky buses run to Hir (via Razmiyan) around 11am and to Mo’allem Kalayeh (IR10,000, 2½ hours) around 1.30pm (not Friday). However, for these Alamut Valley destinations savaris are vastly better. Mo’allem Kalayeh savaris (IR25,000, 1¾ hours) depart from gigantic Qaribqosh Sq, 2km east of Valiasr Sq. Razmiyan savaris (per person/car IR18,000/70,000, 1¼ hours) depart very occasionally from Istgah Razmiyan (Helalabad Sq off Sa’di St): to get there take a shuttle taxi up Naderi St to Sardaran Sq, walk a block west along Beheshti St then 300m southwest down Shahid Fayazbakhsh St.

Some buses en route to Zanjan, Tabriz and Hamadan stop momentarily at the busy Dorah-e Hamadan junction. Minibuses to Takestan congregate nearby.

For Rasht, savaris depart from Darvazeh Rasht (Enqelab Sq) where some through buses also pick up/drop off.

TRAIN

The best-timed trains to Tehran (IR5900, two hours) depart at 8.30am and 10.35am. For Zanjan (2½ hours) handy trains leave at 8am and 5.40pm. There are useful sleeper trains to Tabriz at 9.10pm (IR39,350, 11 hours) and to Mashhad at 8.45pm, but tickets can be in short supply. Arash Safar Travel ( 222 2260; Helel-e-Ahmar St; 8am-1pm & 4-8pm Sat-Thu) can book for you and sells air tickets ex-Tehran.

Getting Around

City buses run both ways along the main drag (Imam Khomeini St/Taleqani Blvd), but cars and shuttle taxis can only use it eastbound, returning from Valiasr Sq to central Azadi Sq (Sabz Meydan) via Shahrdari or Buali Sts. From the centre to the bus terminal change at Valiasr Sq. From the terminal to Azadi Sq loop round via the bazaar.

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ALAMUT VALLEY

Few places in Iran offer a more tempting invitation to hike, explore and reflect than the fabled Alamut and Shahrud Valleys. Beneath soaring Alborz peaks, the landscapes are inspirational and delightfully varied, with scenic suggestions of Patagonia, Switzerland, central Australia and Syria all spiced by a uniquely fascinating medieval history. Nestled almost invisibly on widely spread rocky knolls and pinnacles lie the shattered remnants of over 50 ruined fortresses. Shrouded in