Iran - Andrew Burke [70]
Bank Melli (Map; Shariati St, Elahiyeh) If you’re in the far north.
Bank Melli Central Branch (Bank Melli Markazi; Map; Ferdosi St) If you’ve run out of cash, speak to these people about getting a transfer from home; Click here for details.
Bank Tejarat (Map; Nejatollahi St) Handy to Iran Air and the travel agencies.
Melli Iran Exchange (Map; 6670 0924; Ferdosi St) Beside Bank Melli Markazi (Central Branch), the most official of the exchange shops.
Newsstands
Pavement newsstands can be found all over Tehran, selling an ever-changing selection of Farsi newspapers (they’re only one critical story away from being closed down) and, in some, the four English-language dailies. The following two also stock a random selection of ageing secondhand books.
Enqelab Newsstand (Map; Enqelab Ave)
Ferdosi Newsstand (Map; Ferdosi St) Just north of Manucheri St.
Post
DHL (Map; 8871 5906-9; 353 Dr Beheshti Ave; 5.30am-9pm Sat-Thu & 9am-2pm Fri)
Main post office (Map; Sa’di St; 8am-7pm) About 100m south of Amir Kabir St; come here to post packages.
Post office (Map; Valiasr Sq) Northwest corner of Valiasr Sq; for ordinary mail.
Telephone
Telephone cards for local calls can be bought at most newsstands, as can some cards for international calls. Public telephones are plentiful and conveniently dotted along the main streets where traffic noise is loudest. It’s quieter, and usually easier, to use an internet café (many have Skype) or a telephone office, though these are surprisingly hard to find in Tehran. Click here for more on telephones.
Pars Internet (Map; 3392 4173; 369 Ferdosi St; international calls per min IR1500; 9am-9.30pm Sat-Thu)
Telephone office (Map; Ban Hamayoon St, off Imam Khomeini Sq; per min IR1700; 8am-5pm Sat-Thu) Convenient to the cheap accommodation. It’s 10m down an alley.
Toilets
Almost all museums, palaces and other buildings open to the public have clean toilets, as do all but the smallest restaurants. In an emergency, duck into the grounds of the nearest mosque or into a park, where the state of cleanliness or otherwise will depend upon the local caretaker. And remember that old maxim of Iranian travel: ‘The wise traveller carries an emergency stash of paper; the unwise can use this page’.
Tourist Information
Incredibly, the capital of Iran – a country that wants to attract 20 million tourists by 2020 – has no tourist information office. Ask your hotel instead.
Tours
For personalised tours or advice from private operators, the following are recommended:
Houman Najafi (0912 202 3017; houman.najafi@gmail.com) Specialises in advice on ecotourism around Iran.
Leily Lankarani (0912 150 8519; llankarani@yahoo.co.uk) Experienced and interesting guide and fixer with extensive media experience.
Travel Agencies
Travel agencies abound in Tehran but for choice and quality the best place to look is along Nejatollahi St in central Tehran. Most agencies sell tickets for domestic and international flights and seats on trains. For local tour operators, Click here.
Asia2000 Travel Agency (Map; 8889 6949; asia2000@samapardaz.com; Nejatollahi St) This professionally run place has English-speaking staff and, in our experience, has been consistently good.
Simorgh Travel Agency (Map; 3397 1525; Baharestan Sq) On the north side of Baharestan Sq, handy to the budget accommodation.
Universities
At the centre of political change in Iran, Tehran University (Map; Enqelab Ave) is a fascinating place to wander around. There is, however, a ban on foreign nonstudents entering but its enforcement is haphazard. If you’re worried, just hang around the front gate (the entrance is on Enqelab Ave) for a few minutes and you’ll be ‘adopted’ by someone keen to practise their English.
Visa Extensions
Extending tourist visas in Tehran is much easier than it used to be, but it still takes a whole frustrating week! The Foreign Aliens office (Map; Sepah St, off Sepah Sq;