Iran - Andrew Burke [93]
Souvenir shops, of course, can be found near or inside most midrange and top-end hotels. Other souvenir shop strips include Ferdosi St around Ferdosi Sq and Taleqani Ave (opposite the US Den of Espionage). Prices are ‘fixed’ but fall fast if you show any bargaining form.
Locals claim that Valiasr Ave is the world’s longest thoroughfare and it’s one of Tehran’s major shopping districts. Ladies, this is also a good place to start looking for a manteau (overcoat). Stores around Valiasr Sq and Vanak Sq sell a decent selection, both in the long, conservative style and more trendy, shorter modes. You can expect to pay about IR150,000 for a standard manteau, up to IR2,000,000 for something ‘sexier’ in the boutiques of Afriqa Hwy, near Vanak Sq. Further south, both sides of Dr Labafinezhad St, just west of Valiasr Ave, are lined with women’s clothing stores.
It might be surprising, but Tehran is a good place to shop for European-style clothes and shoes, which sell for a fraction of their cost back home. For shoes, women should head for the boutiques along Mozaffari St (Map–3) in southern Tehran, while men can see the head-spinning choice on Enqelab Ave (Map–3), east of Ferdosi Sq. For threads, see the stores on the corner of Jomhuri-ye Eslami Ave and Ferdosi St (Map–3).
Hossein Hosseiny (0912 388 5994; trible_carpet_hosseiny@yahoo.com) If you can, catch Hossein Hosseiny between buying missions; we found this young man from a family of carpet bazaris to be straight up and offering fair prices on his mainly nomadic carpets. His small store is in the interesting little Serai Parsa bazaar (Map–3), off Kababihah Alley, with merchants who usually supply to larger shops, so prices can be good – ask for directions.
Dusto-e (Map; 2205 0071; cnr Valiasr Ave & Saveh St; 9am-1.30pm & 3-9pm) The mother of all souvenir stores is Dusto-e, where the range is huge, prices high and quality probably better than average.
A car park near the corner of Jomhuri-ye Eslami Ave and Ferdosi St is also the location for the Jameh Bazar (Map; Jomhuri-ye Eslami Ave; mornings Fri), where hawkers from across Central Asia lay out their rugs and sell whatever they can on Friday mornings. Be sure to go up to the higher floors, in the carpark itself, where some bargains can be found.
For modern Iranian music, the small store upstairs in the Gandhi Shopping Centre has a good range, and you can combine a trip with a coffee or meal.
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GETTING THERE & AWAY
Tehran is the hub of almost all bus, train and air services. Every town and city of any size is directly linked to Tehran – always by bus, usually by air and increasingly by train too. Tickets from Tehran can sell fast so book as soon as you know when you’re leaving.
Air
Tehran is Iran’s main international hub. For information about routes and carriers, Click here. Every day there are flights between Tehran and almost every provincial capital in Iran. Iran Air flies most routes, with Iran’s growing number of smaller airlines flying fewer routes, less often.
Almost all international services use Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKIA; Map; www.ikia.ir), 35km south of Tehran, the exceptions (for now) being flights from Damascus and some Saudi Arabian cities. Domestic flights use the old Mehrabad International Airport (Map; http://mehrabadairport.ir) on the western edge of the city. Taxi is the only link.
Routes and prices change regularly so check online before making firm plans. If you’re in Iran, you’re strongly advised to use a travel agency Click here rather than an airline office.
AIRLINE OFFICES
Airline offices are generally open from about 9am to 4pm, Saturday to Wednesday, and Thursday morning.
Aeroflot (Map; 8880 8480; 23 Nejatollahi St)
Air France (Map; 2204 4498; 12th fl, Sayyeh Bldg, cnr Valiasr Ave & Sayyeh St)
Air India (Map; 8873 9762; Sarafraz St)
Ariana Afghan