Things to do in Yazd
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Yazd
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best months. Pleasant walking weather, cool desert nights and everything open. April and October are the sweet spots.
Good with planning. February is cold at night but quiet, September is still hot at midday but improving.
Worst months. Heat regularly exceeds 40 degrees, sightseeing compresses into mornings and evenings.
Cold, short days and near freezing desert nights, partly redeemed by Sadeh in January and empty sights.
What's on
- Nowruz 21 March
Persian New Year. Celebrations run about two weeks and it is the busiest domestic travel period of the year.
- Chaharshanbe Suri mid-March, Tuesday night before the last Wednesday before Nowruz
Fire jumping festival that opens the New Year season, with bonfires and street celebration.
- Sadeh around 29 to 30 January
Zoroastrian mid-winter fire festival with large communal bonfires in Yazd, one of its two strongholds.
- Chak Chak pilgrimage mid-June, usually around 14 to 18 June
Major Zoroastrian pilgrimage at Pir-e Sabz. The shrine is closed to tourists during the pilgrimage.
- Mehregan around 2 October
Ancient autumn festival of Mithra kept by Zoroastrian communities, inside the best weather window of the year.
- Tirgan around 1 July
Midsummer water festival linked to Tishtrya. Modest today and it falls in extreme heat.
- Yalda Night around 21 December
Longest night marked at home with pomegranates, watermelon and readings from Hafez.
Best things to do in Yazd
Old City of Yazd
The whole mud brick old town is the attraction, with shaded alleys, domes and windcatchers still lived in.
Jameh Mosque of Yazd
Yazd's visual pick, best understood with a guide who explains its tiles, minarets and qanat.
Towers of Silence
Zoroastrian funerary towers on silent hills above the city, powerful for atmosphere rather than exhibits.
Zoroastrian Fire Temple of Yazd
A living temple whose sacred fire tradition reaches back centuries, best paired with its exhibition hall.
Dowlat Abad Garden
A UNESCO Persian garden built around the tallest adobe windcatcher in the world at 33.8 metres.
Amir Chakhmaq Complex
Yazd's postcard facade and main square, far better at night when it is floodlit and full of local families.
Yazd Water Museum
The museum that explains the qanat system, the underground water technology that made desert Yazd possible.
Khan-e Lariha
A Qajar merchant house with stained glass, a blue pool and a windcatcher you can stand under to feel it work.
Where to stay in Yazd
Fahadan / the Old Town
first trip, all-round base
Sights on foot, rooftops at sunset and the UNESCO old town at your door, with narrow lanes as the only real trade off.
Central Yazd near Amir Chakhmaq and Dowlat Abad
comfort with walkability
Larger traditional hotels with easier vehicle access while keeping the old town and main sights walkable.
Safaiyeh
modern comfort and families wanting a pool
Affluent modern district with the five star hotel and local cafes, but a taxi ride from every old town sight.
Moshir Garden district
a single-property garden escape
Space, greenery and calm in a Qajar garden away from the lanes, in exchange for taxis to all sightseeing.
Think twice about
- Highway fringe near the bus terminal and airport road
Bleak, dusty and traffic heavy with nothing walkable. Not a crime problem, just a bad base that makes every trip a taxi ride.
- Industrial edges of Yazd
Far from sights, hotels and restaurants, with heavy traffic and no evening life. Stay in the old town, the centre or Safaiyeh instead.
Best restaurants in Yazd
Talar-e Yazd
The big local hall Iranian food tours use for canonical ash-e shuli and gheimeh Yazdi.
Khan-e Dohad Traditional Restaurant
Traditional Yazdi food in a historic house, an easy first traditional dinner on a Fahadan walking day.
Moshir al-Mamalek Garden Hotel Restaurant
Yazd's splurge dinner, Persian dishes served in a Qajar garden of water channels and trees.
Caesar Italian Restaurant
The name hotels recommend for Italian food and Persian kebabs at the top of Yazd's price range.
Dragon Italian Restaurant
A Safaiyeh local favourite since 2009 for pizza and pasta at a tier below the top priced options.
Silk Road Restaurant
The budget courtyard restaurant travellers name for camel stew, in a setting far above its price.
Marco Polo Rooftop Restaurant
Hostel priced Persian food on a roof facing the Jameh Mosque dome, best at sunset.
Hamam-e Khan Traditional Restaurant
Dinner inside a converted historic bathhouse, a natural pairing with a bazaar and Amir Chakhmaq evening.
Outdoor things to do in Yazd
Kharanaq
A partly abandoned mud brick village with a castle quarter, shaking minaret and caravanserai.
Chak Chak
A Zoroastrian cliff shrine where water drips from the rock, the most moving stop on the classic day loop.
Narin Castle
Meybod's large mud brick fortress, paired with a pigeon house, ice house and caravanserai in the same town.
Zeinodin Caravanserai
A circular Safavid caravanserai turned inn, with communal dinner and a rooftop under very dark skies.
Mesr Desert
Real rolling dunes, oasis villages and clear night skies on a guided multi day circuit from Yazd.
Shirkuh Mountain
Central Iran's highest peak at over 4000 metres, a genuine guided climb above the desert plain.
Shabahang Desert
A short shared sunset trip with camel riding, tea by a fire and stargazing on the same night.
Saryazd Fortress
A huge Sassanian era fortress with double walls and hundreds of storage chambers to explore.
Best hotels in Yazd
Parsian Safaiyeh Hotel
Yazd's five star hotel, with gardens, a pool and the city's most modern rooms in the new building.
Moshir al-Mamalek Garden Hotel
A hotel inside a large Qajar garden of water channels and mature trees, a sight in itself.
Dad Hotel
The consensus central splurge, a traditional courtyard hotel within walking distance of the main sights.
Hotel Laleh Yazd
A traditional style mid range hotel with conventional rooms, good value and a central base.
Silk Road Hotel
The best known traditional house hotel in the old town, with a courtyard restaurant and in house tours.
Fazeli Hotel
A newer traditional style hotel for travellers who want the old town look with recently built rooms.
Orient Hotel
A budget traditional house hotel whose rooftop restaurant and mosque view outperform its price.
Good Feeling Hostel
A small, social, family run hostel in the old town with tours arranged through the house.
Is Yazd expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | IRR 25,000,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | IRR 55,000,000 a person |
| Splurge | IRR 130,000,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Yazd Art House: a few days ahead
- Kharanaq: a few days ahead
- Chak Chak: a few days ahead
- Narin Castle: a few days ahead
- Zeinodin Caravanserai: weeks ahead
- Mesr Desert: weeks ahead
- Shirkuh Mountain: weeks ahead
- Shabahang Desert: a few days ahead
- Bring all money in cash in euros or dollars, as foreign cards do not work in Iran.
- Book Zeinodin Caravanserai, Dad Hotel and private guides weeks ahead in spring and autumn.
- US, UK and Canadian passport holders should arrange a guided itinerary at least ten weeks ahead and verify current visa rules.
Is Yazd safe?
- State risk is separate from street safety in Yazd: the streets feel safe, but read your government's Iran advisory before deciding.
- Hijab is legally required for women in public and alcohol is prohibited. There is no legal nightlife involving alcohol.
- Carry water and sun protection everywhere. Desert heat is the main everyday health risk.
Yazd travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Alexander's Prison is a quick look, not a paid highlight.
- Agree any rooftop just-looking fee before sitting, or simply order tea or food.
- Midday sightseeing in summer is a trap. Do sights early and late and rest at midday.
Getting around Yazd: public transport and more
- Walk the old town core between Fahadan, the Jameh Mosque and Amir Chakhmaq.
- Use Snapp ride hailing for the Towers of Silence, Dowlat Abad, Safaiyeh and the airport.
- Hire a driver through your hotel for Kharanaq, Chak Chak, Meybod, Saryazd and Taft.
Who Yazd suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Yazd your trip
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