Iran Accommodations; from Local Houses and Eco-lodges to Luxury Hotels

Choosing the right accommodation is a crucial part of your trip to Iran. After all, this is the place where you will find some rest after a day of sightseeing and you have all right to want it cosy and comfortable. It's also often an occasion to spend some time with locals and learn about their culture. The good news is that there are many types of hotels and homestays to fit your style of travelling and show you various aspects of Iran.

Homestays, Guesthouses, and Ecolodges

There is an increasing number of guesthouses and ecolodges in Iran.  To be considered a homestay or a guesthouse, the accommodation must be a family business run by locals, who have insights into their region. Travellers are hosted by the family into their own home, where they live, and which have just a few rooms.

Ecolodges follow the same principle, focusing on the benefit of the accommodation for the empowerment of the local community and sharing concerns about the environment. These houses are made with local materials, embellished with handmade decorations and often present some traditional local features, like qanat, wood oven, etc. In Ecolodges, tourists are usually invited to sleep according to the traditional Persian style, which means on a mattress on the floor.

These kinds of accommodations offer invaluable insights into the local culture. Staying with locals is the best way to have access to both wonderful natural sites known only by them, and discovering the culture of people from first hand. At the same time, it's a way for travellers to support locals who promote their region during their trip.

Caravanserais and traditional houses

For once, you might be in a hurry to get back to your hotel before the end of the day: if you have chosen to stay in a traditional house, you can appreciate a typical and ideal Iranian setting. There are several Caravanserais that have been renovated and turned into hotels in Iran, as it's the case near Yazd, Kermanshah, or in the desert of Maranjab for instance. For a couple of nights, you can feel like a merchant on the Silk Road, resting in one of the most emblematic accommodations of Iran, full of history. Inside the cities, you can also find many traditional houses turned into hotels, hostels, and homestays. They display all the characteristics of ancient Persian homes, with a central courtyard with a pool, bricked walls, wooden doors and windows, embellished with the traditional Persian arts.

Hotels, from mid to luxury stays

You can find all types of hotels in Iran according to your budget. In big cities, there are luxury five-star hotels with a very reasonable price. Some of them are modern buildings, such as the classy Espina Palace in Tehran, others are traditional such as the majestic Abbasi Hotel located in a 17th-century mansion. Prices are usually around 150 dollars a night for a double room fully furnished, including breakfast.

For low-budget, there also are budget and mid-range hotels with stern comfort, mostly visited by locals. There are usually not the best options for travellers in comparison with hostels, which can provide better services for a similar price and are more suitable for foreigners who don't speak Farsi. They are somehow similar to all these kinds of hotels all over the world, with shared or private bathrooms, sometimes including breakfast.

Staying in Iranian hostels

All large and medium cities of Iran now have an important offer of hostels, which are perfectly suited for backpackers. Despite their rather low prices, it doesn't mean that they lack comfort nor charm. On the contrary, many of these hostels are traditional houses, with rooms organized around a central courtyard. The main difference with hotels is that it usually offers shared rooms, such as dormitories. Yet, many hostels also have few private rooms with two or three beds, for couples or families. The other difference with hotels is that these establishments are usually local businesses, with smaller capacity, and thus with fewer rooms. You might want to book in advance if you plan to visit Iran during the high season. Hostels have a more intimate atmosphere than hotels, it's thus a perfect place to meet other travellers and chat with the owners.

Camping in Iran

Iran has so many natural wonders that it can be tempting to just pitch a tent and sleep under the stars. You can have the opportunity to experience outdoors sleeping with a guide in the middle of the desert, on top of a mountain, or on a beautiful sandy beach coast. Iranians themselves love to go outdoors and you might see lots of tents in the vicinity of cities during the weekends. However, there are no organized campsites in Iran, with bathrooms and electricity. It's a great experience for nature lovers, who look for a way to take advantage of the amazing landscapes of Iran while surpassing themselves. In Iran, travellers also have the rare chance to share the lives of nomads’ tribes and camp under their traditional tent during their migration. It's a unique opportunity to discover their lifestyle and specific culture.

How to book your accommodation?

It's possible to book some hotels and hostels through their website and email address from outside Iran. However, due to the difficulty of using international credit cards in Iran, you might not always be able to fully pay for your stay in advance.

At TasteIran, we provide visitors with complete experiences, which most often includes local and traditional houses when taking place on several days. Besides, we can also help you to book the accommodation you are looking for at any other stage of your trip, through an online platform payment. Don't hesitate to send your request to info@tasteiran.net and we will find the place that suits the best your desires and your budget!