Mashhad 
Mashhad is the most popular city among religious Iranians. This magnificent city lies in the northeast of the country. It is close to the borders of Turkmenistan and Afghanistan. Mashhad was a major oasis along the ancient Silk Road connecting Merv in the East to the major Iranian cities in the west. Mashhad is a city with a population of over 2.7 million people. It is also famous for housing Imam Reza's Shrine (Mashhad Haram). Mashhad's economy is based on dry fruits, salted nuts and above all its production of saffron, the finest in the world. The city was invaded by Uzbeks during the Safavids era. Later on, Shah Abbas, the mightiest of Safavid kings defeated the Uzbeks in a great battle and re-conquered the city. Mashhad became the capital of Iran in the Afsharid era when it saw its greatest glory. Mashhad’s tourism industry is very prosperous due to its historic and religious importance. Thus, Mashhad holds Iran's second busiest airport after Tehran Mehrabad Airport. If you look for Mashhad in Iran’s map, you will also come across other graceful places in Iran such as Qom a religious city in the center of Iran, Kashan, the city of roses, Shiraz the city of flowers and poesy, and Tehran Iran’s capital city.
Mashhad offers a wide variety of accommodation for tourists and pilgrims. The deluge of pilgrims and foreign tourists has guaranteed a lucrative hotel business, and the latter has resulted in the establishment of all kinds of quality lodgings. Mashhad’s hotels are of a high quality. They are well-known in Iran for being exceptional and first-rate. Due to the city’s vast popularity especially on religious red days and the great diversity of accommodation, Mashhad hotels' booking might seem hard at first glance. However, it will be far easier if you decide, in advance, what kind of accommodation you would prefer. Would you like a Mashhad guesthouse? A hostel? Or a luxurious hotel? A cheap hotel? Well, fortunately for you, Mashhad boasts some of the most beautiful hotels in Iran with online booking available for all domestic and international guests. There are more than seventeen five-star hotels in the city. Almas, Homa, Ghasre Talaee and Palace International Hotel are the most popular luxury hotels in Mashhad. Mashhad hotels near Haram are ideal for those who seek to drop by the shrine now and then. Hotels in Mashhad near Imam Reza Shrine have another advantage, and that is their proximity to the major sightseeing spots in the city including Goharshad Mosque, Astan Quds Razavi Central Museum, Tomb of Nader Shah and Malek House. The overflow of visitors during the religious holidays has also led to the establishment of a plethora of cheap hotels in Mashhad. Diplomat, Miami, and Alvand are some of the leading ones in this category. Cheap accommodation in Mashhad also includes hostels and guesthouses. Espino, Fakher, and Alton are the first choices of cheap hostels and apartment hotels in Mashhad.
Mashhad tours are quite popular amidst Iran tours when it comes to quality and diversity. Every year, there are thousands of foreign tourists who book Iran tours using Iran tour operators, and they get to gain truly memorable Iranian tours to many destinations. Through our window of logic, it is best for tourists to choose Mashhad as their destination on non-religious days due to the heavy traffic and overflowing number of native and non-native people. Now let’s have a look at some of the greatest tours of Mashhad in our packages.
If you are a frequenter of our website, you already know about Iran sightseeing tours. These one-day packages take you to the magical sites of major cities in Iran. Our Mashhad sightseeing tours include visits to the unique historic monuments of one of the most sumptuous cities in the Muslim world. In the course of Mashhad day tours, you will visit the holy shrine of Imam Reza whose gold-coated dome welcomes the sight and touches the heart. The shrine is a part of the prodigious complex of Astan Quds that includes many other religious monuments and a museum. Other spots visited during Mashhad daily tours are the historic Ghoharshad Mosque, the spectacular Malek House and the tomb of the formidable Afsharid king, Nader Shah. Due to the city’s religious background, there are many packages known as pilgrimage tours in which the main focus is on religious historic sites. There are similar tours in other cities such as Qom, but Iran religious tours in Mashhad are the best-known of them all. This information shouldn’t lead you to the false conclusion that Mashhad is all about its majestic religious sites. Tus is a small city 37 km northwest of Mashhad. It is the resting place of one of the greatest epic poets of the world; Ferdowsi. The journey to Tus from Mashhad takes about 40 minutes by car, and it shouldn’t cost you more than 15 USD.
If you fancy going back in time and experience old picaresque traditional villages, home to kind and welcoming people, you should consider taking Iran Traditional Villages Tours. Kang village tours are the only packages offered to the east of the country. Kang is an hour’s drive from Mashhad via the road connecting Noghondar village to Kang. Autumn is a perfect time to go and absorb all the colors of the Fall in Kang. Dating back to a thousand years ago, the village is famous for the architecture of the houses on the slope of a mountain. Walking alongside the river down the village, you will revel in the bosom of the beautiful nature of Khorasan. Our Kang tours start from Mashhad. We will take you to Kang and let you relish all the glory of the lovely village. After having a tasty lunch in the village and hiking around, we will head back towards Mashhad in the evening.
No one expects to find ski resorts in a country famous for its searing deserts. Nonetheless, winter activities are very popular among the Iranians. And where do the skiers look for entertainment? Yes! Ski resorts. As incredible as it sounds, there are twenty-two official ski resorts in Iran with everything you would expect from a top-rated ski resort. Not to miss this considerable potential for tourism, Iran travel agencies organize ski tours to all of these resorts. Most of these fabulous ski fields lie in Western Iran. The scarcity of mountainous heights in the East is the result of the predominance of deserts. But this ancient and exotic country have another surprise up her sleeve. Shirbad Ski Resort is one such surprise! Located in Khorasan Razavi province, 67 km away from Mashhad, Shirbad Ski Resort stands tall in the lofty heights of Binalud Mountains. With an elevation of over 3000 meters, Shirbad is ideal for all sorts of snow entertainments four months of the year. The resort is equipped with ski lifts, fantastic runs and a good powder perfect for skiing. The uniqueness of Shirbad as Mashhad’s only ski resort has secured its place in Iran ski tours. We are proud to present Khorasan’s phenomenal ski resort -which is a true oddity among Iran ski resorts- in our amazing list of winter packages. Our Shirbad ski tours start from Mashhad and take one whole day. Transportation is included in the cost of the tour and we can arrange for longer sojourns if requested.
Every province in Iran displays a marvelous set of tourist attractions and the expansive Khorasan with its world-famous capital city is no exception. There is a wide range of tourist attractions in Mashhad each known for a fascinating aspect. Imam Reza's Shrine is without a doubt the most sought-after of Mashhad tourist attractions. Together with the holy shrines of Imams in Iraq, Imam Reza’s Shrine in Mashhad is the most visited holy ground in the Shia world. Besides its incomparable significance as a religious monument, the shrine, and its adjacent structures present supreme Iranian architecture of the 16th century. Gold-coated tiles, subtle embellishments and divine works of calligraphy is only a part of the splendor of the shrine. Thanks to the annual deluge of pilgrims Mashhad’s tourism is a big part of the Iranian economy. Another wonderful place worth visiting is Goharshad Mosque. Built in 1418 AD during the reign of Timurid dynasty, the mosque underwent radical renovations during the Safavid and Qajar eras. Goharshad has four iwans, and a courtyard and the blue and green used in its internal decorations are truly mesmerizing. Tomb of Sheikh Bahai, the Iranian philosopher of the 16th century, is another major historic site. The tomb is part of the massive complex of Astan Quds. Historical sites aside, the countryside around Mashhad is quite scenic. To cite one superb instance, one could mention Chali Darreh, an entertainment complex 17 km away from Mashhad. Beyond the typical funfair facilities, Chali Darreh also includes a crazy Bungee Jumping site for the people aching for an extra dose of Adrenalin. And finally, for those looking for snow entertainment, Mashhad offers the snow-capped peaks of Binalud Mountains and its breathtaking Shirbad Ski Resort.
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