Iran may not be the first destination that comes to mind for solo female travel, but for many women who’ve visited, it turns out to be one of the most rewarding. The country blends timeless hospitality with deep-rooted culture and modern-day curiosity. If you’re considering going solo, here’s what to expect and how to prepare.
Before You Book Your Flight
- Pick the right cities: Shiraz, Isfahan, Yazd, and Kashan are not just beautiful—they’re also known for being safe, friendly, and walkable.
- Pack culturally appropriate clothing: Think lightweight long sleeves, loose pants, and a few neutral headscarves. Locals appreciate the effort, and it helps you blend in.
- Learn a few Farsi phrases: Even “salaam” (hello) and “merci” (thank you) go a long way.
Why Travel Solo?
- Local women often strike up conversations and are eager to help.
- It’s common to be invited for tea—or even dinner—by families you’ve just met.
- Women-only areas on public transport and in parks create breathing space in busy cities.
Need help navigating all this? irun2iran offers custom tours, private drivers, and local insights so you can explore safely and freely.
Read a complete guide about how safe Iran is that answers all you questions.
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Why Travelling to Iran as a Woman Is Safer Than You Think
There’s a gap between perception and reality when it comes to Iran. What you’ve heard in the news likely doesn’t reflect what solo female travelers experience.
Common Misconceptions vs. Reality
- I’ll stand out and feel unsafe.
→ In truth, Iranians go out of their way to welcome visitors—especially women. Many travelers say they’ve felt safer here than in European capitals. - I can’t do anything alone.
→ You can. You can visit museums, eat out, stroll bazaars, and hop on domestic flights with ease.
Safety Practices That Work Well Here
- Use Snapp and Tapsi, Iran’s version of Uber, for reliable transport.
- Keep your accommodation in the loop—many hosts treat guests like family.
- Avoid deserted areas after dark, especially in less touristy towns.
Want backup? With private car rentals and custom itineraries, you’ll always have trusted support nearby.
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Best Female Travel Guide for Iran: Cultural Etiquette, Safety, and Where to Find One
A good local guide transforms your trip—especially when she’s a woman who understands both your curiosity and your comfort zone. Whether you want historical insight or just someone to help you order lunch with confidence, the right guide is a game-changer.
Where to Start Looking
irun2iran – Offers handpicked female guides fluent in English, vetted for professionalism and local expertise.
Reddit Travel Forums – Check threads in r/solotravel or r/traveliran; fellow travelers often post contact info and honest reviews.
Facebook Groups – Try communities like “Women Who Travel” or “Solo Female Travelers” for recommendations and personal referrals.
What Makes a Great Female Guide in Iran?
Cultural knowledge mixed with street smarts
Fluency in both English and local customs
The ability to tailor experiences just for you—whether you’re into history, food, or photography
With a right tour, you can book private, women-led tours that feel more like traveling with a friend than following a script.
Women-Only Tours in Iran: Travel with Confidence and Comfort
Not every traveler wants to navigate a new country solo. For those who prefer connection and structure, women-only tours are the perfect fit.
Why Women Love These Tours
- You’re surrounded by like-minded travelers, which makes bonding easier
- No need to constantly explain yourself—you can just be
- Led by women who know how to balance exploration with care
What’s Included in Women-Only Packages by irun2iran?
- Private transport with vetted drivers
- Customized itineraries designed around your pace and passions
- Female guides who offer both insight and a sense of ease
- Hands-on experiences like cooking classes, handicraft workshops, and local meetups
Whether you want to trek mountain trails, stroll poetic gardens, or sip tea in a bazaar courtyard, irun2iran’s women-only trips let you experience Iran with comfort, authenticity, and full support.
Safety for Solo Female Travelers in Iran
In Iranian culture, women are mostly treated with respect and many solo female travelers have described their travel experience in Iran as safe. Reports of crimes against solo female travelers is almost quite rare in Iran.
You can consider Iran as a normal destination for solo female travelers, where you can travel easily and happily. However, as with any other country, you have to use common sense and follow the general safety rules to avoid any kind of problems.
Things You MUST Know as a Solo Female Traveler before Visiting Iran
A woman’s solo trip to Iran can be smoothly done if you obey the guidelines. As a solo female traveler preparing to visit Iran, you need to know and care about the country’s norms and public behavior. The Islamic law that governs the country dictates that women dress modestly, covering arms and legs; respecting these requirements is essential when visiting Iran as a solo woman.
WHAT TO WEAR AS A WOMAN TRAVELLING TO IRAN
When traveling to Iran solo female travel, have to know the country’s rules regarding attire. It is recommended to wear loose-fitting clothing that covers the arms and legs together with a headscarf to cover the hair. Long-sleeve blouses and long skirts or trousers is a good match. Bright colors are generally accepted. Additionally, comfortable footwear is recommended and there is no limitation to use any type.
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What The Female Need To Wear In The Religious Sites In Iran?
In most religious places, women have to wear chador, the large tissue to cover you all over. If you don’t have one, no worry, those are usually distributed free of charge at the entrance of all shrines. At some mosques they may ask visitors to cover feet as well, so it is advisable to carry socks in your backpack. Also, have it in mind that there is often a separate women’s entrance in mosques and shrines.
What Should Wear In Summer as a woman?
Because the landscapes in Iran are so different, the climate varies extremely. While on a November day in the northwest-located mountainous Tabriz, you shiver at -5 degrees, at the same time the Persian Gulf has a pleasant +25 degrees. Therefore, you need to pack your clothes accordingly, depending on which region and when you want to visit.
Due to being located in an arid and semi-arid area, the ideal is to visit Iran in spring or autumn when the temperature is tolerable. Sticking to the main tourist cities, in summer the climate can be hot where the temperature may rise up to 42 ° C. For traveling in summer, try to pack the light, loose and made-of-cotton clothing and it is most recommended to make sure using light colors. Avoid wearing shirt or top under your main dress and choose sandals or flip flop as your footwear.
Check the weather with us when you decide to travel to Iran.
Alcohol and smoking laws for woman in Iran
According to the Islamic law of Iran, the sale and consumption of alcohol are strictly prohibited and their consumption, production and distribution is severely punished.
Likewise, various drugs including marijuana are strictly banned, while tobacco consumption is permitted. Since 2007, smoking has been banned in all public places in Iran, although the ban may be ignored. Generally, public smoking is subject to regulations, and various campaigns aim to reduce smoking rates due to health concerns.
Hitchhiking as a Woman in Iran
No matter if you are male or female, hitchhiking in Iran can be quite a challenge, because the concept is not familiar for a majority of the people. Though, the Iranian people are extremely hospitable, and always ready to help a woman (or man) in need, you need to tell them that you are seeking for a free ride before starting the trip. However, visiting Iran as a solo woman can be a total adventure of lifetime, it is not recommended to hitchhike as an alone female. Try to hitchhike together with another female or male to feel more secure and safe.
SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN IRAN
In Iran like any other country in the world, a solo female traveler might encounter sexual harassment. To minimize it to zero, try to follow the common sense and the universal guidelines.
As a rule of thumb when traveling to Iran as a woman alone is to obey the dress codes, especially in remote non-urban areas. You cannot have a full understanding of a society culture and norms unless living there for a while, therefore try to be more cautious toward men and do not say yes to all the invitations. Trust your instincts when interacting with people to know how far you can go to be safe.
PLANNING SOLO FEMALE TRAVEL IN IRAN
Planning for a woman’s solo trip to Iran needs researching cultural norms and safety guidelines to have an insight over the hidden cultural standards. Put a time to know more about local customs, dress code, and social etiquette to ensure you will have a respectful interaction. While Iran is known for its rich history and breathtaking landscapes, female travelers should be cautious about the remote area challenges. Travel forums and blogs of other Iran solo female travelers can provide valuable experience.
IRAN’S GENDER SEGREGATION IN PUBLIC
A set of written and unwritten rules of public gender segregation dominates the community in Iran. Those may seem to be hard to understand fully, but you can simply follow as the others do. In city buses and metro, a section is allocated to women while the other parts can be mixed. In long distance buses, unrelated men and women can not seat next to each other, but you don’t need to worry since the bus company will manage it.
Is Backpacking Easy For The Solo Women In Iran?
Iran is considered as a multipurpose destination where you have numerous options such as deserts, mountains, seas, islands, cultural monuments, ancient ruins, pilgrimage cities and much more to mention. All these turn this country to a perfect destination for the backpackers. However, there are three important issues that backpackers care about:
The first one is that your travel needs in the destination meet your budget. At the moment, traveling in Iran is really cheap – as a backpacker you can easily live on 1,000,000 IRR (30 euros) per day for accommodation, food, transport and activities.
The second point to consider is the accessibility. Other big plus of Iran is the suitable infrastructure this country has provided. Reliable bus, train and flight network, delicious local food and numerous beautiful accommodations are all available anywhere in the country that you are.
The last point and the most important for female travelers is safety. Fortunately, Iran is a real safe country with hospitable people. Let’s say Iran is one of the most stable and secure countries in the Middle East. The crime rate in Iran is extremely low and there is hardly a greater risk of terrorism than in Europe. You might experience some inconveniences with men, but just like anywhere else the frequency is limited.

Are You Traveling With A Man? What Is The Dress Code For Him?
The hijab for men is also applicable, however, there are fewer rules for them. Men should cover their legs and arms as a general rule. If you are however in a T-shirt, that is not of course a problem; men may wear short-sleeved clothing but not sleeveless vests.
Men are not also allowed to wear shorts, instead, you may select to wear jeans or trousers to cover down to ankle. Last but not the least, any kind of footwear is of course acceptable.
Going Out And Transportation In Iran
Between the cities
To travel between the cities in Iran, there are several options.
- Flight
- Train
- Bus
- Hire a private car
If you like to control over your ride, visit monuments en route, and be flexible with when and where to start hire a private car. To turn it a budget-centric option, share the ride with other travelers.
The plane is an effective option to connect the big cities. As international sanctions particularly affected the aviation sector, the fleets are generally not young. The price of the flights are really changeable but you can find relatively low rates if do the booking in time. Of course, that is possible to book it online or you can refer to the nearest agency to book one for you.
On the price side, the bus is unbeatable. The departure is frequent, one per hour or half an hour. So, you don’t need to reserve your seat in advance, just go to the bus station and book the next departure. The VIP buses are the ones we use in budget tours and our guests are always happy with this selection. Those are the bests in Iran providing more leg room and comfort seats that recline more. Undoubtedly, there is nothing to fear in terms of safety and comfort for the night buses, in the case you like to travel at night.
Trains as your next transport option also connect the main cities. Those are more expensive, often slower and have less coverage around the country comparing to some other means of transportation. However, the trains are very comfortable, you can sleep well and have an opportunity to spend the evening with other Iranian women.
In the cities
To travel in cities, the best means are taxi and metro. Almost new, only some major cities have the metro network that is of course modern and clean. In Tehran, the last two wagons of the metro trains are reserved for women. However, there is no restriction to use the other wagons.
The shared taxi is the best option everywhere. Don’t forget to negotiate the rate before starting the ride.
As the last option, all the cities have a full coverage of the bus system as well. Those are really cheap but usually too slow and rarely clear which line to take. Men and women are separated on public transport. Therefore, as a woman enter city buses from the middle and sit in the back.
Is It Easy To Get Iran Visa As A Female Traveler?
There is no difference in the process, duration and results of Iran visa for women and men. There are basically two ways to get Iran visa. Making arrangements through a specialized travel agency or at the airport once you have landed.
Although that is possible to do the paperwork by yourselves, but it is always suggested to request the help of an agency to obtain the authorization code. In this way you will make sure your entrance to Iran is guaranteed. Of course, you can collect your visa at the airport of your entrance if you have not enough time to refer to an Iranian embassy.
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Finally And In Brief: All The Essential To Know Before Departure To Iran
- First thing to know before leaving is that anyone on Iranian territory, tourist or local, must respect the Islamic law in public places. So, pack your suitcase accordingly and stay at the safe side.
- The hospitable Iranians might invite you to their homes. In most of cases you will be safe and enjoy their kind behavior. However, your feeling is the best guide when traveling. As a solo traveler you should not be afraid to reject offers during the trip if the feeling is not right.
- There are several testimonies of women’s feeling and experience in Iran, before leaving read some of those testimonials to get familiar with the potential scenarios you may face in Iran.
- In many regions of the world, a woman would never speak to a strange man, but it is different with women. There is much less fear of contact and often curiosity wins. This makes it much easier for you to get in touch with the locals, especially women and families.
After all, you will certainly change your mind after your visit to Iran as a solo female traveler.
Read 7 top tips from a recent visitor’s point of view.