Iran

mcompton69

Has anyone recently been to, or planning to go to Iran?

What was your experience?

What was the reception like/the people like?

How expensive is it?

What were the highlights?

Kernow666

I would love to go!

I would love to go but would probably be captured as a spy and shot

Moto2

I would love to go!

I'd rather go to Iran than other places in the Middle East, e.g. Saudi Arabia.
The people and culture of Iran are cultured and civilized (unlike SA)
I've worked in both countries and wouldn't hesitate to go back to Iran.

PompeyPete

I am not interested in going.

If you're going to compare Saudi Arabia with Iran, then for a bit of balance why not also compare the UAE or Oman too? In any case the only tourists that are allowed in Saudi are religious tourists visiting for the Haj.

vivatifosi

I would love to go!

I like ancient sites so Iran has to be on my list of places that I'd love to go to. As is Leptis Magna in Libya. As was Palmyra in Syria. In the short term though I'm more likely to go to Ephesus, or one of the European sites.

One of the women I admire most, Lois Pryce, has been riding her motorbike around there:
http://www.loisontheloose.com/my-adventures/iran/
Well worth a read.

Ames

I was lazily reading up on it recently after seeing an ad on the back of Private Eye. I was surprised that the FCO don't advise against travel there.

But UK (and US) passport holders are only allowed in if they're on a guided tour. No-one's allowed in if they have an Israel stamp in their passport.

Some of the guided tours looked quite interesting, and not as expensive as you'd think.

mcompton69

PompeyPete wrote: »

the only tourists that are allowed in Saudi are religious tourists visiting for the Haj.

Really?? Did you just make this up??

http://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/destinations/middle-east/saudi-arabia

https://www.travelrepublic.co.uk/v2/holidays/saudi-arabia.html?oid=5375&mkid=410748947&aid=1&dev=c&gclid=CjwKEAiA04S3BRCYteOr6b-roSUSJABE1-6B-PlaCf9r2xcrwGc0hLZ5bt9jxgIOHO8Ul2nvsHF5HhoCFP_w_wcB

https://www.kayak.co.uk/sem/kpack/general?destination=rsa&lang=en&extProvId=5&extPu=kayak-gaw-search&extLi=231631210&extCr=19806374770-75498017530&extKw=holidays+to+saudi+arabia&extMT=e&extAP=1t2&gclid=CjwKEAiA04S3BRCYteOr6b-roSUSJABE1-6BiXKGWRXXXSgi_EQ8qT2ec27twqF9lgDNWupSNLo05BoCJTzw_wcB

Moto2

I would love to go!

Ames wrote: »

But UK (and US) passport holders are only allowed in if they're on a guided tour.

We rode through Iran (enroute to India) in 2013
The official line was no visa but we just winged it at the Turkish border and got in OK. Some fees were paid and paperwork issued.
We did however get a police escort all the way though Iran to the Pakistani border near Zahedan. So I guess you could call it a guided tour.

PompeyPete

I am not interested in going.

mcompton69 wrote: »

Really?? Did you just make this up??

Of course there are flights to Saudi Arabia, some very plush hotels too, and tours that can be arranged. BUT you need to fully fit in to all of the Tourist Visa requirements.

Check the requirements for a Tourist Visa for a non-muslim...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_policy_of_Saudi_Arabia

...you won't get one.:eek:

Most [non Saudi] workers in the Kingdom have to have bonefide sponsors, and are only issued with an Entry Only Visa. On arrival the individual has to surrender his passport to his Sponsor. The Sponsor is then responsible to the Saudi authorities for the individual, and to leave the country [even for a weekend In Bahrain] the Sponsor has to apply for an Exit Visa, and another Entry Visa. You are basically a prisoner, albeit it was your own choice to be in Saudi Arabia.

Slight off-topic. If you're a British [or any foreign] woman married to a Saudi and you choose to live in Saudi Arabia you will have mighty big problems if you decide to split from your hubby. All you've got is an Entry Only visa, and your Sponsor [your Saudi hubby] has to apply for an Exit Visa. If he doesn't want to let you [and your children] go then basically it's tough! You married the man, you decided to go and live in his country and under it's rules, and if it all goes tits-up [as it often does] then life becomes very interesting.

I'm quite prepared to be shot down in flames, but don't think I'm too far off the mark.

Ballard

I am not interested in going.

I have a friend who works in Riyadh and his employer granted him one return flight for his wife and son. None of them are Muslim but I suppose that they're not strictly tourists so perhaps a different visa would be appropriate. As it happens they didn't bother to visit him as there's nothing to do in the country anyway.

PompeyPete

I am not interested in going.

Ballard wrote: »

I have a friend who works in Riyadh and his employer granted him one return flight for his wife and son. None of them are Muslim but I suppose that they're not strictly tourists so perhaps a different visa would be appropriate.

Your friend was sponsored by his employer. So his family were granted a visa on the back of that. When we worked in Riyadh our daughter [twice] and my brother came out to visit us. And where I worked there were always family members coming and going [particularly during Boarding School holidays].

Ballard wrote: »

As it happens they didn't bother to visit him as there's nothing to do in the country anyway.

That's a load of rubbish. There's plenty to see and do. We had a great 4 years in the Kingdom. Fortunately, our visas were multi-entry so we could come and go without jumping through any hoops.

Our youngest son, who was 16 at the time we went to Saudi in 1999, went with us. He soon got a [privileged] job. When me and the Mrs left at the end of 2003 our son stayed there, and is still there. He enjoys life, has made lots of friends of all sorts of nationalities, and does a lot of work related travelling in the region. Only downside is we only see him a couple of times a year when he's home on leave.