TEHRAN - Iran is a vast country with a changing environment characterized by long, hot, dry summers and short, cool winters.

You may enjoy sightseeing in the country all year round, depending on your personal feeling about the seasons and, of course, your trip purposes.

For a country with such seasonal extremes, autumn and spring seem to be the best time to travel. Here we are going to look at the best time to the ancient land.

Spring

March and May are the best time to go to Iran, avoiding the scorching heat and the harsh winter cold. As long as you're willing to dress up for hot/cold, June and October offer slightly better deals.

May is a much better time to visit Iran while enjoying the mild spring weather. This month is perfect for enjoying nature as greenery has blanketed the fields, flowers have bloomed, and the weather is ideal for hiking activities.

Many international tourists visit Iran in May and April, and most of them visit places in the heart of the country, such as Shiraz, Isfahan and Yazd. The weather is nice and the attractions are limitless!

Summer

The weather gets very hot from July to August. However, it is summer! Hiking and walking can be very tiring.

The northwest of the country and many coastal areas of the Caspian Sea are still beautiful in summer, and both are major destinations for domestic travellers.

Rural tourism is one of the highlights. Countryside towns and villages in Ardabil and Gilan provinces in northwestern Iran, Kurdistan province in the west, and Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari province in south-central Iran beckon travelers in the summer.

All in all, if you can’t tolerate hot weather, summer is not the best time to visit Iran. This is a season when temperatures occasionally so high in some areas that you can fry eggs on the hood of a car. This way, if you are planning on trekking in the deserts, you should reschedule your trip.

Fall

Autumn is probably a great time to visit central Iran, especially Isfahan and Shiraz; two incredibly historic cities with several UNESCO World Heritage Site in or around them.

September and October are other good times to visit the country. This period is associated with rains when the temperature drops and the weather generally becomes cooler, especially in October and early November.

Bear in mind that since the school holidays are finished at the end of November, the crowds almost disappear, or at least are not too intense anymore.

In addition, at that time of the year, you easily found public transportation including flights and trains because there are almost few non-business domestic travels in this period. The deserts of Kerman, Yazd, and South Khorasan are particularly interesting locations to visit in the fall.

Winter

Winter is a great time to visit the Persian Gulf islands, especially Kish and Qeshm, which embrace free trade zones.

In the wintertime, western and northwestern areas get a decent amount of snowfall. Some intercity routes are occasionally closed due to massive snowfall or the risk of avalanches in those areas. If you are a big fan of skiing, Tehran and Ardabil are must-see destinations.

AM