Skip to content
العربيةSaved0
Place

Palatial Complex

This splendid complex lies west of Naqsh-e Jahan Square and includes the magnificent Ali Qapu gateway. Developed over a long period since the Safavid era, it encompasses several wonderful places, including royal residences, guest houses, embassies and green gardens. Each building in the complex is bordered by a landscaped garden, and there is a tree-lined walkway and precisely engineered water features. The gardens contain native plants. The complex also includes two towering structures dating from the fourth century, as well as Chehel Sotoun Hall, Hasht Behesht Palace and other surviving structures, such as houses, stables and the Grand Talar Tavila, a columned pavilion that has survived over the years and is no longer open to public visits.

City guide

Overview & visitor information

This splendid complex lies west of Naqsh-e Jahan Square and includes the magnificent Ali Qapu gateway. Developed over a long period since the Safavid era, it encompasses several wonderful places, including royal residences, guest houses, embassies and green gardens. Each building in the complex is bordered by a landscaped garden, and there is a tree-lined walkway and precisely engineered water features. The gardens contain native plants. The complex also includes two towering structures dating from the fourth century, as well as Chehel Sotoun Hall, Hasht Behesht Palace and other surviving structures, such as houses, stables and the Grand Talar Tavila, a columned pavilion that has survived over the years and is no longer open to public visits.

More places in Isfahan

Keep exploring Isfahan.

Explore all
altisfahan

What to do with Children in Tow

Activity

Isfahan is not a city geared specifically towards children. The air around the city is formal, sober, and one of intellect and reverence rather than frolic and merrymaking. The lack of amusement opportunities within the city is somewhat of a downside when you are bringing along a family with toddlers. The only best place you can take children is probably one of the numerous parks around the city. An evening of family-oriented fun for kids and adults alike will keep pestering kids at bay, while offering you relief from the pressures of the city center.

altisfahan

Isfahan Bazaar e Bozorg

Market

Address: entrance at the north end of Naqsh e Jahan Square, stretches to the old Friday Mosque Timings: Saturdays to Thursdays 9am to 8pm

altisfahan

Ali Qapu Palace

Palace

Address: west side of the Naqsh e Jahan Square, opposite the Sheikh Lotfullah Mosque Timings: 8am to sunset Tickets: IRR 4000

altisfahan

Chahar Bagh Avenue

road

Address: the main boulevard beside the Naqsh e Jahan Square complex, parallel to and west of Ostandari Street.

altisfahan

Hasht Behisht Palace

Palace

Address: south of the Chili Sutun palace, city center, Isfahan Timings: 8am to 8pm Tickets: IRR 3000

altisfahan

Chihil Sutun

Building

Address: Ostandari Street, city center, Isfahan. Timings: 8am to 12noon, 2pm to sunset. Tickets: IRR 5000.

altisfahan

Central Library

Library

Address: opposite Hasht Behisht garden complex, Hasht Behisht Street. A fascinating piece of modernism fused with traditional color and construction, the very building of the Central Library is a refreshing break from all the typical Safavid style monuments around the city.

altisfahan

Quran Museum

Museum

Address: inside the Abbasi Hotel, Chahar Bagh Avenue Timings: 9am to 5pm

altisfahan

Rajai Park

Park

Address: located within Hasht Behisht complex. A small public park that is full of avid chess players, leisure walkers, and chatty locals on evenings, providing an ideal space for intermingling with the locals, or just watching casual life in Isfahan roll along. The park contains colorful verities of local flowering shrubs and soothing bodies of water, and is a very relaxing experience after a long day exploring the city center and all its tourist locations.

altisfahan

Decorative Arts Museum

Museum

Address: Ostandari Street Timings: Saturdays to Wednesdays 8am to 1pm, Thursdays 8am to 12noon Tickets: IRR 3000

More restaurants in Isfahan

Keep exploring Isfahan.

Explore all
altisfahan

Arabo (Pizza)

Address: Kalisa Street, Jolfa Phone: 624 7119 Timings: open daily 12noon to 4pm, 6pm to 11pm

More hotels in Isfahan

Keep exploring Isfahan.

Explore all
altisfahan

Abbasi Hotel

Moderate Hotels

Originally a 300 years old mehmansarai (guesthouse for travelers) built by the Safavid ruler Shah Hussein as a tribute to his mother, the building of this hotel has been magnificently restored. It has been transformed into a splendidly nostalgic hotel that echoes with legacies of palatial life that are sinking into oblivion in today’s modern, fast-paced world. The hotel is built around a courtyard plan, a typical feature of public building planning by the Safavids. It contains four arcades that surround the central courtyard (a Chahar Bagh arrangement). The garden itself blossoms with colorful varieties of local flora, and contains fountains and stone sculptures that add to an almost magical, fairytale like setting. The very delicate detailing of this courtyard space can be used to compare it to the much larger, much grander Naqsh e Jahan Square in the city center.

altisfahan

Kowsar Hotel

Address: Millat Boulevard, near the Si-o-Seh Bridge, Isfahan Phone: Tel: +98 311 240 2309 Fax: +98 311 249 975 Website: http://www.hotelkowsar.com/en/

altisfahan

Safir Hotel

Address: Amadegah Street, Chaharbagh e Abbasi Avenue, Isfahan Phone: +98 311 222 2640, +98 311 222 9412, +98 311 221 9931 Fax: +98 311 223 2176 Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.safirhotel.net/

altisfahan

Ali Qapu Hotel:

Address: Chahar Bagh Avenue, Isfahan Phone: +98 311 222 7929 Fax: +98 311 221 6049 Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.aliqapuhotel.com/enhome.html

altisfahan

Dibai House

Address: 1 Masjed Ali Alley, Harunieh, Isfahan Phone: +98 311 220 9787 Fax: + 98 311 220 9786 Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.dibaihouse.com/

altisfahan

Isfahan Traditional Hotel:

Address: Bagh-e Ghalandarhra Alley, off Hakim Street, Isfahan Phone: +98 311 223 6677, +98 311 222 4080 Fax: +98 311 222 4090 Website: http://www.isfahanhotel.com/en/index.php

altisfahan

Setarah Hotel (formerly Sadaf Hotel)

Address: No. 220, Hafez Avenue Isfahan Phone: +98 311 220 4220, +98 311 220 3236, +98 311 220 3260 Fax: +98 311 220 2988, +98 311 222 6388 Website: http://www.isfahanhotel.com/en/index.php

altisfahan

Hotel Suite

Address: Ainehkhaneh Boulevard, Isfahan Phone: +98 311 6616071