Istanbul to Tehran by Rail: The Self-Launched Version

Land at Istanbul Airport (IST) and take the M11 metro to Gayrettepe then Marmaray to Sirkeci (~£1.50), or the Havaist bus to Sultanahmet (~£3). Check into a hostel in Sultanahmet or Karaköy (~£15-20 dorm, £30-40 private). Spend the late afternoon on a self-guided wander: Hippodrome, Blue Mosque exterior, Gülhane Park, and a çay on the Galata Bridge. Sort a Turkish e-visa online (evisa.gov.tr, ~£35-45 depending on nationality) and buy an Istanbulkart from a kiosk for cheap trams and ferries.

🚌M11 metro + Marmaray from IST (~£1.50); Istanbulkart ~£3 deposit + top-up

🛏Hostel dorm in Sultanahmet or Karaköy (~£18)

• →Self-guided Sultanahmet walk
• →Galata Bridge sunset
• →Buy Istanbulkart transit card

Morning DIY: Hagia Sophia (book timed entry online, ~£25) and the Basilica Cistern (~£10), or save money with the Süleymaniye Mosque (free) and the Grand Bazaar. Afternoon high-speed YHT train from Istanbul Söğütlüçeşme or Pendik to Ankara (~3.5-4 hrs, second class ~£12-15 booked on TCDD Taşımacılık / bilet.tcdd.gov.tr). Evening walk around Kızılay and Kocatepe Mosque. Stay in a Kızılay hostel (~£15-20).

🚌YHT high-speed train Istanbul–Ankara ~£13

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Kızılay, Ankara (~£18)

• →Hagia Sophia or Süleymaniye Mosque
• →Grand Bazaar browse
• →Kocatepe Mosque at dusk

Morning visit to Anıtkabir, Atatürk's mausoleum (free entry, ~£1 metro). Midday bus or train-plus-bus to Göreme/Nevşehir: overnight bus from Ankara AŞTİ is ~8-9 hrs (~£15-18), or take the daytime YHT to Kayseri (~£10) then dolmuş to Göreme (~£2). Check into a cave-style pension in Göreme (~£18-25 dorm, £35-45 private). Evening: home-style Turkish dinner in a local family-run lokanta (testi kebab, ~£8) — the DIY version of the included family dinner.

🚌Ankara–Göreme overnight bus ~£16, or YHT to Kayseri ~£10 + dolmuş ~£2

🛏Cave pension in Göreme (~£22)

• →Anıtkabir mausoleum (free)
• →Arrival wander through Göreme village
• →Local testi kebab dinner

Self-guided day in Cappadocia. Buy the Göreme Open Air Museum ticket at the gate (~£18) and walk there from the village (25 min) — the rock-cut churches are the highlight. Afternoon hike the Love Valley or Pigeon Valley trail (free, 2-3 hrs). Optional sunrise hot air balloon the following morning: book a standard flight via GetYourGuide or a Göreme agency from ~£130-180 — the biggest optional cost on this whole route, and worth doing once.

🚌Walking + local dolmuş (~£2)

🛏Cave pension in Göreme (~£22)

• →Göreme Open Air Museum (~£18)
• →Love Valley self-guided hike
• →Option: hot air balloon at sunrise (~£150)

One more Cappadocia morning — derinkuyu underground city or the Uçhisar castle rock (~£4). Afternoon dolmuş to Kayseri (~£3) and board the Van Gölü Ekspresi overnight train (Kayseri–Tatvan, ~18 hrs, couchette ~£15-20). Book on bilet.tcdd.gov.tr as soon as the date opens — this train sells out. Pack food and water; the dining car is basic but the scenery through the Taurus foothills is the reason you're here.

🚌Dolmuş Göreme–Kayseri ~£3; overnight train Kayseri–Tatvan ~£18

🛏Sleeper/couchette on the Van Gölü Ekspresi

• →Derinkuyu underground city or Uçhisar castle
• →Rail journey through eastern Anatolia

Arrive Tatvan and take the ferry across Lake Van to Van town (~1.5-2 hrs; the passenger ferry links with the train, tickets a few pounds — confirm sailing times locally as they follow the train). Alternatively the local bus around the lake takes ~4 hrs. Arrive Van by afternoon, check into a central guesthouse (~£18-25), and spend the evening eating Van's famous breakfast-for-dinner and walking the old town near the citadel.

🚌Lake Van ferry ~£4, or bus around the lake ~£6

🛏Guesthouse in Van (~£22)

• →Lake Van ferry crossing
• →Van old town evening walk

Do the group tour's day trip independently: take an early bus or shared minibus from Van to Doğubayazıt (~2 hrs, ~£4), then a local taxi or dolmuş up to the Ishak Pasha Palace (~£5-8 round trip, entry ~£4). Views across to Mt Ararat are the payoff. Return to Van in the evening. Alternatively, join a small-group day tour booked through your guesthouse or GetYourGuide (~£30-40) if you'd rather not juggle connections.

🚌Van–Doğubayazıt minibus ~£4 each way + local taxi ~£6

🛏Guesthouse in Van (~£22)

• →Ishak Pasha Palace (~£4)
• →Mt Ararat viewpoints
• →Doğubayazıt bazaar

Take a dolmuş west along the lake to Gevaş (~£1.50), then the small passenger boat to Akdamar Island (~£4-5 round trip) to see the 10th-century Armenian Church of the Holy Cross (entry ~£2). In summer, swim off the lake shore at one of the beaches near Gevaş — bring water shoes. Back in Van by evening for a cheap kebap dinner (~£5).

🚌Dolmuş to Gevaş ~£1.50 each way + boat ~£5

🛏Guesthouse in Van (~£22)

• →Akdamar Island boat trip
• →Armenian Church of the Holy Cross
• →Lake Van swim (summer)

Morning at Van Castle and the Urartian rock tombs overlooking the lake (entry ~£3). In the afternoon head to the Iranian border crossing. Two realistic DIY options: (1) the weekly Trans-Asia passenger train from Van to Tabriz/Tehran (check current operating status and dates with Turkish and Iranian railways — this service has been irregular, so verify before planning around it), or (2) dolmuş/taxi to the Kapıköy–Razi crossing (~2 hrs, ~£8-12), walk across, run the Iranian formalities (women must put on hijab before crossing; men long trousers), then shared taxi to Tabriz (~£10-15) and an overnight sleeper train or bus Tabriz–Tehran (sleeper ~£15-20, bus ~£10). There is no ATM after the border — carry all the cash you need in USD/EUR notes printed post-2006.

🚌Taxi to Kapıköy ~£10; border taxi Tabriz ~£12; Tabriz–Tehran sleeper ~£18

🛏Overnight sleeper train to Tehran (or Tabriz guesthouse ~£15)

• →Van Castle and Urartian tombs
• →Land border crossing at Kapıköy–Razi

Arrive Tehran by bus/train and check into a budget hotel or hostel near Baharestan or Taleqani metro (~£15-25). Get a local SIM data package from an operator shop with your passport (~£5-8) — foreign cards won't work, so this is cash. Spend the afternoon at the Golestan Palace (~£4) and the Grand Bazaar; the bazaar's carpet and spice halls are the budget-friendly version of the group's carpet museum stop. Evening walk through Tabiaat Bridge parkland.

🚌Metro and shared taxis (~£3)

🛏Budget hotel in central Tehran (~£22)

• →Golestan Palace (~£4)
• →Tehran Grand Bazaar
• →Tabiaat Bridge

Morning at Sa'd Abad Palace complex in the northern hills (~£5), then a shared taxi or metro to the National Museum of Iran (~£3). The National Jewellery Museum has limited opening hours (2-5pm, Sat-Mon) — check times locally and don't plan your day entirely around it. Early evening head to Tehran railway station for the overnight train to Shiraz (~13 hrs, 2nd class/bunk ~£12-18), or a night bus (~£12).

🚌Tehran–Shiraz night train ~£15

🛏Overnight train to Shiraz (or budget hotel ~£20)

• →Sa'd Abad Palace complex
• →National Museum of Iran
• →Jewellery Museum (if open)

Arrive late morning and check into a traditional guesthouse near the old town (~£18-28). DIY walking loop: Karim Khan Citadel (~£3), Vakil Mosque and the Vakil Bazaar, then the tombs of Hafez and Sa'adi on the north edge of town (entry ~£2 each; a Snapp taxi there is ~£2-3). Finish at the pink-tiled Nasir al-Mulk Mosque (best light is actually early morning — swap it to tomorrow). Dinner of Shirazi salad, faloodeh and saffron ice cream for under £6.

🚌Walking + Snapp ride-hailing (~£5)

🛏Traditional guesthouse in Shiraz (~£22)

• →Karim Khan Citadel
• →Vakil Mosque and Bazaar
• →Hafez and Sa'adi tombs

Hire a shared taxi or join a small day tour for the ruins circuit: Persepolis (~£5 entry, allow 2-3 hrs), Naqsh-e Rostam's Achaemenid rock tombs (~£3) and Pasargadae, Cyrus the Great's capital (~£3). A private taxi for the day split between 2-3 travellers is ~£25-35 total; a shared tour from a Shiraz agency or your guesthouse is ~£20-25 per person. Bring a sun hat and plenty of water — shade is scarce on the terrace.

🚌Shared day tour or private taxi split ~£25 per person

🛏Traditional guesthouse in Shiraz (~£22)

• →Persepolis (~£5)
• →Naqsh-e Rostam (~£3)
• →Pasargadae (~£3)

Early visit to Nasir al-Mulk Mosque for the stained-glass light (entry ~£3), then a late-morning bus or train north to Isfahan (~5-6 hrs by VIP bus, ~£8-12). Arrive, check into a budget hotel or traditional guesthouse a short walk from Naqsh-e Jahan Square (~£18-30), and spend the evening strolling the Si-o-se Pol and Khaju bridges where locals gather to sing.

🚌VIP bus Shiraz–Isfahan ~£10

🛏Guesthouse near Naqsh-e Jahan, Isfahan (~£24)

• →Nasir al-Mulk Mosque
• →Si-o-se Pol and Khaju bridges at dusk

Full DIY day on Naqsh-e Jahan Square: Shah (Imam) Mosque (~£3), Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque (~£3), Ali Qapu Palace (~£3) and the Chehel Sotoun garden pavilion (~£3). Wander the covered bazaar for mina-kari copperwork and gaz nougat. In the afternoon explore the Armenian quarter of Jolfa and the Vank Cathedral (~£4). Cheap, excellent dinner at a traditional chelow-kababi or a dizi restaurant (~£6).

🚌Walking + Snapp (~£3)

🛏Guesthouse near Naqsh-e Jahan, Isfahan (~£24)

• →Naqsh-e Jahan Square monuments
• →Bazaar shopping
• →Vank Cathedral in Jolfa

Morning at the Jameh Mosque and the Khaju Bridge, or simply drink tea in a carpet shop with the shopkeeper. Midday bus or train back to Tehran (~6 hrs bus ~£10, or daytime train ~£10-15). Check back into a Tehran budget hotel and spend your last evening at a kebab house or Darband's hillside teahouses.

🚌Bus or train Isfahan–Tehran ~£10

🛏Budget hotel in Tehran (~£22)

• →Jameh Mosque, Isfahan
• →Darband teahouses in Tehran

Last-minute souvenir run for saffron, gaz and a headscarf, then metro to Imam Khomeini International Airport (~£1-2) or an airport taxi (~£8). Change any remaining rial before you fly — Iranian rial can't be exchanged outside the country, and there are no working foreign ATMs for departures either.

🚌Metro to IKA ~£2

🛏None (departure day)

• →Souvenir shopping at Tajrish Bazaar
• →Departure