Buses
Buses reach every city and cost a fraction of a flight. Here are the main routes with indicative fares, the VIP and regular classes and the refund cut-off; tickets are bought in rial from the sellers below.
01Popular routes
Indicative fares from public reports; the seller shows today's price.
12.5–13 h · 885 km · as of 3 November 2026
Terminals: South (Khazaneh)، West (Azadi)، East (Tehranpars)، Beyhaghi (Argentina)
About 885 km and 12 h 50 min, with around 55 departures a day from all four Tehran terminals to Mashhad's Imam Reza terminal. The band is from the Tir 1405 peak and covers every bus type; VIP sits at the top of it.
4–5.5 h · 440 km · as of 3 November 2026
Terminals: South (Khazaneh)، West (Azadi)، East (Tehranpars)، Beyhaghi (Argentina)
About 440 km and 4 to 5.5 hours, with around 170 departures a day from Tehran's South, West and Beyhaghi terminals to Kaveh or Soffeh in Isfahan.
13–13 h · 930 km · as of 3 November 2026
Terminals: South (Khazaneh)، West (Azadi)، East (Tehranpars)، Beyhaghi (Argentina)
About 930 km and 13 hours, with around 46 departures a day from Tehran's South, Beyhaghi and West terminals to Karandish terminal in Shiraz. The band covers every bus type; VIP sits at the top of it.
8–8 h · 630 km · as of 3 November 2026
Terminals: South (Khazaneh)، West (Azadi)، East (Tehranpars)، Beyhaghi (Argentina)
About 630 km and 8 hours, with around 116 departures a day from Tehran's South, Beyhaghi and West terminals to Tabriz central terminal.
5–5 h · 320 km · as of 3 November 2026
Terminals: South (Khazaneh)، West (Azadi)، East (Tehranpars)، Beyhaghi (Argentina)
About 320 km and 5 hours, with around 154 departures a day from Tehran's South, Beyhaghi and West terminals to Gil terminal in Rasht.
Pick your date on the seller's site. Prices are shown on the seller's site. Opens in a new tab. Price and availability are confirmed there.
VIP (25-seat)
Wider reclining seats, usually 25 seats in 3 rows (also 'semi-VIP'); costs more than a classic bus.
Regular (44-seat)
Classic 44-seat coach, 4 seats per row; the cheapest fare on each route.
Each bus cooperative sets its own penalty; there is no single national table. Online refunds generally close 60 minutes before departure (90–120 minutes for some operators), after which you must go to the terminal; submit at least 30 minutes before the window closes. All tickets in one order are refunded together, and printed or rescheduled tickets cannot be refunded online. Snapptrip's published scale: 10% penalty until 90 minutes before departure, then 50% in person; cancellations by the cooperative or delays over 2 hours are refunded in full.
Online refunds close 60 minutes before departure.
Source02Buses to Turkey and the Caucasus
Overland is the fallback when flights are scarce. A passport and the exit tax are required.
How to book: Safar724 sells this route online in rial with seat selection and a choice of VIP or regular coach; check departures and prices there. A passport valid for at least six months and the exit tax are required. Turkey is visa-free for Iranian passports for up to 90 days.
Land alternative to the Tehran–Van train while flights to Turkey are limited. The UK FCDO (Oct 2026) says the Turkish land border is open.
How to book: Safar724 sells this route online in rial; check departures and prices there. A passport and the exit tax are required.
There is no Iran–Armenia train, so this bus (or the Mahan Air flight) is the land fallback for Armenia.
How to book: Safar724 lists the route but showed no departures when checked; not confirmed as a route that is actually sold.
How to book: No seller lists a direct bus. Travellers usually go via Yerevan and continue by the overnight Yerevan–Tbilisi train, mostly bought at the station.
Onward from Yerevan: Tbilisi–Yerevan overnight train, mostly bought at the station.