Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
premiums. Travel in areas such as Kordistan and Sistan-va Baluchistan might not be
covered if your country's foreign office warns against travelling there.
Internet Access
In Iran, internet cafes are known as
coffeenets
, though you'll rarely find coffee on the
menu. You can get online in all but the smallest towns and villages. Most
coffeenets
charge about US$1.50 an hour, more in hotels. Speeds are variable, but most cities have
ADSL connections.
Viruses, worms, Trojans and key-loggers (if not Stuxnet) are widespread. Access to
thousands of websites is blocked by the government, from news sites to Skype. To get
around this, most Iranians use a VPN client - set one up on your device before you leave
home. If you don't, you'll find hotel connections virtually useless, while
coffeenets
can
sometimes get you around the wall. For news, try Al Jazeera's English service aljaz-
eera.com.
If you plan to use a messenger service, note that
Yahoo! Messenger
(
www.yahoo.com
)
is used almost everywhere, but
MSN Messenger
(
www.msn.com
)
is harder to find.
Skype
(
www.skype.com
)
is blocked;
ooVoo
(oovoo.com)
might not be.
Wi-fi is increasingly available in hotels and cafes but remains the exception rather than
the rule. If you're desperate, access via a dial-up connection is possible using pre-paid
cards bought from
coffeenets
or newsstands.
Language Courses
The following schools have good reputations for intensive Farsi courses aimed at foreign-
ers. If you sign up, the schools will help arrange a student visa, but give the application
plenty of time. For free online Farsi classes, try the excellent
www.easypersian.com
.
Loghatnameh Dehkhoda Institute
(: 021-2271 7120;
www.icps.ut.ac.ir
; 4th floor,
3011 Valiasr Ave, Shemiran, Tehran)
The International Center for Persian Studies here is
affiliated with Tehran University and offers six-week (US$470 tuition only) intensive and
longer, less intensive courses in northern Tehran.
University of Isfahan
( 0311-793 2039-41;
www.ui.ac.ir/isco
or int-office @ui.ac.ir;
Hezar Jerib St, Esfahan)
Tuition and accommodation in the university guesthouse on
campus, where foreign students share a floor with views over the city, costs about
US$800/1200 for four/six weeks and US$2000 for a three-month course. Apply about
three months before you intend to arrive (longer for UK and US passport holders).
