Sanandaj

Introduction

Sanandaj is the city served by Sanandaj Airport, a public airport operated by Iran Airports Company in Kurdistan Province, Iran. If you are planning a trip here, expect to arrive by air through this facility, which handles a small number of domestic and regional destinations rather than a wide range of international routes.

• Sanandaj Airport is the air gateway to the city and to Kurdistan Province.
• The airport is public and operated by Iran Airports Company.
• Its flight network is limited to a small number of domestic and regional destinations, so check connections carefully when planning your route.

Before you go

Sanandaj is generally a safe place to visit, but you should still take the usual precautions you would anywhere. Keep your wits about you in crowded areas, and avoid walking alone after dark in unfamiliar parts of the city.

Getting there

Getting around

Sanandaj has no metro or tram system, and its rail link is for arriving and departing rather than for moving around town — the station sits well outside the centre, so you will need a taxi or local transport for the final leg. Within the city, public transport is limited and taxis do most of the work. Official yellow cars operate alongside ride-hailing equivalents such as Snapp. For short hops between districts, look for route taxis, known locally as taxi-khatti, which run fixed routes and are inexpensive. For longer intercity journeys, collective taxis (savari) operate between cities and are paid per seat; if you want the whole car to yourself, this is called darbast and the price is negotiated with the driver.

The city is compact but hilly, set between the Qishlaq river and Mount Awidar, so walking works well for short distances in the centre but you should not expect to cross town entirely on foot. Kurdish (Sorani) is the everyday language of the street, Persian is widely understood, and English is not widespread, so a few phrases or an offline translation app will make navigating easier. If you arrive by intercity bus or by air, expect to continue to your accommodation by taxi or route taxi — the airport terminal sits close to the city limits, so the transfer is short, but there is no rail or metro link from it. Outside the city there are beautiful hills, mountains, water caves and lakes for those who want to explore the surrounding landscape.

Where to stay

Sanandaj's accommodation is concentrated in the centre, with most options sitting along or near Ferdowsi Street and Enqelab Square. For budget travellers, the city offers a handful of simple hotels and guesthouses: Mosaferkhaneh Jabbar near Enqelab Square, and Hotel Hedayat and Hotel Kaj, both on Ferdowsi Street. The Laleh International Hotel on Takieh-va-Chaman Boulevard is the city's five-star option, while the Shadi Hotel also has a place in the budget bracket.

If you're after something mid-range, the Shadi Hotel on the Pasdaran Street extension is worth considering: for a mid-range price you get all the facilities of a four-star hotel, including a restaurant, and the owner speaks English fluently.

What to see and do

When to go

Sanandaj has a Mediterranean climate, which means the seasons here are sharply divided between a cold, wet winter and a very hot, dry summer. If you visit in winter, expect chilly conditions along with rain and snow, so pack accordingly for the coldest stretch of the year. Summer, by contrast, brings very hot and dry weather with little rain, and heat is the dominant feature of a visit during these months.

• Winter: cold and wet, with rain and snow possible — the coldest time of year.
• Summer: very hot and dry, with little rain — plan your activities around the hottest part of the day.

Three days in Sanandaj

Day one: Arrive at Sanandaj Airport, served by the Iran Airports Company, and settle into the city, the capital of Kurdistan Province in western Iran. Begin with the Qishlaq area and the slopes of Mount Awidar, where you can take in views over the city. In the evening, walk Ferdowsi Street and Enqelab Square to get your bearings; if you need to move around, Snapp is available within the city.

• Sanandaj Airport
• Qishlaq
• Mount Awidar
• Ferdowsi Street
• Enqelab Square

Day two: Spend the day with the Kurdish character of the city, where Sorani, Persian and English are all heard. Mosaferkhaneh Jabbar is a known point in the centre. Keep your bearings by the landmarks around Enqelab Square and Ferdowsi Street, and use the day to understand how Sanandaj sits within Kurdistan Province and the wider region.

• Mosaferkhaneh Jabbar
• Enqelab Square
• Ferdowsi Street

Day three: Look outward from Sanandaj toward the rest of Kurdistan Province and beyond. Tehran, Kermanshah, Tabriz and Hamedan are the Iranian cities most connected to this part of the country, while Iraq, Iraqi Kurdistan and Erbil lie to the west. Antalya, Istanbul, Van and Suleymaniye in Turkey are also part of the wider neighbourhood. By this point you will have a sense of Sanandaj as a Kurdish city within Iran, and of the routes that link it to the surrounding region.

• Tehran
• Kermanshah
• Tabriz
• Hamedan
• Iraq
• Iraqi Kurdistan
• Erbil
• Antalya
• Istanbul
• Van
• Suleymaniye
• Turkey