Getting Around Sari
Sari is a spread-out city, and that layout shapes how visitors move around it. Taxis are easy to find almost everywhere, buses link the suburbs with the centre, and the city is generally considered safe to walk in, even at night, though it still pays to be cautious. There is no metro or tram network to rely on here; the rail connections that matter are intercity trains, not a local urban system.
Arriving by Air
Dasht-e Naz International Airport (SRY) sits in the northeast, close to the city centre. It is served by scheduled flights to and from Tehran, along with weekly services to Mashhad and to Saudi Arabia. Fares on the Tehran route are modest.
To reach the city from the airport, you have two straightforward options: shared taxis and airport taxis. A highway connects the airport and the city directly, so the transfer is simple once you have a vehicle.
Arriving by Train
Sari sits on a major branch of Iran's railway, which links it to Gorgan and to Tehran. Passenger trains arrive daily, including a local service from Gorgan that reaches Sari in the morning and returns in the early afternoon, and a Tehran service that arrives in the afternoon and departs again in the evening. Twin Mazandaran trains also run between Tehran and Gorgan via Sari, with timetables that change periodically. Sari railway station is the point of arrival for all of these.
If you are coming into Sari by train, note that rail station taxis are one of the taxi types available, so you can arrange a onward ride from the station.
Arriving by Bus or Car
Sari has several bus terminals, which makes it easy to reach the surrounding county by bus. City buses run to roughly all the towns in Iran, but not necessarily every day; there are hourly buses to Tehran. If you cannot find a bus on a busy day, you can also pick one up from Imam Khomeini Square in the southeast of the city.
By car, Sari is connected to Neka and Shahi by the A62 Autobahn, and the coastal cities of Mazandaran are served by wide multi-lane roads. Many visitors also reach Sari via the Turkmenistan–Mazandaran border, where it is possible to obtain an Iranian visa at the border and continue travelling around the Mazandaran Sea area.
There is also a port at Amir Abad on the southern coast of the Mazandaran Sea, though cruises there are not of high quality.
Taxis and Ride-Hailing
Taxis are the most flexible way to get around Sari, and the choice of systems is wide: ceremony taxis, wireless telecommunication taxis, airport taxis, rail station taxis, telephony taxis, and shared taxis. You can call 133 from anywhere in the city or county to request a ride, with pickups typically arranged quickly; the service can also collect you from roughly 20 km away, though that requires registration, and it can even take you to destinations elsewhere in Iran. If you plan to stay in Sari for more than a week, registering with this office is recommended.
Buses and Public Transport
City buses are a popular and low-cost option, connecting Sari's suburbs to the city centre and convenient for reaching outlying neighbourhoods. Beyond the city, buses from the terminals serve destinations across Iran, so the bus network is useful both for local trips and for onward travel.
Walking and Driving Yourself
Sari is considered safe for pedestrians, including at night, though ordinary caution is advised when walking around. The city's spread means some destinations are better reached by vehicle.
If you drive, be aware that parking is often hard to find on the avenues; parking is usually tucked into small streets and alleys or accessed through small entrances off the main roads. It is best to park at your hotel. Driving is a reasonable option for reaching sights in the suburbs, such as Soleyman Tanga (the Strait of Solomon) or the Mazandaran Sea. Among the destinations of primary interest to visitors are the caves dating from the 70th millennium BC and the towers of the Tabarian Kingdom dynasties — including the Huto and Kamarband caves near Shahid Abad village east of the city, Xorshid Dabo's private cave, the Resket Tower from the Karen Pawand era, the Ladjim Tower from the Dabuyans era, and the Farrah-Abad Complex Place.