Karaj
Karaj is a city in the Central District of Karaj County, Alborz province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district.
Karaj is a city in the Central District of Karaj County, Alborz province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. Earliest evidence of inhabitation in Karaj can be dated to the Bronze Age at Tepe Khurvin. The city was developed under the rule of the Safavid and Qajar Empire and is home to historical buildings and memorials from those eras. This city has a unique climate due to access to natural resources such as many trees, rivers, and green plains. After Tehran, Karaj is the largest immigrant-friendly city in Iran, so it has been nicknamed "Little Iran."
Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Worth seeing in and around Karaj
8 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.
- 01Enghelab Stadium
The Enghelab Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Karaj, Iran. Currently, it is currently mostly used for football matches and is the home of football team Saipa as of 2001.
2.5 km · stadium in Karaj, Iran · Wikipedia - 02Pearl Palace
Pearl Palace, also known as Shams Palace is an estate in Iran, designed by Taliesin Associated Architects on instructions from princess Shams Pahlavi, elder sister of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran. It was built in the early 1970s and is located in the Mehrshahr neighborhood, in Karaj City, Iran.
8.6 km · palace in Karaj, Iranian national heritage site · Wikipedia - 03Islamic Azad University of Karaj
The Islamic Azad University, Karaj Branch is a private university and one of the branches of the Islamic Azad University located in Karaj, Alborz, Iran.
3.2 km · university in Karaj, Iran · Wikipedia - 04Shah Abbasi Caravanserai of Karaj
The Shah Abbasi Caravansarai is a historic Safavid era caravanserai in Karaj, Iran, probably built by the orders of the Safavid Shah, Suleiman I.
3.7 km · caravanserai in Karaj, Iranian national heritage site · Wikipedia - 05Raisi Bridge
B1 Bridge ) is a cable-stayed bridge in Karaj, Alborz province, Iran. It is part of the Northern Karaj Freeway project and spans the Karaj River near the entrance to Chalous Road.
6.2 km · bridge in Karaj, Iran · Wikipedia - 06Alborz University of Medical Sciences
Alborz University of Medical Sciences is a medical school in Alborz Province of Iran. Located in the city of Karaj, the university was established in 2010.
3.9 km · university in Karaj, Iran · Wikipedia - 07Soleymaniyeh Palace
The Soleymaniyeh Palace is a Qajar era royal residence in Karaj, Iran. It is notable for its paintings depicting Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar's brothers and Fath-Ali Shah Qajar and his sons.
4 km · palace in Karaj, Iranian national heritage site · Wikipedia - 08Skill National University
The National University of Skills formerly known as the Technical and Vocational University, is a state comprehensive university, affiliated to Ministry of Science Research and Technology of Iran. NUS headquarters is based in Tehran, Iran, and it manages more than 180 branches across the country.
4.4 km · university in Iran · Wikipedia
Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What Wikivoyage says to see
Karaj has a very pleasant climate in all four seasons. It is very famous for the natural attractions. The stunning Alborz Mountain Range provide a natural beauty to the landscape of Karaj. Karaj is also the starting point for a pleasant drive along spectacular Chalous Road forced north through the Alborz Mountain to the Caspian Sea. The stony fire-temple of Takht-e-Rostam belong to Parthian and Sassanian eras
- 01Pearl Palace
This large palace commissioned by the former royal family in the 1970s.
- 02Suleymanieh Palace
- 03Shah Abbasi Caravanserai
Pre-Islamic bridge Mausoleum of Shahzadeh Soleiman are among Karaj's cultural heritage.
From Wikivoyage: Karaj, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Things to do
Hiking Azimie Mountain is very fun activity. On Fridays a lot of people come there for picnic and spending the weekend from the early morning. The mountain is easy to climb but gives opportunity to meet a lot of people. Climbing takes 2 to 3 hours to first peak. There are different routes for coming back.
From Wikivoyage: Karaj, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Where to eat
Kare Fast Food (Karaj, Derakhti Street). Some various tasty sandwich and pizza type options here. International Restaurant (Azadegan Square, Roof Tower of Milad Tower) Traditional and international restaurant Safahan (Mulla Sadra Boulevard, Mullah Sadra and Jomhoori intersection) Orkideh Restaurant (Nabovat Square) Arya Restaurant (Jahanshahr, Sepah Square) Fish and Chips Restaurant
From Wikivoyage: Karaj, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Getting to Karaj
- Airports
- Payam (PYK), 14 km · Mehrabad (THR), 35 km · Imam Khomeini (IKA), 49 km
- Stations
- Karaj Metro Station, 5.7 km · Golshahr Metro Station, 3.2 km · Mohammad Shahr Metro Station, 3 km · Karaj Railway Station, 5.8 km · Atmosfer Metro Station, 9.9 km
- Tehran → Karaj42 km · quickest by road, 1h 9m · $4–5
- Isfahan → Karaj359 km · quickest by air, 5h 12m · $200–290
- Tabriz → Karaj487 km · quickest by air, 4h 38m · $170–260
- Plan a tripFrom anywhereThe planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.
No local-transport research exists yet for Karaj
Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Karaj. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.
- Get inSince there are a lot of people who drive between these two cities every hour, there is a very high chance to do hitch-hiking as well.
From Wikivoyage: Karaj, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us; that article was last edited 2026-09.
- 01660 km
- 02682 km
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If you know how people move in Karaj – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.
Next door to Karaj
Karaj is 18 km from Qods, the nearest large city, whose note carries the wider picture.
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- Meshkin Dashtcity in Alborz Province, Iran8.8 km
- Aliabad-e Gunehvillage in Iran9.9 km
- Sarv Darvillage in Iran8.8 km
- Purkan, Alborzvillage in Iran8.9 km