Qazvin

Qazvin was the capital of Safavid Iran for about half a century in the sixteenth century before the court moved to Isfahan, and enough survives to be worth a day. The Chehel Sotoun pavilion, a two-storey painted garden building, is the main survivor of the royal complex and now holds a calligraphy museum. The Ali Qapu gate stands as the entrance to the vanished palace precinct. The Jameh mosque has a Seljuk dome chamber over a much older foundation, and the Sa'd al-Saltaneh caravanserai is a very large and well-restored Qajar commercial complex of courtyards, bazaar streets and a bathhouse, now full of cafes and shops. The city is also the base for trips into the Alamut valley.

What you actually see

• The Chehel Sotoun pavilion - the surviving Safavid palace building.
• Sa'd al-Saltaneh caravanserai - a large restored Qajar commercial complex.
• The Seljuk dome chamber - the older core of the Jameh mosque.
• The Ali Qapu gate - the entrance to a palace precinct that has gone.

When to go

April to June and September to October. A day for the city. It is often used as a stop between Tehran and Tabriz or as a base for Alamut. Winters are cold and summers hot.

Honest expectations

Most of the Safavid capital has gone and what survives is scattered. Museum hours are irregular. The modern city is congested and unattractive around the historic core. English interpretation is limited.

Nearby

The Alamut valley is north in the mountains; Tehran lies south-east.