Ramsar

Ramsar sits on a narrow strip between the Caspian and the Alborz in western Mazandaran, and it was developed as a resort under the last shahs, with the Ramsar Grand Hotel of 1933 and a marble palace above the town, both set in gardens with a long axis running down to the sea. Hot springs rise here and feed bathhouses used for treatment. A cable car climbs from the town into the forested mountains behind for a view over the coast. The name is known internationally for a different reason: the Ramsar Convention on wetlands was signed here in 1971 and takes its name from the town. Parts of the area have unusually high natural background radiation from hot spring deposits, which has been studied for decades.

What you actually see

• The 1933 Grand Hotel - the resort building and its long garden axis.
• The marble palace - the royal residence above the town, now a museum.
• Hot spring bathhouses - mineral water used for treatment.
• The forest cable car - climbing into the Alborz behind the town.

When to go

May to September for the coast; the mountains behind are green year round and the springs work in any season. A day or overnight. Iranian holidays fill the coast completely.

Honest expectations

The Caspian coast is heavily and untidily developed and the beaches are not attractive. Bathing is segregated and rules apply. Summer humidity is heavy. Traffic on the coast road at holidays is severe. The cable car queues on busy days.

Nearby

The Caspian coast road runs both ways; Filband and the high villages lie inland.