Kashan – on the way to Isfahan
We left Tehran Monday morning with our guide, Reza and his car, with an aim to reach Isfahan in the evening after short visit to Kashan and Abyaneh. After having stopped for a while at Azadi Tower in Tehran we reach the motorway to the South. Roads of Iran are of good quality, however, only some sections of the motorways are toll-free. The views from the highway are not very impressive and the road shoulders are quite dirty. Gas stations with all necessary facilities are available in regular intervals.
We reached Kashan after 2 hours and we headed towards Fin Garden. On our way to Fin Garden we had to cross the city and we did not see anything worth mentioning. Fin Garden is a traditional Iranian royal residence with the palace surrounded by the park with the numerous water features. The entrance fee (similarly to all other attractions we saw) is 200,000 rial per person. It is certainly worth to see this traditional park residence in Iran, the place is very quiet and relaxing due to the idyllic water splashes pleasing the ears and mind. However, going there for an extra trip from Tehran needs a careful consideration.
There is a small cafeteria located in the park, however tea and coffee do not taste good and are quite expensive (2 euro for a cup of Nescafé or a tea from the bag available in the supermarket).
When visiting the place you can also visit traditional bathhouse belonging to the complex where Amir Kabir, on of the Persian ministers was murdered at Shah’s order in 1849.
From the Fin Garden we were taken to one of the traditional Persian houses in the city – Ameriha House which is currently in private hands. This is probably why it was one of the best maintained properties we saw in Iran.
The “traditional house” is actually a palace (much more impressive than the one in the Fin Garden) erected for one of the Kashan’s governors. It was recently renovated by its private owner and it currently hosts a boutique hotel and a restaurant.
I can’t opine on the hotel facility but we had our lunch in the hotel’s restaurant. The service was very good and the food was delicious. We paid some 1,000,000 rial which was comparable to the cost of a meal in the hotel’s restaurant in Tehran but he meal and the ambiance were worth the price. On top of this we were guided by the hotel’s manager who told us about the place and the architectural features of the property aiming at the living comfort of its inhabitants.
ASIA IN A NUTSHELL 