A visit to the Alamut Castle in the Alamut Valley in photos, and some information on how to get to the Alamut Castle from Qazvin, Iran.
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A long, long time ago, in a valley far, far away, there lived a mysterious band of mercenaries atop a mountain.
The mercenaries would occasionally descend into the towns below, kidnapping and/or murdering important people of their day and age. Their leader, Hassan-e Sabah, motivated his merry band of mercenaries with promises of future paradise.
To trick even the most suspicious of minds into believing his claims of paradise, Sabbah would bring his followers to lush gardens filled with dazzling young virgin girls… while they were high as balls on hashish.
Thus, his followers became known as the hashish-iyun, assassins.
The Castles of the Assassins
So the story goes, anyway. Though it’s likely just a myth, these days the Alamut Castle (also called Castles of the Assassins) are mostly dilapidated ruins scattered throughout the Alamut Valley in northern Iran.
Don’t let the lack of remaining splendor deter you, though—the Castles’ architects had a serious eye for real estate, and the ruins are located among some of the most epic landscapes in northern Iran. If you’re staying in the city of Qazvin or Rasht, the Alamut Valley is well worth a day (or three) of hiking.
Evan Lake, one of the first scenic stops on the way west towards Alamut Castle from Qazvin.
The road from Qazvin to and through the Avalley and towards to Alamut Castle twists and turns, traversing mountains blanketed with cherry trees and winding through stark gorges of red rocks.
Due to their rounded shapes, these kinds of rock formations are known as “pudding rocks”. But obviously, they are more cake-like in form.
Small, sleepy towns make periodic appearances along the road, and the occasional farmer could be seen picking at the ground, preparing for the planting season.
Welcome to the Alamut Valley.
Otherwise, there were not many people in sight as we wove our way through shrubbery and sparse trees to explore the gorges lining the road.
Exploring Iran? Don’t miss the list of our favorite off the beaten track highlights of Iran!
Exploring one of several gorges branching off from the road.
After a longer and snowier winter than usual, it was refreshing to see signs of spring blossoming from the tree branches.
Eventually, the road led out of the canyon of gorges up to the base of a mountain–the foundation for the ruins of Alamut Castle. The steep pathway to the top zigzags up a side of the mountain invisible to the road. It’s quite fitting for an Assassins’ haven.
Who needs gates and walls when you have multiple flights of steep stairs to keep intruders out?
Though the remnants of the Alamut Castle are covered in scaffolding for restoration (estimated completion date: who knows when?)…
… the views from the top of the Alamut Castle assuredly make up for it.
Made by giants? Gods?
We can’t say that we endorse killing and kidnapping for money, but we’ve got to hand it to the assassins–they have excellent taste in real estate. The location of the Alamut Castle is absolutely out of this world.
Just… wow.
If you’re ever in Iran, don’t miss the Alamut Valley and the Castle of the Assasins. It’s 4-5 hours of driving from Tehran, and it’s so, so worth it.
How to get to Alamut Castle?
Public transportation and shared taxis
It’s possible to visit the Alamut Valley from Qazvin using a mixture of public transportation and taxis, but if you want to visit multiple sites in the valley in one day, it’ll take a lot of luck with timing and/or a lot of money for shared taxis. NomadExpress has a good post on exploring the Alamut Valley using a combination of shared taxis and hitchhiking.
Hiring a taxi and local guide
If you’re with a group of people, it’s better to pool resources and hire a taxi for the day. We went with a group of 4, and it cost $70 in total, or about $18 a person–not bad for a day that involved several hundred kilometers of driving and lasts nearly 12 hours!
Our guide, Yousef, was incredibly friendly, an excellent conversationalist and his English was superb. We enjoyed the conversation too much to notice how much time we had to spend in the car. Needless to say, we can’t recommend him enough. If you’re interested in getting a ride out to the Alamut Valley, you can:
- Call Yousef at +989191807076
- Email Yousef at yousef.sh.khoo@gmail.com
- Check out the website of his new tour company, Alamutism
Let him know we recommended him, so he understands why he’s being emailed by random foreigners.
Where to sleep?
Qazvin is the main base from where to explore the Alamut area. There are several budget hotels in Qazvin, such as the Telighani Inn and the Alborz Hotel, but it’s also possible to stay in a converted traditional Iranian house. If you plan to hike in the valley it’s possible to camp. There are also a handful of guesthouses in the valley.
You can book hotels in Qazvin and the Alamut Valley online using 1StQuest (use the code LWP-QST to get a 5% discount).
And there it is, a complete guide on visiting the Alamut Valley and Alamut Castle. Let us know in the comments if you had any additions.
Disclaimer: This post and recommendation is based on personal experience, and every traveler’s experience is different. Always use caution and discretion when organizing travels and interacting with locals.
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Hi, we are planning to do the trip to Alamut next August.
Do you think it is better to contact a taxi driver like Yousef before, or it is easy enough to find one once in Qazvin?
We are two people, so do we have a chance to share a taxi once in Qazvin?
Maybe finding one in Qazvin gives a better chance to negotiate the price… or 70$ is the best price we can get?
Thanks
Davide
There’s always a chance to negotiate with taxis 😉 We didn’t actually do any negotiating with him, as we joined in with a pair of travelers from France that had already arranged things. It’s possible that you can negotiate this price.
As with any situation where you find a taxi driver on the street, the benefit is that you can sometimes get a cheaper price (though taxi drivers in Iran can be VERY fickle at times; see our post about taxis in Iran https://lostwithpurpose.com/taxis-in-iran/), but the downside is that there’s no guarantee that they speak any English.. You’ll also have to communicate to them exactly where it is you want to go beforehand, or else they’ll probably take you to one or two of the closest places and then insist that’s all there is to see.
Compared to other taxi ventures we took in Iran, and given that we found others to share with (Qazvin should be decently busy in August) we found Yousef’s price decent for the amount of driving we did and the high level of English that he spoke. Your call though! Doesn’t hurt to shop around 🙂
Hello Davide
My idea is not getting a taxi or car on the streets of Qazvin. Because first they would not mostly speak English, second there is no guarantee for the kindness of the driver (theft danger) and last, the road to Alamut is a completely windy road. Not all of the drivers can drive well at that road.
If you will, we are a team of experienced drivers, offering Alamut and Northwest Iran tours. have a look at our website: http://www.GateofAlamut.com
Regards
Hosein Farhady
Qazvin – Iran
I have already been in Iran last August. Maybe next time 🙂
From what i read (it might be a legend) those Assassin never touch women and children. They only killed impoetant/bad people during their time. “Killing/kidnapping for money” sounds a bit too much…
Pretty sure that’s what they did, though. You’re also misquoting us 😉
you that your story is completely false is not at all historically true.
So did you arrange the driver in Tehran or did you go to Qazvin first and arranged things from there? I suppose it’s not too hard to get to Qazvin on public transport from Tehran and then onward to Tabriz?
The guide we mention in the article, Yousef, lives in Qazvin. You can give him a call when you arrive, or a day before if you want to be sure he’s available. He’s a great guy who speaks excellent English, so we highly recommend him. You should be able to get to Qazvin from Tehran and then onward to Tabriz easily, yeah.
We are so happy that the fans of hiking are interested in Alamut valley
We would be more than happy to help you during your stay in Qazvin and help you for this adventure
Hi, thanks for letting us know. I have deleted the link in your comment, and we don’t allow advertisement like that.
I’m Hassan , Local Driver/guide of The Alamut valley and know maybe off the bitten path places.
We could go sightseeing around the valley in 3 famous attraction and if you like you stay in the village , and the next days our group ( AlamutAdventures) could help you for multiple days hiking on the Alborz mountain ranges, with experienced mountain guides and local foods.
You could also keep in touch via What’s app
00989196582794
Hi，
is it possible to tour Alamut Valley for half day and then continue my journey to Tabriz on the same day？
thanks，
Lily
Hello Lily
Yes your plan is possible.
You can have a day in the valley and and then take a night train or bus to Tabriz.
We can be of any help if needed:
http://www.assassinsinalamut.com
http://www.gateofalamut.com
Thanks for your recomendation about Yousef and the tips about Alamut valley.
Greetings from Uruguay
Greetings from India! I hope your trip went well, and that you enjoyed Yousef’s company 🙂 He’s a great guy, and he still gets in touch even now, years later.