General Information
Ardabil is an ancient city in Iranian Azerbaijan. Ardabil is the center of Ardabil Province. At the 2011 census, its population was 564,365, in 156,324 families, where the dominant majority are ethnic Iranian Azerbaijanis and the primary language of the people is Azerbaijani.
Ardabil is known for its silk and carpet trade tradition. Ardabil rugs are renowned and the ancient Ardabil Carpets are considered some of the best of the classical Persian carpet creations. Ardabil is also known as the seat of a World Heritage Site: the Ardabil Shrine, the sanctuary and tomb of Shaikh Safi al-Din, eponymous founder of the Safavid dynasty.
Get in and around
There is access to the city through international flights from Iraq and Turkey, as well as daily domestic flights from Tehran and Mashhad.
You will find several taxi and private cars providing service to transfer passengers to Ardabil.
Extensive access to local spots are available through the bus station. Main destinations sorted by popularity are Tehran, Tabriz, Rasht, Mashhad as well as closer cities like Khalkhal, Astara.
Top sights & Things to do
When to visit?
Cold and semi-arid, many tourists come to the region for its cool climate during the hot summer months. The winters are long and bitterly cold, with a temperature plummeting to −28 °C. August is the warmest month of the year. The temperature in August averages 20.8 °C. In January, the average temperature is -1.7 °C. It is the lowest average temperature of the whole year. The best time to visit Ardabil is during months May, June, July, August, September and October when the average temperatures are perhaps a little cooler than preferred but still a pleasant 10°C to 20°C.
Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
High/Low temperatures |
3°
-7°
|
5°
-5°
|
10°
-2°
|
16°
3°
|
20°
7°
|
23°
10°
|
25°
12°
|
25°
12°
|
22°
9°
|
18°
5°
|
11°
0°
|
6°
-4°
|
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chance of precipitation |
9%
|
11%
|
13%
|
20%
|
22%
|
11%
|
4%
|
4%
|
5%
|
10%
|
13%
|
10%
|