Fly from Karachi to Mashhad; allow several hours at Karachi airport for check-in and departure formalities, then time after landing for immigration, baggage and the ride into town. The flight schedule and any direct service can change, so confirm your booking before planning the evening. Take a pre-booked hotel transfer or a licensed taxi, and ask the hotel to confirm the fare and drop-off point in advance.
If you arrive with enough daylight and energy, visit the Imam Reza Shrine in central Mashhad. Entry is free, but security checks and the scale of the complex can make a short visit take 1–2 hours; leave extra time and check current visitor arrangements with your hotel. Modest dress is expected, and women may need a chador, which is generally available at the entrances. If the flight has been tiring or arrival is late, skip the visit without worry—the evening is deliberately flexible.
Have a relaxed halal dinner at a Shandiz branch convenient to your hotel; ask reception to call a taxi and confirm which branch is practical, since the restaurant name is also associated with the area outside the city. Budget roughly US$10–25 per person, with the final bill depending on what you order. Then settle into a mid-range hotel in central Mashhad, ideally near the shrine or on an easy taxi route, and prioritize sleep before tomorrow’s morning flight.
Allow 6–9 hours door to door for today’s travel and arrival formalities, then check into a central, mid-range hotel before attempting any sightseeing. For less walking, ask the hotel to arrange a car to the shrine entrance and confirm that it can accommodate your parents comfortably. Qom International Hotel is one central option to check; verify current rates, room access and availability before booking.
After a rest, visit Fatima Masumeh Shrine for a gentle 1–2 hours. Visitor arrangements can change, so check with your hotel before setting out; dress modestly, and ask whether a chador is available if needed. From the shrine, browse Qom Bazaar for 30–45 minutes if everyone still feels up to it. Hours can vary, so treat the bazaar as optional rather than pushing on if the travel day has taken its toll.
Have an early, unhurried halal dinner near the shrine or your hotel. Ask reception to recommend a currently open, well-reviewed Iranian restaurant nearby—local hours and availability are worth confirming on the day—and budget roughly US$7–15 per person. Keep the evening light and arrange tomorrow’s departure details with the hotel before turning in.
Keep the morning for the-arranged car fromQom to Tehran Mehrabad Airport; allow roughly 7–10 hours door to door** for the drive, flight, airport formalities and arrival transfer. Confirm the flight, terminal and car pickup in advance, and keep passports, medicines, water and a light snack close at hand. At the airport, take a proper seated rest rather than trying to fit in an excursion; leave generous time for check-in and security, especially as it’s Friday and some services may run on reduced hours.
On landing in Kerman, go straight to your centrally located hotel, check in and leave the rest of the afternoon unscheduled. After a long travel day, dinner at the hotel is the easiest option; if everyone feels up to a short outing, ask reception to arrange a taxi to Vakil Restaurant and call ahead to confirm it’s open and serving. Halal Iranian food is standard, and a simple dinner should be around US$7–15 per person. Keep the evening quiet so your parents can rest before tomorrow’s light day in Kerman.
Keep the morning gentle: take a hotel-arranged taxi to the Ganjali Khan Complex in central Kerman, where the historic square and its connected buildings are easiest to explore at your own pace. Allow about 1–1½ hours, with places to pause; opening hours can vary, so ask your hotel to check which sections are open on Saturday. Then wander into the adjacent Ganjali Khan Bazaar for around 45 minutes—there’s no need to cover it all, and the covered lanes make a pleasant, unhurried browse. Wear comfortable shoes and agree a taxi pickup point before you head inside.
Take a taxi to a well-reviewed Iranian restaurant near your hotel or the historic center; ask the hotel to recommend one open today and confirm halal options. A relaxed lunch of kebab, rice or a stew is a good fit, with a rough budget of US$7–15 per person. From the center, continue by taxi to Jabalieh Dome, east of town; allow about 30–45 minutes at the monument, plus the short rides each way. Sit and take your time—the visit is more about appreciating its unusual stone form than covering a large site.
Return to the hotel by taxi for a proper afternoon rest, keeping the rest of the day clear before tomorrow’s ceremony. Ask reception to arrange a reliable car for any outing and to confirm tomorrow’s pickup arrangements; after a full travel week, an early night is the sensible plan.
Keep the morning focused on the Kerman University of Medical Sciences ceremony. Confirm the exact campus, start time, entrance and seating arrangements with the organizers beforehand—the university has more than one site, so don’t rely on a general map pin. Ask your hotel to arrange a car, and leave a generous buffer for traffic, campus access and finding the correct building; keep passports, medicines and any ceremony details together. Follow the organizers’ guidance on arrival and dress.
After the service, take the planned seated rest in a calm spot near the campus rather than trying to fit in sightseeing. Arrange your pickup with the driver in advance, especially if the ceremony ends at a busy time. For lunch, choose a convenient local restaurant once you know the venue and schedule; Iranian restaurants generally serve halal food, but confirm directly if you have any particular requirements. Allow roughly US$7–15 per person, depending on the dishes and restaurant.
Return to the hotel for a quiet afternoon and keep the rest of the day open for family needs. For dinner, choose an easy halal Iranian meal close to the hotel—grilled kebab with rice or a simple stew are familiar options—and ask reception to recommend somewhere nearby that is open that evening. Budget roughly US$7–15 per person; a short hotel-arranged taxi is preferable to adding extra walking after an emotionally demanding day.
Check out of your Kerman hotel and have it arrange a car to Kerman Airport; confirm the flight and pickup time the day before, and leave generous time for check-in, baggage and any mobility needs. After the flight, check the onward ticket carefully: Kerman flights generally arrive at Mehrabad Airport, while international departures may leave from Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKA). These are separate airports, not terminals connected by a quick walk. If you need to transfer between them, book a car in advance and allow several hours for the drive, traffic and international check-in; ask the airline whether your bags are checked through and whether the flights are on one ticket.
Once you know which airport you’ll use, choose a seated meal in its public or departures area rather than counting on a tight connection for food. Airport cafés and restaurants generally offer halal choices; budget around US$10–20 per person, and ask staff about ingredients if needed. Keep passports, medicines and boarding documents together, and make sure your parents have somewhere comfortable to sit while you wait. Then board the confirmed Tehran–Karachi flight. Before leaving Kerman, verify the departure airport, connection time, baggage arrangements and any transit requirements—especially if the flights are separately ticketed—and keep the airline’s contact details handy.
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