Traveling to Iran as a Woman
As one of the safest countries in the Middle East, many travelers describe traveling to Iran as much safer than even European countries. Despite the misconception and the wrong image projected in the mainstream media, Iran is so safe to travel that many tourists are surprised at the contradiction between Iran's images in the mass media and the real image they face in Iran.
Women's dress code
Headscarf
As an Islamic country, women need to wear hijab, which can be in different forms. A headscarf is the most important piece of clothing that women travelers need to observe. Although rules oblige women to wear a headscarf, a loose-fitting scarf that covers parts of the head is enough to conform to the country's dress code, so you do not need to worry about covering the entire head. As a picture is worth a thousand words, the images below can tell the whole story.
Other pieces of clothing
Women should cover their arms and legs, so they usually wear "manteau" which is long enough to cover their lower waist. As a tourist, you can wear tunics or sleeved shirts and you are welcomed as long as your arms and legs are covered. There is no problem with wearing skinny jeans, high heels and open-toed sandals with nail polish.
Despite some misconceptions, wearing "chador" (long cloaks) is not mandatory in Iran. Women make a choice whether to wear chador or not. You just need to wear chador at some holy places like shrines or mosques, but getting chador is easy. You can either borrow chador at the holy places' entrance or buy ready-made chador at the local bazaars.
Indoor dress code
You are required to observe the dress code in public places, so feel free to choose your clothing when you are inside a house or a hotel room. When you are invited to some one's house, you are recommended to respect the host's dress code and wear as they believe. Furthermore, you are free not to have hijab in women-only places such as beauty salons.
