Heritage & cities
Baghdad & Samarra
Baghdad's core paired with Samarra in two days — the National Museum's Sumerian rooms, the booksellers of Al-Mutanabbi Street, tea at the Shabandar, then the spiral Malwiya minaret climbed by an outer ramp. A short tour with long stretches of driving.
2 DAYS · GENTLE PACE · 4–14 TRAVELERS · FROM $490
This is the shortest way to see Baghdad and the ruins that sit around it, built for travellers with only a couple of days who still want the real thing rather than a photo stop. It suits people comfortable with long car days: the run south to Taq Kasra and north to Samarra each eat a good part of the morning, and the roads pass through checkpoints where the guide does the talking. In return, you stand in front of Sumerian tablets in the National Museum, drink tea where Baghdad's writers have argued for a century, and climb the outer ramp of a ninth-century minaret with nothing between you and the plain below. The pace is gentle — two or three main sites a day, unhurried — but the distances are not short. Kadhimiya at dusk and Samarra at midday are two very different kinds of quiet, and both stay with people afterwards.
DAY BY DAY
Day
01
Museum, booksellers, Ctesiphon's arch, Kadhimiya
Start early at the National Museum — the Warka mask, Sumerian tablets, the Nimrud ivories — and it shuts Saturdays. Al-Mutanabbi Street's booksellers and tea at the Shabandar café follow, then the Abbasid Palace, the Mustansiriyah School, and Taq Kasra's brick arch at Ctesiphon. The day ends at Tahrir Square's Freedom Monument and Kadhimiya at dusk — hair covered, phones only inside.
Day
02
Samarra's spiral minaret, then Baghdad
North of Baghdad, a long drive brings you to the Malwiya, the spiral minaret you climb by its outer ramp — no railing, and no shade in Samarra, so bring water. The Great Mosque's outer wall, the Abu Dulaf minaret and the Abbasid pool palace fill the rest, before the drive back past the Martyr's Monument and Kahramana Square.
THIS ROUTE, PHOTOGRAPHED
What you will be looking at
What's included
- A guide who has led this route before, not a freelancer we found last week
- Driver and private vehicle for the whole route
- Hotels, booked for you on request
- Meals, arranged on request
- Visa support and your letter of invitation
- Entry tickets to every site in the itinerary
What's not
- International flights to and from Iraq
- Personal spending and tips
- Alcohol — it is not sold south of Baghdad, and we will tell you where it is
BEFORE YOU COME
Questions we are asked about this tour
Is Iraq safe to visit?
We have run group trips continuously since 2008, and the answer we give is practical, not promotional: the cities on our routes — Baghdad, the shrine cities, the south, Kurdistan — receive foreign travelers every week. You travel with an Iraqi guide and driver the whole time, we handle every checkpoint, and we adjust routes if conditions change. We will always tell you plainly what is and isn't sensible.
Do I need a visa?
Citizens of more than 30 countries — including the EU, UK, USA, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea and China — receive a visa on arrival at Baghdad, Basra, Najaf and Erbil airports (around US$77, cash). We confirm the current rules for your passport before you commit to anything.
What should I wear? What about women visiting shrines?
Everyday dress in Iraq is modest but relaxed: shoulders and knees covered is enough almost everywhere. At shrines, women need a headscarf and an abaya — the abaya is lent free at the shrine gate, and our guides walk you through the etiquette so nothing is awkward. Many of our travelers say shrine visits ended up being their favorite moments.
Can I pay by card or withdraw cash?
Treat Iraq as a cash country. US dollars exchange easily everywhere; cards work in a growing number of Baghdad and Erbil hotels and malls but nowhere you should rely on. We tell you exactly how much cash to bring for your trip — most travelers are surprised how affordable the days are.
What are the groups actually like?
Eight to sixteen people, usually five or more nationalities, ages from late twenties to seventies. An Iraqi guide and driver stay with the group throughout; hotels are the best available in each city (solid 3–4 star). The pace is curious rather than rushed — long lunches are part of the itinerary, not a failure of it.
Can I join alone?
Most of our travelers come alone. We match roommates by request or arrange a single room for a supplement, and solo women regularly join our groups — see the questions above about dress and safety, and ask us anything else directly.
What is the food like — and can I drink the water?
You will eat well: masgouf grilled over embers by the Tigris, qeema in the shrine cities, Kurdish breakfasts of honey and clotted cream, dates from Basra groves. Stick to bottled water, which is cheap and everywhere. Vegetarians manage easily; tell us about allergies and we brief every restaurant ahead.
The gate is open.
Tell us which month suits you and we will tell you which group fits.