For immediate release

ACE Cultural Tours sees demand for Iran tours rise

Cambridge, UK, 31 October 2016

Iran is now firmly back on the tourist map, but for British travellers an escorted group trip is still the only way to visit the country. In response to popular demand ACE Cultural Tours is delighted to announce a second departure in 2017 for its new tour, Iran: Glories of Persia.

Expert archaeologist and Tour Director, Andrew Wilson, leads a new itinerary which incorporates several of Iran's unparalleled UNESCO World Heritage sites, from the monumental Elamite ziggurat at Tchogha Zanbil to a masterpiece of ancient hydraulic engineering at Shushtar.

Highlights include some of Asia's greatest cities, from enchanting Shiraz, the cultural heart of Persia for over 2000 years, to monumental Isfahan with its magnificent Islamic architecture. We'll uncover the legacy of successive Persian civilisations at Susa, Pasargadae, and Persepolis, and make a stop in the oasis town of Kashan to visit the Fin Garden, an earthly paradise designed to be the definitive example of a Persian garden. Along the way, we'll encounter the famously warm hospitality of the Iranian people, as experienced by Tour Director Andrew Wilson last August during his research trip, and learn something of what life in Iran is like today.

Iran: Glories of Persia

February 12 – March 1, 2017; £3595

April 23 – May 10, 2017; £3695

We begin with the impressive museums of Iran's modern-day capital Tehran, before wending our way south via an extraordinary route away from the usual tourist trail to visit several lesser-known World Heritage sites. The ancient city of Firuzabad marks the southernmost point on our itinerary, before we return to Tehran via Shiraz, Isfahan and Zoroastrian Yazd.

For a full tour itinerary: http://www.aceculturaltours.co.uk/tours/iran-glories-of-persia-iran-17

Read Andrew's research trip travelogue on the ACE blog here: http://www.aceculturaltours.co.uk/blog/blog-entry/an-iranian-travelogue-arrival-in-shiraz

To book: www.aceculturaltours.co.uk or 01223 841 055

ENDS

Notes for Editors

For more information, images, or a copy of the ACE 2016 brochure please contact Kate Price Thomas on 01223 841055, at kate@aceculturaltours.co.uk or visit www.aceculturaltours.co.uk

ACE Cultural Tours is the UK's most experienced cultural tour operator. With a growing portfolio of over 1000 specially tailored tours for small groups, ACE offers over 180 departures every year. Each tour is led by a Tour Director – both a specialist in their field and a convivial host – and the tour groups regularly enjoy privileged access to private buildings, collections and performers. Owned by the charity the ACE Foundation, all surplus from the tour company is used to fund educational projects in the UK and abroad.

ACE Cultural Tours is a bonded tour operator, holding ATOL licence no 1204 and is also a member of AITO and ABTOT.