[Photo by Tan Yingzi/China Daily]

We hired a local guide in advance and left the hotel booking to him. We could not send the money to Iran electronically, so the guide ran the risk of losing the reservation money he paid to the hotels if we canceled the trip.

Our English-speaking guide was recommended by a friend who traveled there a couple of years ago. Lonely Planet lists several English-speaking guides too.

After landing in Teheran and before disembarking from the aircraft, women were required to don a scarf. In the absence of that, any other piece of clothing or cloth that covers your hair will do until you can get your hands on the real thing.

The official dress code calls for women to wear a scarf, and long-sleeved loose shirts that cover the hips, and long trousers or skirts. Jeans are also acceptable.

Although morality police patrol the streets to see that the code is being adhered too, they seem to be a lot more lenient on those with foreign faces.

"Very few people know that the typical stereotype of all Iranian women being forced to wear black chadors whilst in public is completely false," the website triptopersia.com says.

And lest you think this dress morality is aimed solely at women, it advises that for men "shorts are not acceptable in public".