11-Day complete Iraq tour

Itinerary

Day 1 | Baghdad 

Arrival at Baghdad International Airport, where you will be met and transferred to your hotel. The rest of the day is free to relax after your journey.

Overnight in Baghdad  

Day 2 | Baghdad 

Begin your exploration of Baghdad at Liberation Square, one of the city’s most important public landmarks, known for its role in major revolutions, marches, and uprisings throughout modern Iraqi history.

Continue with a short boat trip across the Tigris River before arriving at Al-Mutanabi Street, Baghdad’s historic intellectual and cultural heart. This vibrant street is famous for its long tradition of book selling across all fields of knowledge and remains a gathering place for writers, scholars, and locals.

Visit the Abbasid Palace, one of the remaining architectural landmarks from the Abbasid era, offering insight into Baghdad’s medieval golden age. Afterward, walk through the old bazaar and explore the traditional copper market, where craftsmen continue centuries-old metalworking traditions.

Take a break at Al-Shabander Café, one of Baghdad’s oldest and most iconic tea houses, where you will enjoy traditional Iraqi tea and dried lime tea in a deeply atmospheric setting.

Continue to Ctesiphon, the remains of one of the most important cities of the ancient Persian Empire, famous for its massive arch and historical significance along the Tigris River.

End the day in Al-Kadhimiya, one of Baghdad’s most important districts, known for its vibrant night market and the revered Al-Kadhimiya Shrine, which houses the tombs of Imam Musa al-Kadhim and Imam Muhammad al-Jawad, key figures in Islamic history.

Overnight in Baghdad

Day 3 | Karbala Babylon 

After checkout, begin with a visit to the Martyr Monument in Baghdad, an important modern memorial dedicated to Iraqi history and sacrifice.

Continue to Babylon, one of the most significant archaeological sites in the ancient world and a central city of Mesopotamian civilization dating back to the 18th–6th century BC. Explore the ruins associated with King Nebuchadnezzar and the legendary Hanging Gardens, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, referenced in historical texts though never definitively proven archaeologically.

Visit Saddam Palace, now a museum, dramatically positioned above the Babylon ruins and inspired by ancient Babylonian architecture.

Continue the journey to Karbala and check in at your hotel for rest.

Later, visit the Imam Abbas Shrine, the burial place of Abbas ibn Ali, a deeply respected historical and religious figure known for his role in the Battle of Karbala and his symbolism of loyalty and sacrifice.

Continue to the Imam Hussein Shrine, one of the holiest sites in Shia Islam, housing the tomb of Imam Hussein, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad and a central figure in Islamic history.

Overnight in Karbala

Day 4 | Najaf Ur 

Depart Karbala and travel to Najaf, where you will witness the vast Wadi Al-Salam Cemetery, the largest cemetery in the world, stretching across the desert and holding millions of graves with deep religious significance.

We then continue toward the ancient region of Uruk, one of the earliest cities in human civilization. Flourishing between 4000–3000 BCE, Uruk is considered one of the world’s first true urban centers and a key foundation of Sumerian civilization.

Continue to Nasiriyah and visit the ancient city of Ur, one of the earliest urban centers of Mesopotamian civilization and traditionally regarded as the birthplace of early writing and city life.

Explore the Ziggurat of Ur, a massive stepped temple built thousands of years ago as a place of worship for ancient Mesopotamian gods, standing today as one of Iraq’s most iconic archaeological monuments.

Overnight in Nasiriyah.

Day 5 | Marshes of Iraq – Basra

Begin the day in the Iraqi Marshes, the largest wetland ecosystem in the Middle East and a unique landscape of waterways, reeds, and wildlife, where Marsh Arab communities continue to live in harmony with nature.

Meet the locals and enjoy traditional Iraqi tea while learning about their way of life, deeply rooted in centuries-old customs. Take a boat ride on a traditional shakhtura, gliding through narrow waterways surrounded by reeds and natural marsh landscapes.

Enjoy lunch featuring Masgouf, Iraq’s famous grilled fish cooked over reeds, served in a traditional reed-built house known as an al-mutheef, offering an authentic cultural experience.

Continue to Al-Qurnah, a small town known for its spiritual and historical associations, where you will visit the Tree of Adam, a site linked in local tradition to ancient religious narratives.

Also visit the Meeting Point of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, where the two great rivers of Mesopotamia merge to form the Shatt Al-Arab waterway.

Continue to Basra, Iraq’s main southern port city, known for its rivers, trade history, and cultural diversity.

Overnight in Basra

Day 6 | Basra – Baghdad

After checkout, enjoy a relaxing boat trip along the Shatt Al-Arab River, the iconic waterway formed by the meeting of the Tigris and Euphrates. As you glide through its calm waters, you will witness Basra’s riverside life unfolding along the banks, where fishing boats, palm groves, and old trading routes reflect the city’s deep connection to the river. From the boat, you will also see distant landmarks, including Saddam Palace, rising above the waterfront as a reminder of Iraq’s modern historical era.

Continue your exploration with a visit to the Shanashel houses, one of Basra’s most distinctive architectural treasures. These traditional residences are known for their finely carved wooden balconies, intricate latticework, and stained-glass windows that cast colorful light into the interiors. Built around spacious inner courtyards, they reflect the elegance of Basra’s old merchant families and the city’s historic role as a major trading hub between the Gulf and Mesopotamia.

Return to Baghdad for overnight stay.

Overnight in Baghdad

Day 7 | Samarra – Mosul

Depart early in the morning and travel toward Samarra, moving through the central Iraqi landscape toward one of the country’s most historically significant regions.

Upon arrival, visit the Abu Dalaf Mosque, an important early Islamic architectural site that reflects the grandeur of the Abbasid period. It is currently visited as an alternative to the famous spiral minaret, which is under restoration, yet it still offers valuable insight into the architectural and cultural legacy of Samarra as a former capital of the Islamic world.

Continue your journey north toward Mosul, passing through open plains and historic routes that once connected major Mesopotamian cities. En route, stop at Hatra, a remarkable fortified ancient city that once stood between the Roman and Parthian empires. Hatra flourished as both a religious and commercial center in the 2nd century AD, known for its massive defensive walls, well-preserved temples, and unique blend of Eastern and Western architectural influences.

After the visit, continue driving toward Mosul, arriving in the evening for check-in and rest.

Overnight in Mosul

Day 8 | Mosul – Duhok

Begin the day in the Old City of Mosul, one of the oldest urban districts in the Middle East, which suffered extensive destruction during recent conflicts and is now slowly being rebuilt while preserving its historical identity.

Visit the ruins of the Assyrian Wall, remnants of the ancient defensive system that once protected the city during the Assyrian period.

Continue the journey north toward Duhok, passing through the mountainous landscapes of Iraqi Kurdistan.

Overnight in Duhok

Day 9 | Duhok – Alqosh – Lalish – Erbil

Travel to Alqosh and visit the Rabban Hormizd Monastery, an important Chaldean Christian site carved into the mountainside, housing ancient tombs of patriarchs and offering insight into early Christian monastic life in Mesopotamia.

Continue to the Khinnis Reliefs, Assyrian rock carvings created under King Sennacherib around 690 BC, depicting royal power and ancient engineering achievements.

Visit Lalish, the most sacred site of the Yezidi faith, located in a peaceful valley surrounded by mountains and considered the spiritual heart of the Yezidi people, whose traditions trace back to ancient Mesopotamian and Zoroastrian influences.

If conditions allow, stop at Jirwana, an ancient Assyrian aqueduct and bridge system built during the reign of Sennacherib, part of a vast irrigation network that once supported Nineveh.

Continue to Erbil for overnight stay.

Overnight in Erbil

Day 10 | Erbil

Begin with a view of the Erbil Citadel, one of the oldest continuously inhabited settlements in the world, rising above the modern city and currently undergoing restoration while preserving its ancient legacy.

Continue to Qaysari Bazaar, a traditional marketplace filled with gold, silver, carpets, spices, antiques, and local goods, reflecting the commercial life of historic Erbil.

Visit Choli Minaret, a 12th-century landmark from the Atabeg period, once part of a historic mosque complex and now one of the last remaining architectural symbols of medieval Erbil, surrounded by a cultural park featuring statues of Kurdish historical figures.

Overnight in Erbil

Day 11 | Erbil

After breakfast, transfer to Erbil International Airport for departure, marking the end of your journey through Iraq’s ancient civilizations, sacred cities, and diverse cultural landscapes.