Bikes & Cultures: Turkey - Georgia - Armenia - Iran (2025)

2 April - 31 May 2025


Turkey - Georgia - Armenia - Iran

Linking Istanbul and Tehran on two wheels has been a dream for many long-distance cyclists. 

In 2024, after a three-month ride, I arrived in Turkey from Granada. It was a great adventure. For the following spring season I wanted a change of landscape, maybe going back to the north of Africa. My plan was to cycle the north coast of Algeria and Tunisia in springtime. I applied to the Algerian visa at the consulate in Alicante. But it never happened. Time and money were wasted in a frustrating process. They thought that a lonely traveler on bicycle could be a danger for the national security (not a joke!). 

Finally, the choice was the eastward route from Istanbul towards Iran. My original plan was to ride through the highlands of Turkey directly to Iran. But weather was so bad that I had to go down to the Black Sea coast, and then to Georgia, Armenia and finally Iran. 

This time I took many buses: heavy rain, snowstorms, dangerous motorways, the heat in Iran, and also lack of time were all factors that motivated us (me and Alhamra, the bike) to ride the different types of buses in this region. 

As in other occasions, the best part of the trip has been the encounters. Friends made on the way, short chats with vendors, fellow travellers, hosts. I like so much meeting these people from diverse origins, languages, cultures, religions. We cross our paths during a lunch break or at a hotel reception. 

This is a short version of the journey. My manuscript notes were accidentally left at a hotel in Isfahan. I hope to add more information if I ever get them back.

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