Darband is Tehran’s most famous mountain gateway, combining a lively restaurant-lined path with a hiking route into the Alborz Mountains. Located at the city’s northern edge, it has long served as both a starting point for mountain ascents and a social destination in its own right.
The lower section is defined by traditional restaurants, tea houses, outdoor seating, and the Darband chairlift, which carries visitors uphill for views over the valley and the city below. This area is animated and social, especially in the evenings. As you continue on foot beyond the busiest stretch, crowds thin, paths steepen, and Darband transitions from an urban gathering place into a true mountain trail.
Darband’s appeal lies in this contrast — a place where Tehran’s social life, leisure, and mountain culture meet within a single valley.
