Discover the best time of year, based on historical climate, temperature, and precipitation.
The best weather in Qazvin is from May, September, October. — consistent weather climate
☀️Pleasant
| Score | 23 | 24 | 45 | 85 | 93 | 75 | 54 | 63 | 99 | 92 | 48 | 28 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Climate | Cold | Cold | Cold | Mild | Pleasant | Pleasant | Hot & dry | Hot & dry | Pleasant | Mild | Cold | Cold |
| Temperature | -3–7°C | -2–9°C | 2–15°C | 7–20°C | 12–26°C | 17–33°C | 19–35°C | 18–34°C | 15–30°C | 10–23°C | 4–14°C | -1–9°C |
| Feels like | -7–3°C | -6–6°C | -1–11°C | 4–18°C | 10–25°C | 15–32°C | 19–34°C | 18–33°C | 14–28°C | 7–20°C | 0–11°C | -5–5°C |
| Precipitation | 56mm 8 days | 61mm 9 days | 75mm 11 days | 57mm 7 days | 27mm 4 days | 3mm 1 days | 1mm 0 days | 0mm 0 days | 5mm 1 days | 33mm 5 days | 45mm 7 days | 44mm 7 days |
| Sunshine | 8.4h ☀︎ 84% | 8.5h ☀︎ 78% | 9.4h ☀︎ 78% | 10.9h ☀︎ 83% | 11.9h ☀︎ 85% | 13.1h ☀︎ 90% | 12.9h ☀︎ 90% | 12.5h ☀︎ 92% | 11.3h ☀︎ 91% | 10.1h ☀︎ 89% | 8.0h ☀︎ 78% | 7.6h ☀︎ 78% |
| Wind | E · 13 km/h | NE · 14 km/h | NE · 16 km/h | N · 17 km/h | N · 17 km/h | N · 19 km/h | N · 21 km/h | N · 19 km/h | N · 17 km/h | NE · 15 km/h | NE · 13 km/h | E · 12 km/h |
| Humidity (%) | 61% | 61% | 58% | 51% | 47% | 40% | 41% | 41% | 41% | 49% | 59% | 64% |
| Day length | 10.0h | 10.9h | 12.0h | 13.1h | 14.1h | 14.6h | 14.3h | 13.5h | 12.4h | 11.3h | 10.3h | 9.7h |
Qazvin's calendar is an inverted paradox: visitors pour into the city during the sweltering heat of midsummer and the raw chill of late autumn, completely bypassing September and October, when high-altitude mountain air delivers pristine days and deserted courtyards.
Perched at nearly eighteen hundred meters above sea level beneath the stark wall of the Alborz range, Qazvin carries itself with the quiet dignity of an imperial capital that relinquished the throne but kept its composure. For four decades in the sixteenth century, this plateau crossroads was the heart of the Safavid Empire, a legacy still legible in its monumental brick vaulted bazaars, delicate tilework, and celebrated calligraphy traditions. Yet most travelers misjudge the mountain climate entirely. They arrive when the city is either caught in biting winter damp or baked dry under the relentless summer sun, missing the brief, sweet chapters when high elevation turns Qazvin into one of the most pleasant walking cities in Iran.
September is Qazvin at its most intoxicating. The fierce high-altitude sun softens into a dry, golden warmth, the air off the Alborz sharpens, and afternoon temperatures settle into a zone where walking the city for hours feels effortless. As October arrives, the breeze off the peaks turns brisk in the evenings, but midday remains luminous and clear. These two months represent the absolute peak of comfortable weather, yet visitor numbers plunge to their yearly low.
You can wander through the vast brick vaults of the Sa'd al-Saltaneh Caravanserai without hearing much beyond the shuffle of a shopkeeper's slippers and the distant clink of tea glasses. The courtyards, lined with tiled arches and timber-framed workshops, retain a tranquil rhythm that vanishes during the noisier months. Sunlight drops through clerestory domes, catching the dust motes and the sweet aroma of fresh cardamom pastries baking in the surrounding lanes.
In the gardens encircling Chehel Sotoun, the two-story Safavid pavilion that once anchored royal court life, the leaves begin to turn brittle and amber. The mornings demand nothing more than a light jacket, while afternoons invite slow contemplation of the calligraphy galleries inside without jostling shoulders. If you can choose any time to arrive, this early autumn window is the definitive choice.
Spring on the high plateau arrives in two distinct phases. April starts hesitant, shaking off the winter freeze with scattered afternoon showers that sweep across the valley from the north. The air smells cleanly of damp stone and mountain loam, and the city remains quiet. It is an unhurried, reflective time to explore, though you will want layers as soon as the sun dips behind the mountain ridges.
By May, Qazvin hits its stride. The chill recedes entirely, replaced by buoyant warmth and long, brilliant daylight. The courtyard gardens flourish, and the orchards ringing the plateau edges burst into leaf. Temperatures climb comfortably toward the mid-twenties, creating ideal conditions for wandering from the ancient brick portal of the Jameh Mosque of Qazvin into the surrounding alleys.
Crowds remain moderate in May, making it the finest spring window for travelers who prefer lively streets without the heavy congestion that descends just a few weeks later. The city feels awake, generous, and sweet with the scent of blossoming walnut groves.
June arrives with a surge of domestic travelers that pushes the city to its fullest capacity of the year. Why so many arrive precisely when the climate turns punishing is a regional mystery, but the reality on the ground is stark: the plateau elevation strips away any atmospheric haze, leaving an intense, piercing sun that bakes open plazas from mid-morning until late afternoon.
July and August bring little relief from the heat, though the bone-dry mountain humidity keeps the air from feeling suffocating in the shade. The rhythm of daily life fractures into two halves. Between noon and five o'clock, the stone avenues and open courtyards empty out as the heat reflects relentlessly off brick facades. You will find yourself ducking into the deep recesses of the covered bazaar just to escape the glare.
Life resumes after sundown. Once the sun sinks behind the Alborz, the thin mountain air cools rapidly, and families spill out into public squares to stroll in the cool evening draughts. If you visit in midsummer, adapt immediately to local habits: do your walking early in the morning, retreat indoors through the heat of the day, and save your explorations of the palaces and parks for twilight.
November brings a sudden drop in warmth, accompanied by an inexplicable spike in visitors that fills the town even as the weather turns grey, damp, and raw. By December and January, the high altitude asserts itself with bitter frosts, piercing mountain drafts, and temperatures that hover just above freezing even during the sunniest hours. The Alborz peaks loom white and austere to the north, funneling frigid air straight into the city streets.
March sees a massive surge of travelers arriving in time for the Persian New Year holidays, despite the fact that March is the wettest month on the calendar. Rain falls frequently, turning streets slick and stone courtyards cold to the touch. The Jameh Mosque of Qazvin, with its centuries of layered architectural history, takes on an austere, brooding majesty under heavy clouds, but you will need heavy wool and waterproof footwear to navigate the damp drafts that pool beneath its great dome.
Winter visits have their quiet rewards—steaming glasses of tea in vaulted bazaar corners feel genuinely earned after an hour in the wind, and the snow-capped backdrop of the mountains is magnificent. But expecting easy strolls or comfortable lingering during these months is a mistake. Come bundled for true cold, or wait until the plateau thaws.