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Back to Baghdad

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Voykit pocket guide · Iraq

Baghdad

بغداد

Check your own government's travel advice before planning Baghdad, and travel only with a fixer, driver or tour operator who knows current district-by-district conditions; do not plan an independent, walk-in visit.

Baghdad is Iraq's capital and largest city, straddling the Tigris River. It holds the Iraq Museum's Mesopotamian antiquities, the Friday book market on Mutanabbi Street and Shia pilgrimage sites like the Al-Kadhimiya Shrine, but tourism infrastructure is thin and security conditions vary by neighbourhood and change over time, so any visit needs local, current guidance rather than a fixed plan.

ErbilBaghdad100 kmdots: other places in this guide
Sketch, not to navigate by: shapes follow this guide’s areas and places, not official boundaries. North is up.
Country
Iraq
Local name
بغداد
Best months
Nov–Mar (mild days, cool nights)
Avoid
Jun–Sep (routinely above 45°C, extreme heat risk)
Stay
2 nights

Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.

Essentials

Money
Cash in dinars and US dollars covers almost everything: see Insurance & payments above.

Get in

By air

BGW · Baghdad International
About 15 km west of the centre; use only a pre-arranged hotel or tour-operator car through the airport road checkpoints, not a hailed taxi.

Get around

Independent travel is not practical: arranged cars and drivers through your hotel or tour operator are the norm, and routes cross military and police checkpoints where you should carry ID at all times. There is no tourist-oriented public transport network.

See and do

Known for

  • Iraq Museum (Mesopotamian and Sumerian antiquities)
  • Mutanabbi Street book market (Fridays)
  • Tigris riverfront and Abu Nuwas Street
  • Al-Kadhimiya Shrine (major Shia pilgrimage site)

Sleep

Karrada
Central commercial district with most international-standard hotels, restaurants and better security presence.
International (Green) Zone edge
Government and diplomatic quarter; some hotels here have tighter, slower security screening on entry.

Etiquette, safety and scams

Scams and watch-outs

  • Check your own government's travel advice before you go, and again close to departure; conditions can change with little warning.
  • Move with a driver or guide who knows current no-go areas rather than walking between sights on your own.
  • Summer heat above 45°C is a real health risk; plan outdoor time for early morning.
  • Photography of checkpoints, government buildings and security personnel is restricted and can cause serious trouble.

One and two days

No timed day plan for Baghdad yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.

  • Iraq Museum (Mesopotamian and Sumerian antiquities)
  • Mutanabbi Street book market (Fridays)
  • Tigris riverfront and Abu Nuwas Street
  • Al-Kadhimiya Shrine (major Shia pilgrimage site)

Sources

Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.

Pocket card

Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.

Baghdadبغداد

My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)

Voykit · checked 2026-09

Printed from Voykit (/baghdad). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.