I Vacationed in Baghdad (Twice!)
9 observations, and many photos, from Iraq’s fascinating capital. Consider visiting!
I’ve vacationed in Iraq three times in the past few years: April 2022, November 2022, and December 2023. Between the trips, I’ve covered almost all of the country. All were group tours accompanied by local guides.
I’d like to show you highlights from the fascinating and historic city of Baghdad!
Baghdad was once the largest city in the entire world and a center of the Islamic Golden Age a millennium ago.
Today it stands as the second-largest city in the Arab world and capital of Iraq, with around 8 million residents.
Here are 9 key observations from my two visits to Baghdad:
1. It didn’t feel dangerous at all
At no point in my time in Baghdad (or Iraq) did I ever feel that my safety was threatened.
Many outsiders may be familiar with Baghdad in the context of hearing about the Iraq War. But the Iraq War ended in 2011 and the main conflict with the Islamic State ended in 2017.
I think Americans mentally lump together the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, as they were both going on at the same time for a while—the “forever wars over there.” Withdrawal from Afghanistan didn’t happen until 2021, so maybe people have a vague feeling about there being wars “over there” recently.
To be fair, the Middle East is a turbulent region in general, and Iraq itself does still have issues, but they’re really not of the magnitude that most people imagine.
2. Baghdad has a fancy side
Baghdad has fancy malls, chic restaurants, luxury apartments, and other things that you might not have imagined.
We even visited a mall that had a fountain light show that was done with “Despacito” playing! Here’s a video:
We tried different upscale restaurants as well.
While not exactly “fancy,” we went to a fake Starbucks. (Starbucks will probably not be coming to Iraq to do trademark enforcement.)
3. Baghdad has a hip side too
We found a cool art gallery thanks to local Instagram:
We also found an interesting place that was a combination restaurant/cafe and gym:
4. Traffic is horrendous
Baghdad has the worst traffic I’ve seen of any city I’ve ever visited. On several occasions, we spent half an hour or more barely going a few blocks.
You’d think a city of around 8 million people would have developed some kind of halfway-decent public transit system. But no—there’s no metro, tram, or rapid bus.
Supposedly there are plans to build a metro, which would be fantastic! But as with all construction projects, I’ll believe it when I see it.
I suspect one issue may be that fuel is heavily subsidized by the government, so an Iraqi of a given income level has less incentive to use public transportation than someone at the same income level in a country without subsidized fuel. I’m not sure, though.
5. People live normal lives
Going around the city, you can’t help but notice that it’s largely just a place where lots of humans live their lives.
That may sound obvious, but in a context where lots of people hear “Baghdad” and think “war,” it really is remarkable how unremarkable the city is. Sure, it has a complicated past, but today you look around and people are just going about their business. Things aren’t just spontaneously exploding.
6. Tea time
Baghdad’s café culture goes back centuries. There are a zillion cafés, and locals love having tea or coffee at any time of day or night.
There’s one really interesting local variety of tea that tastes like sour lime. I first had it at an event at the Iraqi embassy in DC, and made sure to try it in Baghdad!
7. Christmas trees
When visiting in December, we saw a number of Christmas trees! They were in hotel lobbies, malls, restaurants, and elsewhere. I was not expecting that at all.
8. History is everywhere
9. Its future tourism potential is high
There’s a long road ahead in making further improvements to security and stability—and in letting the world know about these changes. But I think that the tourism potential of the city (and country) is high. I’m optimistic for its future!
They have a visa on arrival for citizens of the US, Canada, EU, UK, and Japan, among others. You can fly there on major airlines like Qatar, Turkish, and Emirates.
Consider visiting!
All of my trips were done as part of organized group tours. Importantly, they were led by good local guides, which can make a big difference in having a good experience. It’s not a place I would go solo, due to the limited tourist infrastructure and language barrier.
I realize everyone has different comfort levels with this kind of travel, and I won’t blame you if you’re still hesitant to go. But I really recommend keeping an open mind about it. It has a lot to offer!
For more dispatches from off-the-beaten-path countries I’ve visited—like Turkmenistan, Bhutan, North Macedonia, Laos, and Pakistan—make sure to subscribe to get posts straight to your inbox.
Would you go on vacation to Baghdad? What questions do you have? What else about my Iraq travels would you like to see a future post about? Let me know in the comments—it helps me decide what I show you!
And if this post gave you a window into a place you haven’t considered, share this post with a friend who might be interested.
