Iraq is a travel destination in Western Asia. Its capital is Baghdad. March and February are its two best months to visit, ranked on 1991–2020 climate averages.
Top places to visit in Iraq
Erbil Citadel (landmark, Erbil Governorate) — UNESCO tell continuously inhabited for 6,000 years — mudbrick labyrinth towering 32 m above the plain.
Babylon (landmark, Babil Governorate) — UNESCO ancient city of Nebuchadnezzar — processional way, Ishtar Gate tiles, and the ruins of Hanging Gardens.
Hatra (landmark, Nineveh Governorate) — UNESCO Parthian royal city — remarkably intact desert temple complexes defying successive conquerors.
Ashur (Qal'at Sherqat) (landmark, Saladin Governorate) — UNESCO first Assyrian capital on the Tigris River — ziggurats, temples, and royal necropolis.
Marshes of Southern Iraq (natural, Dhi Qar Governorate) — UNESCO Mesopotamian Marshes — "Garden of Eden" wetlands revived after Saddam drained them; Marsh Arab culture.
Samarra Spiral Minaret (landmark, Saladin Governorate) — UNESCO 9th-century Great Mosque — unique helical minaret (malwiyya) visible for miles across the desert.
Ur Ziggurat (landmark, Dhi Qar Governorate) — 4,000-year-old Neo-Sumerian pyramid — one of the world's best-preserved ancient structures in the deep south.
Baghdad (city, Baghdad Governorate) — Ancient capital of the Abbasid caliphate — National Museum of Iraq, Al-Mutanabbi Street booksellers.
Amadiya (city, Duhok Governorate) — Mountain-top town on a flat limestone plateau — ancient Jewish and Christian heritage above dramatic cliffs.
Lalish (landmark, Duhok Governorate) — Sacred Yazidi temple valley — pilgrimage centre for one of the world's oldest living religions.