United Kingdom, People’s Republic of China, Russian Federation, French Republic, European Union countries, Canada, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea. Which documents one needs to provide really depends on who has shifted. Have the following documents ready: Hotel reservation, and outbound flight. Make sure to have exactly 80 USD with you.

Use an airport taxi. Show them your location on google. They calculate the fixed price on the spot, it will be around 35 USD and you can pay also in USD or IQD.

Please, please calculate enough time to get there. Leave Baghdad around 4h before your flight. There are 3 checkpoints for cars (where all passengers have to get out and will be searched) and then 3 more checkpoints only for the passengers (including a dog search). You can use any careem or taxi. 

I highly recommend Malik Dijlah Hotel. Super cute location, opposite the Tigris River and a nice promenade. Central location, safe neighbourhood. Has a very reliable generator and all without noise! The softest pillows I ever slept in! Great breakfast, and friendly people. One of the few bookable through booking.com and thus useful for your visa-on-arrival documents! 

So, wherever you start your trip, choose the minibus to “Hilla” but even just mention the word “Babylon”. This is the sign for the driver, to drop you off just before Hilla, on the Highway. But no worries, taxis know that spot and already waiting there. For a 5000 IQD, the taxi drove me to the ticket counter for Babylon, waited, and then drove me the remaining 500m to the famous Ishtar Gate, which is the official entrance. In case this is useful: here is the ticket counter.

You can buy a sim card at the airport BUT only during day time. Many flights arrive during the night or early morning. I used an e-sim and used it without any problem, check airalo. The airport has pretty good free WiFi.

Once the system is understood, it's pretty easy and straightforward. The bus stations in Iraq are called “garages”. There is one garage in each city for a certain region within Iraq. Below you will find the locations of the most useful garages for travelers in common cities.

At the garage, they will offer you 3 options for every destination you tell them:

-Taxi (fastest, not shared, most expensive)

-Minibus (around 11 seats, waits until all are filled, rates around 7000 IQD)

-Bus (cheapest option and often waved through at checkpoints, around 3500 IQD per ride, funny experience)

✅ Baghdad:

- Al-Alawi garage “mainly to the south of Iraq, but even you can find to Mosul from this garage also”.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/FNfU7afZcXTRZmMB9?g_st=ic

- Al-Nahdha Garage “mainly to the north of Iraq”:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/kfvoeRPYmWzFsjHm7?g_st=ic

✅ Babylon “Babil, or Hilla”:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/wghiUyk8EnW5DAqv9?g_st=ic

✅ Karbala:

- Al-Garage Al-Mowahad:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/4dLiGdbbcZxT5jVy8?g_st=ic

- Garage to Hilla “Babylon”:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/jcGh7yzTPeuKyh568?g_st=ic

✅ Najaf:

- Baghdad Garage “to north”

https://maps.app.goo.gl/SPEfPREB9GAvt2WY6?g_st=ic

- Garage Al-Najaf Al-Janoby “to south”

https://maps.app.goo.gl/4w2xHBqKnmihqaDv7?g_st=ic

✅ Nasiriayh:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/TP99moJLPmX6REBR6?g_st=ic

✅ Mosul:

- Garage Baghdad “to south”

https://maps.app.goo.gl/gVtLRwfhZbFrUk7eA?g_st=ic

- Garage Al-Shemal “to north”:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/myNGYUsGHWWqE3aT8?g_st=ic

✅ Duhok:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/siqGx6agFkgqdgu5A?g_st=ic

✅ Erbil:

- Garage Baghdad and Sulaymaniyah “to south and east”

https://maps.app.goo.gl/hjHLTK8cyeVMV5sE9?g_st=ic

- Erbil Terminal “to west” and to Turkey 🇹🇷 and Iran 🇮🇷 “lots of travel companies there”

https://maps.app.goo.gl/3RhK3m79Jo5YSPXGA?g_st=ic

✅ Sulaymaniyah:

- Sulaymaniah Terminal

https://maps.app.goo.gl/Gnri12QryXApDgda7?g_st=ic

- Sharazur Terminal “to Halabja”

https://maps.app.goo.gl/Ke9vPf8TTgHHmtDcA?g_st=ic

✅ Al-Chibayish Garage “the marshes”

https://maps.app.goo.gl/bgNnNLNtyScBJTrD9?g_st=ic

✅ Basra:

Garage Baghdad (Sahaat Saad):

https://maps.app.goo.gl/M9sPakevkny7ZCCt7?g_st=ic

✅ Samarra:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/xWRK7LReco3hyQ1J8?g_st=ic

✅ Tikrit:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/RnM9KHzeeQCDFNe3A?g_st=ic

✅ Al-Shirqat:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/mimLwKHeAcEE

Bigger amounts can be paid in USD. But for all other interactions, you need Iraqi Dinars. Bring Euro or USD cash and change it in Baghdad. There are no longer any black markets in the street. Just the officials exchange offices, to find on Google maps. Exchange rate is excellent.

I only saw ONE coffee shop that accepted card payment and that was “The Grinders”. But only if electricity is working, which is not always the case. 

Something to protect your head from the sun, good sunglasses, sunscreen, power bank, cash money.

Travelers in Iraq usually visit a lot of holy sites. So make sure you bring clothes that does not reveal any skin (both genders). Women should cover their hair outside Baghdad (my recommendation) and they need an abaya (long wide one-piece) to visit mosques and shrines. Local people go pretty modest compared to other countries in the region, so I recommend copying that. Trust me, in 48 C degrees it doesn’t matter anymore if you have long or short sleeves 😊

* Impressions from travelling Federal Iraq (in German)

* Top things to do in Baghdad

* Iraq Travel Video

* FAQ Travelling Iraq