Iraq travel guide

Best time to visit Iraq from the UK

Best value: Mar–Apr, Oct–Nov. Check FCDO advice; Kurdistan Region is most visited (Mar–May, Sep–Nov).

Each bar is the average temperature in Baghdad for that month, and its colour shows the season for visitors: best value (good weather, fewer crowds and lower prices), busiest and priciest, or quiet (off-peak, sometimes because the weather is poorer).

• Our pick: April and OctoberThe warmest of the best-value months (22–27°C), with fewer crowds than peak season.
• Quiet season: Dec–Feb, May–SepAround 9–37°C. The cheapest and least crowded time, though often because of rain or heat.
• Warmest: July (37°C) · coolest: January (9°C)A 28°C swing between the warmest and coolest months.

Festivals and events

• Nowruz Mar · Kurdistan Region
• Arbaeen pilgrimage Varies · Karbala

Festival dates move from year to year: check before you book.

Getting there from the UK

Flight time

About 5h 30m

Distance

4,111 km

Main airport

BGW

Flight times are straight-line estimates for a direct flight from Heathrow; journeys with a change take longer.

Add Iraq to your bucket list Search flights to BGW

Practical info and travel guidance

• FCDO adviceAdvises against travel to parts of IraqCheck which areas before you book.
• VisaApply online before you goeVisa before you travel
• HealthcareNo free healthcareYou pay for treatment, so travel insurance with medical cover is essential.
• LGBT+ travellersSame-sex relations are illegal or prosecutedRead the FCDO LGBT+ advice before you go.
• Women travellersNo specific FCDO warningTake the usual precautions.

For British passport holders, summarised from the FCDO's advice for Iraq, checked October 2026. FCDO page last updated 22 July 2026. Rules change: read the official FCDO travel advice for Iraq before you book and again before you go.