The most rewarding day trips out of Ardabil head west toward Sabalan. Sareyn is the easy option — 30 minutes by shared taxi, with mineral baths, kebab restaurants, and a backdrop of volcanic peaks. Meshkin-Shahr, on the other side of Sabalan, takes about two hours and is worth it for the Khalkhal–Meshkin suspension bridge over the Khiav Chai gorge, the longest in the Middle East at over 350 metres.
Further afield, Kalibar (3 hours) and the ruined Babak Castle in the Arasbaran forests make a long but unforgettable day. South-east, the small town of Khalkhal sits in the green hills above the Caspian and is the gateway to the Asalem–Khalkhal road, one of the most scenic drives in Iran.
