The old bridge across the lagoon channel connects central Anzali to the Ghazian neighbourhood and is the best vantage point for watching the fishing boats come and go. The wooden fishing craft tied up along the channel banks and the larger Caspian vessels in the outer harbour give the town a distinctly maritime character that is unusual in Iran.
The former Shah's villa stands above the harbour on a small rise, its crumbling colonnaded facade still visible through the trees. The building is in poor condition and not open to visitors, but the gardens around it are pleasant. The harbour area in the evening — with the smell of fish and the sound of water — is the most atmospheric part of the city.