Bandar-e Anzali
Out of Rasht, the air becomes purer with the tang of the Caspian, but the lagoon to be crossed is called Mordab-e Anzali (Anzali Lagoon), in an altitude of 20 m above sea level and 360 km to the northeast of Tehran, an ornithologists' paradise for the variety of fowl to be seen  here. The beach of Bandar Anzali and its naval dockyard Ghazian are 40 Km northwest of Rasht.
 Inhabitants and seamen of Bandar-e Anzali, in its pleasant and relaxed atmosphere, stroll during the evening hours as well as during the whole Friday in the public garden which follows the coast road on the right bank of the channel linking Anzali Lake to the sea. If you become tired of walking, you can sit down on a wooden stool, drink a cup of burning hot tea (Chai) while watching the boatmen in their colorful crafts.

 This town came into prominence in the early 19th century as a result of the increasing Russian influence over the trade in the Caspian Sea. When traders from the Western Europe had been the most active in the region, the river port of Langrud, 96 km to the east, was their main outlet to northern Persia. Around 1800 the Russians established their trading post at Bandar-e Anzali, taking advantage of its unrivaled natural harbor. Since then it has been the only major port along the southern Caspian coast, and today is the only one active in trade with the former Soviet states.
The Russian influence over Bandar-e Anzali has been strong, and the city bears a remarkable physical likeness to the Azarbaijani port of Baku, its main trading partner in the north Caspian Sea (and itself belonging to Iran until the early 19th century). There is a provincial Russian air about the town, from its shop displays to its crumbling architecture and lonely promenade, and fair-skinned visit were usually assumed to be Russian.
On the left bank of the channel, one can see the fishery buildings wherein the preparation of the world's best caviar - precious black eggs -is being carried out as a state monopoly. The public is not admitted to the immense refrigerated hangars (-18 degrees centigrade) where tons of sturgeons, monsters between 2 and 3 meters long weighing between 75 and 100 kg are stored after removal of caviar usually equal to one tenth of their weight.
The port is divided by two by the outlet of the Anzali Lagoon; a bridge connects the town to a small undeveloped island (Beheshti Island), just inside the mouth of the lagoon. The docks and the customs house are on the east side of the outlet, but the main commercial center is on the opposite bank, reached by a single bridge called the Pol-e Ghazian.
There is a wide and often wind-swept promenade along the west bank, facing the harbor. The main square, Khomeini Square, is five minutes walk from there, past the bazaar. The Municipality and the town's main hotel are within a few minutes walk from there.
In order to get a good look at diverse aspects of life in northern Iran, it is not enough to visit Bandar-e Anzali, you should penetrate further into the Guilan and Mazandaran regions along the coastal road.

Bandar-e Anzali Museum