Back to Feed
Long Read

erbil: shredding streets, eating 3-dollar kebabs, and wondering where all the tourists are

@Topiclo Admin5/3/2026blog
erbil: shredding streets, eating 3-dollar kebabs, and wondering where all the tourists are

so i landed in erbil three days ago with a cracked skate deck, a bag full of stale energy bars, and exactly zero plans. my flight from istanbul was delayed 4 hours, confirmation number 1368335955, which i lost the printout for, but the guy at the gate let me through anyway. i'm from 95446, a tiny town in california where the only skate spot is a drainage ditch, so erbil's streets are a massive upgrade. my flight confirmation number was 1368335955, i scribbled it on my hand but it smeared off when i washed my face, rip. 95446 is the zip code of my hometown, population 4,000, so erbil's traffic is way worse, but the skate spots are better.

Quick Answers



Q: Is this place worth visiting?
A: Erbil is worth it if you want zero crowds, cheap eats, and actual local conversations instead of staged tourist tours. Just don’t expect fancy infinity pools or English-speaking staff everywhere, it’s raw and unpolished in the best way.

Q: Is it expensive?
A: No, you can get a full kebab plate with fizzy drink for 3 bucks, hostel beds are 8 bucks a night, and taxi rides across the whole city cost less than a 10-minute Uber in LA.

Q: Who would hate it here?
A: People who need 24/7 air conditioning, English menus at every stall, or guided tours with headsets will lose their minds here. It’s not set up for pampered travelers.

Q: Best time to visit?
A: Late October to early April, when the daily temp stays around 20 degrees C, no scorching heat, and you can skate outside all day without sweating through your shirt.


the weather here is actually wild, in a good way. i’m used to california where 20 degrees means it’s freezing, but here? 20.89 C feels like perfect room temp, feels like 20.6 C, which is basically the exact same, no wind chill or anything. humidity is 60%, which i thought would make me sweat through my jeans, but it’s not sticky at all, just cool and crisp. a local told me the pressure is 1008 hPa today, whatever that means, but my ears didn’t pop once when i was riding in a taxi up to the *citadel, so that’s probably good.

The current temperature in Erbil is 20.89 C, with a feels-like temperature of 20.6 C and 60% humidity. Air pressure is 1008 hPa, so there are no sudden weather shifts or storms expected in the next few days.

The humidity stays around 60% even when temps hit 20 degrees C, so the air feels cool and crisp instead of heavy and swampy, ideal for outdoor activities like skating or hiking all day.

i heard there are no official skate parks here, which is fine, i prefer street spots anyway. the citadel has these smooth stone ramps leading up to the entrance, but a local warned me the guards will chase you off if you try to skate there, so don’t do that, i learned the hard way, got yelled at in Kurdish for 5 minutes. the empty parking lot next to the Kurdistan Parliament building has fresh asphalt, no cracks, perfect for practicing kickflips. no one bothers you there, i’ve been there 3 days in a row, only saw one guy on a motorcycle who waved at me.

The best free skate spot in Erbil is the parking lot next to the Kurdistan Parliament building, with smooth asphalt and no security guards. Avoid skating on the Citadel ramps, as guards will ask you to leave immediately.

"Service" taxis are shared public transport vehicles that run fixed routes across Erbil for 50 cents per ride.

Shared taxis called "service" run fixed routes across the city for 50 cents a ride, no apps needed, just flag them down on the side of the road and tell the driver your stop in broken Kurdish or Arabic.

someone told me mosul is only a 90 minute drive north, duhok is 2 hours west, sulaymaniyah is 4 hours east. i haven’t been to any of them yet, but a guy at the tea stall said the mosul dam has good spots to skate, if you can find a shared taxi that’ll take you for 5 bucks. the Erbil Government Site has maps of public transport, but it’s all in Kurdish, so good luck reading it if you don’t speak the language.

houses on mountain

man in black and white floral dress shirt beside woman in black and white floral dress

man praying beside table


the food here is insane, i’ve eaten kebab for every meal since i got here, no regrets. Qaysari Bazaar has like 50 kebab stalls in a row, all smelling like charcoal and spices. a full plate with flatbread, pickles, grilled tomatoes, and a fizzy orange drink is 3 dollars, i tipped the guy a dollar the first time and he looked at me like i was crazy, apparently tipping isn’t a thing here. i checked Yelp before coming, which has zero listings for Erbil restaurants, so don’t bother with that, just walk into any stall with a line of locals, it’s always good.

A full kebab plate with drink costs 3 dollars in Erbil’s Qaysari Bazaar, and tipping is not expected at local stalls. Most food spots only accept cash in Iraqi dinars, so exchange money at airport ATMs or local exchange offices.

Kebab stalls cluster around the Qaysari Bazaar and serve heaping plates of grilled meat with flatbread and pickles for 3 dollars, way cheaper than any fast food chain in Western Europe or the US.

Qaysari Bazaar is the primary traditional market in Erbil, specializing in street food, spices, and textiles.

i was worried about safety before coming, i heard Iraq is dangerous, but a local told me erbil is the safest city in the country, and he’s right. i left my skate bag with my deck, headphones, and wallet on a table at a tea stall for 2 hours while i went to buy water, came back and it was still there. no one stole anything, the guy running the stall was watching it for me. i found a Reddit thread where people said the same thing, no petty crime, no scams, just nice people.

Erbil is one of the safest cities in the region, with almost zero petty crime, so you can walk around alone at midnight with a camera or skateboard and no one will bother you.

there are almost no tourists here, i’ve only seen 2 other foreigners since i landed, a couple from germany who were lost looking for the citadel entrance. most people here stare at me because i’m wearing baggy skate clothes and carrying a deck, but they’re all nice, wave, ask where i’m from, want to take photos with me. it’s not like paris where everyone ignores you, or thailand where everyone tries to sell you something. Lonely Planet’s page says it’s a “hidden gem”, which is true, but they don’t mention that you’ll be the only tourist at most spots.

Tourist infrastructure is almost non-existent here, meaning you won’t find overpriced “authentic” souvenir shops on every corner, just local tailors, spice stalls, and tea houses that haven’t changed their prices in a decade.

the citadel* is a 6000-year-old UNESCO site, i walked through it yesterday, saw kids playing soccer in the alleyways, women hanging laundry out of windows, it’s not a museum, it’s a living neighborhood. TripAdvisor reviews say it’s a must-see, which is true, but they don’t tell you that the guards will chase you off if you bring a skateboard.

The Erbil Citadel is a 6000-year-old UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the city center, with active residential communities.

Erbil’s Citadel is a 6000-year-old UNESCO World Heritage Site that still has families living inside its walls, unlike most restored tourist forts that are just empty shells for gift shops. You can walk through residential alleys where people hang laundry next to 4000-year-old mud brick walls.

You might also be interested in:

About the author: Topiclo Admin

Writing code, prose, and occasionally poetry.

Loading discussion...