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In the seventeenth century, “Franks” who were eager to enter Persia became part, whether they wanted to or not, of a geopolitical context that made their experience of its borders a distinct and marked one. Although they were generally welcome in the Shah’s lands, they first had to deal with the mistrust of the Ottomans, who had reason to fear an alliance against them. The narratives of Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, Jean Thévenot, and François de La-Boullaye-Le-Gouz exemplify to three distinct ways of negotiating entry into Persia. What doesn’t vary, however, is that this transition from one travel regime to another appears as a privileged site of self-representation.