Built in 1879 for Naser al-Din Shah's son, who was also the governor of Esfahan, as his residence in Tehran, this lovely building and garden is in the process of restoration. Recently there was a cafe operating in the dining hall, but it was closed at the time of writing. It's still worth visiting for the building's beautiful decoration and peaceful grounds.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Golestan Palace
0.85 MILES
The glories and excesses of the Qajar rulers are played out across this complex of grand buildings decorated with beautifully painted tiles and set around…
Treasury of National Jewels
0.52 MILES
Owned by the Central Bank and accessed through its front doors, the cavernous vault that houses what is commonly known as the ‘Jewels Museum’ is not to be…
National Museum of Iran
0.8 MILES
This modest museum is no Louvre, but it is chock-full of Iran’s rich history. The collection includes ceramics, pottery, stone figures and carvings,…
Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art (TMOCA)
2.61 MILES
In a striking concrete modernist building on the western side of Park-e Laleh, this museum's impressive collection boasts works by Picasso, Matisse, Van…
Nearby Tehran attractions
1. Madraseh va Masjed-e Sepahsalar
0.26 MILES
Just south of the Iranian majlis (parliament), this Islamic college is arguably the most noteworthy example of Persian architecture of the Qajar period,…
2. Iranian Majlis
0.3 MILES
Also known as the People's House, the country's legislative body occupies a compound that is defined by the modern pyramid-shaped debating chamber where…
3. Tejarat Bank
0.44 MILES
The late 19th-century building housing the first public bank in Iran sits at the east end of Imam Khomeini Sq. At the time of writing the brick building…
4. Imam Khomeini Sq
0.49 MILES
Ringed by perpetually seething traffic, Imam Khomeini Sq is not a place to linger. Little of the grandeur of the Qajar era remains here, although there is…
5. Treasury of National Jewels
0.52 MILES
Owned by the Central Bank and accessed through its front doors, the cavernous vault that houses what is commonly known as the ‘Jewels Museum’ is not to be…
6. Dar ul-Funun
0.55 MILES
Established in 1851, this was Iran's first modern university and parts of it have recently been handsomely restored with the aim of making it into a…
7. Ebrat Museum
0.56 MILES
There's nothing subtle about the graphic displays (suitable for adults only) in the one-time prison of the shah’s brutal secret police. A prime example of…
8. Qazaq Khaneh
0.66 MILES
Dating from 1892, the old Cossacks Quarters forms an impressive architectural flourish at the northern end of pedestrian Melal-e Mottahed, the street once…