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Villa Firuza (Mirza Riza Khan House), Borjomi

Pale-blue Villa Firuza in Borjomi with carved wooden gables, a lace-like two-tier balcony and stained glass
Photo: Alexkom000, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

The essentials in 10 seconds

Entry
Free — you see it from the street
Hours
Façade visible from the street at any time; the interior is a hotel, no museum
Time on site
A typical visit without queueing. In high season add 15–30 minutes.
15 min
With kids
Fine with kids
Time needed
10–15 minutes
Inside
The Golden Tulip Borjomi hotel; no museum or tours — unofficial
verifyingFrom reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go.
Address
48 9 April Street, by the Central Park gates
verifyingFrom reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go.
Coordinates
41.83657, 43.39024YesGo MapGoogleApple
Getting there
1–2 minutes from the park gates; about 20 minutes' walk from the bus station
verifyingFrom reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go.

Key facts

1892the year it was built — carved into the façade ornament with the owner's name
2 sourcesEnglish and Russian WikipediaTonkosti
Mirza Riza KhanIran's consul in Tiflis, who built it as his summer retreat
3 sourcesEnglish Wikipedia (M. Alexidze et al., 2018)Russian WikipediaGeorgiacom
Turquoisewhat firuza means in Persian — after the turquoise stones in the central balcony's ceiling
2 sourcesEnglish and Russian WikipediaTonkosti
Mirrors and turquoisecover the inside of the central balcony in a mosaic
3 sourcesRussian WikipediaTonkostiGeorgiacom
2 inscriptionsone in Cyrillic above the right balcony, one in Persian by the central one
SourceEnglish and Russian Wikipedia
Stone and woodstone walls; wooden balconies, windows and kitchen
2 sourcesEnglish Wikipedia (N. Gengiuri, 2016)Russian Wikipedia
Firuza sanatoriumthe house became part of it in Soviet times; it closed in 1989
3 sourcesEnglish WikipediaGeorgiacomRussian Wikipedia
2010–2012restoration with Iranian specialists (Georgiacom gives 2011–2012)
2 sourcesEnglish WikipediaGeorgiacom
Listedas a cultural heritage monument of Georgia
3 sourcesRussian WikipediaWikidataTonkosti
Hotelsince the restoration the house has been run as a hotel
3 sourcesEnglish WikipediaGeorgiacomOutlook Traveller

What is Villa Firuza?

It's the summer house of Mirza Riza Khan, Iran's consul in Tiflis, built in 1892 just as Borjomi was turning into a fashionable spa. It stands right at the entrance to Borjomi Central Park on 9 April Street, and you can't miss it: turquoise walls, lacy wooden balconies and pointed-arch windows.

The consul put consulate funds into Borjomi property and built the house as his own retreat. The resort was booming: Georgian nobles were building villas nearby, and the Romanovs were putting up their own palace at Likani — today's Romanov Palace.

Firuza is Persian for turquoise. The name comes from the turquoise stones set into the ceiling of the central balcony. The owner's name, the house's name and the date are worked into the ornament on the façade, so the building effectively signs itself.

Who built it, and what happened next

The client is well documented — Mirza Riza Khan, later known by the title Arfa' ad-Dowleh. No architect is named in the sources. Russian Wikipedia mentions a master builder called Yusuf, son of Hassan, but the tale of his murder in Tiflis comes from a novel by a Belgian writer, not from archives, so we treat it as legend.

After the consul left, the villa took in paying guests and was a hotel by the 1910s. It became state property after 1921, housed trade-union holidaymakers from the 1930s to the 1950s and then joined the Firuza sanatorium. The sanatorium closed in 1989; in the 1990s displaced families lived here and the building decayed.

Georgian and Iranian specialists restored it in 2010–2012, and it reopened as a hotel. The colour, balconies and carving were kept; some of the interior decoration had already been lost.

What to look for on the façade

  • The central balcony — its inner side is a mosaic of mirror shards and turquoise stones, the detail that gave the house its name.
  • Two inscriptions: Cyrillic above the right-hand balcony, Persian to the left of the central one.
  • Pointed-arch windows with wood carving on the front — a Persian motif on a stone spa villa.
  • Two tiers of wooden balconies and gables, so delicate against the pale-blue walls that the house looks almost weightless.
  • A mix of styles: Persian ornament, the open balconies of a Georgian house and a late-19th-century European resort villa, all in one building.
  • The main front faces the river; behind it is the hotel's private inner courtyard, which you can't see from the street.

Can you go inside Villa Firuza?

Not as a sightseer. The building is a hotel (currently branded Golden Tulip Borjomi, unofficial), with no public rooms, tickets or tours. People come to see the outside, and that's enough: the balconies, mosaic and inscriptions are all on the façade.

If the interiors matter to you, the only reliable way in is to stay the night. According to the study published by Georgia's National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation, the surviving features include wooden panelling on the ground floor, geometric and landscape wall paintings on the first floor and a muqarnas-style wooden rosette ceiling in the dining room. Some decoration has been lost, so don't expect palace halls.

How to get to Villa Firuza

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On foot

More tips

  1. Start at the Borjomi Central Park gates, by the Ekaterina spring pavilion at the end of 9 April Street.
  2. Villa Firuza is right by the park entrance on the same street — 1–2 minutes' walk from the gates. The turquoise front is visible from a distance.
  3. Just arrived? Marshrutkas from Tbilisi (Didube bus station) and Kutaisi stop at the bus station by Borjomi railway station. Cross the bridge over the Mtkvari (Kura) and walk east along the main street, which becomes 9 April Street — about 20 minutes on foot or 5 minutes by taxi.
  4. Coming by train, get off at Borjomi Park station, about 10 minutes' walk away.
  5. Step back to the far side of the street to fit both tiers of balconies in one frame, then head into the park.

Is Villa Firuza worth it?

Yes, if you're going to the park anyway — it's on the way, and 10–15 minutes is well spent. It's the most unusual house in spa-town Borjomi, a Persian summer villa among Russian and Georgian ones, and the quickest way to picture what the resort looked like in the 1890s.

It isn't worth a trip on its own: you can't go in and there's nothing on display. The honest format is a short stop before you walk the park to the sulphur baths, or on your way from the local history museum. Nothing to pay here, but carry some cash in Georgian lari (GEL) for the park ticket next door. Bolt works in Borjomi with a foreign card, though cars are few; street taxis usually want cash, so agree the fare first.

Before you go

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Spa-town Borjomi in half a day

The local museum, Villa Firuza by the gates, the park with its mineral spring and the sulphur pools at the top of the gorge. Add them to your route — YesGo sets the times and walks.

  1. Borjomi Museum of Local Lore1 h · 3–5 GEL
  2. 20 min walk from the previous stopVilla Firuza (Mirza Riza Khan House)you are here15 min · Free — seen from the street
  3. 3 min walk from the previous stopBorjomi Central Park2 h · ≈ 5 GEL (unofficial)
  4. 42 min walk from the previous stopBorjomi Sulphur Baths1 h 30 min · ≈ 5–10 GEL plus park entry

4 places · about 5 h 50 min with walks · 65 min on foot in total

Go · my route

Nearby and on your route

Borjomi Central Park

Borjomi, Georgia

2 h · ≈ 5 GEL (unofficial) · 3 min walk

Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park

Borjomi, Georgia

4 h · Free entry, registration required · 28 min walk

How to do it right

  • See the villa before you enter the park — after the walk to the sulphur pools you'll be back tired and in fading light.
  • The best wide shot is from the opposite side of 9 April Street; for the mirror mosaic, stand right under the central balcony.
  • Don't wander into the courtyard or lobby for photos without asking — it's a private hotel.
  • Want to see the interiors? Staying the night is the only way.
  • The cable car's lower station is by the park gates — after the villa, ride up to the plateau for a view over the resort.

Questions

What is Villa Firuza in Borjomi?

The 1892 summer house of Mirza Riza Khan, Iran's consul in Tiflis. It's turquoise, with lacy wooden balconies and a mirror mosaic, stands at the Central Park entrance and is a listed monument.

Can you go inside Villa Firuza?

Not as a sightseer: it's a hotel, with no tours or tickets. Only hotel guests see the interiors; everyone else views the façade from the street.

Is Villa Firuza free to visit?

Yes. You see it from the street, so there's nothing to pay and no opening hours.

Where is Villa Firuza?

In central Borjomi, on 9 April Street right by the Central Park gates and the Ekaterina spring — 1–2 minutes' walk from the gates.

Who built Villa Firuza?

Mirza Riza Khan, the Iranian consul in Tiflis, built it for himself in 1892. The sources don't name an architect.

What does Firuza mean?

Turquoise, in Persian. The house was named after the turquoise stones in the ceiling of its central balcony, and the wall colour matches.

Can you stay at Villa Firuza?

Yes — the building operates as a small hotel (Golden Tulip Borjomi, unofficial). That's the only way to see the surviving interiors.

How do I get to Villa Firuza from Borjomi bus station?

Cross the bridge over the Mtkvari and walk east along the main street until it becomes 9 April Street — about 20 minutes, or 5 minutes by taxi.

Is Villa Firuza worth seeing?

Yes, as a 10–15 minute stop on the way into the park. It's not worth a separate trip, because you can't go in.

Have you been? Was it worth your time?

1 — no, 5 — absolutely

Your vote counts towards the YesGo score.

Sources and fact-check

  • English Wikipedia: Villa Firuze (drawing on N. Gengiuri, National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation of Georgia, 2016, and M. Alexidze, G. Beradze, I. Koshoridze, Diplomacy, Architecture and Poetry: Mirza Reza Khan Arfa' ad-Dowle and Georgia, 2018)
  • Russian Wikipedia: Mirza Riza Khan House; Wikidata Q16645456
  • Tonkosti: Mirza Riza Khan House
  • Georgiacom, 2018: the history of the Firuza sanatorium in Borjomi
  • Live the World: Firuza — a magnificent Persian palace
  • Outlook Traveller: a walk through Borjomi
  • Trip.com and Advantour: Golden Tulip Borjomi hotel listing (address, rooms)
YesGo editorial team · facts checked 02.11.2026 ·
How we checkedThe monument has no official website; entry is free because you see it from the street. The year, owner, name and façade details were checked against both Wikipedias and Tonkosti; the sanatorium and restoration history against English Wikipedia and Georgiacom. The restoration dates differ (2010–2012 vs 2011–2012), so we show both. The hotel brand, address and walking times are unofficial and marked checking. The story of the builder Yusuf's murder is given only as the plot of a novel.

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