Muscat Travel Guide
From Wikitravel
Muscat is the capital of Oman and the country's largest city.
Contents |
Understand
The city referred to as "Muscat" is in fact three smaller towns which have grown together over time. They are:
- Muscat - often referred to as the "walled city", Muscat proper is the site of the royal palaces.
- Matruh (and other spelling variations) - originally a fishing village, Matruh is home to the maze-like Matruh Souq.
- Ruwi - generally considered the commercial and diplomatic centre of the city.
This tripartite division will sometimes cause the visitor an inconvenience, as distances between sites (and accommodation) can be very long and involve trips on the ring road.
As an alternative to the main CBD area that is considered as these three areas there is plently of places to go and things to see along the main highway that heads North East out of these areas. This main road, The Sultan Qaboos Highway, goes past many areas on it's way out to the Airport and further still to Seeb, Sohar and eventually the northern most tip of Oman.
Heading along this road you pass the districts of Qurum, Madinat Al Sultan Qaboos, Al Khuwair, Bausher, Al-Hail and Seeb. Each one has a range of sights to see and places to stay.
Their is also a very long beach road from Qurum to Seeb, some 50km. Situated along this are some of the large international hotel chains but more importantly you discover the true beauty of the Oman coast-line. Km's of beaches, fisherman with drag nets and open space to walk for hours.
Get in
By Air
Oman and Gulf air have daily flights from Chennai and Bahrain, while Emirates connects Muscat with Dubai.
International airlines also fly to Muscat (Seeb International Airport - is the ONLY airport despite being called Muscat it is some 40km out of the CBD, but still on the main route). BA, Swiss Air, Austrian Air, Emmirates all fly frequent schedules from across the world. The number of airlines flying to Muscat increases each year.
Domestically, Oman Air also flies from Salalah to Muscat at least twice weekly.
By Bus
There are daily bus services from Dubai and several Oman cities to Muscat, operated by the Oman National Transport Company.
By Car
You can reach Muscat by road from Dubai
Get around
Maxi taxis (Mitsuibishi vans)(known throughout the expat community as baisa busses) ply the highway from Seeb to the corniche area. The charge is 100 baisa from corniche area to the church round about and another 100 baisa from the church round about to Wadi Adai.
On arrival at the airport, situated approximately 40km from the main Muscat CBD, you can get a baisa bus down the main highway in either direction.
The (mostly orange and white) taxis are a bit pricier, and they hang around the hotels where they get juicy fares from unwary travellers. They will charge 8 Rials for an airport trip if you don't haggle, but you should be able to barter for 5 Rials. They always say they will give you "good price" but its best to figure out what you want to spend then agree before you get in.
The Maxi Taxis ply the main routes through town, and they go where they want so you might have to find one going your direction, once you are on one, they will make sure you get there. THe place to wait for them is on the on-ramps of most of the main highway junctions, you'll usually see a few people waiting around for one. A journey within the Muscat area should not cost more than 300 Baisa each, but if you look like an experienced traveller and hand them 200 baisa then you can usually get away with that.
See
- Al jalali Fort
- Corniche Area
- Grand Mosque - this is one of the more spectacular mosques in the region and (on some days) the entire complex is open to non-Muslim visitors
- Mirani Fort
- Mutrah Souk - the maze-like souq is often described as the best in the Gulf region
- Qasr Al Alam Royal Palace
- Bait az-Zubair Museum - the museum itself features displays on Omani social history, while tours are frequently run of the neighbouring reconstructed townhouse
Do
- Walk down the water front in the Corniche area for some cool sea breeze and treat yourself to some sandwiches and Halib (Tea with Milk) / Sulaimani (Black Tea) at one of the wayside restaurants. The tea cost about 50 baisa.
- From the water front enter the Mutrah Souk and bargain for some arab headgear (costs 1 rial), garments, nuts and spices, incense, earthen ware etc.
- Before getting back to your hotel have dinner at one of the wayside restaurants on the waterfront.
- Night Safari
Learn
Work
Buy
- Muscat City Centre, Seeb, currently the biggest mall containing a lot of shops, including a large Carrefour
- Godiva Chocolates, Sabco Centre, Ruwi, Tel - 562367
- Lulu Shopping Center, Ruwi, Tel - 7711449
- Safeer Hyper Market, Athiaba (Azaiba), Tel - 502461
- Select, All Shell Petrol Bunks,
- Sultan Centre, , Tel - 567666
The Al Fair chain of supermarkets sells just about everything you want (including lots of English products for a fraction of the price you can get at home) Many of them are on the Main Sultan Quaboos highway making them an easy place to spot.(CP)
Eat
Food is cheap in Muscat and for about a Rial you'll get a meal for two persons.
Budget
- Al-exandria, Fanja House, Near Sabco Centre, Ruwi, Tel - 561611
- The best Rotis (Indian Bread). Try the chicken Jalfrezi and Paneer aloo (potato)
- Automatic, (Cuisine - Lebanese)
- Try the Hummus (Chickpea paste), Fatoosh (Salad), Mutabel (Egg Plant paste), Falafel and mint tea. Even the waiters are not sure why the restaurant is named automatic.
- Al-Haikal, Near Bus Stand, Ruwi (Cuisine - Pakistani)
- Al-Hanan, Ruwi (Cuisine - Indian)
- Al-Shaheen, Honda Road, Ruwi (Cuisine - Pakistani)
- Anand Bhavan, Off Ruwi High Street, Ruwi (Cuisine - Indian)
- Bella-Pais, MAM roundabout, just off the Nizwa turn off (Cuisine - Greek + Other)
- Gujrat Bhojan Shala, Ruwi High Street, Ruwi (Cuisine - Indian)
- Oman Express, Tel - 7731329
- Delivers Lunch - 18 rials for a month including Fridays or 15.6 Rials excluding Fridays
- Subway, City Centre, Seeb, Tel - 542225
Mid-range
- Haffa House Hotel, Ruwi
Splurge
- Costa Coffee, Oasis by the Sea, Tel - (Cuisine - Coffee)
- Chedi Hotel, On the coast road (Cuisine - 4 open kitchens from across the world)
- Mumtaj Mahal, (Cuisine - Indian)
- Passage to India, PO Box 385, Jibroo, Wadi Adai, Hatat House Compound, Tel - 568480 (Cuisine - Indian)
- Starbucks Coffee, Jawharat Al-Shati Plaza, Tel - 601406 (Cuisine - Coffee)
- Samarkhand, Oasis by the Sea, (Cuisine - Indian Peshwari)
Drink
Budget Every road, street corner or little collection houses, huts or businesses has a 'Coffee-Shop' Basic but worth a go.
Mid-range
Splurge There is a Starbucks located on the beach road that goes between the Crown Plaza Hotel and the Intercontinental Hotel. It is so close that if you cross the road, you are on the beach. The larger drinks are about RO 2-2.2, but the view through the glass wall of the waves coming into the beach is excellent.
Sleep
Budget
Mid-range
- Haffa House Hotel
Splurge
Muscat offers a considerable range of luxury hotels, among them are:
- al-Bustan Palace Hotel - built originally to house a regional conference, the hotel is famous for its brunches
- Shangri-La Hotel [1]- part of the international luxury chain
- Grand Hyatt - an opulent building built in what is almost a parody of Arabian palace styles. Of particular note here is the revolving statue in the main foyer
Contact
Global calling card 'Global One' does not work in Muscat. Though the global one website lists the rates for calls from Oman there are no numbers listed along side. The nearest 'Global One' help line is located in Dubai.
Pre-paid telephone cards called Jibreen Cards are available at most stores. It's available in denominations of 5 Rials and 1.5 Rials. A 5 Rial card gets you 11 minutes of talk time.
The Hayak card is the pre-paid card for cellular phones.
Stay Safe
It is advisable to drink bottled water while in Muscat. Jabal Akhdar, Masafi, Salsabeel, and Aquafina are the most recognisable brands of mineral water and is available in most convenience shops. Tap water is okay for brushing your teeth and boiling pasta, but stick to the bottled water for your daily intake.
Cope
ATM's
ATM's are very common now, especially in the Embassy district and near most shopping malls, larger hotels, petrol stations, and supermarkets. Also, every little neighborhood has a several bank branches.
Beauty Parlours & Hair Salons
Bus Routes
Car Rentals
The cheapest car rental is about 14 UKP for a day, but thats not a 4-wheel drive. So don't think that you are going to go up in the mountains for that price. For local travel its far more fun using the buses (CP)
Gyms
Not in great quantities - there are some in the international 4* and 5* hotels but appart from that not a lot else.
Hospitals
ytu
Laundry
If you are in a 4 star hotel, they will charge a lot for laundry. If you take a short walk to any of the numerous Indian run laundry stores, your money will go a lot farther. Keep in mind that if you drop off your clothes on a Monday, they typically won't be ready until Wednesday.
Tailors
There are numerous Indian run tailors. I paid RO 5 to have 2 Italian suits tailored for sleeve length, pants length, and waist. There is a Raymond store in Ruwi that will make custom suits in the RO 50-60 range.
Money Changers
Newspapers
- Times of Oman
- Khaleej Times
Pharmacies
Post & Telegraphs
Shoe Repair
Get Out
| This is a usable article. It has information for getting in as well as some complete entries for restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow! |
