Muscat is a beautiful city but even the people living in this city for years may not have visited so many places completely unaware of what lies hidden in this beautiful place. Whether you're a tourist visiting Oman for a holiday or an expat living in Muscat or a local resident, there are many places in this capital city, which should be in your to-do list or lets call it to-visit list if you're not much of an outgoing person.
1. Muttrah Souq: The souq in Muttrah is a traditional Arabian souq/market, which has alleys of stalls and shops where one can buy traditional Omani stuff like perfumes, incense stones, burners, handlooms, carpets, potteries, traditional wears and dresses and lots of Arabic antiques. The shopping experience at Muttrah souq is really exotic and entirely different from what you do in the shopping malls. Plus, you get cheap prices with tons of bargains. You can a lot of shop keepers from India, Pakistan and the locals at the Muttrah souq and one can get stuffs here at cheaper prices than other places and also bargain for some discounts. You could check out my article on my visit to Muttrah souq here
Muttrah Souq: One of the Best Arabic Experience in Oman
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| Lanterns on display for sale at Mutrah souq |
2. Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque: If you're an expat living in Muscat, then you must surely have passed by the Grand Mosque tons of times, while taking the expressway from the airport to the city at Azaiba but ever thought of stopping by and taking a look.
Well, I certainly believe that everyone visiting Muscat must make a point to visit this beautiful piece of art and architecture, with its magnificent architectural structure and beautiful gardens making the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque a huge landmark in Muscat. If you're planning to visit this mosque, I recommend you to visit it in the morning as if closes for visitors at 11 am. The remarkable building is such a fine piece of art and visiting the place one can get lost in its beauty. Taking off the shoes before entering the mosque and women covering their head with a scarf is a polite recommended gesture in respect to this holy place. If you're visiting Muscat or living in this city, a visit to this mosque is highly recommended.
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| The Magnificent view of the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque on a cloudy day in Muscat. |
3. Muttrah Corniche: The Muttrah Corniche is one of the most beautiful places and the most tourist favorite parts in Muscat, located in Muttrah. The Muttrah corniche gives a beautiful view of the Arabian sea, with a pedestrian friendly area where one can take long walks, with a great view of the port, the Sultan Qaboos cruise ship and the Muttrah Souq on the other side. You will also find old mosques, budget hotels and a lot of street food.
Check my article on Touring the Muttrah Corniche here
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| An Amazing Night view of the Muttrah Corniche |
4. Shatti al Qurum: One of the most favorite and popular beach place in Muscat. I would like to refer it to as the Miami of Muscat and the Qurum beach is definitely the most crowded beach in the city as well. The popular beach at Qurum is the beach from Hotel InterContinental to Crown Plaza, where most people love to enjoy playing in the sand and sea. One can find a lot of people enjoying barbeques, playing football and beach volleyball or enjoying sea rides in water skiing and kayaks. That rest of beach also has a long stretch of street, popularly referred to as 'Love Road' or 'Love Street', where one can find cool cafes like Starbucks, Al Makan Cafe and Japaengo for some quick bite enjoying the beautiful beach. This place also houses a lot of restaurants in Qurum plus the best hotels in the city. Not to forget shopping malls like city centre, Shatti Plaza, Sarooj plaza to name few.
Check my detailed article on Qurum: The Miami of Muscat here
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| The Love Street at Qurum |
5. Riyam Park, Muscat: If you're visiting the Matrah Corniche then you can take a short walk to Riyam park as well, which is located at the eastern end of the corniche, where one can take the benefit of the breath taking view and the unique natural landscape. There is a green park at Riyam which is located in a small peninsula and has two steep hills. One of the hills has a watchtower built in an ancient Portuguese fashion while the other is crowded with a modern watchtower, which is built in the shape of an incense burner. Well these tower attracts a lot of tourists where one can take the panaromic views of the sea, the corniche and the road that runs from Muttrah to Old Muscat.
A detailed article about touring the Riyam park is here
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| A bright sunny day at Riyam Park |
6. Oman Dive Centre: Don't get confused with the name because you don't have to be a diver in order to visit this place. Located in the quiet, desserted and beautiful location in Bandar Jissah, Oman Dive Centre has a beautiful beach, barsati styled huts, a restaurant and an open bar and various outdoor activities to involve in like diving, dolphin and whale watching, snorkeling, kayaking, etc. One can take various courses on diving, snorkeling or take special trips to Daymaniyat Islands. One would else just visit the beach, grab a drink and sun bathe, with such an amazing view of the sea and islands.
A visitor is charged an entrance fee, which is 2 OMR on weekdays and 5 OMR on weekends or one could also stay overnight on the camping grounds or book a room on the barsati huts. Read my article on Oman Dive Centre for more detailed information:
A Stay at the Omani Dive Centre Resort
7. The Cave: A recently opened restaurant compl in Darsait, the Cave is one of the most different experience you would ever have when it comes to dining. We all go to restaurants to eat out, whether it be in hotels, food courts, stand alone restaurants but have you ever had the idea of dining inside a cave with the most lavish service and delicious food? Well, the Cave is a complex build as a structure resembling a real cave, with 7 different restaurants with different cuisines where you could go to grab some lunch or treat yourself with highly lavish dinner. With seven restaurants namely, Espeto Gaucho the Brazilian Churrascaria restaurant, Rumba Lattina the South American, Rossini Italian, Harbor International Seafood, Al Manjoor Omani, Clouds Lebanese and Shisha and Asiana with Indian and Chinese cuisine.
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