'''Muscat''' is the capital of Oman and the country's largest city.
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.
Matrah (Matruh) - originally a fishing village, and home to the maze-like Matrah 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.
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.
There 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 and Etihad connects Muscat with Abu Dhabi.
Jet Airways, Air India Express and Indian (Indian Airlines) fly daily from Muscat to numerous cities in India.
International airlines also fly to Muscat International Airport - it is the ONLY airport and it is some 40km out of the CBD, but still on the main route. BA, Swiss Air, KLM, Lufthansa, Royal Jordanian, and Emirates all fly frequent schedules from across the world. The number of airlines flying to Muscat increases each year, although the Omani sale of their part of Gulf Air has meant a temporary decrease in passengers to Muscat Intl. Airport.
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 [http://www.ontcoman.com].
Also you can have Private luxuary coaches from the parking next to Dnata/Caravan-Pondarosa restaurant.
By Car
You can reach '''Muscat''' by road from Dubai. The journey takes about 5h by crossing the border in Hatta.
Visitors will need to stop in Hatta to get an exit stamp from Dubai. After going through Oman Customs, you have to park at the Oman immigration building. Fill out a form and pay a fee (3 Rials for GCC residents, 6 Rials for non residents) to get an entry stamp. The line to get the visa stamp can be over an hour long on weekends, which significantly increases the length of the trip. All of the Oman fees can be paid in UAE Dirhams at a conversion of 10AED to 1 OMR.
Get around
By taxi
Maxi taxis (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.
By car
There are many rent-a-car services available in the city. An international driving license is required for renting out a car. Most of the Car Rentals have offices at the airport arrivals terminal.
'''Al Maskry Rent-a-Car''' [http://www.almaskry.com/rentacar.html]
'''Avis''' [http://www.avisoman.com]
'''Budget''',
'''National''
'''Europcar'''
'''Hertz'''
'''Sixt'''
'''Thrifty'''
Tours
'''Oman Holidays''' [http://www.OmanHoliday.co.uk] is a specialised tour operator in Oman approved by the Oman Ministry of Tourism. The company, whose management have over a decade_fs experience of tourism in Oman, specialize in interpretive guided cultural tours throughout the country.
'''Luxury Oman Holidays''' [http://www.Arabesque.Travel] offers holidays and tours throughout Oman.
'''Salalah Tours''' [http://www.Salalah.Travel] offers holidays and tours in Salalah Oman.
'''Muscat''' [http://www.Muscat.Travel] offers holidays and tours in Muscat Oman.
'''Net Tours Oman''' [http://www.nettoursdubai.com/oman.htm] is a brand new tour operator from Dubai .
See
'''Al Jalali Fort and Al Mirani fort''' They are located in Qasr Al Alam Street. The forts were built as prisons in the rocky mountains in 1580 during the Portugese occupation, and have now been converted into museums.
'''Corniche Area''' The recently renovated corniche area is a popular place for a walk and also for its many not-so-expensive eating places.
'''Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque''' This is the third largest mosque in the world and mostly the entire complex is open to non-Muslim visitors. Non-Muslims may visit from 8am to 11am every day except Friday. Ladies are however expected to keep their heads, ankles and wrists covered while visiting the mosque. Must sees in the mosque include the Swarovski crystal chandelier, the second largest hand made persian carpet in the world and the marble panelling.
'''Mutrah Souk''' The maze-like souq (marketplace), which also includes a fish market, is often described as the best in the Gulf region. The souq has several shops for jewellery, traditional Omani handicrafts and Omani food at reasonable prices. Several shops accept credit cards.
'''Qasr Al Alam Royal Palace''' This is the office of Sultan Qaboos, ruler of Oman. This beautiful palace stands on the head of a natural deep water harbour and is guarded on either side by the twin forts of Mirani and Jelali. Visitors are not allowed to visit the palace, but they are allowed to take photographs at the entrance of the palace.
'''Bait az-Zubair Museum''' The museum itself features displays on Omani social history, while tours are frequently run of the neighbouring reconstructed townhouse
Muscat also has a large number of small and large parks, the largest being the '''Qurum National Park''' or rose gardens which include a large manmade waterfall, a lake and an amusement park which is a must to visit during the Muscat festival. Other popular parks include:
'''Riyam park''' - also with rides and an Arabian watch tower. Visited in The Amazing Race 9
'''Naseem gardens''' - which houses a Japanese garden and
'''Kalbuh park'''.
A number of factories are open for visitors such as the '''Omani halwah factory''' and the '''Amouage perfume factory'''. Amouage perfume is the most valuable perfume in the world.
Museums
'''Bait Al Zubair'''
'''[http://www.omanart.com/ Bait Muzna Gallery]'''
'''Children's Museum''', Shatti al qurum
'''Marine Science & Fisheries Centre''', between the Al Bustan Palace Hotel and the Capital Yacht Club.
'''National Museum''', near Abdulridha Mosque-Ruwi.
'''Natural History Museum''', in the Minstry of National Heritage and Culture. Al Khuwair
'''Omani French Museum''', Near muscat police stn, Located at old Muscat in Bait Fransa.
'''Omani Museum''', Medinat Al Alam (Information City) near Ministry of Information.
'''The Sultan's Armed Forces Museum''', Bait al falaj.
Do
Walk down the waterfront in the Corniche area to catch a cool sea breeze, and treat yourself to some sandwiches and Halib (tea with milk) or Sulaimani (black tea) at one of the wayside restaurants. A cup of tea costs about 50 baisa.
From the waterfront enter the Mutrah Souk and bargain for Arab hand-embroidered mussar (shawls intended to be worn as turbans, which cost 10 rials and above), garments, nuts, spices, incense, earthen ware, etc.
Before getting back to your hotel have dinner at one of the wayside restaurants on the waterfront.
Night Safari
Scuba Diving
Visit the Oman Dive Centre at Bandar Jissah.
Rock Climbing
Trekking
Camel Racing
Turtle Watching
Dolphin Watching
Horseback Riding
Learn
Work
Buy
''' Muscat City Centre''', Seeb, [http://www.citycentremuscat.com]. Currently the biggest mall, containing a lot of shops including a large Carrefour [http://www.carrefouroman.com].
''' Qurum City Centre'''.Recently opened up at Qurum and contains Carrefour too [http://www.carrefouroman.com].
'''Godiva Chocolates''', Sabco Centre, Ruwi, Tel - 562367.
'''Lulu Hypermarket''', Darsait, Bausher and Seeb tel - 7711449.
'''Markaz al Bahja''', Seeb
'''Safeer Hyper Market''', Athaiba (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.
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.
Many restaurants targeting Indian guest workers in Al Khuwayr; also, Ofair and Ibn Ateeq Omani restaurants.
Mid-range
'''Haffa House Hotel''', Ruwi.
'''Chedi Hotel pizza restaurant''' offers less expensive food than the other Chedi outlets, with the same understated chic ambience.
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
Darcy kitchen.
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
'''Golden Oasis Hotel''' [http://www.sigmahotels.com/index.php?option=com_hotels&task=viewhotel&id=2554]. In the center of Muscat and close to the main commercial area. A popular choice for tourists.
Mid-range
Haffa House Hotel
The Crown Plaza [http://www.treasureboxhotels.com/index.php?option=com_hotels&task=viewhotel&id=2537]. Located in Qurum with a grand view north up the beach towards the Intercontinental.
Splurge
Muscat offers a considerable range of luxury hotels, among them are:
'''Al-Bustan Palace Hotel'''. [http://www.sigmahotels.com/index.php?option=com_hotels&task=viewhotel&id=2523]. Built originally to house a regional conference, the hotel is famous for its brunches
'''The Chedi Muscat'''. [http://www.sigmahotels.com/index.php?option=com_hotels&task=viewhotel&id=2528]. Five star luxury with traditional Omani architecture.
'''Grand Hyatt'''. An opulent building built in what is almost a parody of Arabian palace styles.
'''Hotel Al Falaj''', [http://www.omanhotels.com/alfalaj/].
'''Ruwi Hotel''', [http://www.omanhotels.com/ruwi/]. Has a multi-purpose conference room and recreational centre.
'''Shangri-La Hotel''', [http://muscat.shangri-la.com/]. Part of the international luxury chain. In Bar al Jissah, which is about 30 minutes past downtown Muscat. The hotel can be challenging to find, so make sure you have a good map if you are driving. The Shangri-La is on a beautiful section of the coastline.
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 Healthy
It is advisable to drink bottled water while in Muscat. '''Tanuf''', '''Arwa''', '''Salsabeel''', and '''Aquafina''' are the most recognisable brands of mineral water and is available in most convenience shops. "Masafi" and "Darbat" are also brands at reasonable rates - RO 1 for 12*1.5 lts. 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.
Bank Muscat is by far the largest bank in Oman and one of the largest in Gulf. It has over 230 ATMs all around Muscat.
Car Rentals
The cheapest car hire is about 11 OMR (14 GBP) for a day which will get you an economy car with manual transmission and sometimes no A/C. To get yourself properly equipped, you should hire a 4WD which will be around 30 OMR (38 GBP). Make sure that you will get a proper induction on driving in Oman.
All the major car rental companies are represented at the airport and throughout Muscat Capital Area (Avis, Budget, EuropCar, National [http://www.national.com.om] and Thrifty). Like in most GCC countries, it will help to shop around to get the best deal.
Gyms
There are some very good gymnasiums in the 4 to 5 star hotels and some privately run gyms in other places like Millennium Gym, Horizon Gym etc. You may pay money for that extra with the number of days you stay in Muscat.
Hospitals
Muscat Private Hospital, Ghubrah
Al Nahda Hospital, Ghubrah
Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Al Hamriya
Al Shatti Hospital, Shatti al Qurum
Atlas Star Medical Center, Bausher
Al Amal Medical Center- Al Wadi Al Kabir, Al-Khuwair
Royal Hospital
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. You may pay 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. In fact they have excellent fabrics from pure wool to wool blended with exotic fibers like Cashmere, Mohair or Angora and linen. Even Super 230s crafted out of 11.8 micron wool are found there. Ask them for their catalogue - you will find the latest Italian designs and styles in there and a really good suit can be really light on the pocket.
Money Changers
Oman-UAE Exchange Centres- LuLu Hyperarkets, Ghala and Ruwi
Global Money Exchange - Ruwi
travelex - Seeb International Airport
Purshottam Kanji - Ruwi
Mustafa Sultan Exchange - Many outlets throughout Oman
Newspapers
'''Times of Oman''' [http://www.timesofoman.com]
'''Khaleej Times''' [http://www.khaleejtimes.com]
'''Oman Daily Observer'''
'''Oman Tribune'''
'''The Week'''
'''H!'''
'''Oman Today''' - a small glossy magazine with tips on tourism, local trips and eating-out. It is published monthly.
A number of many Indian and Gulf newspapers are also available.
Pharmacies
Numerous pharmacies found in every neighbourhood. Limited stock, but professional pharmacists willing to give advice and help with any minor ailing.
Cargo shipping
Contact Meridian Shipping Co LLC at +968 24792237, 24700612, 24700672 (mobile +968 99229507) for containerised shipping services to and from Oman and Air Freight to any part of the world.
Post & Telegraphs
Shoe Repair
Get Out
Salalah
Dubai