Muscat Travel Guide
Travel guide to Muscat, Oman with comprehensive information about events, shopping, and major Muscat sporting events to help you enjoy your visit more.
Muscat Overview
Oman faces east over the Indian Ocean, and shares much of its culture with its neighbours Yemen, and the United Arab Emirates. It is a fine destination for year round sun and offers many high quality hotels. The capital city, Muscat is quieter than neighbouring Dubai, but arguably as glamorous a destination as its near rival.
Muscat has an excellent old town and several good museums that introduce visitors to the rich history of the region, showing that there is far more to Arabia than just oil and the endless desert. Oman has a unique and colourful culture, and the locals have raised the concept of hospitality to an art form. Visitors are welcomed more than almost anywhere else in the world.
Muscat has long been a favourite destination for travellers who want to visit a place that is as traditional as it is modern, and as comfortable as it is beautiful. The city of Muscat has much to offer the traveller, most notable amongst its attractions are the fascinating souk at Muttrah, which is arguably the best in the whole region, and is a great place to put your haggling skills to the test against the locals.
Christmas and Easter are peak times for travel, and you tend to find that accommodation is more expensive and a little busier at these times.
Top Muscat Attractions
The main area of interest to tourists is Muttrah - a town along the coast from Muscat itself. Here attractions include the famous Corniche, a traditional souk or market, and a number of small but informative museums. A restored Watchtower looks over the Corniche and has 100 steps. The climb to the top is worth all the effort once you see the views.
The beaches are faultless, and with the inviting blue waters of the Indian Ocean lapping against them are one of the main reasons for visiting Muscat on Holiday.
Shopping in Muscat
Although not so well known as nearby Dubai, Muscat is still a great destination for ardent shoppers, and there are a number of malls in the capital city where you can buy pretty much anything you might need.
Muttrah's famous souk is also a popular place to spend half a day, and this traditional Arabic Market has stalls selling everything from locally produced Shisha pipes through to plasma televisions.
Muscat Sporting Events
Oman is a great destination for anyone who likes to spend his or her holiday being active. The Indian Ocean - particularly north of Muscat is a great place for divers to see some great shipwrecks and coral reefs, while inland the rugged Hawar Mountains are very popular for mountain biking, hiking, or even wadi Bashing (driving through dried up river canyons at high speed).
