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Visitors in the courtyard of the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque

Oman

Muscat

Sea and mountains: the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in the morning, Muttrah's corniche and souq at dusk.

  • Typical stay: 2–3 days

Why ⁨Muscat⁩?

  1. Muttrah harbour

    Muttrah harbour

    The old harbour and souk, and a corniche walk at dusk.

  2. Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque

    Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque

    The Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, a working mosque open to visitors.

  3. Muscat Nights

    The Muscat Nights festival in winter, in the city's parks.

Before you go

  • Currency

    Omani Rial

  • Language

    Arabic

  • Time difference

    GMT+4

  • Getting around

    Taxi

  • Driving

    On the right

  • Airports

    MCT

Best time to visit ⁨Muscat⁩

November to March

  • January

    Average high: 25°C

    Average low 18°C

    Coldest month

    2 days of rain

    Best time to go

  • February

    Average high: 26°C

    Average low 19°C

    1 day of rain

    Best time to go

  • March

    Average high: 29°C

    Average low 22°C

    1 day of rain

    Best time to go

  • April

    Average high: 33°C

    Average low 26°C

    1 day of rain

    Good time to go

  • May

    Average high: 38°C

    Average low 30°C

    0 days of rain

  • June

    Average high: 38°C

    Average low 32°C

    Warmest month

    0 days of rain

  • July

    Average high: 37°C

    Average low 31°C

    1 day of rain

  • August

    Average high: 36°C

    Average low 30°C

    0 days of rain

  • September

    Average high: 36°C

    Average low 29°C

    0 days of rain

  • October

    Average high: 33°C

    Average low 26°C

    1 day of rain

    Good time to go

  • November

    Average high: 30°C

    Average low 22°C

    2 days of rain

    Best time to go

  • December

    Average high: 26°C

    Average low 19°C

    2 days of rain

    Wettest month

    Best time to go

Places in ⁨Muscat⁩

Compare flight tickets to ⁨Muscat⁩

Trip plans for ⁨Muscat⁩

Local tips

  • Insider tips

    1. The Muttrah corniche is an evening place: the souk opens late afternoon and the harbour light is worth timing.

    2. Take one day out of the city: the mountains start twenty minutes inland and are why people choose Oman.

  • Customs and safety

    1. Cover ankles, wrists and hair, as the entrance says. Visitors are admitted outside prayer times, not during them.

    2. The Grand Mosque and Muttrah are twenty kilometres apart, the airport between. Plan each day around one end.

  • Food and prayer

    1. Islam is the state religion and halal is the norm; hotels serving otherwise do so in a separate, labelled part.

    2. Mosques in every district; across a fifty-kilometre city, prayer rooms in malls and petrol stations matter more.

Getting around ⁨Muscat⁩

  • Taxi

    How Muscat is covered. The districts are kilometres apart on one road and there is no useful public transport for a visitor.

    Recommended

  • Car

    Worth having if you are going inland to the mountains or the forts; the road out of the city is quick and the country starts immediately.

  • Walking

    Within Muttrah, the corniche, the souk and the harbour are one walk. Between districts, never.

From the airport

  • MCT

    Muscat International Airport

    Taxi and Car

Things to do in ⁨Muscat⁩

Tours, tickets and experiences.

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eSIM plans in ⁨Oman⁩

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About ⁨Muscat⁩

Muscat has no centre. It is a line of separate districts along fifty kilometres of coast, each in its own gap between the mountains and the sea, and which one you stay in decides most of your day. Muttrah, with the old harbour and the souk, is the part most people mean by Muscat.

Nothing here is tall and nothing is glass. The city is low and white against brown rock, and that is the first thing a visitor arriving from the rest of the Gulf notices.

Photo credits

Photographs on this page, with their licences.

Data sources