I enjoy walking when I visit a new city. It’s the best way to find a lot of places that aren’t on the typical “must-see” lists. Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option in Muscat. After just a minute outside, I found myself desperately searching for air conditioning. With the heat that intense, the only realistic way to explore was by joining a tour.

Planning the trip wasn’t without its challenges. One of the biggest issues? I couldn’t find a single tour that accepted just one person. Every option required a minimum of two participants. Why is that? There are plenty of solo travellers out there. Left with no other choice, I booked an evening tour for two and decided to pretend I was travelling with my invisible friend.

The tour company offered pick-up from several locations, but of course, Crowne Plaza Muscat OCEC wasn’t included. No problem, I simply set the pick-up point to the Grand Mosque. Thanks to the taxi app on my phone, getting there was easy.

The guide, Khalid, was a bit surprised when I turned up alone, having expected two people. He explained that with tourist season over (thanks to the summer heat consistently hitting above 30°C), all tours had been adjusted to require at least two guests. It simply wasn’t worth running them otherwise.


Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque

Our first stop was the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque. Khalid gave a detailed explanation of the mosque’s history and the origins of its impressive decorations. When I mentioned I planned to visit again the following morning, he advised going as early as possible and even recommended a good photography spot.


Royl Opera House

Next, we headed to the Royal Opera House, an absolutely beautiful building, though we didn’t go inside as it was already quite late.

Al Angham restaurant next to the opera. According to my guide, the Sultan chooses the menu

Opera Galleria

Between Opera Galleria and W hotel

I asked if we could add a quick stop - Qurum Beach. Since I was the only one, he agreed. To be honest, it didn’t seem particularly special. Maybe it’s popular because of the calm waters, which are ideal for swimming. From there, I could see the Crowne Plaza hotel I’d originally intended to book.


Qurum Beach

An unexpected but very welcome stop came at Tea Corner. Khalid rolled down the car window, ordered tea and a special Omani bread, then parked so we could wait. While we waited, he pointed out Ramssa, a nearby restaurant known for serving good-quality traditional Omani food.


Omani bread

Menu

"Kitchen"

The Omani bread was somewhat like a crepe, cooked in a similar way, with a choice of fillings. Mine had egg, cheese, and Omani crisps. It had been on my food bucket list and didn’t disappoint.

Karak tea is a local favourite, but since it contains milk, I went for a simple tea with two mint leaves instead. It was just Lipton, but the mint really enhanced the flavour. The tea cost 0.1 OMR (around 20p), and Omani bread 0.4 OMR. The place was clearly popular. By the time we left, there was a long queue of cars waiting to order.

On the way to Old Muscat, the historic heart of the city, we pulled over so I could take a few photos.


Old Muscat

We then visited Al Alam Palace, the current sultan’s residence. It’s not open to the public, but one can take some beautiful photos from the avenue connecting it to the National Museum of Oman.


Al Alam Palace

Between palace and museum





National Museum of Oman

Our next quick stop was Al Mirani Fort, from where I could spot Al Jilali Fort across the bay—built by the Portuguese around 1500. It once served as both a royal refuge and a prison.


Al Alam Palace from another side

Al Mirani Fort

Al Jilali Fort

The final stop of the evening was the Mutrah Promenade and Mutrah Souq. The gold souq is especially popular with brides shopping for wedding jewellery.


Mutrah Promenade is several km long

Mutrah Souq entrance

Mutrah Souq

Frankincense is everywhere



Somewhere in the Mutrah Souq

Decoration

Ceiling

You could find everything there

Gold souq was not as big as in the other ME big cities


The next morning, I returned to the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque. It’s open to tourists from Monday to Thursday, 8:00–11:00. I tried to find the photo spot Khalid had recommended, but quickly regretted it - it was far too hot.


Apparently this was THE spot.

Supreme Court of Oman

Inside the mosque - women prayer room

There were several people making sure everything was spotless clean

Chandelier from Swarovski crystals- men prayer room