How to spend a day in Muscat?
Dec 22, 2014, 2:50 pm
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How to spend a day in Muscat?
Have 25 hours in Muscat in mid Feb. Get in at 930 pm and out 1030 pm next day.
Any ideas of what to do and where to stay?
Any ideas of what to do and where to stay?
Dec 22, 2014, 5:09 pm
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Jan 22, 2015, 8:03 am
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Have heard that best place to stay is in Financial district. Others agree with that?
Is Radisson Blu in that area? If not, is it in ok area?
Is Radisson Blu in that area? If not, is it in ok area?
Jan 23, 2015, 1:07 pm
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The hotel kinda depends on your budget. As you're getting in late you might considering somewhere inexpensive near the airport. Pick up a car the next day at the airport (bargain, trade off between desks). Stop off at Shati al Qurum (beach, cafes, shops) on the way to Mutrah (port, market) (avoiding Ruwi) then to on Muscat (royal palace, forts, museums, general fabulousness).
Drive back through Ruwi (nothing to stop for) to Shati - hang out at the Intercontinental or one of the restaurants/cafes before heading back to the airport and ditching the car.
Or any variation on that ....
Drive back through Ruwi (nothing to stop for) to Shati - hang out at the Intercontinental or one of the restaurants/cafes before heading back to the airport and ditching the car.
Or any variation on that ....
Aug 12, 2017, 7:02 am
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IAN-UK, I have 3 nights planned for Muscat in late September. I actually thought it would be better to stick around Muscat because there is probably enough to experience there without driving endless miles into what I believe is a very interesting country (and needs more time on another visit). Plus. I arrive very late on the first night. I was hoping to wing it with a combination of local buses and taxis. Is that reasonable, because I don't really fancy renting a car?
Aug 12, 2017, 10:29 am
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IAN-UK, I have 3 nights planned for Muscat in late September. I actually thought it would be better to stick around Muscat because there is probably enough to experience there without driving endless miles into what I believe is a very interesting country (and needs more time on another visit). Plus. I arrive very late on the first night. I was hoping to wing it with a combination of local buses and taxis. Is that reasonable, because I don't really fancy renting a car?
If you are adventurous enough you could use the baisa buses, I have no idea what the going rates are on those
Sep 19, 2017, 11:12 am
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Actually I'm planning on spending the first night at the Holiday Inn near the airport, which is about 4 miles away according to IHG. So a taxi shouldn't cost too much. I just don't want to get ripped off by some clown. Taxis in the UAE were impeccable and honest. What about Oman?
Sep 20, 2017, 3:52 am
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Actually I'm planning on spending the first night at the Holiday Inn near the airport, which is about 4 miles away according to IHG. So a taxi shouldn't cost too much. I just don't want to get ripped off by some clown. Taxis in the UAE were impeccable and honest. What about Oman?
Sep 20, 2017, 7:28 am
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I will arrive at 22h30 and then have to deal with immigration. The HI Al Seeb offered me a pick up for OMR8, which seems steep given the distance. I'm going to wing it with a local taxi. Will the no. 1 bus take me downtown the next day? I am going to transfer to the Centara Muscat Hotel Oman in Ghala Heights.
Sep 20, 2017, 3:01 pm
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Note the "map" for bus 1 on their website is basically upside down and the stops are on the wrong side of the road, once you understand that it becomes much easier to figure things out
Sep 21, 2017, 3:07 pm
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It looks like it will do, 6 stops, but I'm not sure where the bus stop is near the Holiday Inn... I am basing this all on google maps, an arabic translator, and mwasalat.om which I am also using to plan my own trip
Note the "map" for bus 1 on their website is basically upside down and the stops are on the wrong side of the road, once you understand that it becomes much easier to figure things out
Note the "map" for bus 1 on their website is basically upside down and the stops are on the wrong side of the road, once you understand that it becomes much easier to figure things out
For the taxis, the blue and white ones have meters, the orange and white and ones do not.
Sep 23, 2017, 1:21 pm
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My regular (metred) airport taxi to Shati is around OMR11, and its 25km. Paid OMR9 on the return using the app.
Honestly, a car is a pretty much a must in Muscat, if you want to see anything (and there's plenty worth seeing in and around the city). Rental isn't so expensive, especially when you set the cost of airport transfers against it.
Sep 24, 2017, 12:24 am
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I got the buses worked out pretty good, they are quite efficient and dependable. With the taxis I just agree the price before getting in. For visiting and exploring Mutrah and the corniche I am still happy I did not have a car, it was pretty chaotic down there, as it was around Ruwi.
By the way, I did short hiking trail C38 down by the corniche, which was not unchallenging and let me into the mountains. The silence there was deafening.
By the way, I did short hiking trail C38 down by the corniche, which was not unchallenging and let me into the mountains. The silence there was deafening.
Sep 24, 2017, 1:10 am
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I got the buses worked out pretty good, they are quite efficient and dependable. With the taxis I just agree the price before getting in. For visiting and exploring Mutrah and the corniche I am still happy I did not have a car, it was pretty chaotic down there, as it was around Ruwi.
And I think you had an opportunity to enjoy an Aida at the new opera house. Or it might have a Traviata ......
You'd have caught with the Great and the Good of muscat in their gladrags - they don't get too many opportunities for a outing
Sep 24, 2017, 1:31 pm
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Muscat I am coming back to, there is so much to see and do there. Here in Abu Dhabi I was just leafing through a large book listing 38 off-road trips you can make in Oman. It was in the magazine section in a supermarket!
As for the opera house, I was wondering about trying to get some work there. But it seems to mostly be what we call a Gastspieltheater, which means that they don't make their own productions but rent productions in. In the season brochure I saw places as diverse as Verona and Astana as being the origin of some productions.
As for the opera house, I was wondering about trying to get some work there. But it seems to mostly be what we call a Gastspieltheater, which means that they don't make their own productions but rent productions in. In the season brochure I saw places as diverse as Verona and Astana as being the origin of some productions.