When first-time travellers head to the Gulf region of the Middle East, most book a flight direct to Dubai and either stay there or use Dubai as hub to visit neighboring countries like Oman, Qatar or Bahrain. And that’s understandable given what the UAE capital has to offer – futuristic architecture in a modern city that has the biggest shopping malls in the Middle East (as well as local souks that are fascinating to explore), world class hotels and restaurants, and some of the best wellness spas in Asia.

But for many older travellers, Dubai can be somewhat overwhelming with its traffic jams, high prices and sometimes ostentatious displays of wealth by many locals that can make the average tourist feel like a pauper. And these days it’s crowded. In 2020 Dubai was targeting 20 million visitors – that wasn’t achieved because of the coronavirus, of course, but those are the sorts of numbers that Dubai is likely to see in the coming years.

Cities like Doha in Qatar and Manama in Bahrain are becoming smaller versions of Dubai, but there’s one city that doesn’t fall into that category and should appeal to older travellers looking for a more relaxing pace of life – and that’s Muscat, the capital of Oman. It’s retained a lot more of its history and original architecture than other Gulf capitals, and Oman has one of the most distinct cultures of the Middle East.

Muscat is a short flight to the southeast of Dubai (less than an hour) or you can organise a cross-border rental car in Dubai and take a scenic drive down to Oman on some very good roads. One-way rentals are available too, but the drop-off fees can be quite expensive. Not all car rental companies offer cross-border rentals and there is quite a lot of paperwork involved, so if it’s just Muscat you want to see, it’s easier to fly.

Alternatively check out what deals Oman Air might have on offer. It’s a good airline, and prior to the coronavirus pandemic was offering promotional airfares on flights from many Asia cities to Dubai with stopovers in Muscat. Some of the promotions included hotel accommodation in Muscat too.  It’s possible that similar deals may be offered when international leisure travel resumes.

There’s a wide range of hotel and resort accommodation to choose from in Muscat, and more than 300 Airbnbs for those preferring to self-cater. Prices are generally around 15-20 percent cheaper than comparable accommodation options in Dubai. Muscat is a much smaller city than most other capitals in the region (population 1.5 million) and most of its interesting sights can be seen on a walking tour with a few side trips by taxi to other places of interest away from the old city centre.

A good place to start is down on the Mutrah Corniche in Old Muscat which is a very pleasant spot for an early morning or evening stroll and the location of a large fish market. But the main reason visitors come to this part of the city is to explore the Mutrah souk. It’s the oldest Arab souk in the Gulf region and one of the oldest markets in the world.

You can buy a wide range of antiques, handicrafts, clothes, textiles, perfume and jewellery from all over the Middle East and South Asia in the Mutrah souk, and it’s the best place to buy men’s leather sandals of the type you’ll see Omani men wearing with their traditional dress. The souk can get very crowded when cruise ships are in port, but as they probably won’t be resuming until at least 2022, the coming year will offer an opportunity to shop in comfort.

After the Mutrah souk, you can walk to the Mutrah Fort, which is a 500-year-old Portuguese castle on the cliffs overlooking the port. Entry to the fort is free and it offers some great harbour views. There’s a small museum called Ghalya’s Museum of Modern Art next to the fort that is worth visiting. Despite its name, it doesn’t have a large display of modern art, but there are some interesting exhibits about the traditional way of life in Oman. The gift shop has some nice incense burners. Admission is two Omani rials (about US$5) and it’s open Tuesdays to Saturdays.

From there, if you are feeling energetic, you can walk another kilometre or so east to Al Riyam Park from where you’ll have an excellent view of the large white incense burner situated on the headland overlooking the ocean. There’s also a walking track back up into the rocky hills from the other side of the road across from the park if you want a panoramic view of the Corniche.

Alternatively, you can head southeast on Riyam Street towards the Muscat Gate (the original entry to the city from the south in the old city wall), which is another kilometre or so away, or jump in a taxi and get there via Al Bahri Road. There are some great views of the coast from the top of Riyam Road if you take that option. After the Muscat Gate you’ll reach the Bait Al Zubair museum and the Omani and French museum – both worth a visit for those interested in Omani history (but note no photography allowed inside the Bait Al Zubair museum).

Close to the Omani and French Museum are two more 16th century Portuguese forts – the Al Mirani Fort and the Al Jalali Fort – and between them the Al Alam Palace (the ceremonial palace of the Sultan of Oman) with its distinctive gate. It’s not possible to go inside any of these but you can walk around the area and view their impressive architecture from the outside.

From this point you’ll need to take a taxi back into the city proper if you want to see the other two sights that are popular with visitors to Muscat – the Royal Opera House and the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque. The Royal Opera House is a mesmerising blend of traditional Omani and European architecture and there are tours every 20 minutes during the day (entrance fee three Omani rials).

At night, the Royal Opera House is the venue for not only opera, but ballet and dance, classical music concerts, jazz performances, musicals and special world music events. Attending a performance at the Royal Opera House can itself be a highlight of a visit to Muscat. Currently there are no scheduled performances because of the coronavirus, but it is hoped that these will resume in 2021.

The Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque is the other ‘must visit’ place in Muscat for both Muslims and non-Muslims. It is one of the most impressive contemporary mosques in the world. It is ‘grand’ in every respect being able to accommodate up to 20,000 worshippers and has one of the largest prayer carpets (weighing over 20 tonnes) and one of the largest chandeliers in the world. Non-Muslims can visit the mosque between 8 am and 11 am. For photographers, the ‘blue hour’ after sunset is the perfect time to photograph the mosque from the outside.

As you travel from one part of Muscat to another, you’ll no doubt come across many taxi drivers trying to hard sell you tours to places outside of the capital. Whilst they can be annoying if you don’t want to venture further afield, they are your best option if you want to see more than just the city and are not keen to hire a car. Just make sure you agree an acceptable price in advance and how long you can spend at your destination.

If you want to go beyond Muscat and see something of the Oman countryside whilst you are there, then taking a day tour from the capital is the best option. There are a wide range of tours to mountains, beaches and wadis that can be booked through hotels and local travel agencies. The day tour to Wadi Bani Khalid is highly recommended as that is one of Oman’s most picturesque wadis. If you prefer to drive yourself, then Oman is probably the best country in the Gulf region to hire a car because the roads are good and Omani drivers are generally well disciplined.

Oman is one of the safest countries in the Middle East and most travellers should have no concerns about going there. However, there are some issues that visitors need to be aware of when in Oman. The country is a sultanate founded on Sharia law and is ultra-conservative. Same-sex couples and unmarried couples may encounter difficulties booking rooms together (although it’s illegal for hotels in Oman to question your marital status) and same-sex couples should avoid showing any affection in public (booking rooms with two beds as ‘friends travelling together’ usually overcomes any problems).

The country also has similar ‘lèse-majesté’ laws to Thailand where it’s a serious offence to make any derogatory remarks about the Sultan or members of the Omani royal family, and even making offensive remarks on social media about the Omani government could earn you a stint in jail. It’s also an offence to take photographs of government buildings (including airports) or consume alcohol in public in Oman – but there are plenty of hotels and restaurants where alcohol is served to foreigners.

Just dress conservatively, don’t insult Islam, be polite to everyone and never show anger even if you find yourself in a frustrating situation, and you’ll get along fine in Oman. If travelling during Ramadan, don’t eat or drink in public because that’s considered disrespectful to the locals. Omanis are generally friendly towards westerners – much more so than some other Arab nationalities -- and Oman has a well-deserved reputation for being a very hospitable country.

The best time of the year to visit Muscat if you are not used to the Gulf heat is mid-November to mid-March. At that time of the year the weather is warm and dry, and the Gulf region provides a perfect winter getaway destination for travellers from Europe.

Header image: © Katiekk