Points of interest Oman: Tourism & Monuments

Practical information : Sightseeing Oman

Timetable

In Muscat most of the major museums are open from 10am to 5pm or 6pm every day except Friday morning. However, for the smaller museums in the country, the hours are variable and it is best to check before visiting. As far as forts and castles are concerned, everything depends on their importance: the biggest ones like those of Nizwa, Jabrin, Bahla... are open from 9am to 4pm every day (sometimes even later, 8pm for the fort of Nizwa for example) except on Fridays during prayer time. The smaller ones are generally open in the morning and close according to the number of visitors or the good will of the guardian.

To be booked

A pleasure for frequent travellers, there is no need to book in advance, as the destination is still in its infancy and has not yet reached mass tourism. To date, there are no queues at the entrance to forts or museums.

Budget & Tips

To make Oman's heritage accessible to as many people as possible, entrance fees are often derisory: 500 bz or 1 OMR for the vast majority of forts and castles, a few OMR for museums, 5 OMR maximum for the most important ones.

Main events

A few rare festivals take place every year. Among the main ones, let us note, in the heart of "winter" in January-February the Muscat Festival, the main one in the capital and, in the heart of summer (contradictorily the coolest season in the south) the Salalah Festival or Khareef, the monsoon festival.

Guided tours

Guided tours are neither frequent nor systematic, with the exception of the Royal Opera House, the Amouage factory and the Bait Al Safah living museum in Al Hamra. In the main forts, however, audio-guides in several languages, including French, are being developed, an effort that is all the more welcome as the explanations are fascinating.

Smokers

Smoking is prohibited in public places.

What's very local

As soon as you leave the "private" sphere of the hotel to go sightseeing, wear covering clothing: legs and shoulders covered. When visiting a mosque, especially the Great Mosque of Sultan Qaboos, the only one "easily" accessible and organized to welcome travelers, cover your arms and hair as well.

Tourist Attractions & Monuments Oman

GREAT SULTAN QABOOS MOSQUE

CATTLE MARKET

ROYAL OPERA HOUSE

NIZWA STRONG

JABRIN CASTLE

DHOW CRUISE

NAKHAL HISTORY

WADI SHAB

SOUK OF MUTRAH

NIZWA SOUK

THE NATIONAL MUSEUM

WADI BANI KHALID

BAIT AL-ZUBAIR MUSEUM

SOUK AL HUSN

BAIT AL SAFAH

KHASAB STRONG

WADI TIWI

KHOR RORI AND THE CITY OF SUMHURAN

ATRIUM DE L'AL BUSTAN PALACE

AL AYJAH

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