Find places in Oman

Must-Haves

• Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque (Bawshar)
  Oman's great mosque, with a vast hand woven carpet, crystal chandelier and serene marble courtyards.
• Royal Opera House Muscat (Shatti Al Qurum)
  A marble opera house hosting opera, ballet and Arab music, with daytime tours.
• National Museum of Oman (Old Muscat)
  The best overview of Oman's history, from prehistoric finds to maritime trade.
• Al Alam Palace (Old Muscat)
  The Sultan's ceremonial palace, with blue and gold columns best seen from the gates.

Fun for Everyone

• Al Jalali and Al Mirani Forts (Old Muscat)
  Portuguese era forts guarding the old harbour, a classic Muscat photo.

Must-Haves

• Muttrah Souq (Muttrah)
  A covered maze of lanes selling frankincense, silver, pashminas and dates, liveliest in the evening.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Muttrah Fish Market (Muttrah Corniche)
  A modern hall where the morning catch is sold, cleaned and carried off by restaurant cooks.

Fun for Everyone

• Opera Galleria (Shatti Al Qurum)
  An arcaded shopping street beside the Opera House with boutiques and cafés.
• Muscat Grand Mall (Al Ghubra)
  A large air conditioned mall for midday heat and family shopping.

Off the Beaten Path

• Amouage factory and visitor centre (Rusayl)
  The perfume house behind Oman's famous luxury fragrances, with short factory tours.

Must-Haves

• Muttrah Corniche (Muttrah)
  The harbourfront promenade where locals stroll at sunset past dhows and old merchant houses.

Fun for Everyone

• Omani French Museum (Old Muscat)
  A small museum in a former consulate tracing old ties between Oman and France.
• Oman Across Ages Museum (Manah)
  A large modern museum telling Oman's story with immersive galleries.

Must-Haves

• Bait Al Luban (Muttrah Corniche)
  Traditional Omani dishes such as shuwa and harees in an old house facing the harbour.

Great for Date Night

• Kargeen Caffe (Madinat Sultan Qaboos)
  A lantern lit garden restaurant serving Omani and Arabic food under the trees.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Ubhar (Bareeq Al Shatti)
  Modern Omani cooking that brings home recipes to a smart dining room.
• Turkish House (Al Khuwair)
  A busy, simple fish restaurant where you pick your seafood and it is grilled for you.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Karak tea stalls of Muttrah (Muttrah)
  Sweet spiced tea in paper cups, the everyday drink of Muscat's streets.

Great for Date Night

• Trader Vic's (InterContinental Muscat, Shatti Al Qurum)
  A long running Polynesian bar with live music and cocktails in a hotel garden.

Must-Haves

• Daymaniyat Islands (Off Barka)
  A protected island reserve with Oman's best snorkelling, turtles and reef fish.

Fun for Everyone

• Dolphin watching from Marina Bandar Al Rowdha (Al Bustan)
  Morning boat trips where pods of dolphins are often seen close to the coast.
• Shatti Al Qurum Beach (Shatti Al Qurum)
  The long city beach, busy with joggers, families and football at sunset.

Off the Beaten Path

• Qantab Beach (Qantab)
  A small cove where fishermen take visitors by boat to quieter beaches and sea caves.
• Wadi Al Arbeieen (South of Quriyat)
  A quiet wadi with palm lined pools, less visited than the famous ones.

Must-Haves

• Muscat Nights (Across Muscat)
  A winter festival with markets, food stalls, concerts and lights in public parks.

Fun for Everyone

• Royal Opera House winter season (Shatti Al Qurum)
  A programme of opera, ballet and concerts from autumn to spring.

Off the Beaten Path

• Eid celebrations and shuwa (Across Oman)
  Families bury spiced lamb in sand pits for days, a festive ritual worth knowing about.

Must-Haves

• Al Bustan Palace, a Ritz-Carlton Hotel (Al Bustan)
  A landmark palace hotel in its own bay between mountains and sea.

Great for Date Night

• The Chedi Muscat (Al Ghubra)
  A calm, minimal beach resort with pools, gardens and water features.

Fun for Everyone

• Shangri-La Barr Al Jissah Resort (Barr Al Jissah)
  A resort complex with beaches, a lazy river and turtle nesting.
• Kempinski Hotel Muscat (Al Mouj)
  A modern beach hotel in the Al Mouj marina district.

Must-Haves

• Nizwa Fort (Nizwa old town)
  A seventeenth century fort with a great round tower and views over the palms.
• Bahla Fort (Bahla)
  A huge UNESCO listed mud brick fort ringed by miles of old walls.
• Jabrin Castle (Jabrin)
  A refined palace castle with painted ceilings and secret passages.

Off the Beaten Path

• Al Hamra old village (Al Hamra)
  Abandoned multi storey mud houses beside a working palm oasis.
• Bait Al Safah (Al Hamra)
  A living museum where villagers show bread making, grinding and old crafts.

Must-Haves

• Nizwa Souq (Nizwa old town)
  Halls for dates, silver, pottery and khanjars beside the fort.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Bahla pottery workshops (Bahla)
  Bahla has long been known for its clay pots, still made in small workshops.

Must-Haves

• Nizwa Friday goat market (Nizwa Souq)
  An early morning livestock auction that draws farmers from every village.

Fun for Everyone

• Jebel Akhdar rose season (Jebel Akhdar)
  In spring, families distil rose water from damask roses on the terraces.

Must-Haves

• Misfat al Abriyeen (Misfat)
  A stone village with lanes running beside a falaj through date gardens.
• Jebel Shams Balcony Walk (Jebel Shams)
  A ledge trail along the canyon rim to the abandoned village of As Sab.
• Wadi Bani Habib (Jebel Akhdar)
  Ruined terraced village among walnut trees on the Green Mountain.

Fun for Everyone

• Jebel Akhdar villages walk (Jebel Akhdar)
  A path linking Al Aqr, Al Ayn and Ash Shirayjah along the terrace edges.

Off the Beaten Path

• Wadi Ghul (Below Jebel Shams)
  The canyon floor village at the start of the mountain road, with old ruins.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Bin Ateeq Restaurant (Nizwa)
  Omani food served on floor cushions in private rooms, a traditional experience.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Nizwa Souq date and coffee stalls (Nizwa Souq)
  Sample fresh dates with cardamom coffee from the traders.

Must-Haves

• Alila Jabal Akhdar (Jebel Akhdar)
  A stone built resort on the edge of a gorge with stunning views.

Great for Date Night

• Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar Resort (Jebel Akhdar)
  A clifftop resort with a famous viewpoint over the canyon.

Off the Beaten Path

• Al Misfah Old House (Misfat al Abriyeen)
  A guesthouse in a restored house in the old mountain village.
• Jebel Shams Resort (Jebel Shams)
  Chalets and camping near the canyon rim for stars and dawn walks.

Fun for Everyone

• Golden Tulip Nizwa (Nizwa)
  A practical mid-range hotel with a pool for families on a loop.

Off the Beaten Path

• Falaj Daris (Nizwa)
  A UNESCO listed falaj irrigation channel with a shady park.

Must-Haves

• Wadi Shab (Tiwi)
  A boat ride, a gorge walk and a swim through a gap to a hidden cave waterfall.
• Wadi Bani Khalid (Ash Sharqiyah North)
  Wide emerald pools fed by springs all year, with shade and easy paths.
• Bimmah Sinkhole (Hawiyat Najm Park)
  A limestone crater with a turquoise pool right by the coast road.
• Ras al Jinz Turtle Reserve (Ras al Jinz)
  Ranger led night visits to watch green turtles nesting on the beach.
• Wahiba Sands (Bidiyah)
  Orange dunes for camel rides, sandboarding and sunsets near the desert camps.

Must-Haves

• Sur Dhow Factory (Sur)
  Watch shipwrights build traditional wooden dhows by hand.

Fun for Everyone

• Sur Maritime Museum (Sur)
  Exhibits on Sur's seafaring past and trade with Africa and India.

Off the Beaten Path

• Sunaysilah Fort (Sur)
  A square fort on a hill above the town, with views over Sur.
• Ibra old quarter (Ibra)
  Crumbling merchant houses and a Wednesday women's market.

Great for Date Night

• Al Ayjah Lighthouse (Al Ayjah, Sur)
  A sunset walk past the lighthouse and watchtowers across the lagoon.

Fun for Everyone

• Sandboarding in the Wahiba (Wahiba Sands)
  Sliding down the dunes on a board is fun for all ages.

Must-Haves

• Desert Nights Camp (Wahiba Sands)
  A comfortable camp deep in the dunes with dinners under the stars.

Off the Beaten Path

• 1000 Nights Camp (Wahiba Sands)
  Tents and cabins among the dunes, with sandboarding and camel rides.

Fun for Everyone

• Ras al Jinz Turtle Reserve rooms (Ras al Jinz)
  Stay at the reserve itself for easy night and dawn turtle visits.
• Sur Plaza Hotel (Sur)
  A practical base for wadis and turtle trips.

Must-Haves

• Al Baleed Archaeological Park (Salalah)
  A UNESCO listed medieval port with the Museum of the Frankincense Land.
• Sumhuram and Khor Rori (Taqah)
  Ruins of an ancient frankincense port above a lagoon full of birds.

Fun for Everyone

• Taqah Castle (Taqah)
  A restored nineteenth century castle in a fishing town.

Off the Beaten Path

• Mirbat old town (Mirbat)
  Old merchant houses, a fort and a working harbour.

Must-Haves

• Al Husn Souq (Salalah)
  Frankincense, clay burners and perfume sold by Dhofari traders.

Must-Haves

• Wadi Darbat (East of Salalah)
  A green valley with a lake and, in the khareef, a cliff waterfall.
• Al Mughsail Beach and blowholes (Mughsail)
  A long beach where sea spray bursts through rock vents at high tide.

Off the Beaten Path

• Wadi Dawkah frankincense trees (Thumrait road)
  A UNESCO listed grove of wild frankincense trees.
• Tawi Attair sinkhole (Jebel Samhan)
  One of the largest sinkholes in the world, ringing with birdsong.

Fun for Everyone

• Ayn Razat (East of Salalah)
  A spring fed garden park popular with families.

Fun for Everyone

• Roadside coconut stalls (Salalah plantations)
  Fresh coconut water and bananas sold beside the groves.

Must-Haves

• Salalah Tourism Festival (Salalah)
  Khareef season markets, concerts and family events.

Must-Haves

• Al Baleed Resort Salalah by Anantara (Salalah)
  A beach resort next to the ancient Al Baleed site.

Fun for Everyone

• Juweira Boutique Hotel (Hawana Salalah)
  A marina hotel with easy beach and family facilities.

Must-Haves

• Khor Ash Sham dhow cruise (Khasab harbour)
  A full day among fjords with dolphins, snorkelling and Telegraph Island.

Must-Haves

• Khasab Fort (Khasab)
  A Portuguese era fort with a museum of traditional Musandam life.

Must-Haves

• Jebel Harim (Musandam)
  A mountain road to Musandam's highest point with fossil beds.

Off the Beaten Path

• Khor Najd viewpoint (Musandam)
  A dramatic viewpoint above a deep blue inlet.
• Telegraph Island (Khor Ash Sham)
  Ruins of a nineteenth century British telegraph station in the fjords.

Must-Haves

• Atana Musandam Resort (Khasab)
  A coastal resort with views over the water.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Atana Khasab Hotel (Khasab)
  A simple hotel above the sea, handy for boat trips.