4 h

Private

Instant confirmation

About this activity

Meet your private guide at the Port of Muscat, and then hop aboard your air-conditioned minibus to discover the city’s delights. Pass the city’s imposing foreign embassy buildings while traveling to the Grand Mosque – an ornate place of worship that was given to the nation by the ruling Sultan Qaboos on the 30th year of his reign. Head inside to learn about the mosque’s Islamic architecture and marvel at the richly decadent interiors, complete with Persian carpets and gilded walls.

After exploring the mosque return to your minibus and travel to Muttrah, the quarter where most of Muscat’s top attractions are found. Visit Muttrah Fish Market, a colourfully chaotic Arabic market, and then stroll along the corniche, a scenic area lined with attractive mosques and latticed merchant houses.

Head inside Muttrah Souk and discover a dazzling selection of stalls hawking Omani handicrafts and silverware. Get tips for successful haggling, and then browse the market’s wares for keepsakes to take home.

Step back inside your minibus and travel to Muscat Old Town to explore on foot. The handsome gated neighborhood is home to the diwan (ruler’s office) as well as several Portuguese fortresses. Pass two magnificent ones – Al-Jalali Fort and Al-Mirani Fort – and admire the opulence of Sultan’s Palace (Qasr Al Alam) – the palace of Sultan Qaboos.

Finally, visit Bait Al Zubair Museum to learn about Omani heritage and history, seeing an expansive display of traditional handicrafts, photos and other artifacts. Finish your Muscat shore excursion with a drop-off at the port.

Worry-free Shore Excursion:

We will ensure your timely return to the Port of Muscat for this activity. In the rare event your ship has departed, we will arrange for transportation to the next port-of-call. If your ship is delayed and you are unable to attend this activity, your money will be refunded. See our terms and conditions for full details.

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Included

Private guide
Port pickup and drop off
Transport by minibus
Worry-free shore excursion guarantee

Not included

Optional gratuities
Food and drinks

Additional

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
A current valid copy of your passport is required on the day of travel
Dress code is required to enter places of worship and selected museums. Loose long trousers or long skirts, long sleeves and a head scarf for ladies. No shorts or sleeveless tops allowed. You may risk refused entry if you fail to comply with these dress requirements
Lightweight summer clothing is suitable for most of the year, but light jackets may be needed for the winter months, especially in the evenings
Oman has conservative dress traditions. Swimwear should be confined to the beach and hotel pools. Men and women should ensure shoulders and knees are covered when in public, especially in souks, shops and villages
Normal tourist photography is acceptable, but it is considered offensive to photograph Arab women. It is also courteous to ask permission before photographing men. Photographs of government buildings or military installations are not allowed

Features

Tourism

100%

Cultural

65%

Aquatic

30%

Reviews

4.4

14

S

Steve L

4 | 2019-04-19

We had a very good tour and our guide was very accommodating. Seeing the Grand Mosque was the highlight.

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ed brager

5 | 2018-05-28

Driver/tour guide spoke excellent English. Timely pickup in excellent vehicle. Guide was very detailed and knowledgable. Highly recommend for anyone visiting Muscat. Thought well worth the price

R

RBlatman

5 | 2017-11-16

The tour in Muscat was more then we expected. It covered more then what the itinerary listed. Very inclusive tour.

A

ALBERT D

5 | 2017-11-13

We chose this tour as a shore excursion , when we finally got cleared by customs to get off our ship our tour guide was waiting for us with a sign that had my name on it with a smile on his face, our guide was a local and had a very good English vocabulary with a solid knowledge of Mucsat and its history, he loves his city and it shows we had a great time he brought us to the highlight of the city always asking if we were satisfied ....i recommend this tour especially if you are on a cruise it was really easy to find our guide at the main exit of the port and we were returned to the same location a nice no hassle excursion!

A

Alice V

5 | 2017-05-05

Our guide Nasser was exceptional - knowledgeable, friendly, and very accommodating. The itinerary was perfect. He even treated us to falafel and soft drinks.

R

Rowena L

4 | 2017-03-29

It was a great tour! Our tour guide was waiting promptly in the port when we disembarked. He was aware of our time limitations so he brought us to the mosque right away because it closes at 11am for visitors. He did not want us to miss this opportunity to enter the mosque. The rest of the highlights tour was done leisurely. We ended our tour in the souk as everything closes at 2pm. It gave us a sneak peek of merchandise we wanted to come back for as the pier was walking distance to the souk. Our tour guide was a very quiet and respectful man. However, he did not even introduce his name to us. He did not even talk or gave us a brief history of the city. We had to ask him what building we were passing and significance of it. We felt that he was more of a driver than a tour guide. In this aspect, our group felt that there could be room for improvement in this area. A little public relations and rapport with the visitors in his country would have created a more fun and enjoyable experience for us.

E

EvelynL

5 | 2015-06-04

Good guide arrived on time and was very helpful all times, we saw many things in a very short time.

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