Muscat Shore Excursion: Private City Highlights Tour
Badge of Excellence
Oman
- 4 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
While in port in Muscat, take in the signature sights of Oman’s delightful capital on this 4-hour private shore excursion. Traveling in your own private, air-conditioned minibus with a private guide, visit top Muscat attractions including the splendid Sultan Qaboos Mosque; the bustling fish market and colorful Muttrah souk, where the stall hawk spices, silver and traditional handicrafts. Stroll along Muttrah Corniche past old-time merchants’ houses; see the Portuguese forts at old Muscat harbor; and visit the Bait Al Zubair Museum to chart’s Oman’s rich heritage and history.
- 4-hour Muscat sightseeing shore excursion, led by a private guide
- Visit the Grand Mosque and admire its lavish interior features
- Discover Muttrah Fish Market and Muttrah Souk on a stroll along the corniche
- Explore Muscat Old Town and see Portuguese fortresses like Al-Jalali Fort and Al-Mirani Fort
- Learn about Omani history on a visit to Bait Al Zubair Museum
- Covered by Viator’s worry-free policy: guaranteed on-time return to your ship
What's Included
- Private 04 hours tour with Professional English speaking guide
- Hotel pick up and drop off
- Transport by Luxury air-conditioned coach or mini-bus
- Visit the old town of Muscat, shop at Traditional Souq
- Visit Bait Al Zubair Museum and photo stop at Al Alam Palace.
- Optional gratuities
- Food and drinks
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Pickup details
• Your centrally located Muscat Hotels and Muscat Cruise Terminal. • For guests staying in any Private Residence or Villa in Muscat , the pick-up can be arranged(Location link mandatory). • Pick-up service from others locations ( which is not in the City limit) are available only at the additional cost upon request based on your location.
Operating hours.8:00 am
Itinerary
When your ship is docked at Muscat, meet your private guide and board your private, air-conditioned minibus to get acquainted with Oman’s beautiful capital.
As you start your 4-hour tour, hear about Muscat’s ancient maritime history and recent development from your guide.
Drive through the flower-lined diplomatic quarter to the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque. Oman’s principal place of worship, this imperious mosque was gifted to the nation by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos to mark the 30th year of his reign in the early 1990s.
Hop out to explore the sandstone building and ogle the opulent interiors, graced with chandeliers and the world’s second largest hand-woven Persian carpet.
Back aboard your minibus, drive to Muttrah, the picturesque district that’s home to many Muscat landmarks. Visit the fish market, and stretch your legs along the Corniche, passing blue-tiled mosque domes and merchants’ houses fronted by wooden balconies.
Delve into Muttrah souk and roam the stalls hawking silver jewelry, perfume, crafts and other goodies. Polish your bartering skills with tips from your guide and perhaps buy some souvenirs (own expense).
Continue to Muscat Old Town to explore this gated quarter. Snap photos of the two Portuguese fortresses — Al-Jalali and Al-Mirani — that guard the harbor — and gaze at the flamboyant Al-Alam Palace, the official palace of Sultan Qaboos.
Lastly, learn more about Oman at the Bait Al Zubair Museum as you inspect the collections of handicrafts, photographs and weaponry that illustrate the country’s history.
Your trip concludes with a drop-off at Muscat port.
Worry-free Shore Excursion:
We will ensure your timely return to Muscat port following this tour. In the extremely rare event your ship has sailed, we will arrange for transportation to the next port-of-call. If your ship is delayed and you are unable to join your tour, you will receive a refund. View our terms and conditions for full details.
As you start your 4-hour tour, hear about Muscat’s ancient maritime history and recent development from your guide.
Drive through the flower-lined diplomatic quarter to the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque. Oman’s principal place of worship, this imperious mosque was gifted to the nation by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos to mark the 30th year of his reign in the early 1990s.
Hop out to explore the sandstone building and ogle the opulent interiors, graced with chandeliers and the world’s second largest hand-woven Persian carpet.
Back aboard your minibus, drive to Muttrah, the picturesque district that’s home to many Muscat landmarks. Visit the fish market, and stretch your legs along the Corniche, passing blue-tiled mosque domes and merchants’ houses fronted by wooden balconies.
Delve into Muttrah souk and roam the stalls hawking silver jewelry, perfume, crafts and other goodies. Polish your bartering skills with tips from your guide and perhaps buy some souvenirs (own expense).
Continue to Muscat Old Town to explore this gated quarter. Snap photos of the two Portuguese fortresses — Al-Jalali and Al-Mirani — that guard the harbor — and gaze at the flamboyant Al-Alam Palace, the official palace of Sultan Qaboos.
Lastly, learn more about Oman at the Bait Al Zubair Museum as you inspect the collections of handicrafts, photographs and weaponry that illustrate the country’s history.
Your trip concludes with a drop-off at Muscat port.
Worry-free Shore Excursion:
We will ensure your timely return to Muscat port following this tour. In the extremely rare event your ship has sailed, we will arrange for transportation to the next port-of-call. If your ship is delayed and you are unable to join your tour, you will receive a refund. View our terms and conditions for full details.
1
Muscat
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Most travelers can participate
- Dress code: A dress code is applicable to visit Grand Mosque. Ladies should wear full sleeves shirt & head should be covered with scarf. Men can wear half sleeve shirt. And both Ladies & Men should wear full pants (not allowed to wear shorts).
- What to Bring: Sunscreen, Steady shoes, Hat Please pay attention to the local customs when taking photographs
- What to Wear: Please ensure you dress respectfully. Knees and shoulders should be covered at all times. Please pay attention to the specified dress code by visiting Sultan Qaboos Mosque from inside.
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Reviews
4.4
based on 15 reviews
Georgia_K, Dec 2019
We had a very nice guide, although he was a little hard to understand. The highlight of the tour was The Grand Mosque and our guide made sure we got there before 11:00 am after which it closes for tourists. All in all, a great tour and beautiful city.
Stephen_L, Apr 2019
We had a very good tour and our guide was very accommodating. Seeing the Grand Mosque was the highlight.
EDWIN_B, May 2018
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
MsPatriciaE_L, Mar 2018
The Guide was late. This was a private tour and not worth the money. We were left to explore places on our own. Paid 145 and the tour was over in 3 and a half hours. Would not recommend!
Response from Host, Mar 2020
Dear Patricia L,
Thank you for sharing your valuable feedback about our Muscat City Tour that you recently joined with us. We apologize for not having fully met your expectations and for our guide reporting a bit late. This is not the normal service we provide to our valuable guests and we would like to sincerely apologize for it.
We would love to see you on one of our tours/safaris soon again.
Thank you for choosing ORIENT TOURS and taking the time to review us!
Best Regards,
Sarah P. Dubke
Manager Guest Services
ORIENT TOURS LLC
Dr Michael J G, Nov 2017
Great private tour by Hashim. Very knowledgable - would have no hesitation at all in recommending him for a Muscat tour. Knows all the best places to see!
RBlatman, Nov 2017
The tour in Muscat was more then we expected. It covered more then what the itinerary listed. Very inclusive tour.
ALBERT D, Nov 2017
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!
Alice V, May 2017
Our guide Nasser was exceptional - knowledgeable, friendly, and very accommodating. The itinerary was perfect. He even treated us to falafel and soft drinks.
Rowena L, Mar 2017
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.
EvelynL, Jun 2015
Good guide arrived on time and was very helpful all times, we saw many things in a very short time.
Bonnie W, Jan 2015
Our guide, Nasser, did a wonderful job of explaining the history of Oman both political and historical. He was proud of his country and eager to show us the highlights of Muscat. We really enjoyed exploring this area with him.
douglas, May 2014
We enjoyed our tour of Muscat and our guide was very knowledgeable and good company. We were aware that our tour was starting too late to fit in entry to the Grand Mosque but were able to view and walk round the outside.
There was however a negative side to our experience because our meeting instructions very clearly stated we should meet our guide outside the main port gate. Having got there, with some difficulty, he was nowhere to be seen and it took 30 minutes to discover that he was waiting inside the port. As a consequence we also missed visiting the fish market which closed before we met the guide.
Response from Host, Mar 2020
Dear Guest,
Thank you for taking the time to write us a review.
Our company values put customer satisfaction as top priority and we are committed to our customers. We have forwarded your feedback to the concerned department for corrective action.
Best Regards,
Sarah P. Dubke
Manager Guest Services
ORIENT TOURS LLC
Sanjeev S, Jan 2014
It was good. Nice driver. Enjoyed and will recommend to others.
Nicer car would have been great.
Jacquelin_S, Jan 2014
Our guide/driver was wonderful, very friendly and shared a lot about his own life with us. The tour was a good over view of the city, the fish market and the mosque were especially memorable.
From $176.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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