
Port Sultan Qaboos Passenger Cruise Terminal
Single, air-conditioned cruise terminal at Port Sultan Qaboos in Muttrah; ships use Berths 4 and 5. The terminal is being renovated, so facilities may be limited. A free shuttle runs to the port gate.

Muscat is Oman's capital, strung along the Gulf of Oman between rugged Al Hajar mountain ridges and the sea. More about Muscat →

October 2026 · from today · all times local (Gulf Standard Time)
No more ships are scheduled in Muscat this month
Try another month.
Today and the next 7 days · all times local (Gulf Standard Time)
Thousands of people in port, guests plus crew. Crowd level compared with a typical Muscat day.
The crowd calendar shows every ship and how busy the port is, hour by hour, plus the quietest and busiest days for the next 90 days.
Ships berth alongside at Port Sultan Qaboos (PSQ), a working mixed-use port in Muttrah, normally at Berths 4 and 5 on the western side. Passengers pass through a single, basic cruise terminal building, then take a free port shuttle to the port gate, because there is no confirmed walking route through the port.
Muttrah Corniche and Souq are just outside the gate, and taxis wait there. Old Muscat, the Opera House and the Grand Mosque need a taxi or tour.
2.1 km · 6–22 min by car
About 2.1 km: roughly 6 minutes by car or 22 minutes on foot from the terminal (take the free port shuttle to the gate).
Typical prices, approximate. Fares change with demand, traffic and time of day.
Typical prices, approximate. Fares change with demand, traffic and time of day.
Taxis are often unmetered: agree the fare before you set off, about OMR 5–8 to the centre. Bus 4 runs to Old Muscat for under OMR 1.
1 terminal

Single, air-conditioned cruise terminal at Port Sultan Qaboos in Muttrah; ships use Berths 4 and 5. The terminal is being renovated, so facilities may be limited. A free shuttle runs to the port gate.
No official cruise parking was found; check with your cruise line.
Pick the area first. Typical nightly prices, approximate.
Next to the port, souq and corniche.
Typical hotel
Palace, forts and museums.
Typical hotel
Business district with larger hotels.
Typical hotel
Prices are approximate per night: Mutrah Hotel about OMR 15, Naseem Hotel about OMR 29, Mutrah Gate Hotel about OMR 49, Fort Guesthouse about OMR 38, Sheraton Oman about OMR 49.
Prices are approximate, in OMR (1 rial = 1,000 baisa). Dress modestly away from beaches.
Waterfront strip just outside the port gate with cafes and Omani restaurants such as Bait Al Luban (open 12:00–23:00).
Covered market next to the corniche with small cafes and juice and snack stalls.

Muscat is Oman's capital, strung along the Gulf of Oman between rugged Al Hajar mountain ridges and the sea. Instead of a single centre it has distinct districts. Muttrah, beside the port, has a waterfront corniche, a fort and one of the Gulf's oldest souqs. Walled Old Muscat holds the ceremonial Al Alam Palace, the 16th-century Portuguese-era Al Jalali and Al Mirani forts, and heritage museums.
Newer areas to the west hold the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque and the Royal Opera House Muscat. Low-rise whitewashed buildings, frankincense and silver crafts, and Omani coffee culture give the city a calmer character than its Gulf neighbours. Cruise calls cluster in the mild winter season.

Wander one of the Arab world's oldest markets, a maze of alleys selling frankincense, silver, textiles and spices, then stroll the waterfront corniche. It is right outside the port gate.

Oman's great sandstone mosque (2001), with a 50 m dome, five minarets and one of the world's largest hand-woven carpets. Non-Muslims can visit 08:30–11:00 except Fridays; the dress code is strict (shoulders and knees covered, women's hair covered). Admission is about OMR 8.

See the gold-and-blue facade of the Sultan's ceremonial Al Alam Palace (exterior only, free) between the Al Jalali and Al Mirani forts. Bait Al Zubair Museum nearby costs OMR 3.2 for foreign visitors.

The Gulf's first opera house (2011), in white Omani-style architecture, with gardens and a small souq. Guided building tours run Saturday–Thursday 08:30–17:30 and cost OMR 3.15 for adults.