Friday, June 4, 2010

Budget Travel Ideas in Muscat

Budget Travel Ideas in Muscat
If you want to visit a place that is a perfect amalgamation of nature, history and development, then Muscat is the place for you. The city has plenty of greens to offer, lovely landscapes and blue ocean to complete the splendor. In spite of the ever growing tourist population, the city remains unaffected and has sustained its originality. If you want to visit this city on a small budget and yet enjoy it to the full, here are some tips to consider prior to visiting the city.

Clothing

For a woman traveler, it would be ideal to wear long and loose modest looking skirts and long-sleeved shirts with a high neck. Both men and women are not allowed to wear revealing outfits. For an intelligent and seasoned traveler, the importance of being a "Roman in Rome" will not be lost, especially while visiting a country like Oman!

What to Do

Not much is known about Oman prior to it becoming an Islamic country. The history says that the country had sources of abundant copper ores as far back as 2,000 B.C. Muscat, the capital city of Oman, is known for its 16th century buildings, sandy seashore and lovely mountain views. The roads are good and are comparable to any European city roads.

Sight seeing can be planned on a budget with the help of local travel agents, who offer competitive rates and take the travelers on a trip to the palace which has a fort on each side from the medieval period, overlooking the sea.

A trip to Muscat would not be complete without visiting the museum Bait Zubair, the magnificent looking Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque and also the noted conventional Souq (bazaar) in the neighborhood town of Muttrah.

Budget Shopping

Travelers are at liberty to enjoy free-shopping everywhere they go at affordable prices. Even if one bargains hard, the smile on the sales person's face will not fade. Silver trinkets of all kinds are very popular in the local bazaars, which are reasonably priced.

Where to Eat

Standard of food is very good in most of the hotels, like in any developed nation. Though mineral bottled water is available, tap water is also potable, and one can save money here by consuming tap water. Omanis like to eat with their hands, right hand at that, and visitors may experiment eating with their bare hands here.

There are a number of roadside hotels where food is quite cheap, tasty and hygienic. One can taste Indian cuisine, too, in most of these hotels. The Mumtaz Mahal is one such example for tasty Indian food. There are also a number of coffee shops which sell chicken or omelet sandwiches, and also fresh fruit juices at low prices.

Where to Stay

It would be most wise to plan a visit to Muscat from late October to March. Otherwise, the summer months are pretty hot and unbearable. Accommodations will be certainly affordable during the said months and therefore, there would be no need to sacrifice comfort to stay within your budget.

Transportation

There are no rail or subway services here. The “Baiza” bus service is cheap and will take a passenger anywhere. There are taxis, and the rates could be bargained easily. Another option would be to hire a travel agent and settle a package price to cover the entire city.

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