Muscat

Wadis, turtle beaches and a capital that still feels like a fishing town.

Rent a car; the coast road to Sur is the trip; Fridays start late.

Muscat is the Gulf's gentle capital: no skyscrapers, white low-rise houses tucked between ochre mountains and a turquoise sea, a working fishing harbour, and a road system that puts wadis, turtle beaches and forts within a day trip. Omanis are famously courteous, the winter weather is perfect, and the coast south of the city is one of Arabia's most beautiful drives.

Mutrah for the corniche, the souk and the old harbour at your feet; Qurum and Shatti Al Qurum for the beach, cafés and mid-range hotels; Al Mouj for a modern marina base with restaurants. Resorts at Bandar Jissah, south of town, are the splurge. Distances are long, so a car or ride-hailing is part of the plan wherever you sleep.

Day 1: Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque (mornings, modest dress), Royal Opera House, Mutrah Souk and corniche at sunset, dinner on the harbour. Day 2: Drive south: Bimmah sinkhole, Wadi Shab hike and swim to the cave, Wadi Tiwi, sunset at Fins beach. Day 3: Nizwa fort and souk (Friday goat market), a lunch of shuwa, back via the Sumail gap. Turtle watching at Ras Al Jinz is a fourth day, or an overnight.

Shuwa (lamb marinated and slow-cooked underground, served at festivals and Friday lunches), majboos rice, grilled mishkak skewers at roadside stalls, and fish straight off the Mutrah boats. Omani halwa with cardamom coffee is offered everywhere; accept it. Indian and Pakistani cafés in Ruwi serve the city's best cheap dinners. Alcohol is limited to hotel venues.

MCT is 30 km west of Mutrah; Oman Air and Gulf carriers connect it across the region, and low-cost SalamAir flies to South Asia and the Gulf. Rent a car at the airport — roads are superb and fuel is cheap — or use OTaxi and Careem in town. Public buses (Mwasalat) cover the main corridors slowly. A 4×4 is only needed for mountain tracks like Jebel Shams.

Oman is pricier than Egypt or Georgia but far below Dubai's beach hotels; petrol and fish are cheap, imported goods are not. The rial is a strong currency — check the decimal places on menus. Dress modestly outside resorts, especially in Nizwa. Wadis flood after rain; never enter one if the sky over the mountains is dark. Most visitors get an e-visa online before travel.