Everyone does Mutrah Souq and the corniche photo. The older half of Muscat has considerably more in it than that.
1. Al Riyam Park & the Incense Burner A short climb above the corniche gets you the giant frankincense burner monument and the best view of the harbour in the city. Go an hour before sunset.
2. Mutrah Fish Market The modern market building at the western end of the corniche. Come at 06:30 to watch the boats land and the auction run — kingfish, tuna, hammour, and crowds that have done this for generations.
3. The Frankincense Sellers Behind the Souq The souq's main lane sells to visitors. The lanes behind it sell to residents — grades of hojari frankincense, bakhoor blends made in-house, and burners at a fraction of the corniche price.
4. Bait Al Baranda — Mutrah A small, genuinely good museum on Muscat's natural and social history, housed in a 1930s villa. Quiet, air-conditioned, and rarely busy.
5. Al Alam Palace & the Forts — Old Muscat The ceremonial palace with Jalali and Mirani forts flanking the bay behind it. You cannot enter the palace, but the walk around Old Muscat's walled quarter is the most atmospheric twenty minutes in the city.
6. Ghalya's Museum of Modern Art An Omani house restored and furnished as it would have been in the 1950s, with a contemporary Omani art gallery attached.
7. The Corniche Coffee Houses Small Omani and Indian cafes tucked between the shopfronts. Karak, Omani coffee with dates, and the cheapest breakfast on the water.
8. Bait Al Zubair — Old Muscat Private museum of Omani heritage — khanjars, jewellery, weapons, and a well-laid-out ethnographic collection. Worth an hour.
9. The Mutrah Corniche at Night Different place after dark. The souq stays open, the harbour lights up, and the temperature finally becomes reasonable.
10. Riyam to Mutrah Coastal Walk A marked trail (part of the C38 route) over the ridge between Riyam Park and Mutrah. Around 90 minutes, proper shoes required, and the payoff view is worth it.
Old Muscat rewards walking. Park once and leave the car.