Muscat is the Capital of Oman. A modern city with good roads and some amazing sightseeing locations, Muscat attracts hordes of tourists every year. While driving is pretty much hassle free if you stick to the traffic regulations and speed limits, car rental locations in Muscat may be baffling due to the sheer size of the city.
It is interesting to note that what is now collectively known as the city of Muscat is actually three different towns which grew, merged and over-lapped each other with time. The central city was the original ‘Muscat’, the city of kings and their royal palaces. The town is sometimes referred to as the ‘walled city’. The next one was Mutrah or Matrah, depending on where you read about it, was originally a small fishing village. It houses the famous labyrinth of Matrah Souq. The last city is Ruwi, which is the commercial capital and home to diplomats, government officials and ambassadors. This division of the modern day Muscat is sometimes confusing for travellers and tourists. The primary reason for most of their inconvenience is the long distance between historical sites and other famous monuments, which are scattered through the 3 areas.
As you may now understand, it would be prudent to do a little research in advance and determine the best car rental locations in Muscat. The location should be central to the city and provide good options to make travelling easy for you. Since most of the premier car rental agencies now have their own websites, it has become quite simple to do one’s homework. Search for good car rental locations in Muscat on the internet and you will get a good comparative view of your options. Additionally, you can also find the contact details of these agencies on their websites. Give them a call or write to them inquiring about their location, services and their proximity to prominent places in Muscat.
The ‘proper’ Muscat city is not very big, and travelling by road here is made easy by the flashy six-lane highway. Car rental locations in Muscat close to this highway pose a great benefit. However, if you were to go to Qurum, the road divides into many pieces, overlaps itself and criss-crosses between the country side and the mountains. Here, you will need to have a vehicle which is in top-notch condition and a map or guide to navigate you to your destination. Taking the airport roundabout as your focal point is always a good idea. After that you will come across Azaiba, Ghubra, Al Khuwair, Qurum, Wuttayah, Wadi Adai, Ruwi and Al Burj on your way to Bait Al Falaj. Keeping in mind these roundabouts helps you form a mental map of the city and reduces the chances of getting lost or taking a wrong turn.
Due to improper translations of Arabic, the map which you may possess may or may not be that great. Make sure your car rental agency provides you with a good map of the city. An easy way to memorise car rental locations in Muscat is through the drawings that appear on the map. Drawings of boats, books, fish, coffee, etc on the map indicate the nature of that area. If the local names are too difficult for you to remember or pronounce, you can recognise locations through these model sculptures. For instance a book roundabout indicates that there is a school or university nearby while a fish roundabout indicates its closeness to the coast.
Car rental locations in Muscat are not difficult to find. The World Wide Web makes it even easier for modern day travellers. However the most easily available location may not be the best for your needs. Make sure you find out everything about the area before zeroing in on the best and call in advance to make your bookings.
It is interesting to note that what is now collectively known as the city of Muscat is actually three different towns which grew, merged and over-lapped each other with time. The central city was the original ‘Muscat’, the city of kings and their royal palaces. The town is sometimes referred to as the ‘walled city’. The next one was Mutrah or Matrah, depending on where you read about it, was originally a small fishing village. It houses the famous labyrinth of Matrah Souq. The last city is Ruwi, which is the commercial capital and home to diplomats, government officials and ambassadors. This division of the modern day Muscat is sometimes confusing for travellers and tourists. The primary reason for most of their inconvenience is the long distance between historical sites and other famous monuments, which are scattered through the 3 areas.
As you may now understand, it would be prudent to do a little research in advance and determine the best car rental locations in Muscat. The location should be central to the city and provide good options to make travelling easy for you. Since most of the premier car rental agencies now have their own websites, it has become quite simple to do one’s homework. Search for good car rental locations in Muscat on the internet and you will get a good comparative view of your options. Additionally, you can also find the contact details of these agencies on their websites. Give them a call or write to them inquiring about their location, services and their proximity to prominent places in Muscat.
The ‘proper’ Muscat city is not very big, and travelling by road here is made easy by the flashy six-lane highway. Car rental locations in Muscat close to this highway pose a great benefit. However, if you were to go to Qurum, the road divides into many pieces, overlaps itself and criss-crosses between the country side and the mountains. Here, you will need to have a vehicle which is in top-notch condition and a map or guide to navigate you to your destination. Taking the airport roundabout as your focal point is always a good idea. After that you will come across Azaiba, Ghubra, Al Khuwair, Qurum, Wuttayah, Wadi Adai, Ruwi and Al Burj on your way to Bait Al Falaj. Keeping in mind these roundabouts helps you form a mental map of the city and reduces the chances of getting lost or taking a wrong turn.
Due to improper translations of Arabic, the map which you may possess may or may not be that great. Make sure your car rental agency provides you with a good map of the city. An easy way to memorise car rental locations in Muscat is through the drawings that appear on the map. Drawings of boats, books, fish, coffee, etc on the map indicate the nature of that area. If the local names are too difficult for you to remember or pronounce, you can recognise locations through these model sculptures. For instance a book roundabout indicates that there is a school or university nearby while a fish roundabout indicates its closeness to the coast.
Car rental locations in Muscat are not difficult to find. The World Wide Web makes it even easier for modern day travellers. However the most easily available location may not be the best for your needs. Make sure you find out everything about the area before zeroing in on the best and call in advance to make your bookings.
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