By air
Almost everyone arrives at Muscat International Airport (MCT), about 35km west of the city centre. Oman Air is the national carrier, with good connections to Europe, East Africa, and South and Southeast Asia. European travellers can also fly direct on British Airways, Lufthansa, KLM, Air France, and several others. Budget options include flydubai and Air Arabia, routing through Dubai and Sharjah. Salalah in the south has its own international airport with connections to Gulf cities.
Taxis from Muscat airport to the centre take 30–45 minutes and cost around 5–7 OMR. Rideshare apps (Uber and local equivalent Careem) work at the airport and are usually cheaper.
Visas
Citizens of around 100 countries — including the US, UK, EU, Australia, Canada, and Japan — can enter Oman visa-free for 14 days. For longer stays, an e-visa is the easiest option: apply online before you go via evisa.rop.gov.om. A single-entry 10-day tourist visa costs 5 OMR (about US$13); a 30-day single-entry visa is 20 OMR ($52); a multiple-entry annual visa is 50 OMR ($130). Processing typically takes a few days. Visas are also available on arrival at Muscat airport.
Your passport must be valid for at least six months from arrival.
By road from the UAE
The most common overland route is from Dubai or Abu Dhabi. The crossing at Hili/Buraimi is open 24 hours. The visa reciprocity agreement between Oman and the UAE means a valid visa for either country allows entry into the other. The coastal highway from Dubai to Muscat is mostly four lanes; count on three to four hours without stops.
You can rent a car in Dubai and drive into Oman, but check with your hire company first — many restrict cross-border travel or require additional insurance.
The road south to Salalah is roughly 1,000km from Muscat. The highway is decent but quiet, and camels on the road at night are a real hazard — keep your speed down after dark.
By sea
A passenger ferry connects Muscat with Khasab in the Musandam exclave — useful if you want to visit the fjords without backtracking through the UAE. The crossing takes about four hours. There is no regular international passenger ferry service.