Popular Airport | Heraklion Intl. | Nikos Kazantzakis Airport |
|---|---|
Popular Airlines | |
Approximate Flight Duration | 4 hour 20 min |
Approximate Travel Distance | 2156 Miles |
Transportation to Airport from Muscat City Center
Muscat International Airport
Muscat, the capital city of Oman with a population of about 1.5 million, is a large port city in the Gulf of Oman stretching along the Arabian Sea. The road connections between Muscat International Airport, a busy airport, and the city center are quite extensive. These routes, which are linked to both the other cities of Oman and the neighboring cities outside the country, are close to Muscat Airport.
It is recommended for you to have a guide map with you at the taxis or rental cars that you can use to get to the airport from the city center of Muscat.
Because the city has many districts, you must find the roads or the means of public transport leading to Muscat Airport on the internet.
Bus
There are 60 bus stops serving permanently in Muscat. The rapidly growing population of the city and its reputation for tourism has created the need to expand public transport in the city. Sixteen of the forty new buses built under the leadership of the Oman National Transportation Company (ONTC) have replaced old buses on the route of Ruwi-Wadi Kabir.
With the new modernized buses, the new Ruwi-Wadi Adai line was opened. As a result of increasing the number of stops, there has also been an increase in urban public transport usage. New buses connecting to Ruwi and Muscat Airport started service at the end of 2015.
Busses serving between 6 am and 10 pm pass through the Sultan Qaboos motorway to reach the airport, just like any other means of transport.
Taxi
There are few taxis in some places in Muscat, while there are more in some other place. Where there are plenty of taxis, the prices are lower because of the competition.
Muscat city is both the capital and the biggest city of Oman, so you can come across taxis very often. At least if you are familiar with the following information, it will be easier for you to bargain with the taxi drivers: if the distance to your destination is below 2 kilometers the average you would pay is 0.5 riyals, and it is 2.5 riyals if the distance is about 5 kilometers. From Ruwi, one of Muscat's most important settlement centers, it costs around 8 riyals to go to the Muscat Airport by taxi.
There are two varieties of taxis in the city; one is white, and the other is orange. The vast majority of taxi drivers are Omani. Orange taxis are local, while white ones are a bit more upscale, airport taxis. You often find orange taxis in the city. If you are going to the airport from the city center, we suggest you prefer the orange car in terms of being cheaper.
Car Rental
As a foreign visitor, you can use your driver's license for 1 month within the boundaries of Oman. You can rent a car from the offices of car rental companies in the airport or at Muscat city center. Although the daily car rental fee is about 40 riyals, this price may vary depending on the characteristics of the car and whether or not you negotiate a bit.
To reach the airport from any point of the city, you have to enter the Sultan Qaboos motorway. If you are coming from the city center, you can follow the signs of the airport by entering this highway on the west side of the city and continuing from the right lane. Do not forget to rent also a navigation device while renting your car. The car rental option, which offers much cheaper opportunities than the taxi, is also the type of transportation preferred by tourists because oil is cheap in the country.
Airport Information
The name of Muscat International Airport, opened in 1973, was originally Seeb Airport until 2008because it was located in Seeb region. Located 30 kilometers west of Muscat city center, the airport's annual passenger capacity is approximately 6 million. Muscat Airport, Oman's largest airport, is also the primary airport of Oman Airlines.
The airport has airport shuttle buses with a capacity of seven people operated by the airport which are more expensive than public transport. You can visit the official website of Oman Airlines travel agency and contact the company. Oman is a country with high levels of cars in the traffic. Therefore, Muscat Airport has a parking area with a capacity of 396 vehicles.
On the first floor of the airport is the Tourist Information Office. There is a mosque in an area very close to the airport terminal. There is a free Wi-Fi service, a currency exchange office serving 24/7, ATMs, a clinic providing health services that you can find open all the time in the airport. Showering areas, smoking areas, travel agencies, car rental companies, retail stores, playground for children are other platforms can also be found in Muscat Airport.
You can shop at duty-free where the perfume, jewelry and other things are cheaper at the departure terminal of the airport. The airport is home to world famous eating and drinking areas such as Coffe & More, Costa Coffee, Subway, DQ Grill & Chill, The Irish House (Bar), Automatic Restaurant (Gulf region regional cuisine), Curry Kitchen (indian cuisine) and idli.com (South Indian food).
Transportation to Heraklion City Center from Airport
Heraklion Intl. | Nikos Kazantzakis Airport
Although Heraklion is the largest residential area in Crete, especially the old city district is proper for walking. You can explore the whole city with a comfortable shoe, but you should always consider the weather. On the other hand, it is possible to explore the city by participating in the tours of many tourism agencies. Public transportation in the city is provided by buses. You can get to the whole city by buses, which will take you from the main bus stops A, B, and C.
Of course, there are many ferry and boat services in Heraklion, the biggest port city of Crete island. From there you can travel to many ports such as Santorini, Ios, Mykonos or Rhodes. Daily ferry service to Piraeus Port is also organized. It is possible to reach Athens from this port. You can rent a car in the city. Motorcycles and scooters, as well as cars, are quite common. It provides not only an ideal way of transportation to visit the city in warm weather but also an easy access to the other settlements of Crete Island such as Ayios Nikolaos and Chania. You can reach these cities by following the E75 highway. Traffic in the city can be really busy from time to time. Usually, there is an irregular traffic flow and road works are done. You can see the taxi almost everywhere in the city. However, it is not allowed to stop a taxi on the road, you need to use the taxi stops. You can see the taxi stops in front of the port, the bus station, and the airport. It is possible to use it not only for short trips but also as a private tour vehicle as well.
Taxis do not have a standard price policy, so if you can agree on the fare you can travel the whole city by having breaks at the important places of the city. All signs in Crete Island are written in English, using Latin alphabet as well as Greek alphabet, so you will not have trouble during transportation. The most used transportation vehicle from Nikos Kazantzakis International Airport to the city center is taxi. Buses are available for those who prefer to use public transportation. If you rent a car at the airport, you can easily reach the surrounding cities, not just the city center.
Bus
You can use the buses to the city center from bus stops at the airport terminal exit. The services are quite frequent, buses depart every 5 minutes. The services are rare only on Sundays. Buses start to pick up passengers early in the morning and continue its services until late in the evening.
Taxi
You can easily see the taxi stop when you leave the airport arrival terminal. Getting to the city center by taxi is easy and fast. If you wish, you can reserve a taxi for you by contacting the airport taxi station in advance.
Rent a car
Nikos Kazantzakis International Airport has 9 different vehicle rental companies that you can rent cars or motorbikes. You can make your vehicle rental operations online before your flight. You must remember that you must have international competence in order to be able to drive in Crete. The airport is located right on the E75 highway.
