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Kuwait City

Slick and stylish in places, a little ragged around the edges in others, Kuwait City is an intriguing mix of wealthy Gulf metropolis and tough neighbourhood of a sprawling Arab city. Attractions are many: the landmark triple towers loom over a clean and accessible corniche, and there's a first-class aquarium, some excellent museums and an atmospheric souq. Meanwhile, the selection of restaurants will whet the appetite of the fussiest gourmand. Add to its sights and attractions a harrowing layer of modern history, the effects of which rumble invisibly below the surface, and there's enough to keep most visitors intrigued for days.

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Kuwait City.

  • Museum

    Tareq Rajab Museum

    Housed in the basement of a large villa, this exquisite ethnographic museum should not be missed. There are inlaid musical instruments suspended in glass cabinets, Omani silver and Saudi gold jewellery, headdresses from the humble prayer cap to the Mongol helmet, costumes worn by princesses and goat herders, necklaces for living goddesses in Nepal, Jaipur enamel and Bahraini pearls. Despite all these superbly presented pieces, it's the Arabic manuscripts in the Calligraphy Museum that give the collection its international importance.

  • Market

    Souq Mubarakiya

    Once the centre of trade before the nation found oil, Kuwait City's old souq has retained its sprawling, bustling glory. The historical centre of the market has been added to, with modern buildings and sub-markets of sorts. Wandering around is a wonderful sensory experience, with colourful stalls and air permeated with rich spices. Shoppers haggle over everything from olives and dates to ox tails.

  • Mosque

    Grand Mosque

    The largest of the city’s 800 mosques, opened in 1986, completely survived the Iraqi invasion. It cost KD14 million (US$46 million) to build, with extravagant features including a palm tree-lined courtyard, stained glass from France and Italian marble detailing, plus mosaics from Morocco, chandeliers from Germany, teak wood from India and a striking gold-plated central dome. Tours are provided by knowledgeable staff and cover Kuwaiti culture and a peek into the emir's private room. Women must wear an abaya (full-length robe-like dress) and a headscarf (both provided).

  • Museum

    Scientific Center

    One of the largest aquariums in the Middle East is housed in this sail-shaped building. The giant spider crabs (3.8m leg to leg), fluorescent jellyfish and floor-to-ceiling shark and ray tanks are especially cool. At the interactive Discovery Place, kids can perform science experiments, make sand dunes or roll a piece of road. An IMAX theatre shows 45-minute 3D educational videos about the natural world.

  • House

    Mirror House

    For a brilliantly bizarre art-in-action experience, visit this residential house covered with mirror mosaics. It's the creation of gloriously eccentric Italian-Kuwaiti artist Lidia Al Qattan, who entertains with her stories and explanations of each room, including a mirror-clad bathroom and cosmos-themed room. Work on the house started in 1966 and was finished in 2006, requiring some 70 tonnes of mirror.

  • Museum

    Al Qurain Martyrs’ Museum

    In the residential suburb of Qurain, this excellent small museum is a sobering memorial to a cell of young Kuwaitis who tried to resist Iraqi arrest in February 1991. The house, still in its post-attack state (fully supported with beams) has the bullet holes and signs of destruction caused by grenades and a tank. Signs show where the Kuwaitis fought and hid during the siege. An exhibition displays the weapons used in the battle, including kalashnikovs, tanks and shotguns.

  • Park

    Al Shaheed Park

    It's easy to spend a whole day in Kuwait's largest urban park, which has jogging and walking paths covering more than 2km. The green space contains botanical gardens, a lake and palm trees galore, plus restaurants and two museums (the Habitat and Memorial Museums). Just outside the main park area is a cycle track and designated 'resting place' for migrating birds. Fully lit at night, the park is a nice outdoor space to explore of an evening during the warmer months.

  • Museum

    Tareq Rajab Museum of Islamic Art

    A few blocks south of the Tareq Rajab Museum, this sister attraction is also housed in a villa. It has a seriously impressive and beautifully presented range of calligraphy. Typography from different Qurans, collected from all over the Arab world, span two floors and include ancient scripts up to the modern day. An educational video explains the methods of writing.

  • Cultural Centre

    Dar Al Athar Al Islamiyya

    This exceptional cultural centre has stunning galleries that contain some of the highlights of the world-class Al Sabah Collection, part of which was in the National Museum before the Iraqi invasion. With informative labels in English and Arabic, videos with experts explaining the pieces and some exquisite sculptures and archaeological finds of great antiquity from across the region, it's everything the National Museum could be, albeit on a smaller scale.