Things to do in Kuwait City
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Kuwait City
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Shoulder to winter, camping season opens 15 November, birds arrive and value is excellent before peak pricing.
Peak winter, 18 to 22C days and cold nights, with parks, camping, golf and Failaka at their best.
The best month, with Hala February, National Day and Liberation Day alongside 20 to 24C days.
Late winter, still lovely, camping ends 15 March, birding peaks and dust instability begins late month.
Shoulder last call, 30 to 35C, mornings and evenings still work outdoors and dust storms grow frequent.
Hot at 38 to 43C, outdoor life compresses to dawn and after dark and hotel prices start falling.
Summer, 45 to 50C plus, do not come for leisure; the city moves indoors and desert products pause.
Shoulder, cooling late month, terraces reopen and golf and corniche evenings return.
What's on
- Hala February February
A month of concerts, parades, fireworks and shopping promotions built around National and Liberation Days.
- National Day and Liberation Day 25-26 February
The corniche fills with flag decked cars and water spraying celebrations, and prices peak.
- Qurain Cultural Festival January
A long running state arts and heritage festival in winter.
- Pearl Diving Journey typically July/August
A traditional dhow fleet sails to commemorate Kuwait's pearl diving past, a spectator heritage moment.
- Kuwait International Book Fair November/December
A major regional cultural event in the winter season.
Best things to do in Kuwait City
Souq Al-Mubarakiya
The old market is the one unmissable stop, with spice lanes, dates, oud, grills and tea stalls.
Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Cultural Centre
A vast museum complex covering dinosaurs, space, science and the human body in 22 galleries.
Al Shaheed Park
The largest urban park, with gardens, a lake, walking paths and two small museums.
Kuwait Towers
The city's signature landmark, with a viewing sphere at 123m over the bay and dhow harbour.
Grand Mosque
Kuwait's largest mosque, welcoming non-Muslim visitors on free guided weekday morning tours.
The Scientific Center
A large Gulf aquarium, hands-on science for children, an IMAX theatre and a historic dhow.
Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Cultural Centre
A striking opera house complex where a performance night is Kuwait's closest big night out.
Tareq Rajab Museum
A private villa collection of Islamic calligraphy, ceramics, costumes and famous jewellery.
Where to stay in Kuwait City
Sharq / Downtown & Salhiya
first trip, all-round base
Best sightseeing density in the country, with Mubarakiya, the Grand Mosque and the Towers close by.
Salmiya & the Gulf Road corniche
livelier, seafront base
Where Kuwaitis go out, with Marina Crescent, the Scientific Center and restaurant rows on hand.
The Avenues / Al-Rai
food, shopping and business trips
The mall and airport axis, a deliberate choice where you taxi to sights but stay at the food hub.
Think twice about
- Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh
Known for crime, with no visitor infrastructure. No reason to stay or wander there.
- Farwaniya / Khaitan labour-district grids
Traffic choked and charmless as a leisure base, without the corniche or souq life you came for.
- Industrial Shuwaikh / port fringe
Warehouses and truck traffic with nothing to walk to, built for port and oil logistics.
- Mahboula / Fahaheel
Forty plus minutes south, so basing there adds an hour of ring road to every Kuwait City day.
Best restaurants in Kuwait City
Dar Hamad
Upscale Kuwaiti cooking in a 1950s inspired room, the one big Kuwaiti dinner pick.
Mais Alghanim
A family run Lebanese institution since 1953, the safest recommendation for a mixed group.
Freej Swaileh
Kuwaiti home cooking like machboos and marag at a fraction of fine dining prices.
White Robata
Japanese robata at the cultural centre, famous for wagyu and fusion small plates.
Ora
Japanese tapas and small plates, tied as one of the hottest tables in town.
Tatami
Haute Japanese execution with traditional depth across sushi, sashimi and tempura.
Roka Kuwait
The international name robata option, inside the Waldorf Astoria at The Avenues.
Slider Station
The founding legend of Kuwait's gourmet slider culture, worth it for the scene as much as the food.
Outdoor things to do in Kuwait City
Failaka Island
An offshore island layering Greek ruins, a heritage village and still visible 1990 invasion damage.
Mutla Ridge
Kuwait's highest point and the most popular sunset, barbecue and stargazing kashta spot near the city.
4x4 desert tour with a licensed local guide
A licensed full day combining city sights, a desert camp, camels and a traditional meal.
Sahara Kuwait Golf Resort
Kuwait's only grass championship course, an 18 hole resort course with the Murouj complex next door.
Ahmadi Golf Club
An 18 hole sand course with browns not greens, a unique round if you can arrange member access.
Al Jahra Nature Reserve
Reedbeds and pools on a migratory flyway, drawing flamingos, raptors and waders in winter.
Gulf Road Corniche
Run, walk or cycle the seafront from the Towers past Green Island to Marina Crescent.
Kayaking and paddleboarding, Salmiya
Seasonal kayak and paddleboard sessions from Salmiya and in Failaka's lagoon.
Best hotels in Kuwait City
Four Seasons Hotel Kuwait at Burj Alshaya
The resident consensus luxury city hotel, adjoining Al Shaheed Park with serious spa and pools.
Sheraton Kuwait, a Luxury Collection Hotel
Kuwait's first international luxury hotel from 1966, older school with impeccable service.
Courtyard by Marriott Kuwait City
A reliable international mid to upper hotel in the Salhiya and Sharq business district.
JW Marriott Kuwait City
A reliable international option adjoining the Salhiya Complex boutiques downtown.
Grand Majestic Hotel
A basic, genuinely central small hotel in walking reach of Souq Al-Mubarakiya.
The Regency Hotel Kuwait
Traditional grand resort luxury on its own beach, with huge pools south of central Salmiya.
Symphony Style Kuwait, a Radisson Collection Hotel
A designer boutique Radisson Collection hotel on Gulf Road with sea view rooms.
Radisson Blu Hotel, Kuwait
A long standing upper mid beachfront hotel with loyal repeat guests and family facilities.
Is Kuwait City expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | KWD 32 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | KWD 65 a person |
| Splurge | KWD 195 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Kuwait Towers: a few days ahead
- 4x4 desert tour with a licensed local guide: a few days ahead
- Kubbar Island: a few days ahead
- Abdali Farms: a few days ahead
- Dar Hamad: a few days ahead
- White Robata: a few days ahead
- Apply for the eVisa days ahead, or weeks ahead if your nationality needs a sponsor or hotel arranged visa.
- Hotels in Hala February and National Day week sell up a month or more ahead.
- Book JACC performances, White Robata and Dar Hamad weekend tables, and Failaka sailings in peak winter.
- Confirm Grand Mosque tours the day before, as they run weekday mornings only.
Is Kuwait City safe?
- Alcohol is totally banned, including sealed duty free, with penalties up to imprisonment and deportation.
- Drugs face zero tolerance, and some prescription medicines are controlled, so carry prescriptions and original packaging.
- Avoid Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh for crime and never wander off road near the Iraq border due to unexploded ordnance.
- Heat is a safety issue: summer sightseeing at midday is dangerous, and desert days need water, shade and a charged phone.
- Dress modestly, ask before photographing people, and never photograph military, government or oil sites.
Kuwait City travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Liberation Tower as a destination: photograph it, but public access is restricted and occasional.
- A mall crawl as a Kuwait trip: one mall, half a day maximum.
- The Kuwait Towers restaurant: pay for the viewing sphere and eat elsewhere.
- Souq Sharq as the souq: its fish market is great, but it is no substitute for Mubarakiya.
- Unlicensed desert and boat offers on social media, with no office or paperwork.
- Expecting a beach holiday: for swimming, your hotel pool or beach club is the product.
Getting around Kuwait City: public transport and more
- There is effectively no visitor public transport and no metro, so taxis and Careem are the system.
- Cross town rides take 15 to 20 minutes but peak traffic can double any journey.
- Plan for no walkability outside pockets like Mubarakiya, Al Shaheed Park, Marina Crescent and the corniche.
- Renting a car unlocks the desert and south coast, but drive defensively and carry an International Driving Permit.
Who Kuwait City suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Kuwait City your trip
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