Kuwait In 15 Sights

By Anna Purpurpurpur

Kuwait lies far away from popular tourist routes, and the country doesn’t rely on tourism economically: they got enough oil to cover their needs.

However, the country still has sights to offer – especially considering their ancient history which includes Mesopotamian and Hellenistic heritage and Arabic culture.

Kuwait might not be on your bucket list but let me show you that there are spots worth your attention!

Important:
Hospitality: taxis, museums, restaurants

Some things are not necessarily adapted for the foreign visitors in Kuwait. The taxi drivers take you to random spots (even if you put an exact location on Careem app, this doesn’t mean you’ll end up there) and museums have unusual opening times for westerners: the majority are closed on Fridays and Saturdays and some are also closed on Sundays. Besides that, many have 3-4 hour lunch break, for instance, from 12.30 to 4.30 on the rest of the days. On the other hand, some museums simply cannot be accessed at all or you have to book a tour in advance.

For instance, we’ve been told that Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmad Cultural Centre was closed at all, and visits to the Mirror House and Al Salam palace museums are available only via the guided tours booked in advance (you can’t come on the site and have it there, so book a tour at least 24 hours prior to your visit).

On the other hand, there are lots of great restaurants and cafes, all with English menus and with staff speaking decent English. And the authentic historical Arabic vibe is present for sure – Kuwait City reminded me more of Jordan than Qatar, Bahrain, Oman or UAE.

1. The Avenues

The Avenues Mall is one of the top attractions of Kuwait! It’s not only the largest mall of the country but also the second largest shopping mall in the world by floor space. And it’s the mostost modern and stylish landmark of Kuwait!

There is luxury shopping like Chanel, Dior, LV, Fendi etc, more affordable fashion such as &otherstories, H&M and many cafes and restaurants.

But besides that, you can find a large Starbucks reserve (and a few ordinary Starbucks), Angelina Paris cafe, Fendi cafe and many others options here. We also absolutely loved the Cardamom club restaurant serving Indian cuisine.

There is a garden and an Arabic soul inside the mall and many gorgeous areas under domes – you can sit sipping coffee here for hours!

We also visited several kids friendly venues. Exzootic could be a great option for these who would like to introduce their kids to nature, but I felt that the visitors should be restricted more by the staff because some kids were pretty pushy towards the animals there (the parents just ignored the problem, and the staff’s notices were ignored by kids, so overall it didn’t feel right).

2. Kuwait towers

Don’t miss the most well known landmark of Kuwait: Abraj AI-Kuwait in Arabic, or Kuwait towers! They were designed by Malene Bjorn (Denmark), inaugurated in 1977 and opened to the public in 1979.

As you see, there are three towers: one is a lighting pole, two others have water reservoirs and are 140 and 180 metres tall. Besides that, you can visit two restaurants and an observation desk with a rotating platform in the tallest of them!

Choose between the Horizon restaurant serving Arabic and western food buffet and Japanese restaurant Amimoto (we opted for the first option). The food there was pretty good, and the views were simply fantastic – but we decided to go up to the Viewing sphere too anyway (you have to order tickets online scanning the qr-code at the tower premises or you can preorder them online).

The Viewing sphere is not your usual observation desk – it’s a rotating observatory. One part of the Viewing sphere’s upper platform rotates and the other stays still, and the lower part is stationary. In 30 min you get a 360 degree view of the city.

Sadly, the weather wasn’t the best during our visit but the scenery was pretty impressive anyway! There’s also a small food bar there.

3. Mirror House

The Mirror House is a private house of artists Khalifa and Lidia Al-Qattan.

Khalifa was Kuwaiti, Lidia was born in Italy, they met in London and got married. The house was turned by Lidia into a huge piece of art, and the second floor of the house showcases the paintings of her deceased husband, who is considered one of the most well known Kuwaiti artists around the world.

Lidia started her project of making mirror art around the house in 1966. The wooden panels got eaten by termites with time so she decided to put mirror pieces directly to the walls, floor and ceiling, and you can see the result by yourself. The themes explored here are the Zodiacs and Cosmos, Technology, our planet with animals and flowers and feminism.

The tour takes two hours, and you’re guided through the house by Lidia and her daughter Jalila. To visit the Mirror house, you have to book an appointment in advance via the form on their website.

4. Liberation tower

The Liberation Tower is an attraction you cannot visit but you’ll spot it from anywhere in the city.

It is a 372-meter-high tower completed in 1993 and named to commemorate the country’s liberation from Iraq during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990-1991. The beautiful architectural sights around it are linked to the government. You can also spot Baitak tower, one of the first skyscrapers of Kuwait.

5. Souq Al-Mubarakiya

Head to the Souq Al-Mubarakiya: its a historical market that has been here for over 2 centuries! It’s pretty big: there are the covered passages, free standing shops and open-air vending spaces too.

You can walk there discovering various sections: perfumery, gold market, spices, fabrics, male and female clothes, carpets, cafes… The market is not a touristy place in the first place, locals are still buying their everyday goods there.

Now you see it restored because it was damaged first during the Iraqi invasion in 1990 and then recently in 2022 in a large fire (spot a monument dedicated to this event).

6. Grand mosque

The Grand mosque opened in 1986 is the largest mosque of the city. It looks absolutely stunning: just look at all the details with traditional Islamic patterns, and the materials for the mosque decoration were brought from all over the world.

Unfortunately, we didn’t manage to see it from the inside.

7. Al-Seif Palace

Al Seif Palace is one of the main sites of Kuwait but you can see it only from the side because it’s closed for the public (while The Crown Prince Diwan is the official residence of the Royal court of the Emir of Kuwait, the Al Seif palace is the original seat of Government of Kuwait).

Al Seif’ means ‘the sea coast’ in Arabic, hence the name of the palace as it’s located on the seafront. The constructions started in the late 19th century and were extended into the beginning of the 20th century, and it’s also a home to a mysterious inscription: “If it had lasted for another, it would not have reached you” by Alfadyl Ibn Ayad. The most prominent sight of the Seif palace is the clock tower.

The palace is located in front of the Grand mosque across the large roundabout with a fountain.

8. Fish market

The Fish market is a real seafood market with many vendors selling the freshest produce on ice here. It’s open from 5am till 12am daily. The place is clean and nicely decorated, and there are also stalls with fresh vegetables and fruits in a separate hall.

The beautiful authentic old port is located nearby.

9. Souk Sharq Mall

The Souk Sharq mall built in the traditional Arabic style was probably of the tourist magnets of Kuwait (the Avenues definitely attract more attention now).

Originally it was a real Arabic souk but later it was modernized and transformed into a shopping mall in 1998. Now there are lots of shops well known to all Londoners such as Debenhams and Boots.

In its main hall there is a water clock created by scientist Bernard Gitton with a pearl oyster signifying the pearling past of the country. The first Starbucks of Kuwait opened here in 1999.

Don’t Miss the promenade along the mall facing the Arabian Gulf street along the harbor with boats and yachts!

10. Al Bahhar Entertainment Historical Village

Al Bahhar Entertainment Historical Village is a nice introduction to the local customs!

The beachside by the heritage village showcases local crafts: you can see here traditional boats, people making fishing nets, camels strolling along the beach, or the kiosks with boat models or pearls.

The heritage village itself is not very big, but there is a small kiosk with local sea fauna exhibits (we learnt a lot about sharks and stingrays from a guide there!), a cafe, a playground and a few shops.

During our visit there was also some sort of an official UN visit there I believe – some super serious official affairs are discussed indeed!

11. The Scientific Centre

The Scientific Centre is a large building with many activities taking place on its premises.

There is a large aquarium with sharks, stingrays, koi fish, tropical fish and many other species – besides that, there is a huge section with local desert animals.

For kids, there’s also a Discovery centre where one can learn lots of the basic science: laws of physics, some biology like the DNA function and body anatomy. Kids can also play with bubbles here – lots of fun indeed!

12. National Museum of Kuwait

The National museum of Kuwait consists of a few galleries: Archaeological museum, Kuwait heritage Museum, a large traditional dhow Boom Al Mouhallab and the Planetarium.

You don’t need much time for this museum but it’ll give you an impression on the archaeological excavations carried on in Failaka island, on its traditions, customs and everyday life of the past and of course the formation of the modern independent Kuwait including the Iraqi invasion of 1990-1991.

In the courtyard of the museum was a large garden exhibition with shops selling outdoor goods and cafes.

13. Al Sadu House

Al Sadu House is a free small and very well made museum run by the Al Sadu Society preserving the woven textile heritage of Kuwait.

The house where it is located was built in 1936 by Youssef Al Marzouk from an important local family, then was acquired by Shereen Behbehani and eventually acquired by the State and turned into a museum.

The exposition there is not very large but it’s sufficient to get a basic understanding of carpet weaving and dying techniques. There’s also a very modern stylish cafe Juma on its premises.

14. Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmad Cultural Centre

Sadly, we were told that Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmad Cultural Centre is closed for the visits, however don’t miss this area anyway.

There are the gardens inside their premises you can access: stylish restaurants and cafes are seated around the JACC musical fountain there, and an installation with Kuwaiti flags in front of the centre is a photo worthy spot.

And of course, the buildings of Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmad Cultural Centre including the Opera complex are incredibly beautiful! The project was completed in 2016 and is owned by the Amiri Diwan of Kuwait.

15. Water towers

The water towers actually are one of the symbols of Kuwait: you can spot it on many official posters and even on Starbucks and Costa’s mugs! In total there are 31 striped water reservoirs in blue and white colours, and its construction was completed in 1976.

The designer behind them is Swedish architect Sune Lindström, and actually the Kuwait towers are also part of this project! The Water towers of Kuwait are not the essential landmark you must go to – only if you’d like to have some nice photos! In our case, we just spotted some of them close to the airport.

What else?

If you’re lucky with timing, you can try to visit the Maritime Museum, Dickson house museum, Modern art museum, Bait Alothman museum, Tareq Rajab museum, Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem cultural centre and Ahmad Al Jaber Gas and Oil exhibition.

Where to stay in Kuwait

The Hotel Waldorf Astoria Kuwait is a fantastic luxury hotel just 15 minutes away from the airport.

It’s located in the biggest mall of the country: it opens up to the Gucci and Hermes shops and Angelina cafe.

The skincare they use in the hotel is Aqua di Parma. George got the warmest welcome from the team: and look, he even has a wigwam with a balloon!

They also have a great kids club with a castle tower, a kitchen and lots of activities going on. The breakfast is served in the Ava restaurant on a balcony overlooking the Avenues mall.