Must See

The invasion of the country and capital by Iraq in 1990 saw massive, systematic looting by the Iraqis. The rebuild and recovery is estimated to have cost Kuwait a mammoth US$170 billion, raised through the sale of its overseas investment portfolio: this helped safeguard services such as free education and social services. Though a great cost to the country, the recovery has been successful, and the memories of war fade as Kuwait rediscovers its hustle and bustle, and stakes its claim as a relaxed gateway to the Muslim world, where much is open to the visitor.

Failaka Island

The country's main archaeological site can be reached via ferry. The port is home to many old dhows, and a number of archaeological sites full of Bronze Age and Greek artefacts, as well as a Greek temple. Use caution, though, as the island also has many landmines left over after heavy fortification by the Iraqis.

Kuwait City

Fifteen years on, the capital is a buzzing metropolis of wide boulevards, high-rise offices, luxury hotels, and tidy green parks and gardens. The Kuwait National Museum has sadly been stripped of most of its collection, but part of it has been renovated and is now open to the public. The nearby Sadu House is a cultural museum that contains Bedouin arts and crafts, and is built from coral and gypsum. Other museums include the Memorial Museum near to the new Shuwaikh Port Building, which houses a small but interesting recollection of the events of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990.

The city's most dominant landmark is Kuwait Towers, the tallest of which (187 metres) contains a restaurant and a revolving viewing platform that makes a complete circuit every 30 minutes. There's also Liberation Tower, the symbol of Kuwaiti liberation, and one of the tallest telecommunications towers in the world. The tower contains a revolving restaurant and observation platform, although these are currently closed to the public for security reasons.

Kuwait's oldest landmark is Seif Palace; built in 1896, it still features the original Islamic mosaic tilework. Also worth a visit is the Grand Mosque - the biggest in Kuwait, It covers an area of 45,000 square metres and can hold up to 10,000 people.