Scientific Center
Housed in a fine, sail-shaped building on the corniche, the Scientific Center’s mesmerising aquarium is the largest in the Middle East. The unique intertidal display, with waves washing in at eye level, is home to shoals of black-spotted sweetlips and the ingenious mudskipper. But the most spectacular part of the display (with giant spider crabs at 3.8m leg to leg, a living reef and fluorescent jellyfish coming in at a close second) is undoubtedly the wraparound, floor-to-ceiling shark and ray tanks. Ring ahead to check feeding times (currently 7pm Monday for sharks and 11am Sunday to Wednesday for fish).
There's an IMAX cinema and an interactive learning centre called Discovery Place where children can make their own sand dunes or roll a piece of road. The dhow harbour is home to Fateh al-Khair, the last surviving dhow of the pre-oil era. Admission prices vary, depending on which parts of the centre are visited.
Salmiya bus stop, for buses 15, 17, 24, 34 and 200, is a short 10-minute (shaded) walk away.