General Information » Getting Around » Getting Around

Primary modes of transport are the car, taxi or bus.

Kuwait’s road network is a radial grid design. Comprised of seven major ‘Ring Roads’ and a number of major dual-carriage expressways, the road network links Kuwait City to every area of Kuwait, as well as to the Iraqi and Saudi Arabian borders.

Kuwait has an excellent road infrastructure which has taken something of a beating over the last two years due to the demands made on it by the ever-increasing urban population. A number of roads suffer from excessive use by heavy loads. Subsequently there are now restrictions as to when heavy vehicles are permitted to use certain roads. The government is currently spending hundreds of millions of dollars upgrading a number of roads including the 1st Ring Road, 4th Ring Road and 5th Ring Road.

The ring roads radiate out from Kuwait City, with the 1st Ring Road hugging the downtown area, and the 7th Ring Road located approximately 28km south. The major expressways running approximately from north to south and starting with the most easterly road first, are the Abdulaziz Bin Abdulrahman Al Saud Expressway (also known as the Istiqlal Expressway, Fahaheel Expressway, and Road 30), the King Fahd Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Expressway (also known as the Maghreb Expressway, Ahmadi Expressway, and Road 40). Road 30 merges with Road 40 approximately 50km south of Kuwait city near the area of Ad Dubaiyah. The road then becomes the King Fahd Expressway. Further west is the King Faisal Expressway (also known as the Riyadh Expressway, Road 50 and the Magwa Road further south), the Airport Road (Road 55), and the Ghazali Expressway (Road 60) which runs north to Shuwaikh Port.

The coastal road, which runs from the east of Kuwait City all the way to the western-most intersection with the 6th Ring Road, and then picks up at the western-most intersection with the 7th Ring Road and travels all the way down to Al Kout Shopping Mall in Fahaheel, is known as the Gulf Road, Arabian Gulf Street or Coastal Road. It is also known as Road 15 between Kuwait City and the intersection with the 2nd Ring Road, and as Road 25 from the intersection with the 2nd Ring Road to the intersection with the 6th Ring Road! It may all seem a little overwhelming at first, but it doesn’t take too long to get used to the road network!

It used to be said that the 4th Ring Road was the one to avoid during the rush hour, but the increase in traffic throughout the country now means that most main roads are congested.

Most road signs are in Arabic and English, although be aware that not all roads are marked. When entering a suburban area on a...