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Doha is a known for its incredible architecture. The city’s constantly changing skyline and modern shopping malls combine with its heritage and traditional souqs to provide the full flavour of the contemporary Gulf.
Languages: Qatar’s official language is Arabic. English is widely spoken.
Currency: The Qatari Riyal (QAR) is the currency of Qatar.
One pound will get you approximately 4 Qatari Riyal.
Climate: Qatar has a desert climate with intensely hot summers and mild winters. The best time to visit Qatar is anytime between November to early April. During the hotter months, daily maximum temperatures can reach 40°C or more.
Places to visit
1. Souq Waqif
Souq Waqif is a popular shopping area in Doha. With its tight alleyways, old buildings and strange smells, this market takes you back a few centuries. It is one the few remaining traditional Arabic markets in the Persian Gulf. The market is full of restaurants selling traditional Qatari food as well as Turkish, Indian and Italian cuisines. From pets, handicrafts, clothes, jewellery, lamps, carpets and teas, the market has almost everything! The market springs to life after sunset, so book this as an evening activity.
2. Museum of Islamic Art
The Museum of Islamic art features exhibition galleries, ceramics, calligraphy and ornaments devoted to the Islamic world spanning back a thousand years. The Museum is definitely worth a visit and you can spend as long or as little as you would like touring it. Tickets for adults cost 50 Qatari Riyals. Children can go for free.
3. Desert Safari with camel ride
Venture into the heart of the desert outside Doha for a day of safari adventure. Enjoy the delightful desert scenery and participate in thrilling activities such as quad biking, sandboarding, dune bashing, and a camel ride. You can book this online with any reputable tour company.
4. Katara Cultural village
Katara, as the name indicates, is a cultural centre in the form of a village. You will find art galleries, a museum, the blue Mosque, a swimming beach and more. Different events and exhibitions are held there throughout the year.
5. The Pearl Qatar
The Pearl-Qatar is an artificial island spanning almost four kilometres. Part of it looks like a pastel-painted Venice – worth checking out. The island comes to life in the evening and features restaurants, shops and walkways by the water. You won’t need to spend too long at the island though, as most of it is residential. We’d recommend an hour.
6. National Museum of Qatar
The National Museum of Qatar is dedicated to the history of Qatar. You can learn everything about the country, from its formation, about the nomads who settled there and the discovery of oil. The museum is big and it will take time going through all the displays and presentations. If you’re in a hurry, we recommend a tour guide to save you time.
7. Corniche
Doha’s corniche stretches 7km. Shaped in a crescent, it offers incredible views of Doha’s skyline. You can take a cruise on a Dhow (a boat traditionally used for fishing and pearling) for around 100 Qatari Riyal. The best time to take a Dhow tour is at sunset, as you’ll capture the most stunning views at this time.
8. State Grand Mosque
The state Mosque Qatar is one of the largest mosques in Qatar. Not too far from the corniche, it features contemporary design with a traditional Qatari twist.
9. Villaggio Mall
The Villaggio Mall is one of Doha’s newest shopping centres. The mall offers gondola rides similar to Venice and is home to several restaurants and stores. Although the mall is pretty far from other popular city attractions, it’s worth a visit if you have some spare time. Unless you love shopping and would like to roam around the stores, you won’t need more than 30 minutes to see the entire mall.
10. Aqua Park Qatar
If your visiting Doha with kids, don’t miss the aqua park. While it’s not the same as Wild Wadi in Dubai, it does offer water slides and other rides, giving kids and adults the opportunity to have a blast!
Advice for Doha
1. Don’t expect Doha to be similar to Dubai. At the end of the day, every city has its own charm. Doha has more activities based on art and culture. If you’re looking for fancy shopping malls, activities and resorts, go for Dubai.
2. Doha is very niqab-friendly. You’ll see plenty of local Qatari women out and about in their niqab. You won’t get stared at or feel discriminated and the menfolk will be courteous.
3. You can visit Doha on a budget. Some tourist attractions are free of charge. Doha is home to the Q Hostel, where you can book a room for just £15 a night. Food is cheap too. If you opt not to go to the high-end restaurants, you can pay around £6 for a meal. Transport is pretty cheap too. Travelling by bus costs around £1. Uber is available in Doha, so you could opt for that.
4. Qatar is a relatively safe country to visit. Unlike other destinations, the level of crime is very low. Even petty crime like pickpocketing is extremely uncommon.
5. Qatar Airways offers an incredible stopover scheme that we’d highly recommend taking advantage of. You can spend up to four days in the country on a stopover and the airline will put you in a 4 or 5 star hotel from just USD 23. Check if your flight qualifies so that you can take advantage of this scheme.