How To Spend a Day in Doha, Qatar
I get many questions from your readers what to see and do in Doha, Qatar since you start to notice my travel blog and figure out that I have been living here. Few years ago I wrote this travel guide to Doha in this blog post, but now I have writing a new but smaller travel guide to Doha that is updated! Here you will find what Doha, Qatar has to offer and what I recommend to see and do as a tourist for a day here!
Qatar Airways Stockholm – Doha
If you fly with the airline Qatar Airways, which I written a lot of flight reviews about (that you can read here), you might get a half day stop that you don’t want to spend at Doha airport called Hamad International Airport. Instead, you can now enter Qatar with a free visa and stay there for up to 30 days. You might land in the morning and have a connecting flight later in the evening, then I strongly recommend to visit Doha City!
Taxi from Hamad International Airport to Doha City
The easiest way to get anywhere in Doha is by taxi, as well from the airport into Doha city. There is no train that goes from the airport into town but don’t worry, taxis are very cheap in Doha. It cost about 35-40 rial to go from Doha Airport to Doha city, which is about 5 – 6 Euro. If you go by taxi within Doha city from one place to another it won’t cost more than 10 rials, ie about 1 Euro. Here’s a picture of how the taxis looks like in Doha and they are called Karwa taxi. 
What can be good to know is that Doha is not a city you walk in, here you go by taxi everywhere. It is hardly possible to walk by foot, because there are no sidewalks, except on the corniche that lies along the water and where you can look over all the skyscrapers. That is the only place you can walk / cycle / run on if you want but otherwise there are no sidewalks anywhere in the city – you always go by taxi!
The Cornice in Doha
When we still talk about the corniche, it is definitely the most worth thing to see in Doha and is called Doha Corniche. The Corniche is 7 kilometers long and is shaped like a horseshoe surrounded by skyscrapers, hotels and cafes. Here I recommend to stop by, there are plenty of parking spaces and if you don’t rent a car I would ask the taxi driver to wait a while. It is possible to grab taxis from there as well, but it can be a bit clever, but you can definitely do it.
If you are in Doha around spring, autumn or winter, I recommend walking along the Doha Corniche. There are cafes and benches to rest on if you want to take a break. At the beginning and end of the corniche there is also parks with some play area for kids, where the children can play for a while, for those who travel with children.
MIA (Museum of Islamic Art)
Just at the beginning of the Doha Corniche there is Doha’s most famous museum, MIA (Museum of islamic art). You don’t have to walk around the exhibition itself if you don’t want to and of course are interested in culture, but please take the time to go here and see how it looks inside the walls. If nothing else you will get a really cool view of the Doha skyline from here!
These pictures are taken from the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar.
National Museum in Doha
Opposite the MIA Museum in Doha, a National Museum is being built for the purpose of opening in December 2018 but has being postponed until March 2019. If you are lucky, it is open when you are in Doha 🙂 It is a huge and nice building you will pass by when driving around, so I can imagine that it will be very nice inside the doors when they open!
Souq Waqif
Opposite the Museum of Islamic Art you will find the Doha Souk called Souq Waqif. From MIA you can go down to the corniche and from there take a crossing over to the other side of the street where Souq Waqif is located. The traffic here is a bit scary if I’m going to be honest and if you want to be on the safe side, take a taxi from MIA to Souq Waqif, something I really recommend to do. It won’t cost more than 10 rials.
Souq Waqif is a Souk, that is, an old market where spices, clothes, souvenirs, carpets and everything in hardware and other things are sold in small, cool and narrow alleys. In other words, there is a lot to buy and you have to bargain on the things you want to buy, even if it is very cheap from the beginning but still. There are also plenty of restaurants and cafés, which makes it really nice to stroll around the old alleys that are here. Feel free to sit in one of all the cafés with the locals and order a jug of Arabic tea with dates for the best experience and atmosphere! Relax, there is also Starbucks coffee for those who prefer it 🙂
I highly recommend you a visit to the Doha Souk, not just to shop or drink tea, but also to have lunch at one of all the restaurants that are here. If you are here during night time, the souk is very nice for dinner! Imagine the scene from Sex and the City when they are in Abu Dhabi on the souk, that’s how it looks here as well! 🙂
The Camels Souk
When you are in the Souq Waqif you can walk towards the road opposite the Doha Corniche and walk along the edge of the souk a bit down towards the skyscrapers (opposite the palace) and you’ll find plenty of camels! I am fascinated by this animal and really like camels so I would like to see some here when I’m in Doha. Unfortunately, it is not possible to clap or ride on them here, but if you want to do that then you will have to go to the desert to something called Sealine resort. However, it will be a full day activity and something I recommend if you stay several days in Doha. You can find more about it in this post!
The Falcon Souk
If you go through Souq Waqif (on the other side of where the camels are) you will find a section with falcons. Here they sell falcons and they are expensive! Qatarier has falcons as pets, just as we have dogs, for example, they have falcons instead. Really different and cool to see, something I think you should do if you are in the Souk anyway. It doesn’t costs anything to go in here and have a look and yes you can take picture of them! 🙂
The Gold Souk
If you have time and interest, there is a gold souk opposite Souq Waqif where they only sell lots of gold. It is located just below the spiral shaped building which is a mosque. Even if you don’t want to buy anything, it is great to walk around and see how much gold that is collected in one area!
The Grande mosque
If you want to be really cultural, you should also take the opportunity to go to Doha’s largest mosque called Grand Mosque and not far from Souq Waqif. However, far enough to take a taxi (there are no streets to walk on) but it is also only 10 rials by taxi. There is not much to do here more than to see how the mosque looks like, if you don’t want to go inside of course. You can get up at the viewpoint which is outside the entrance to the mosque but if you want to enter the mosque there are separate entrances for women and for men. You must be completely covered as a woman and at the reception you can borrow a scarf to cover yourself while you are inside the mosque.
This mosque is definitely worth seeing even when the sun has gone down, as it has very special and attractive lighting during night time, which makes it very beautiful to look at!
Katara Cultural Village
If you have time left and want to discover more of Doha I would recommend taking a taxi and going along Doha Corniche, towards something called Katara Cultural Village. This is a small village in central Doha that offers a mix of cuturel offerings such as an opera house, movie theater, theater, craft souk and several local and international restaurants. You can also find a mosque in Persian style here. There are lots of parking spaces and also a public beach for those who want to swim, unless otherwise you get a nice sea view from here.
Many think Katara is one of the nicest places in Doha but don’t expect to spend 15 minutes and appreciate it, it takes a little time. If you haven’t eaten lunch in Souq Waqif you can do it here but expect that the restaurants are a bit more expensive in Katara than on the souk. As the name says, there are many cultural activities throughout the year here in Katara.
I don’t think you have so much more time left over after all this sightseeing tips I just gave you. Remember, that it will take some time to get back to the airport again due to the traffic can be really difficult at certain times, especially late afternoon when the sun goes down and it’s time for prayer calls!
Feel free to contact me if you are staying in Doha and want som more sightseeing tips!
Happy Travels!
// Charlotte
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18 Comments
Hej! Vad intressant att läsa om Doha. Jag ska åka ner dit om en vecka och tycker det är svårt att finna uppgifter om olika priser. Vad kostar det att äta ute en vanlig middag, drycka, köpa vatten på flaska tex. Hur lång tid tar dey med taxi från flygplatsen till University area ca? 🙂
Är det gångavstånd till the Pearl från centrum och finns badplats nära centrum för allmänheten?
Mvh Amanda
Hej Amanda!
Vad roligt, vad ska du göra i Doha? Hur länge blir du där?
Middag beror helt på vart du vill äta, det finns allt från mcdonlds till dyra, fina restauranger men jag skulle säga att mat och dryck är lite dyrare än Sverige, generellt sett. Så det är nog där pengarna går medan taxi är superbilligt att åka överallt. Taxi från flygplatsen till universitet tar ca 30-40 minuter skulle jag tippa på och som jag skrev i inlägget så är det inga gångavstånd någonstans i Doha. Man tar taxi precis överallt, finns inga övergångsställen riktigt, speciellt till/ från Pearl kan du bara komma med bil/taxi.
Badplatser med strand finns i anknytning till de flesta hotellen runt westbay area, finns inga allmänna badplatser nära centrum.
Önskar dig en trevlig resa till Doha! Kram
Jag fick vänta i 10 timmar på min anslutning till Hongkong. Det var natt och flygtermilaen är inte så stor. Jag köpte ett visum och åkte sen runt Quatar från 12 på natten till 9 dan efter. Jag vet inte hur mycket jag såg under dessa timmar men Emirens palats och Galoppbanan för kameler. När jag runt 10 på morgonen och jag var tillbaka till flygplatsen var det 42 +. Då går man inte gärna ut.
Hej Ulf,
Her du möjlighet någon gång kan jag även rekommendera Doha dagtid och isåfall under vinterhalvåret då det är svalare temperatur runt ca 20-23 grader 🙂
Hej!
Jag ska till Doha nu på söndag och stannat en vecka under VM i footballen. Tar gärna alla tips.
Perfekt, det blir ju Doha några timmar nästa vecka. Taxi mitt i natten, inga problem? Landar 00:20 nämligen.
Nix, inga problem. Taxi finns det gott om överallt. Trevlig resa!
Hej igen och tack för svar! Jag ska följa med min son som åker dit för att träffa sin flickvän några dagar. Så jag kommer nog vara femte hjulet stundtals 😉 Så jag tänkte utforska staden på egen hand en hel del. Är det okej att åka taxi själv som tjej? Har förstått att man inte bör visa axlar och knän tex men är det något annat jag bör tänka på? Det ska bli väldigt spännande och intressant. 🙂
Hej igen Amanda,
Jag förstår. Det går jättebra att åka taxi som ensam tjej, jag har aldrig haft några problem! 🙂 Alltså, det är inte lika strikt som i Saudiarabien gällande att visa axlar och knän, det har jag gjort många gånger men du får då räkna med en hel del blickar. Det är bra att ha lite cash på sig, speciellt till taxi så växla gärna pengar!
Tack snälla du för dina svar !
Varsågod och ha en trevlig resa! 🙂
Hello i just come in doha and read your blog. Firstly thank you for useful informations and if you stay in doha still please contact me i want to ask some questions to you :))
Hi Mustafa, unfortunately I am not in Doha at the moment but I hope you enjoy your trip! 🙂
Hej
Tänkte åka till doha över nyår.. Är det bra väder där då?
Får man gå klädd som man vill på hotellen o stränderna?
Finns de bra shopping (vanliga butiker!) ellee är de dyrt!?
Inga problem o va två blonda tjejer?
Mvh emelie
Hej Emelie!
Kul att du ska till Doha över nyår. Tänk på att de inte firar nyår på samma sätt som vi gör med raketer, bara så du vet. Ni bör kolla med det hotell ni bor på vad de anordnar för nyårsmiddag, ta det isåfall eller på något annat hotell, det är så man firar. Helst något hotell som ligger på stranden då har det säker bbq där på nyårsafton.
Inga problem att vara två blonda tjejer, jag har bott där själv i flera år, gick hur bra som helst! Ni bör inte sola toppless om jag säger så men att gå i bikini är inga problem så länge ni håller er på hotellet samt tillhörande strand. När ni är ute på shopping, etc bör ni täcka axlar och knän om ni inte vill ha en massa blickar på er.
Gällande shopping är det souqen som gäller för souvenirer, etc men annars finns stora shopping mall man åker till. Villagio, Mall of Qatar, Landmark, Pearl Island och City center heter shoppingmallen ni kan välja på. Pearl Island är som ett bostadsområde med båthamn, restauranger och en del lyxbutiker om ni är ute efter det.
Trevlig resa! 🙂
Hi, which Hotels would you recommend when you want to explore Doha for 2 days. We dont want to be too far outside from everything.
Thx Chris
Hi Chris,
I have written a blog post with a lot of hotels I recommend staying at when you visit Doha. You find it here or on my travel blog: https://www.readyfortakeoff.se/en_GB/hotell-i-doha-jag-rekommenderar-att-bo-pa/
Best Regards,
Charlotte
Hej, kan man betala taxin i Doha med kreditkortet?