For many years Doha was known simply as a transit city; now people go there in its own right. In the last fifteen years new museums and a metro have come to the city and the old market has been restored. The flight from Baku is short and four or five days are quite enough here. Below I have written how to divide those days.
Souq Waqif and the old city
Souq Waqif is the heart of the city and comes alive in the evening hours. Spices, cloth and carpets are sold in the narrow alleys, while on the floors above there are restaurants. One street is given over entirely to birds, and in the section beside it falcons are kept, which is the region’s ancient hunting tradition.
Do not come here at midday, because the streets empty out from the heat. After seven in the evening, though, families come out and music starts up in the square. The Msheireb district nearby is entirely newly built, but its architectural style is taken from the old houses and there are small museums there.
Museums and the seafront boulevard in Doha
The Museum of Islamic Art is built on an artificial island and holds one of the strongest collections in the world in its field. The building itself is a separate work of art, while from the park behind it you get the best view opening onto the city’s tall buildings. Go there half an hour before sunset.
Qatar’s National Museum is built in the shape of a desert rose and tells the country’s history in three parts. The seafront boulevard called the Corniche is seven kilometres long, is cool in the morning and the evening and is an ideal place to walk. From there you can also take a short trip out into the bay on a traditional wooden boat.
The desert and a one-day route
An hour south of the city is Khor al-Adaid, known locally as the Inland Sea. This is one of the rare places in the world where the sea reaches the sand dunes directly, and it is under UNESCO’s attention. You go there only with a jeep and an experienced driver; entering by car alone is dangerous.
An ordinary desert tour takes half a day and includes dune bashing, a camel ride and sometimes lunch in a tent. Booking the desert tour in advance works out cheaper than negotiating the price at the hotel reception. Keep the second half of the day for the Katara cultural village or the Pearl island.
Transport, clothing and budget in Doha
The metro is new, cheap and links the main tourist points, and free buses run from the stations. From the airport to the centre the metro takes less than twenty minutes. A taxi is comfortable, but do not put yourself in a position where you have to wait in the midday heat. To choose a hotel close to a metro station it is useful to compare Doha hotels on the map.
| Hotel | A four-star night, roughly 80–160 euros |
| Metro ticket | A day card for a few riyals |
| Lunch at the souq | 15–30 euros a head |
| Desert tour | Half a day, 40–70 euros a head |
In clothing a sense of measure is needed: keep shoulders and knees covered, especially in museums and public places. Alcohol is sold only in licensed hotel bars and drinking in the street is forbidden. To avoid standing in the SIM queue at the airport you can load an eSIM onto your phone before the flight. If you know your flight dates in advance, it pays to keep an eye on the price of Baku–Doha flights for a few weeks. Official tourism information is on the visitqatar.com site.
Season in Doha
November–March is the only comfortable period, with 22–28 degrees in the daytime and cool evenings. April and October are transition months and the heat is already noticeable. In June–August the temperature passes forty-five, walking in the street is practically impossible and all life goes on in air-conditioned spaces. Prices follow this same calendar, and hotels get cheaper in summer.
In short
Doha is a short, comfortable and unexpectedly interesting destination, especially in the winter months. Go to Souq Waqif in the evening, go up to the museum park at sunset, and travel the desert only with an experienced driver. If you want to combine the Gulf countries in one route, you can look at the tour options in the Gulf direction. For a visa and a route, fill in the application form.
Note: entry rules and prices are changeable, so check from an official source before travelling.
