CITIES VISITED:

• Doha (3 nights) – I visited Doha as part of Qatar Airways layover program which allows you to extend your layover up to 4 nights. I decided to add 3 nights so I could spend 2 full days exploring my first country in the Middle East!

PRO TIPS:

• I felt SO safe here. No issues walking around by myself day or night 🙂
• Cash isn’t really necessary. Everywhere I went accepted my credit except a few street food vendors at the Souq Waqif market, which were cash only.
• Double check if you need a visa before arriving. US citizens (when I went) did not need to get a visa ahead of time, but need to purchase a visa on arrival which cost about $20usd. I paid with card at Immigration. It was very smooth.
• Think about the time of year you are visiting. I was here in September & it’s unbelievably hot & humid during the day, which made it difficult to spend the whole day exploring. Both days I headed back to the hotel from ~12-3pm because it was just too hot to do anything besides sit in the AC. I can only spend so much time at the indoor malls lol.
• Ubers are very cheap & reliable. I never waited more than 3 min for one & my longest uber was 27 min and cost me $8.50.
• English was pretty hit or miss, but it never really affected my experience.

CITY: DOHA

HOW LONG: 3 NIGHTS

ACCOMMODATION:

I booked my hotel as part of the Qatar Airways extended layover program so I had to pick from a list of hotels they offered. I chose the Central Inn Souq Waqif. It’s listed as a 4 Star hotel, and while it was a lovely stay, I am not sure I would call it luxurious to set expectations. However, it was perfectly pleasant in a great location to use as a base to explore Doha. I could walk to the Souq Waqif market & ubering from here was easy. The included breakfast buffet was extensive and delicious. The AC in the room was glorious & the water pressure in the shower was incredible. There is an indoor pool, gym, & spa as well. The front service folks were kind & helpful. I would recommend staying here unless you are looking for a more luxurious experience. 

WHERE TO EAT:

At pretty much every stop you’ll make in Doha, you’ll find plenty of air-conditioned restaurants ready to feed you. They might be pricier as is typical when at a tourist destination, however you’ll never go hungry. It’s definitely easier to find Western food at these spots than local food, but menus will often have a mixture of both. I wouldn’t say I did a great job of finding quality food while I was here (but that’s usually not my focus haha). 

• I had some chicken schwarma at a restaurant at the Souq Waqif market. I just wandered around and found a spot. There are lots of stalls here but bring cash as they don’t take card. Sadly, I didn’t take cash out while here so I couldn’t stop at any of them. 
• I had a smoothie bowl at Harvest coffee at the west walk mall, a hip, swanky, small cafe.
• The Breakfast Club at Qanat Quartier – classic brunch spot but expensive. To be fair the whole area is but just warning you. I love an all day breakfast spot so was happy to have (beef) bacon stuffed French toast at 5pm ☺️
• At one of the malls I found a specialty date store which had tons of fun flavors of date stuffed or date covered desserts. I tried a coconut date ball, a peanut butter stuffed date, a raspberry jam stuffed date covered in dark chocolate, and a dark chocolate covered date stuffed with peanut butter! Delightful 🙂

WHAT TO DO:

I only had 2 days here so I tried to optimize for what I wanted to see but also knowing the heat would prevent me from doing too much. I balanced indoor & outdoor activities so I wouldn’t actually melt into the ground haha. There is a subway that is cheap and easy to use, but because I was only here for 2 days, I ended up ubering almost everywhere for efficiency. It helped that ubers were incredibly cheap. 

Day 1

• National Museum of Qatar – this was a highlight for me because it combined learning about the history of this tiny country with a stunning architectural building that was so fun to photograph! Would highly recommend coming here. Also this was mostly indoors so a break from the sun.

• West Walk – this is an upscale outdoor mall with air-conditioning (even thought it’s outside!) I enjoyed this, but wouldn’t say it’s a must-do. 

• I scheduled myself a massage as another way to beat the heat. I am also trying to have a massage in as many countries as I can 🙂 I did come across a lot of massages places that seemed slightly suspect, but this place came highly recommended and is specifically for women – LOVE! They have a few locations. I had a 90 min massage for $35 so very reasonable (much better than $110 my hotel wanted for a 60 min massage).
• Souq Waqif – a gorgeous old outdoor market with lots of vendors selling traditional clothing, fabric, food, and more. There are also plenty of full on restaurants. The architecture is beautiful and classic, unlike a lot of Doha which is modern, new and reflects a more Western style. 

Day 2

Mina District – this port village is beautifully built with cobblestone streets, pastel buildings, cruise ships, and a big fish market. It draws inspiration from traditional Qatari architecture and coastal cities. I LOVED taking pictures here!!

Katara Cultural Village – this stop came highly recommended… and I didn’t love it. I just didn’t really understand what I was supposed to see. It was huge and outdoors (so to be fair I was very, very hot as I was walking around). There were a ton of restaurants, an outdoor theater, a beach, and a mosque, but it was all empty when I was there (maybe people are smarter than me & decided to stay indoors during the day haha). Overall I just couldn’t quite understand this place.

Qanat Quartier – This place was pretty cool. A new development on Pearl Island inspired by Venice, with picturesque canals, colorful buildings, and vibrant cafes. It was one of my other favorite stops for photos. I didn’t plan it this way, but I ended up here at sunset which was magical for lighting!

Vendôme Mall – this is the largest mall in Qatar & the architecture is French inspired. It’s GORGEOUS, but at the end of the day it’s still a mall, and malls aren’t overall that interesting to me. There is a cool lights/water show that happens hourly, which is a fun experience. I would say it’s definitely worth a visit since going to malls is kinda culturally what you do here, but no need to spend a ton of time here unless you love shopping! There were plenty of fun stores, including a lot of familiar US brands.

Other ideas to consider:

• Villaggio Mall – Similar to the Venetian in Las Vegas where you feel like you are in Venice but you’re actually inside (in AC in a mall 🙂 )
• Al Maha Island – Great views of the skyline in Doha + the famous Crescent Towers. Lots of restaurants & an amusement park. Lots of photo opportunities!
• The Pearl – Qanat Quartier is actually on Pearl Island but there are other parts of the island you can walk around & enjoy.
• Head out of Doha into the desert for a half day of sand surfing and ATVs. There are plenty of tour operators who offer this.
• Take an evening Dhow boat cruise for sunset or dinner. A lovely way to see the skyline of Doha.

OVERALL THOUGHTS:

I was pleasantly surprised by my experience here. I felt so safe, it was easy to get around with uber, there was plenty to do, but I also didn’t feel rushed. Doha is a photographer’s dream as there is so much variety in what you see, plenty of color, and a fun juxtaposition of new & old. It’s also incredibly diverse. I actually felt like I interacted more with people from other countries who had immigrated than local Qatari people (I met folks from Pakistan, India, Saudi Arabi, Morocco, Tunisia, etc). I throughly enjoyed my experience, but I also don’t feel the need to rush back or wish I had spent a week here. Would definitely recommend spending a few days here if you are ever flying through and have the opportunity to extend your layover!

BUDGET FOR 3 DAYS IN QATAR:

• Accommodation: $150 ($50 per night)
• Food: $67
• Activities: $0
• Local Transportation: $67
• Miscellaneous: $110 (clothes + massage)

Total: $394 (Daily average: $131) 

Transportation to next destination: $100 (Flight to Baku)