Save up to £50 🤑 Steps from the old souq in Doha 🕌
Qatar works well as a short break or a stopover between Europe and Asia. Almost everything happens in Doha: museums designed by star architects, a traditional souq, a 7-km seafront promenade and a new metro that links them. Beyond the city, the desert runs down to the Inland Sea, where dunes meet the water. Our hotel deals are in Doha, close to Souq Waqif and the Corniche.
November to March is the best time to go, with warm, dry days around 25°C. Summers are very hot, often above 40°C, which is when hotel prices drop.
Qatar at a glance:
Flight duration (from London): about 6.5 to 7 hours
Main airport: Hamad International Airport (DOH)
Population: about 3 mln people
Language: Arabic, English widely spoken
Currency: Qatari riyal (QAR)
Time zone: UTC+3
Top places to visit in Qatar
Souq Waqif is Doha’s old market, rebuilt in traditional style with mud-rendered walls and wooden beams. Its lanes sell spices, perfume, textiles and falcons, and the restaurants stay busy late into the night. Visit in the evening, when it is cooler and most lively.
Museum of Islamic Art, designed by I. M. Pei, stands on its own island off the Corniche. Its collection spans 1,400 years, and the park next to it has one of the best views of the Doha skyline.
National Museum of Qatar is shaped like a desert rose crystal and tells the story of the country from Bedouin life to the oil era.
Katara Cultural Village and The Pearl sit north of the centre. Katara has a beach, galleries and an amphitheatre; The Pearl is an artificial island with marinas, cafés and shops.
Inland Sea (Khor Al Adaid) is about an hour south of Doha, where sand dunes run straight into the sea. Go with a licensed tour operator in a 4×4.
Al Zubarah in the north is Qatar’s UNESCO World Heritage site: the remains of an 18th-century pearling town and a restored fort.