Doha Qatar – a land of shifting sand and flowing cultures, brimming with all walks of life and surrounded by seas of political intrigue and worldly delights.
This expanding nation has been in the news quite a bit lately for various reasons; The next country to host the world cup in 2022 and the accompanying anticipation, and being the epicentre of dogmatic disputes leading to a blockade from its neighbouring countries.
It is a central hub of travel for a large percentage of the world, with Qatar Airways being ranked second best airline in the world and best Airline in the Middle East. Its world-famous International Airport is thrumming with life at all hours and the thundering passage of excited tourists’ and busy businessmen and woman seems to be never-ending – Its highways pulsate with the thick lifeblood of international trade and are swathed in the polychrome beacons which guide the way for intrepid explores looking to find their fortune amongst this flourishing city.
But what is there to do in Doha itself? A city so rich in historical heritage and future innovations offers many delights from a full spectrum of experiences; from cultural and culinary cultivations to adrenaline-inducing activities, and a desert full of mystery and adventure.
Its delightfully easy to explore these wonders in depth, even if your intended destination isn’t Doha itself. Qatar offers more than 80 countries worldwide visa-free entry into Qatar to explore its wonders, which is a treat if you happen to find yourself with the bane of any traveller’s existence – eight-hour transit times between flights.
Look at this list to see if your nationality qualifies for visa-free entry
To ensure your entertainment and cement the perfect Doha experience, here’s a breakdown of the optimum activities and locations to experience during your Qatari adventure.
Cultural hotspots
If soaking up the ethnology of a new country is what gets your engine revving then you’ve struck gold.
Doha holds a huge investment in its people’s history and their story within the Islamic Middle East’s tale. There are massive museums and portals-through-time in the old city where you will be transported to ancient Doha, inhaling the spicy scents and sounds of the legacy that weaves the tapestry of Doha’s lineage.
Katara Cultural Village
The prestigious Katara of Doha is a prized jewel from where one can view a multitude the best artisanship in the country. Thought-provoking sculptures, tantalizing restaurants and Islam inspired craft make up just a few of the available wonders you will want to explore at length. A perfect location to head up to if you want to be stimulated by the high life of Qatar’s art virtuosos’.
Recommendation: Have a snack by the stalls around the pier as you explore the surrounding artwork, or admire the view of the Doha coastline while trying internationally acclaimed flavours at Tea Club
MIA museum
If you’re a historian buff, then prepare to get a kick out of the MIA museum located on one end of the seven kilometres long Corniche. Filled to the brim with ancient Islamic artefacts and murals of Qatar heritage, you’ll spend hours walking the pristine hallways with mouth agape and mind a-whirling.
It hosts a stunning park area that provides a radiant view of the Doha skyline – a must see when exploring the town, especially around sunset.
Recommendation: There’s a heavenly little café right by the best vantage point where you and your loved ones can enjoy a picnic right as the sun sets over the majestic metropolitan.
Souk Wakif
To walk through the Souq central to Doha is to step back through time when beautiful high white sand plaster walls and spice markets were the first markings of what would become one of the richest nations in the world.
Here you can haggle your way through a number of great bargains and enjoy diving head first into the various ethnic groups that form the lifeblood of Qatar. Restaurants ranging from Egyptian to Yemenis to Turkish and everything in between awaits for their chance to leave you enthralled by all the flavours the Middle East has to offer.
Recommendation: Visit the Horse stables and Falcon Souq to immerse yourself in a bygone era of Qatar’s history. Afterwards, visit Damasca One to indulge yourself in the finest Syrian dishes Doha has to offer. Bring along the local currency (The Qatari Riyal) as many stalls and restaurants do not have card machine facilities.
Fun Activities
If you’re a traveller looking to get the heart pumping instead of the eyes roaming, then you’ll appreciate Doha’s wide range of lively activities that promise a merry time for you and your loved ones while you visit the city or need to kill some time between long transit periods in your flight itineraries.
Jet ski
A perfect high noon activity set up within the picturesque backdrop of Doha’s premium beachfront properties. It’s a quick and easy process to rent these jetskis and even if you’ve never had the pleasure of operating one before (such as I) it’s remarkably straightforward to work with.
Enjoy dashing at exhilarating speeds around the sea of Qatar as you get to explore the city’s skyline from new and titillating angles.
Location: The Hyatt hotel beach
Cost: 200 QAR per person
Shooting Range
Those wanting to test their skills in precision and marksmanship need look no further than Lusail Shooting Range. There are two options available; Pellet shooting to test your accuracy level to an imperceptible degree, and clay pigeon shooting to test your ability with moving targets.
This will ensure a fun evening between friends that will lead to everyone begging for, “Just one more round?” before calling it a day.
Location: Lusail Shooting Range, Al Khor Road Detour
Cost
Pellet shooting: QR 50 for 25 rounds
Clay pigeon shooting: QR 100 for a box of 25 shotgun shells
Sky Diving
For the bravest of adrenalin junkies! Soar high and gaze upon Doha alongside Qatari hawks while you engage in this quarter-heart-pounder of an activity. The rush of endorphins and temporary brain shut down will have you sprinting back to the plane to keep chasing that thriller rush.
Falling never felt so good!
Location: Sky Dive Centre in Khor – North of Doha
Cost: ticket prices for various options can be found here
Desert delights
It’s an outlandish world beyond the city borders, where the bright and beckoning lights of the skyline fade away to wispy shades the further out you seek to discover the raw side of Doha’s physiognomy –It’s Desert.
To look beyond the fluctuating shapes of the towering dunes and it’s exalted wildlife to sunsets painting a scorching splash of flaming paint onto a radiating canvas of lilac sky…this is to gaze into the very soul of Doha itself.
Sculptures in the dessert – Oryx Enclosure
West meets East / East meets West; created by renowned artist Richard Serra, this sculpture spans over a kilometre wide and is constructed from four metal columns bearing past the viewer and reaching upwards to claw at the sky.
The obdurate pillars are a regal sight to behold and emphasise greatly the contrast of man’s creation versus the isolation of the stony wilderness. Just a little further onwards from the Pillars you’ll find the Oryx Enclosure where you can view in close proximity the national animal that holds such affection within the hearts of the Qatari people. Right next door to the Enclosure is Film City, originally created as a contemporary remake of an antique Arabic village where the caretakers are more than happy to share some local Karak (a sweet tea enjoyed by Qatari’s and expats alike) and chat about the history of the area.
Also makes for a great spot to have an impromptu photo shoot – like I did of course.
How to organise it:
You can book tours online through this website or organise to rent a 4X4 car to be in control of your own adventure here
Desert Dune Bashing
Stargazing beneath the velvet night among the behemoth dunes of the Qatari Desert is an experience that every national and expat living in Doha will be able to express about with perfect clarity, even if their first time was many moon phases ago.
Thow in delectable food being cooked alongside pristine beach shores while in the arms of your loved ones and there are few moments that can hope to compete against such idyllic conditions.
How to organise it:
This Facebook group called 365 Adventures are based in Doha and can host a number of fun adventures in the desert. They are the best acclaimed for dune bashing and overnight stays in the Qatari desert.
Check out their page here for contact details and what they have on offer.
Rock Climbing
Those looking to test their mettle out among sand and stone will find rock climbing to be a perfect countenance to their desires. The abilities range from complete beginners to slightly more weathered intermediates. The formations are not colossal, so those wanting to test their limits will unfortunately not find too much of a challenge here, but overall it can still be a fun experience for anyone wanting to spend an evening with an enthralling group of gentlemen who take the tours out into the desert for a living. All the equipment is provided by them for a reasonable rate.
How to organise it:
365 Adventures mentioned above can also organise rock climbing, but another great group that specifies in exactly this sort of venture is “The Doha Climbers”. Check out their Facebook page here for more details.
Culinary Captivations
To sample the local dishes, to truly taste Doha’s prime, you need only visit any of these acclaimed restaurants to make you consider catching a later flight to your destination, in order to allow true gratification for your taste buds by languidly suckling on the sustenance offered by these esculent eateries.
Zengo
With premium overhead views of Doha’s busy highways and dazzling architecture designs, Zengo ensures that you start relishing your experience from the instant you sit down at the table. Their primary food is Latin-Asian based and designed principally around ordering a few diverse dishes and sampling each one.
Their quality and freshness are as gratifying as the view and its rated one of my favourite dinner spots for dinner, especially considering their wine list is as filled with a number of exquisite grapes from primarily South Africa and France.
Culinary recommendation: Their Pad Thai is incredibly flavoured and will have you promptly changing your flight destination to Thailand with the flavours dancing along the ridges of your tongues edge. Green Thai curry is also a well-known favourite. A side plate of edamame beans can only be a good choice in this establishment.
Al Liwan @ Sharq Village & Spa
The setup is a catered buffet style which makes it ideal for a mid-day lunch establishment. It can be a little pricey but the food on display is ambrosial in quality and offers a wide range of first-rate flavours for all diet types.
Set in the heart of Doha in the Sharq Village and Spa, it encompasses the epitome of class and elegance with its display of delicate artwork on the walls working well with the lavish interior design. This is where the cream of Doha Society come for lunch and it exhibits that mantle with pride.
Culinary recommendation: It’s buffet style so make sure you have a proper walk-around to find the real prizes. The only set back to the food is there are more types on display than you could possibly finish in one sitting – leading a to a classic fear of missing out a delectable dish or two. The Juices and milkshakes are freshly made and perfectly refreshing for a lunchtime repast.
Turkey Central
Here we find ourselves in the nitty gritty heart of what makes up a central pillar of Doha culture. The Turkey Central Restaurant is located within the thumping arteries alongside the beating heart of the City Centre. Less grandiose than previously mentioned establishments, this hearth prides itself on reputable cuisine and down to earth management.
The food is freshly made with care and implores you to savour the Turkish flavour. Its one of the city’s latest hour working restaurants, and so makes for a perfect spot for the weary wanderer looking to grab something to eat even in the twilight hours and still be impressed by their plate’s contents. Turkey Central is also adjacent to a number of Shisha shops and other market areas if you would be interested in diving headfirst into the commonly tangible side of Doha life and not just the excursionist highlighted areas of town.
Culinary recommendation: If you don’t try the kebabs then you are wasting yours and everyone else’s precious time. Depending on the size of the party I would get between two or three different kind of meats from the kebab section and two portions of the Arabic bread to wrap them in. Generous portions of hummus and yoghurt mint dip really bring the victuals and pita together.
*NOTE*If you are a vegetarian/ Vegan or seeking alcohol then this location is less than ideal.
Do’s and Don’ts in Doha
- Doha is a progressive City, but it still has deep Islamic values. Try not to wear clothing that is too revealing, rather choose an outfit that covers at least the shoulders and knees.
- In the city Centre areas, away from the Expat regions like the Pearl and West bay, English is not a well-known language. I can’t tell you how many times I was looking for a specific place in the Souq and couldn’t get help. I recommend trying to get the name of a place you’re seeking in its original Arabic name as well, – this is much easier for them to ascertain what you need, and they will help you accordingly.
- In the older regions of the town and further out into the desert, card facilities are few and far between. Always try to carry at least 100 Qatari Riyals on your person at all times (don’t worry about any sort of crime, Doha is literally one of the safest cities in the world).
- Preferably visit Doha in the months of November to April. The weather is always pleasant that time of year, but during the months of May to September, it can be very hot and humid. You can still do a great many things indoors (The AC game is incredible in this country) but the outside activities will not be comfortable to take part in.
- Uber is the best way to get around the city. Cheaper than regular taxis and there’s a large number of Ubers so no waiting time to speak of.
- If you don’t buy a Thobe, a ghutra and an agal (quite the tongue twisters for a westerner) and take a selfie in it, then how will anyone be sure you visited Doha at all?
