Doha
Currency
QAR
Language
Arabic, English
Timezone
Qatar
Continent
Asia
Discover Doha
Doha built itself in twenty years around a bay, and its museums carry the argument. The Museum of Islamic Art, designed by I. M. Pei on an artificial island, holds one of the most complete collections of Islamic art anywhere and is worth the trip for the building alone. The National Museum of Qatar, by Jean Nouvel, stacks concrete discs into a desert rose. Facing them, Souq Waqif replays the old market, rebuilt to the original in 2006: it is a reconstruction, and it works. The Qatar National Library and Al Koot Fort complete the centre.
When to go
November to March, without argument: twenty to twenty-five degrees, clear skies, evenings you can spend outside. From April to October the heat becomes extreme, up to fifty degrees in July with high humidity, and life moves entirely indoors. Ramadan changes the hours of everything, restaurants included, and its dates move each year.
Getting around
The metro, opened in 2019, is new, air-conditioned and very cheap; three lines cover what matters and free shuttles handle the last kilometre. Karwa taxis and the apps work well. Walking is pleasant on the Corniche in winter and impossible in summer. Renting a car is only worth it to head out to the desert and the inland sea.
Where to eat
Machboos, spiced rice with lamb or fish, is the Gulf dish. Karak, very sweet milk tea, is drunk at any hour and ordered from the car. Lebanese, Iranian and Indian cooking is everywhere, reflecting the population. Five halal addresses are listed, but the label means little here: almost every restaurant is.
Good to know
The Qatari riyal is pegged to the dollar. Alcohol is sold only in hotels, not in shops, and drinking in public is prohibited. Covered shoulders and knees are expected in public places, and required in museums and government buildings. Friday mornings are quiet until prayers. Most nationalities enter without a visa arranged in advance, for a short stay.
Where to Stay in Doha
Top Activities in Doha
museumMuseum of Islamic Art
museumNational Museum of Qatar
museumQatar National Museum Complex
landmarkFanar Qatar Islamic Cultural Center
landmarkQatar National Library
landmarkEmiri Diwan
Port of Doha
parkAl Bidda Park
Free
Imam Mohammed Bin Abdul Wahab Mosque
Salata Park
Free
landmark