FOR many travellers, their introduction to Doha was the 2022 football World Cup, but this pulsating city was a tourist paradise long before Lionel Messi lifted the trophy at the Lusail Stadium.
Book a holiday to the nation’s capital and your days and nights will be packed with things to do and places to see. Here are five reasons to go.
Want to experience Qatar’s incredible capital city for yourself? Start planning your trip at visitqatar.com
1. History and heritage
DOHA, SO GOOD
It’s an oasis of culture, sun, food and fun
– here are five reasons Qatar’s capital
should be on your holiday radar
‘discover concept
stores, galleries and street art’
Doha's Souq Waqif harks back to Qatar's rich cultural and craft heriatge
When the sun sets, the atmospheric alleys of Souq Waqif are an essential part of any Doha itinerary. Handicrafts, jewellery, spices, fabrics and Qatari souvenirs are crammed into every nook and cranny of this popular market, where haggling is welcomed by friendly local merchants. As you chase the bargains, keep your eyes peeled for the distinctive spiral tower of Fanar Mosque, which is one of Doha’s most beloved architectural icons.
DOHA, SO GOOD
PLAY AWAY
With a reputation for luxury and glamour, it’s no surprise to find a string of beautiful hotels in Doha. Among the best is the family-friendly Waldorf Astoria Lusail, which includes a water park and the only ESPA Life Spa in the Middle East, as part of an art deco-style haven spanning 44 floors – with a dazzling Tiffany & Co clock to greet guests in the lobby.
Chic couples will feel right at home at The Ned, a stylish urban hideaway in a former Ministry of the Interior building that riffs on its 1970s design. Expect a fantastic pool, spa and art collection.
A Tiffany & Co clock greets guests at the Waldorf Astoria Lusail
2. Incredible accommodation
Doha is one of the Middle East’s most vibrant hubs for arts and culture, with an ever-evolving calendar of events. Home to more than a million books, the Qatar National Library in Education City is a breathtaking building, designed by famous architect Rem Koolhaas, that mimics the shape of two diagonally folded pieces of paper.
The Museum of Islamic Art, near the Corniche, is another of the city’s landmarks and contains artefacts from the Islamic world in a building by IM Pei (who also designed the glass pyramid at the Louvre in Paris). Multiple Michelin-starred chef Alain Ducasse has a restaurant, IDAM, at the five-storey museum. Once your cultural appetite has been satisfied, take a stroll around nearby MIA park, which has an outdoor winter market.
The Museum of Islamic Art, near the Corniche, is a Doha landmark
3. Cool culture
Visitors to Doha will quickly notice people’s fondness for dressing in high-end labels. If you’re eager to blend in, visit the boutiques inside the department store Printemps at Doha Oasis, or the luxurious Place Vendôme Qatar mall, which transports shoppers to Paris and thrills them with a water fountain show.
Place Vendôme is the spot for some Parisian-style shopping
4. Amazing shopping
Blessed with sunshine all year round, Doha is a dream destination for outdoorsy tourists, with activities such as camping, hiking or a desert safari in a 4x4.
When the temperatures rise in the summer, it’s time for watersports, such as kitesurfing at Fuwairit Kite Beach. For a sedate alfresco experience, book a cabana at Makani Beach Club, at the Four Seasons Hotel Doha, and choose light Mediterranean dishes while listening to a chilled DJ set.
Dedicated watersports fans head to Fuwairit Kite Beach
5. Sun, sun, sun!
Mediterranean cuisine is served with a view at LPM Doha
PLAY AWAY
10
10
The Plaza Doha
lobby, below, and the Maldives-inspired Banana Island, bottom
For families, the Maldives-inspired Banana Island Resort offers a beach, watersports, a surf training pool, water slides, kids’ clubs, a bowling alley, a cinema and a nine-hole golf putting course.
Inside the iconic sword-shaped Katara Towers at Lusail Marina are two more luxury hotels, Raffles Doha and Fairmont Doha, while old-world glamour is the theme of The Plaza Doha, which has a wonderful rooftop infinity pool.
Opening in Lusail City towards the end of this year is Rosewood Doha, widely tipped to be one of the city’s most attractive resorts.
For contemporary art, head to the Fire Station Gallery, which really was home to firemen until its transformation into a cultural space a decade ago. Stop for a coffee at the appropriately named Café #999.
One of Doha’s success stories is Katara Cultural Village, which draws tourists and the city’s art crowd. The impressive opera house is home turf for the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra and attracts the world’s best musicians. Also in the village are a 5,000-seat Greek-style amphitheatre, the Golden Mosque, the mesmerising mosaics of the Katara Masjid, and the inspiring Al Thuraya planetarium.
Finish your visit with a wander around SNAN Food Hall, a beautiful emporium in the outdoor mall 21 High Street – which is also filled with boutiques and places to eat.
While Souq Waqif celebrates Doha’s past, Msheireb Downtown Doha champions the city’s future. A sustainable downtown regeneration project, it offers museums, art galleries, cafés, street art, a cinema, trendy concept stores, the M7 fashion and design centre, and a town square with a retractable roof and eco-friendly air conditioning.
Msheireb is a sustainable downtown regeneration project
‘the plaza doha’s theme is old-world glamour’
‘visit a 5,000-seat
greek-style amphitheatre’
Katara Cultural Village's amphitheatre, below, and the Golden Mosque, bottom
From Paris, take a trip to Venice and visit Doha’s Qanat Quartier, an astonishing remake of the Italian city – including the famous Rialto bridge – with canals, shops and restaurants. Qanat Quartier is set on The Pearl, another of Doha’s most visited tourist destinations, which has the five-star Corinthia Yacht Club and Kai’s Songbird, an offshoot from the Michelin-starred London restaurant.
Another London import, LPM, serves wonderful Mediterranean plates at its location on Al Maha Island, a playground for all ages that’s also home to Lusail Winter Wonderland.
‘qanat quartier
is an astonishing remake of venice’
Loup de Mer Prepare en Croute de Sel - Salt Baked Sea Bass - LPM Doha 1 (name of the file)
‘try camping where the sea
meets the desert’
Doha is a perfect destination for outdoorsy travellers
Doha’s Inland Sea offers more adventures – camel riding, sandboarding and paragliding among them – where the sea encroaches upon the desert dunes. This Unesco-recognised site also makes for a tranquil camping spot.
And, with Qatar’s strong maritime history, plenty of boat trips and dinner cruises on traditional dhows from Doha Corniche enable visitors to gaze at the city’s modern skyline and reminisce about a memorable holiday.