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Voykit pocket guide · Qatar
Doha
الدوحة
Doha is a museum-in-the-morning, souq-after-17:00 city: from May to September do only indoor things, and remember that alcohol is served only in licensed hotels.
Doha is compact, air-conditioned and easy, but the rules and the weather are strict. The trips that go wrong land at midnight with a hotel that has no desk, walk the Corniche at noon in June, or arrive in Ramadan expecting daytime restaurants. Four clusters cover a first visit; a stopover of 2–3 nights is enough.
- Country
- Qatar
- Local name
- الدوحة
- Best months
- Jan · Feb · Mar · Nov · Dec
- Time zone
- Asia/Qatar
- Stay
- 1 days: Museum of Islamic Art + Souq Waqif in the evening
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- QAR
- Money
- Keep QAR 200 in small notes for taxis and souq stalls; use bank ATMs in malls or hotels.
- Daily spend
- Budget QAR 150–300 excl. bed · Mid QAR 300–700 excl. bed · High QAR 700+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Ooredoo and Vodafone Qatar sell tourist SIMs at Hamad arrivals and in malls; passport needed.
- Emergency
- Police 999 · Ambulance 999 · Fire 999 · Coast guard 999 · Hamad Medical Corporation information 16060
- Plugs
- Types G, D · 240 V · 50 Hz · UK three-pin sockets are standard; bring a G adapter. Hotels often have universal sockets.
- Tipping
- Cafeteria / karak stall: Nothing.; Restaurant: 10% if no service charge is on the bill.; Taxi / app: Round up QAR 5–10.; Hotel porter / housekeeping: QAR 5–10.; Desert driver / guide: QAR 30–50 per group.
- Water
- Tap water is desalinated and treated to international standards; most residents still drink bottled water, which is cheap.
- Toilets
- Clean Western toilets in malls, museums, metro stations and petrol stations, with a water spray hose. Free.
Get in
By air
- Hamad International Airport (DOH)
- DOH to Msheireb: one taxi or ride-hail car, 30–50 minutes; the Doha Metro also runs from the airport to Msheireb by day, but it is the daytime plan, not the midnight plan.
Get around
Walk inside a cluster; taxi or ride-hailing between clusters.
- Passes
- No pass. Short rides in the centre are cheap; insist on the meter or the app fare.
- Late at night
- The metro closes overnight and opens late on Fridays; taxis and ride-hailing run all night.
See and do
01Museum of Islamic Artمتحف الفن الإسلامي
Go on a cooler morning from opening, 90 minutes inside, then lunch indoors; check the weekly closing day before you go.
02Souq Waqifسوق واقف
Go after 17:00 when it is cool enough and busy; shops keep their own hours and many close for the midday break.
Hours and prices are desk estimates (checked 2026-09); anything marked (check) is not confirmed. Coordinates open in any map app.
Eat
- Shay Al Shomous
- Tea and karak in the souq, walk-in; go at opening after 17:00 or mid-morning; not a full-meal stop.
Sleep
- Msheireb Downtown
- First-timers: a staffed 24h hotel by the metro interchange, 10–15 minutes' walk to the souq and the car reaches the door.
- The Pearl-Qatar
- Quieter, resort-style nights on the marina; far from the museum and souq, so every sight is a car ride.
Language
Arabic is the official language, but most people you meet in hotels, shops and taxis are expatriates from South Asia, the Philippines, Africa and elsewhere, and the everyday language is English. Road signs are in Arabic and English. A few Arabic greetings are appreciated by Qataris and by everyone else.
- Shukran (thank you), min fadlak / min fadlik (please, to a man / woman), inshallah (God willing), yalla (let's go).
- Addresses use zone, street and building numbers on blue plates; a map pin is simpler.
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: 'As-salamu alaykum'; handshake with the same sex; wait for a woman to offer her hand; avoid: Kissing or hugging in greeting in public
- Right hand: Eat, give and take with the right hand; avoid: Passing things with the left hand
- Feet: Sit with feet on the floor; avoid: Showing the soles of your feet to others
- Mosques: Visit Fanar or the State Mosque outside prayer times; women cover hair (abayas lent); avoid: Entering during prayers or photographing worshippers
- Hospitality: Accept coffee and dates when offered; drink at least one cup; avoid: Refusing outright
- Conversation: Ask about family in general terms, praise the country's progress; avoid: Asking about a man's wife or daughters; religion and the ruling family
- Queues and women: Let women and families use their own lanes and carriages; avoid: Sitting in family-only sections as a single man
- Anger: Stay calm in disputes and with police; avoid: Swearing and gestures; both are crimes
Red lines
- No alcohol outside licensed hotels and restaurants; drunkenness in public is an offence.
- Dress modestly in public: shoulders and knees covered.
- No public displays of affection; do not photograph people without permission or government buildings.
Scams (Qatar page)
- Lookalike visa and Hayya sites: Apply only on hayya.qa or the Ministry of Interior; the waiver at the airport is free.
- Unlicensed desert tours: Book licensed operators through Visit Qatar or your hotel; check seatbelts, roll cage and a convoy of two cars.
- Quad bike 'damage': Photograph the bike before riding; keep your ID, not your passport, as deposit.
- Unofficial taxis: Use turquoise Karwa taxis or an app; refuse flat quotes from private cars.
- Rental car damage claims: Video the car at pickup; use big brands; check the excess.
- Fake job and visa offers: Real work visas come through employers; never pay a recruiter for a Qatar job.
One and two days
1 day
The first day of the timed plan.
Day 1 — Museum of Islamic Art, lunch table in the souq
- 08:30Museum of Islamic Art
- mia park (optional)
- 12:30Lunch table 12:30 (Souq Waqif)
- Hotel or AC mall 13:30–16:30; the souq from 17:30.
2 days
The first two days of the timed plan.
Day 1 — Museum of Islamic Art, lunch table in the souq
- 08:30Museum of Islamic Art
- mia park (optional)
- 12:30Lunch table 12:30 (Souq Waqif)
- Hotel or AC mall 13:30–16:30; the souq from 17:30.
Day 2 — Souq Waqif, Falcon Souq, tea
- 16:30Souq Waqif
- falcon souq (optional)
- Shay Al Shomous
- Dinner in the souq; prayer-time closures are short.
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Visit Qatar: www.visitqatar.com/
- Hamad International Airport: dohahamadairport.com/
- Wikivoyage — Doha: en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Doha
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/doha). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.