What to do for a great stopover in Doha, Qatar
Last updated on May 20th, 2026 at 09:31 am
Got a stopover in Doha, Qatar?
Instead of waiting at the airport, you can use your layover as a chance to explore one of the Middle East’s most modern and fast-growing cities. From traditional markets and waterfront views to museums, local food, and desert experiences, there’s plenty to see even if you only have a few hours. This guide covers the best things to do on a Doha stopover, plus tips to help you make the most of your time between flights on a layover.
First a few important links to use when you plan your trip. They are affiliate links, but I use them all for my travels, and if you do too it will help me keep producing this content – and at no extra cost to you. Cheers!
Plan for your trip
Flights – use skyscanner or booking.com to find and book your flight – I often find the same flight for a lot cheaper than booking direct with the airline!
Insurance – Use EKTA or SafetyWing. TBH I usually use EKTA – they accept any nationality, any age and its ok if you are already traveling – which is perfect for me!
Accommodation – use booking.com or for a hostel – Hostelworld. I use both.
Internet – buy a yesim eSim or Airalo before you go. I use both depending on where I am going.
Buses, trains, ferries – 12Go is always my first option for buses, ferries and trains.
Car rental – use DiscoverCars – they are my ‘go-to’ car rental site
Hiking – I use AllTrails for online and offline hiking trails – it means you know exactly where you are on the trail and makes getting lost a lot harder!!
Tours and Activities – book with Viator, GetYourGuide, or Eatwith. These are my top picks for you in Doha:
- Guided City Tour with Airport and Hotel Pickup – 4 hours
- Traditional Dhow Cruise With Sunset & Skyline View – 1 hour
- Desert Safari, Quad Bike, Sandboarding and Camel Ride – 4 hours
Thanks so much if you use one of these links – it costs you nothing but helps me keep writing!
Introduction to your stopover in Doha
If you are flying from one hemisphere to the other, one of the best airlines for price and service is Qatar. They are also one of the very few airlines that make it easy to book a flight online with a long stopover – long enough to go and see what the country has to offer.
Apart from the obvious benefit of not doing a 5-6 hour flight, followed immediately by (in many cases) a 10-12 hour flight, it gives you a chance to get a peek into this tiny and wealthy and fast growing country!
I’ve split this post up into the following sections to help you work out what to do on a stopover in Doha and Qatar – no matter if you have a short few hours or a few days:
- Things to know about Hamad International Airport in Doha Qatar
- Transit for 2-5 hours – and what to do when waiting in Doha’s Hamad International airport
- What to do on a stopover for 6-10 hours from Doha’s Hamad International Airport
- What to do on a stopover for 20-24 hours in Doha
- What to do on a stopover for 1-3+ nights in Doha and Qatar
- Where to stay in Doha, Qatar
Important information and tips for Hamad International Airport in Doha
Immigration and Transit Visas
If you are going to leave the airport, or change to a different airline in Doha, then you will need a Transit Visa.
If you are not leaving the airport, and, not changing to a different airline for your next flight, then skip this section. You do not need a Transit Visa.
Even if you are not leaving the airport, but you are changing from one airline to another, then you will have to have the Transit Visa to collect your bags to check in again with your next airline.
If you come from one of the 95 countries that do not need any pre-approval for a visa then you can simply arrive, present your passport with at least 3 months validity, your onward ticket and hotel bookings if staying overnight – and voila you will be given the Transit Visa on arrival!
If you do not have a passport from one of those countries, then the Transit Visa is available for 96 hours for all nationalities but only if you are flying with Qatar Airlines.
Note: If you are leaving the airport – you need 5 hours or more to safely visit Doha and get back in time for your next flight.
Your Luggage
If you using the same airline for your inbound and outbound flight, and are on a long layover, e.g. 24 hours, rather than a stopover for a night or two with accommodation, then normally your luggage will remain with the airline and go onto your next flight. You do not need to collect it and carry it around for the day. Do check and confirm when you check your luggage in for your first flight – just to be sure.
If you do have to collect your luggage at Doha and want to leave some of it at the airport, you can leave it at Bounce Luggage Storage which is close to the airport metro station.
Airport Hotels
There are transit hotels at the airport – the Oryx Airport Hotel, and the sleep ‘n fly Sleep Lounge which does short (a few hours) stays.
Airport Lounges
If you do not have access to a lounge through your airline, you can buy a lounge pass for your stopover, or for prior to your next flight.
Transit layover for 2-5 hours – what to do when waiting in Doha’s Hamad International Airport!
If you are just having a short transit stop, Doha is a great airport for that. Its not quite Singapore’s Jewel Changi airport, but its pretty good all the same! So this is what to do on a stopover in Doha’s Hamad Airport:
1. Find all the art installations in the airport
There are a number of art objects created by local, regional and international artists throughout the airport – some very large and obvious like Lamp Bear by Swiss artist Urs Fischer.
Lamp Bear takes center stage in the middle of the terminal – its a 7meter (23-foot) yellow teddy bear sculpted from bronze, that sits peacefully inside a lamp!!
There are one hour tours of the art installations at certain times of day. Ask at the information counters about this if that interests you.
2. Go shopping or dining
There are plenty of shops – everything from Coach to Burberry to Apple and Dior – all duty free of course! And equally plenty of options for dining – how about Gordon Ramsay Burger or Harrods Tea Room? Walk around and see what you find.
3. Chill out in ‘the Orchard’
Hanging out in The Orchard is definitely my favorite option. (Although its fun to mix it up with a walk around looking for the art installations.) The Orchard is found at the end of terminal C near all the C gates with high numbers, like C45! It is actually signposted as “The Garden” not The Orchard. (Who knows why?). But anyone working there will point you in the right direction if you can’t find it.
So what is “The Orchard?” Its a 10,000 square meter (about 107,000 square foot) indoor tropical garden – conveniently lined with a plethora of coffee shops! You can walk over sky bridges looking down through the treetops, or just wander through the lush green of the gardens themselves. Its a great place to relax and sip your coffee.
4. Relax in a lounge or hotel
If you do not have access to a lounge through your airline, you can buy a lounge pass for your stopover or for prior to your next flight. Alternatively you can book a few hours to relax and hopefully sleep at the sleep ‘n fly Sleep Lounge in the terminal.
Just a note on timing:
I think you really need six hours (rather than the recommended five hour minimum) to comfortably leave the airport and head to the city. You could go independently to the city or, take a tour. I advise a tour as the driver / guide should ensure you are back in time for your next flight.
Do note that Qatar Airways and most other airlines board their passengers usually an hour before flying, so you do want to be at the gate in time.
What to do on a stopover for 6-10 hours from Doha’s Hamad International Airport
You can either take a tour or explore alone – or maybe a bit of both! Time is relatively short but you can get a lot done.
1. Take a Doha layover tour
Taking a tour is the easiest way to spend your time – you don’t need to organize anything other than book the tour. do note that tours in Qatar are all priced at one price so if there is only you it is much more costly than if you go with 2 or 3 others. There was no way I could find anyone who was doing a tour that I could join in on with other people – and I really tried!!
The most popular things to do are the city tours and the desert tours – all from 1 to 8 hours. If you arrive later in the day an evening tour is a great option too. These are some of the best tours – and they almost all include pick up and drop offs:
Doha city tours – 1-6 hours
Guided City Tour with Airport and Hotel Pickup – 4 hours
Full Day City Highlights Private Tour – 6 Hours
Traditional Dhow Cruise With Sunset & Skyline View – 1 hour
4 hour desert tours
Desert safari with sand boarding, camel ride and the Inland Sea
Desert Safari, Quad Bike, Sandboarding and Camel Ride
Nighttime Desert Safari with Dune Bashing & Camel Ride
Night Desert Safari Stargazing & Camel Ride
4-8 hour exploring Qatar and desert tours
Full Day Tour to Qatar North And West – 8 hours
North of Qatar Guided Tour – 4 hours
Combo tour – city and desert
Combo Tour City Tour With Desert Safari – 8 hours
Note
You can check out all the GetYourGuide tours and all the Viator tours and make your choice.
2. Explore alone
The best way to explore alone is to use the Metro – and its cheap! Just outside the airport is a metro station. It costs about $3 for a full day pass. The metro goes to most of the places you might want to see and is easy to navigate – and also super clean and efficient!
The other thing to note is that uber is cheap here. So if you want to get to a place that is not quite on the metro just grab an uber!
Finally…..do not try and use the bus system. Its a nightmare. If you read a blog that says get the 777 bus or similar then you know its out of date. The metro rules and I found that all out the hard way for you!!
So what to do if you only have a few hours? The best thing to do is decide ahead and pick things that are relatively close if you only have, for example, three hours outside the airport.
My suggestion for what to do on a shorter stopover in Doha is to head to the Souq Waqif first. Its on the orange metro line and the stop is literally called Souq Waqif. From there you can see quite a few of the highlights in Doha.
These are my key highlights for a short stay:
Shop at the Souq Waqif
This is a very vibrant and colorful marketplace where you will see the locals going about their business – with other tourists also shopping and taking the insta-shots! The building itself is traditional Qatari architecture dating back to around 1900.
Visit the amazing Souk Waqif Falcon Hospital and shops
Close by is the Souk Waqif falcon hospital among an area specializing in falcons. It is fascinating. Falconry is a way of life in Qatar and falcons are held in high esteem as an essential part of Qatar’s heritage. They are also the Qatar national bird. See the locals having their falcons tended to, or spending hours purchasing a new falcon.
Stroll (or scooter) the Corniche as far as the oryx for great views
Nearby is “The Corniche” – a seven kilometer crescent shaped promenade overlooking the beautiful harbor and the city opposite! You can’t visit Doha and not take at least a short stroll on the Corniche – and a great way to get around the Corniche is to take a scooter! The views are wonderful.
While you are there you will get lots of offers to go out on one of the traditional Dhow boats. If you have time and it takes your fancy – go. Its very pleasant to be on the water.
Take in some history and enjoy the views at the Museum of Islamic Art
Also nearby is the Museum of Islamic Art. Even if you don’t want to spend time in the museum itself, its a great building and has super views over to the city.
The museum itself has a huge collection and many masterpieces from across the globe showing the diversity of Islamic heritage. the books were my favorite thing – beautiful!
If you have any extra time in either the National Museum of Qatar, or, the Katara Cultural Village and Katara Blue Mosque.
What to do on a stopover for 20-24 hours in Doha
If you have more time, then do all of the above and add on any of these things:
See the amazing architecture of the National Museum of Qatar
Not far away from the Museum of Islamic Art is the National Museum of Qatar. If you are short on time, then an uber is a good option to get there, but you can walk as well. The building alone is amazing to see so, again, even if you don’t want to go inside, I highly recommend you see the architecture of this building!
Visit the Katara Cultural Village – including the Blue Mosque, the amazing pigeon towers, the beach and parks!
This is a place you can literally spend a day at! It’s a cultural complex which combines art, music, nature and heritage – as well as shopping and dining! It’s interesting to see and wander through the laneways, art galleries and displays, the amphitheater, and to visit the mosques – gold and blue.
You can enter the blue mosque – there is an entrance for women to the left of the front entrance and suitable clothing to borrow just inside. Its beautiful to look at from the outside as you watch people coming and going from the mosque.
I also absolutely loved the pigeon towers by the blue mosque. They are fascinating structures and have an interesting background story. They are found all over the Middle East – originally coming from Persia and India. They have been historically important in farming – raising birds for fertilizer, feathers and sometimes their meat.
If you have an interest in space there is also a free planetarium, and, if you have kids, a building that is designed as a huge wrapped gift box has the children’s play museum called ‘OliOli’ inside!
There are two green spaces adjoining the village which are good for a walk in something more natural and quiet. Finally, there is a beach here – and the water in Qatar is crystal clear and warm!
As you can see there is a lot to do here and you can spend as long or short a time as you like!
Sit in a cafe in Little Venice on Pearl Island
Pearl Island is very manmade and really quite “twee,” but the buildings are colorful and the Little Venice area pleasant for a coffee break and to people watch!
Get some pics in the Mina District and the Old Port
Another colorful area is the old port, which is not far from the National Museum! There are (recently developed) quaint cobbled streets and pastel-colored buildings which is all very good for your insta-shots! You can see the cruise ships docking and visit a very stunning building which houses – wait for it……….. the Mina fish market!
4. What to do on a stopover for 1-3+ nights in Doha and Qatar
After all the above things to do in Doha, there are still more options.
Take a dhow boat ride
If you have the time, take it to enjoy the city from the water. You can go for quiet and peaceful – especially during the day – or party hard dhow boats – especially at night! Either way its very pleasant and the views back on the city are great!
Swim at one of the beaches
there are plenty of beach options in Doha and the water is beautifully clear and warm. Katara beach we have already mentioned, but there is also West Bay Beach and Corniche Beach. Some hotels have beaches attached to hotels like the Four Season beach.
See the incredible classic cars at the Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani Museum
If you love classic cars, this museum has 300 of them! As well as 30,000 exhibits of Islamic Art, Qatar Heritage, International Artifacts, Carpets, Jewelry and Textiles!
Note that its not easy to get to – you need a car or take the metro to the last station to the west and get an uber or taxi.
Get back to nature at Purple Island – snorkel, swim, walk, and kayaking
Just north of town is Purple Island and a huge mangrove area. The island is surrounded by calm water with a pretty purple color from the seashells. You can walk around on the paths through the trees seeing lots of birds like herons and flamingos, snorkel – there is coral and tropical fish around of course.
An easy way to see this area is on a kayak. This 2-hour tour or this 4-hour tour will pick you up from the city and get you on your kayak! Alternatively you could get the metro to the last stop in the north, then uber to Purple Island. You can walk or kayak or swim or do whatever you want. It can easily take up a full day for you.
Take a tour – get out of town and into the desert and to the north and west!
I would definitely also recommend a tour out of town as well! You can check out all the GetYourGuide tours and all the Viator tours and decide what you like – recommendations are below.
Go 4wd and sandboarding in the desert, or, stargazing and to the Inland Sea. And my top pick is to go to the North and the West and see things like the stunning landscapes in the Zekreet area, the fascinating Camel Racing track (if you can get to a race – do), and Richard Serra’s famous sculpture in the desert!
Desert safari with sand boarding, camel ride and the Inland Sea – 4 hours
Desert Safari, Quad Bike, Sandboarding and Camel Ride – 4 hours
Nighttime Desert Safari with Dune Bashing & Camel Ride – 4 hours
Night Desert Safari Stargazing & Camel Ride – 4 hours
Full Day Tour to Qatar North And West – 8 hours
Frequently asked questions about travel to Doha, Qatar
Q: Can you leave Doha Airport during a layover?
A: Yes, as long as you have a minimum of at least six hours before your next flight you can get a Transit Visa and visit the city.
Q: Is Doha safe for tourists?
A: Yes very safe – normal precautions apply.
Q: Is a Doha stopover worth it?
A: Absolutely, yes. Even a few hours or a day gives you a great taste of Qatar.
Q: Do you need a visa for a Doha stopover?
A: Most nationalities get a Transit Visa on arrival – see the information above for more details.
Q: What are the best things to do during a Doha stopover?
A: Key activities are visiting the Souq Waqif, walking along the Corniche, and exploring the Museum of Islamic Art, but see all the information above for more options.
Q: What should you wear in Doha?
A: Doha is modern, but Qatar has conservative cultural expectations. Wear lightweight clothing that covers shoulders and knees – men and women.
Travel tips for Doha, Qatar
- Don’t waste your time trying to use buses. The metro is brilliant and Ubers are cheap. Stick to those for easy and convenient transport to and from the airport, and around the city.
- Doha gets extremely hot, especially between May and September. Plan for outdoor activities int he evenings when it is cooler where possible, e.g. the Corniche or Katara Cultural Village.
- Always carry water with you – everywhere! As said, it gets very hot! Sun hats and sunnies are definitely recommended.
- Be aware that restaurants and opening hours can change during Ramadan, and eating or drinking publicly during daylight hours is generally restricted during this period.
- Download google maps for Doha and set up the Uber app before you arrive to save time and hassle.
- Avoid taking photos of government buildings, military sites, and people without permission!
- Doha feels very safe but don’t forget to take the usual safety precautions!
Where to stay in Doha, Qatar
There is a wide range of options in Doha, although like most of the area, the budget hostels are missing. Book a hotel with booking.com or Tripadvisor. You can start with these hotels are all reviewed at over 9/10 unless noted!
Extreme Luxury – Katara Hills Doha
High End – Raffles Doha or Four Seasons Resort and Residences at The Pearl
Mid Range – The Ritz-Carlton or The Chedi Katara Hotel & Resort
Good Value – The OQ, or the InterContinental Doha Beach & Spa, or the Embassy Suites By Hilton Doha Old Town
Budget – the Warwick Doha or Ramada Encore Doha by Wyndham
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