The best things to do in Doha and surroundings (Qatar) in 1 or 2 days

It is possible that you Doha city sightseeing tour It will be due to a stopover on your flight with Qatar Airways to a destination on the Asian or African continents.

This is an alternative to the also usual trip via Dubai, which will allow you to fly with the aforementioned company Qatar Airways, just as I did recently.

It is a top-level airline, with a very modern and comfortable fleet of 180 aircraft that reaches 150 destinations around the world.

Therefore, it should not surprise you that it has been awarded the prize on several occasions. Skytrax as the best airline in the world, so flying with it will allow you to see the good reasons for said award.

Curiosities of Qatar

Si vas a travel via Qatar, you should know that it is one of the countries with the highest per capita income in the world thanks, above all, to its large production of liquefied gas, and currently it has gained all the prominence for organizing the F2022 Soccer World Cup, which for the first time is celebrated in winter.

Where is Qatar and what is it like?

It is a very small country that occupies a peninsula that since Saudi Arabia enters about 150 kilometers into the Persian Gulf.

With scarcely 11.000 square meters of surface, most of the country is a plain with a desert of fine sand.

What is the population of Qatar

La Qatar population is 2,9 million, but nationals originating from the country only represent 15 percent of the total, with the majority being immigrants from South Asian countries, such as India, Sri Lanka, or North African countries.

There is also a significant community of Westerners, including more than 6.000 Spaniards.

Qatar It has been an independent country since very recently, since sovereignty was not achieved until 1971, after being a British colony.

The original Qataris, former nomadic Bedouins, are now almost entirely a population with great wealth.

They also enjoy a STATUS that pays them from healthcare or training, even in studies carried out in foreign countries, to electricity or other current expenses.

In your sightseeing trip to Qatar It will be easy for you to recognize the nationals of the country by the uniformity of their clothing.

Thus, all the men wear the typical Arab tunics, made of white cotton with a cap-shaped scarf on their heads, and the women, with their rigorous black tunics, sometimes with their faces covered.

What to do on a one-day stopover in Qatar

When it comes to making your intercontinental flight via Qatar, you have the option to plan a short scale waiting to make the connection with the flight that will take you to the final destination, which due to time will not allow you to leave the airport.

But more than the possibility of having a break at the airport, you can see this stopover as an opportunity to discover a very special country and city, with all its surprising contrasts…and even controversies.

This way you have the alternative of planning a stay of a few hours during which you have enough time to make a Doha city sightseeing tour.

Or also set the scale so that you pass in Doha one or two nightss to make a more complete visit, including the possibility of signing up for activities like a 4×4 excursion through the desert.

The best things to see and visit in Doha

For the different options, and with the experience of my recent trip to Qatar, below you have several suggestions on what to see and do for tourism in Doha.

What to do on a layover at Doha Hamad Airport

In the case of the first option, that you cannot leave the airport, you should know that the Hamad International Airport It is one of the most modern and comfortable in the world.

Opened in May 2014, in addition to more than 70 shops and boutiques and more than 30 restaurants and cafes, in the doha airport you find one VIP lounge with capacity for more than a thousand visitors at the same time, and with services typical of a five-star hotel.

In addition to various other leisure rooms and services, such as relaxation areas, children's games, nurseries or smoking rooms, in the hamad airport you have a comfortable hotel by the hour.

Indeed, you can stay in the hotels with stays of three, six, twelve or 24 hours.

And something that really caught my attention is its Spa Vitality which includes a 25 meter long swimming pool in the center of the airport, as well as massage rooms o clues from squash.

In short, you can enjoy a luxurious stay.

Free tour of Doha from the airport

If you have scheduled a scale of between five and twelve hours, in the same hamad airport you can sign up for a free tour of doha.

In this three-hour tour You will be able to tour the most outstanding tourist enclaves of the Qatari capital.

The visit is done in English and you must reserve it at the booth Doha City Tour from the same airport, and thus you will be able to know the Islamic Art Museum, Katara Cultural Center and Waqif souk, in addition to seeing the famous Doha skyline.

Doha Corniche Boardwalk

Regardless of how you organize your visit, whether on your own, with a hired guide or with the free Qatar Airways tour, Doha Corniche promenade It will be a highlight of your visit.

On this walk that extends up to seven kilometers along the Doha Bay you will have the views of the famous skyline from the financial district from the capital of Qatar.

The ideal point to stop to take photos is near the building of the Islamic Art museum.

There is also the port where the traditional boats that were used for pearl collecting, and which are now used for tourist cruises and events.

Museum of Islamic Art in Doha

Located on one of the artificial islands of Doha, next to the aforementioned promenade, the Islamic Art museum It is a building with a very modern design where on five floors there are several thematic exhibitions of said art.

Specifically, they are objects of crafts and decorative arts of 14 centuries of history, and the Admission is free to visit the permanent collection and you will only have to pay admission to see the temporary exhibitions.

An ideal place to delve into the great artistic wealth of Arab art.

Katara Cultural Center in Doha

Another of the typical visits in your Doha tour is Katara Cultural Center, which also has the name of the Village of Culture and Creation.

It is a complex of buildings whose nerve center is a large open air auditorium, but where you will also see a mosque with golden minaret tower, or even some curious constructions that emulate the traditional birdhouses.

In this cultural center you can visit art galleries and exhibitions, or attend concerts, theater or opera shows.

Souk Souq Wasif in Doha

Beyond the Doha's most modern architectural aspect, In the Qatari capital you also find a most traditional corner, and more in tune with what you can expect to see in an Arab country.

I mean the Souk Souq Wasif, where in a large block of alleys you find the atmosphere typical of the Arab souks, yes, with a “point” of order and cleanliness that is not so common.

At doha souk Of course you will find shops selling clothing, spices, crafts, antiques and all kinds of objects typical of these Arab markets.

You also have bars, tea shops and restaurants, and as you can imagine, the visit will be accompanied by many tourists because Souq Wasif is a essential visit in Doha.

Doha Villaggio Shopping Center

And if what attracts you are the big ones malls type template, riding a Doha You can also visit a really spectacular one.

In a large building that houses more than 35 stores where no luxury brand is missing, in the Villaggio shopping center You will walk through wide hallways with marble floors.

And, above all, you will find corners of Las Vegas, like the area that emulates the canals of Venice (As the Venice hotel of said city in the western United States).

I assure you that if you are looking for a large and very modern shopping center, the one in Doha Will not disappoint you.

4×4 Safari Tour in the Qatar Desert

Did you know that on your trip to Qatar you can “surf” through the dunes of a desert in a luxurious 4×4?

If this tourist activity is attractive to you, in your stopover in Doha You should opt for a stay of one or two nights.

This way you can sign up for a 4×4 excursion through the desert, which takes place in the Doha city outskirts, and whose most complete option takes you to Khor Al Adaid Inland Sea which is located near the capital.

If you want to get an idea of ​​the sensations you may have, don't miss the video that accompanies this article.

Luxury hotels in Doha

And one last tip for your stay in Doha.

If you want to complete one true luxury experience In the Qatari capital, I am going to recommend a hotel that is currently one of the most cutting-edge and fashionable: the Marsa Malaz Kempinski.

During your stay in this majestic hotel you will understand what arabic luxury.

Here you have all the Doha hotel information, which you can reserve at booking.com.