Doha
A crescent bay, a museum like a stack of cubes, and a souk that still smells of spice.
Doha curves around a bay on the Gulf, with the towers of West Bay at one end, the Museum of Islamic Art on its own point at the other and the Corniche between them. Behind the waterfront is Souq Waqif, rebuilt in its old style, and out towards the desert the newer cultural districts and the stadiums built for the World Cup.
Why go
For a compact, comfortable stopover with more to it than the airport suggests: two remarkable museums, a walkable souk, dhow trips on the bay and the desert an hour away where dunes run into the sea.
It is a city that has built its attractions carefully — Katara's cultural village, the rebuilt Msheireb quarter, the National Museum's desert-rose form — and they sit close enough together to see in a couple of days.
Highlights
What people go for, in no particular order.
01The Museum of Islamic Art
The stepped limestone building on its own island at the end of the Corniche, holding textiles, ceramics, manuscripts and metalwork from across the Islamic world, with the skyline framed in its windows.
02Souq Waqif
The rebuilt souk of alleys, shaded arcades and courtyards, selling spices, perfume, fabric and falcons, with shisha cafés and restaurants that fill in the evening.
03The Corniche and the dhows
The waterfront promenade around the bay, with wooden dhows moored below the museum and evening cruises out to see the towers lit up.
04The National Museum of Qatar
The building of interlocking discs, inspired by the desert rose crystal, with galleries on the peninsula's geology, pearling past and rapid present.
05Katara and the Pearl
The cultural village with its amphitheatre, galleries and beach, and the artificial island of the Pearl beside it with marinas, cafés and Venetian-styled canals.
06The inland sea
Khor Al Adaid, where the dunes drop straight into a tidal inlet on the Saudi border, reached by four-wheel drive across the sand for an afternoon or a night in camp.
Areas
Where to base yourself, and what each area is like.
West Bay
The tower district on the bay, with most of the international hotels and the Corniche below. Polished and central.
Souq Waqif and Msheireb
The old heart and the rebuilt Msheireb quarter beside it: boutique hotels in the souk, the museum a walk away, the metro underneath.
The Pearl and Katara
Marina living north of the centre, with beaches, restaurants and the cultural village. Calmer, and a drive from the souk.
When to go: Doha
- WinterNovember – March
- Warm, sunny and comfortable, with the outdoor season of festivals, markets and desert trips in full swing.
- Shoulder monthsApril and October
- Hot by day but pleasant in the evenings, with the crowds of the winter season gone.
- SummerMay – September
- Very hot and humid. Museums, malls and the souk's covered lanes make it workable; the beaches and desert are for the early morning.
Getting there
Airports
One airport in our search serves Doha. Distances are measured in a straight line.
- DOHHamad International
Distance from
- DXBDubai390 km
- BOMMumbai2,300 km
- CDGParis4,960 km
- LHRLondon5,230 km
- SINSingapore6,210 km
- JNBJohannesburg6,240 km
- JFKNew York10,760 km
- SYDSydney12,380 km
Getting around: Doha
The metro links the airport, West Bay, the souk and the stadiums, and is clean and simple to use. Taxis and ride-hailing cover everything else, and distances within the city are short.
The Corniche is a long, flat walk with the skyline in view the whole way. Desert trips and the inland sea need an organised four-wheel-drive outing from the city.
Practical facts
The country, its currency and languages, the time zone and the time there now.
- Country
- Qatar
- Currency
- QAR · Qatari Riyal
- Languages
- Arabic
- Time zone
- Arabian Standard Time
- Local time now
- Calling code
- +974
The atlas
Doha in figures
The figures under this guide: the climate on modelled 2001–2020 averages, how far it is from the UAE, and the places around it.
Climate
The weather in Doha, month by month
- Jan22°
- Feb24°
- Mar28°
- Apr33°
- May39°
- Jun41°
- Jul43°
- Aug42°
- Sept40°
- Oct36°
- Nov29°
- Dec24°
- Mild to warm and dry
- Mild to warm, humid or showery
- Hot
- Cool
- Wet
- Cold
Good for going, on these averages: November to March.
Mean highs run from 22°C in January to 43°C in July, with about 41 mm of rain in a year.
These are modelled averages for 2001–2020; the seasons described above are our own reading of a typical year.
Month-by-month climate for DohaModelled averages for an area about 50 km across, not a weather station's record: NASA POWER climatology, 2001–2020.
Airports
How far it is from the UAE
From DXBDoha
386 km
1 hr 10 mins · Estimate
From AUHDoha
328 km
1 hr 10 mins · Estimate
The great-circle distance, and a rough flying time: the distance at an average 850 km/h plus 45 minutes for take-off and landing. Real flights follow airways, meet headwinds and wait for traffic, so schedules differ.
Plan this trip: Doha
Open the trip builder with Doha already filled in. Flights, stays and everything else are priced together in one quote, prepared by a person on our team.
