On a recent trip to the Maldives, Dan and I spent a few days in Doha, Qatar en route. We selected Doha because (1) you have to connect when traveling to the Maldives from the New York area and (2) we have already been to Dubai and Abu Dhabi (the other two big connection spots in the Middle East – the other connection option is Europe). We enjoyed our weekend stay, but we are not in a rush to return to Doha, simply because we didn’t find too, too much to do, and it was very reminiscent of a less exciting Dubai. That being said, the people of Doha were lovely, we were treated very well in Doha, and I would have no problem stopping over in Doha again if the time/price was best (its just not the most exciting IMO). This post details what we did in Doha during our weekend getaway!
Souq Waqif in Doha, Qatar – one of Doha’s best activities for tourists.
WHAT WE DID IN DOHA
From our experience, there are not many “bucket list” sites in Doha. There are a few museums, of which we visited one, water views, a nice souq (i.e. shopping), some amusement parks, upscale malls, and a pretty corniche. We felt Doha was like a smaller, less exciting Abu Dhabi (which is a smaller, less exciting Dubai IMO). We were not “wowed” by Doha, but we did really enjoy, and highly recommend, the Museum of Islamic Art. We did all the below over the course of 3 nights and 2.5 days in Doha.
Visit the Souq Waqif at Night.
Souq Waqif is one site that everything I read said I must visit in Doha, so we put it on our schedule and ended up going back to Souq Waqif a second time for dinner. Compared to other souqs I have visited, Souq Waqif is a well organized, safe souq that is very busy in the evenings with tourists and locals congregating to eat, shop, and socialize. You will find lots of shopping, all sorts of sweet treats, children’s balloons, coffee, shisha, and sit down dinner spots (many of which require a reservation). In fact, the only thing you won’t find here is alcohol, which is not sold in any of the restaurants in the Souq. I suggest making a dinner reservation for a sit down dinner in the Souq and either coming an hour earlier or staying after dinner to explore the Souq. Souq Waqif is easy to navigate and not scary at all – bargaining is not crazy, no one is hounding you to buy, and its really well lit, plus everyone we encountered spoke English and accepted credit card. Tourists can catch an Uber right outside of the Souq. And, be sure to visit in the evening, when the Souq really comes to life. It is open during the day, but its not at its finest or busiest.
This is Souq Waqif.
The children’s balloons I mentioned – they are everywhere. The Souq is very child friendly, even at night, and you will see lots of families out and about.
Great shopping.
A hand blown glass shop. I loved these hookah ornaments.
And this weird statute of a gold thumb….
Museum of Islamic Art
Doha has numerous museums, but I was most interested in the Museum of Islamic Art. Located not too far from Souq Waqif at the end of Doha’s Corniche, the Museum of Islamic Art is an interesting art museum that can be seen in as little as an hour. We stayed about 3 hours, but that included a relaxing coffee break and some shopping in the nice gift shop on site. The museum’s collection represents Islamic art from three continents over 1,400 years, including metal work, ceramics, jewelry, wood work, textiles, and glass. While tied to a religion, the museum is not religion-oriented, there is not a strict dress requirement, and you can enjoy the museum even if you know nothing about Islam. We really enjoyed the exhibits and the views of Doha’s West Bay from outside the museum.
The Museum of Islamic Art on its own man-made island, quite the sight in itself.
Impressive promenade to the museum.
That’s the West Bay in the background.
The grand entrance to the Museum of Islamic Art.
This is a piece by an Afghani calligrapher.
Gorgeous jewelry here.
Another exhibit that was impressive.
A bedazzled parrot.
Doha’s West Bay
Doha’s “West Bay” is the area of Doha across from the Museum of Islamic Art on the opposite side of the Corniche. The West Bay is home to many tall buildings, including our hotel. There is not too much to do here in terms of sight seeing aside from the modern buildings, but some of them are quite interesting.
Views from our hotel in the West Bay.
An interesting building on the West Bay.
Yet another interesting building.
Also a red gorilla sculpture.
One more interesting building.
The Corniche
Doha’s Corniche is the crescent shaped walk/road connecting the West Bay to the more touristy party of Doha, including the Museum of Islamic Art. People can walk the entirety of the Corniche on a paved path; we did this and it took about 1.5 hours. The road along the Corniche is lined with beautiful palm lights – this was one of my favorite things in the city.
View of the West Bay from the Corniche.
An odd statute along the Corniche. This is the mascot for the upcoming Asia Games.
I liked this statute.
Another pretty statute on the corniche.
The Yellow Bear/Lamp at the Airport
I feel a little weird about adding this, but one of Doha’s most popular sites is the giant yellow bear (or lamp?) at Qatar’s airport, LOL. Either a lamp or a bear, the bear has no name and is an art installation created by Swiss artist Urs Fischer. The bear is located in the main area in the airport just after checkin, so guests on any flight can easy catch a glimpse.
The famous lamp/bear at the Qatar airport.
What We Missed in Doha
Of course, we did not see all Doha has to offer during our short stay. Some things I would like to visit in the future are Doha’s beaches, which have gorgeous blue water, the National Museum of Qatar, a day trip into one of the surrounding deserts, and a ride on one of Doha’s famous dhows (the boats). Ah, next time!
The touristy popular dhow boat.
WHERE WE ATE IN DOHA
We ate pretty well in Doha, although no where that we would make a special visit to return. Food in Doha was reasonably priced and tourists can find many types of food in Doha, from Middle Eastern, to Western, to Asian. The one issue I had was almost none of the restaurants serve alcohol – only those in tourist hotels that have licenses. While I get that its the culture and that’s totally fine, I still like a glass of wine with my dinner, LOL. To satisfy that desire, most restaurants have a robust list of mocktails, fresh juices, and tea/coffee beverages.
Damasca One
We dined at Damascus One our second night in Doha. Located right in Souq Waqif, Damascus One serves Middle Eastern cuisine in a casual setting, with indoor and outdoor seating. Make an advance reservation for seating on the cute outdoor patio overlooking the Souq. The food at Damasca One was solid and prices were reasonable. Service was quick (quicker than I like), but I found to be common during our several dining experiences in Doha.
The entrance to Damascus One.
A fattoush salad – one of my favorites.
A shawarma platter (lamb and chicken).
Parisa Persian Cuisine
We liked dining in Souq Waqif so much at Damascus One, we returned for a second meal at Parisa Persian Cuisine, which must be one of the most beautiful restaurants I have ever visited. I wrote a whole post on Parisa, but, in sum, the food is good and reasonably priced and the setting is stunning. Reservations highly recommended, as this place is popular with both tourists, tour groups, and locals.
Welcome to Parisa!
A local meal at Parisa Persian Restaurant.
Aqua Lounge
Aqua Lounge is the rooftop (or rather, 7th level) shisha bar at our hotel (the Marriott Marquis Center City, keep reading). Dan loves shisha, so we ended every night here with shisha for him and a night cap for me. I also had dinner here our first night – a chicken shawarma wrap with fries. The food was OK; nothing great, but certainly edible.
The bar at Aqua Lounge.
Great shisha at Aqua Bar.
Chicken Shawarma and fries at Aqua Lounge.
Monoprix Cafe
There are certainly better options in Doha, but Doha has a couple Monoprix locations (yes, the French Target!), and it makes a good place for a quick lunch or to grab groceries/essentials. We had a quick pizza (with beef pepperoni, not ideal) and chicken dish for lunch on our last day. The food was good and inexpensive, even though I did not like beef pepperoni. I also found Sour Cream & Onion Lays here (a RARE find outside the US)! Only go here for a quick lunch or to grab groceries/necessities (we ended up here because we unknowingly checked our bags all the way to JFK).
Monoprix Cafe.
Chicken cordon bleu at Monoprix Cafe.
Beef pepperoni pizza – I should have one cheese only.
Comptoir Libanais at the Doha Airport
I usually lounge at airports and think airport food is mediocre at best, but the lounge that we had access to in Doha was terrible, so we decided to have a sit down breakfast before our flight home. We ate at Comptoir Libanais, which is located just past the bear/lamp statute to the right. Its very colorful and has a sit down and to go area. We sat down and had a really good Middle Eastern breakfast and the most beautiful cappuccino that I have ever seen! The food was actually great. No alcohol, but there is a bar right next door (one of the few in the Qatar airport) if you are looking for a drink (yes, it was open at 7 AM but I did not visit so cannot comment on quality).
My farewell Middle Eastern breakfast. The foul was great!
Dan’s breakfast.
A gorgeous cappuccino at the airport!
WHERE WE STAYED IN DOHA – MARRIOTT MARQUIS CITY CENTER
Doha is home to many, many American chain hotels. As I need to hit a certain number of nights to maintain my Marriott status, we limited our search to Marriott properties. I choose the Marriott Marquis City Center based on a combination of cost, reviews, location, and that it had an Executive Lounge offering two drinks per night (a deal in countries where alcohol is pricey). Our experience was pretty good – we were upgraded to a suite for our first two nights and the lounge had decent food, but terrible alcohol. I would stay here again, but would not prioritize it over another hotel that better fit our needs.
The entrance to the Marriott Marquis City Center – she’s giving Italy.
The pool at the Marriott Marquis. This was nice with two hottubs, one at each end of the pool.
Our bed at the Marriott Marquis City Center.
The other half of our suite.
Cheese plate and wine from Marriott as a Welcome Amenity due to Platinum status.
A chocolate bar left in our room one evening. A nice touch.
WHAT I WORE IN DOHA
For our Doha trip, I dipped into my “Middle East collection,” which consists of conservative outfits that cover my knees and shoulders but can also be word in 90 degree weather. I had read prior to visiting that Doha is more conservative in terms of dress than neighboring Dubai and Abu Dhabi and was advised to dress accordingly. I wore a short sleeve black dress that came just below my knees with sandals one day, a short-sleeve t-shirt dress that fell below my knees another, and wide leg linen pants with a short-sleeve top with sandals the third day. I never wore a headscarf and felt comfortable everywhere we went (note – you will need a head scarf if you go inside a mosque). Dan wore long pants and a short-sleeve polo. He also felt comfortable everywhere. Below are some pics of what we wore. I wouldn’t stress too much about dress, but conservative is definitely the way to go if you don’t want to stand out.
Dan walking around Doha. Blurry, but you get the picture.
One of my outfits. Pic from the Museum of Islamic Art, West Bay in the background.
PRACTICAL DOHA TIPS
- We felt very safe in Doha at all hours walking.
- Doha uses the “G” electic outlet.
- We used credit card for literally everything, even a magnet at the souk. We didn’t take out any local cash and had no issue.
- Uber works well in Doha, but there are also beautiful turquoise taxis and public buses.
- Doha is more conservative than its popular neighbor cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
- We visited in November. It was very hot during the day, but a tiny bit cool at night (I wore a short sleeve dress and a scarf).
- Alcohol is pricey and not served except in tourist centered hotels. It is not illegal for tourists to drink, but you cannot bring in any alcohol and being “drunk” is frowned upon.
- Arabic is the language, but everyone we encountered spoke English well.
- Air conditioning is very, very good in most places.
- Doha is a small city; you can get around pretty quickly by Uber or taxi.
The beautiful turquoise taxis.
STEAL OUR TRIP
Souq Waqif: Open Saturday – Thursday 7:00 AM – 12:30 PM and 3:00 PM – 10:00 PM, 12:30 PM – 10:00 PM on Friday. Free entrance. The souq is at its best at night. Every place we visited accepted credit card, although you may want to have a small bit of cash on hand.
Museum of Islamic Art: Off Al Corniche St Doha, Qatar. Open Saturday–Thursday: 9am–7pm, Fridays: 1.30–7pm. Non-resident adult tickets are QAR 50 (as of November 2023).
Damascus One: Souq Waqif, Doha, Qatar. Open daily 8 AM – 12 AM. Reservations recommended.
Parisa Persian Cuisine: Souq Waqif, Al Ahmed St, Doha, Qatar. Open daily 1 – 4 and 6 – 11. Reservations highly recommended.
Marriott Marquis City Center: Omar Al Mukhtar Street, Area 61, Al Dafna, Street #850. Multiple restaurants, gym, pool on site.