If you are flying into the city of Doha in Qatar and have a long layover of 8 hours or more, you can easily see the highlights of the city on a well organized tour offered by Qatar Airways. This post covers how to book this tour, what you will see on it and all the important details you need to know about the tour.
Who is the Tour Operator?
The tour is operated by Discover Qatar. They are the destination management arm of Qatar Airways.
How Long Should Your Layover Be?
In order to participate in the Doha City Tour, you should have a long layover of 8 hours or more. They ask for your flight details when you book the tour to ensure you have 8 hours or more.
How Long is the Tour?
The tour takes about 3-4 hours, not factoring in the time it takes to clear immigration and to get back into the airport.
When is the Tour Available?
They offer the tour several times a day.
Tour Timings: 7:00 | 08:00 | 11:00 | 13:00 (September to May) | 15:00 | 16:00 | 18:00 | 19:00 | 20:00 | 21:30
How to Book the Tour?
You can book the tour on the official Discover Qatar website HERE. One thing to note is that you need to get to the tour desk at the Doha airport 2 hours before the tour starts. So, keep this in mind when you choose a time for the tour.
You maybe able to book the tour on arrival but it is subject to availability.
How Much Does the Tour Cost?
The tour used to be free back in the day but Qatar Airways has started to charge for it now. It is still very reasonable and costs between 99 to 115 Qatari Riyals. It comes to between USD $27-32.
Do you Need a Visa?
Citizens of over 95 countries do not need a prior visa to visit Qatar. Citizens of these countries can get a visa on arrival. Check if you are eligible HERE.
What to Do When You Land?
You have to make your way to the Discover Qatar tour desk. It’s not a big area or desk and therefore maybe a little hard to find. The best way is to go to the giant teddy bear. With the teddy bear to your back, start walking towards the escalators in front of you. The tour desk is on to your right, a little past the escalators.
What is the Tour Like and What Will You See?
You are required to be at the tour desk 2 hours prior to the start of the tour. Once I showed my face, they asked me to come back around 1.5 hours prior to the tour. Once I went back, they escorted us to the immigration line. There was a bit of a line here so we had to wait a bit. Once it was my turn, the immigration officer stamped my passport with a visa and we then waited for a few minutes, before we were escorted into a bus. Even in November the Qatari desert heat hit my face hard as soon as I walked out the door.
The bus was nice and air conditioned and we were offered a bottle of water each before we were on our way. Our guide was truly fabulous and did a wonderful job explaining the history and culture of Qatar as well as what we were seeing on this Doha City Tour.
Harbor and the Museum of Islamic Art
Our first stop was the harbor front, where we got down from the bus and had some time to take lots of pictures. Nearby was the Museum of Islamic Art designed by the architect I.M Pei.
We then drove through the city of Doha and its impressive skyrise buildings. Interestingly there were so many luxury hotels just a few meters away from each other. We then saw a little glimpse of the Pearl, Qatar’s artificial island where the very rich live.
Katara Cultural Village
The Katara Cultural Village is the largest and the most multidimensional cultural project in Qatar. The massive complex consists of theatres, concert halls, exhibition galleries and even an amphitheater.
If we wished to, we had a chance to visit the Blue Mosque or the Katara Mosque inside the Cultural Village. There were long robes and head scarves provided prior to entering the mosque. The mosque itself was very beautiful both inside and out and the nearby pigeon tower was very fascinating!
Souq Waqif
I love a good souq or market so this was probably my favorite part. Our first stop was the camel market, which was quite fascinating. Then we visited the falcon market and the bird market. Admittedly I didn’t love these two places. It was a little sad to see birds tied or caged.
Falcons are a very expensive household pet in Qatar and a good falcon can sell for lots of money. Our guide said a falcon once sold for USD $250,000!
We then had free time to roam around the souq and explore on our own! We had the opportunity to both explore the narrow alleyways of the market as well as walk in the open areas. It was Thursday night (their Friday night) and the entire market was buzzing even though it was late.
If you want to buy things, it is best to have some riyals but some places also take dollars. Ask before you purchase!
Note – the tour changes slightly depending on the time of the year to adjust to the summer heat and other considerations.
After the Tour
After the tour, they will drop off at departures where you will have to clear immigration and security again.
Did you find this Doha city tour on a long layover post useful? Please let me know by liking/commenting below or sharing this post on social media! Thank you!!
Pin this post for later!
2 comments
I transfer through this airport a lot. I didn’t realize the tours were that easy. Thanks!
You’re welcome! It really was a good and well organized tour!