Whether you’re visiting on a 72-hour stopover or for a week in the year-round Arabian sun, the Qatari capital of Doha is the perfect place to discover vibrant culture and effortless luxury all in one place. Whether you’re the kind of traveller who wants to dive deep into the culture of a new country, or you just fancy kicking back for a couple of days at the beginning or end of a longer break, Qatar has it all.
With world-leading hotels all across the country’s capital and beyond, you can easily spend your entire time in Qatar just chilling by the pool, indulging in five-star treatments from both East and West or enjoying fantastic hospitality and great food.
One of the amazing places you can stay is the Doha Marriott, which sits on the beachfront just ten minutes from the airport, making it the perfect place to hunker down after a long flight. The St Regis Doha, meanwhile, is a beautiful high-end option on the northern side of Doha’s Corniche. There you’ll be able to recline in a beach front paradise, swimming in a free-form pool and eating delicious food at restaurants like Hakkasan and Gordon Ramsay.
But it’s not all about luxury and relaxation – Doha is full of amazing cultural experiences, too. No trip is complete without a trip to the Museum of Islamic Art, a stunning building that houses a collection spanning 14 centuries, where you can lose almost half a day walking around its five floors of amazing exhibits.
If you want to get a more hands-on experience of Qatari culture and history, you should head to Souq Waqif, where you can try your hand at haggling for local spices and Arabian goods, or even browse shops selling falcons and world-famous Arabian horses. The souq really springs to life in the evening, so a visit on your last night for an authentic Arabian dinner before your onward journey is one of the best ways to see out the end of your stay.
Then, after dinner, nothing beats taking to the Arabian Gulf in a traditional dhow. Once used for fishing and pearling, these iconic wooden boats were once a vital part of Qatari culture, helping pearl divers and fishermen head out intrepidly onto the Arabian Gulf in search of a prized catch.
Although you won’t see them fishing the bay these days, the gorgeous boats are still the ideal way to soak up views of the Corniche and Doha’s ever-expanding skyline from an impressive angle.
Or course, if you’re looking for something slightly more high-octane while you’re in the country, you should head out into the desert. Here, guided by an expert driver, you’ll bump gently across miles of rolling sand dunes in a 4x4, taking in unique sights and sensations. As well as riding the dunes, there’s a chance to see salt flats, camels and the one-of-a-kind Inland Sea – a saltwater creek that runs deep into the desert near the country’s southern border with Saudi Arabia. At the end you’ll be whisked off to indulge in an amazing Arabian meal at a traditional-style Bedouin camp where you’ll eat overlooking the shimmering Arabian Gulf.