Doha

Doha is the capital and largest city of Qatar, on the east coast of the peninsula facing the Persian Gulf. Half a century ago it was a modest settlement of pearl divers and fishermen; today it is the showcase of the emirate's gas wealth, a city of glass towers, world-class museums and carefully designed public space.

Background and history

More than 80% of the country's population is concentrated in the capital area, some 2.4 million people, the overwhelming majority of them expatriates from South Asia, the Arab world and the West. Until oil was found in the middle of the twentieth century the local economy rested on pearling and maritime trade; the collapse of the pearl business in the 1930s nearly ruined the country. Hydrocarbon revenue from the 1970s transformed Doha within a single generation. Modernisation peaked in the run-up to the 2022 football World Cup, which left behind a modern metro, stadiums and hotel and transport infrastructure that the city still uses.

The main sights

• Souq Waqif — a restored nineteenth-century market in the historic centre. Spices, fabric, perfume and souvenirs are sold here, there is a falcon row with a veterinary clinic for hunting birds, and in the evenings the open-air cafés and restaurants come alive.
• The Museum of Islamic Art — I. M. Pei's building on its own artificial island, holding one of the fullest collections of Islamic art anywhere: ceramics, manuscripts, carpets and jewellery from Spain to India. The adjoining park was rebuilt for 2022.
• The National Museum of Qatar — Jean Nouvel's structure, its silhouette echoing the crystals of a desert rose. The displays trace the region from geological time and the Palaeolithic to the oil era.
• The Pearl — an artificial archipelago with Venetian-style canals, marinas, boutiques and waterside promenades.
• Katara Cultural Village — a cultural quarter with a classical-style amphitheatre, a mosque under a golden dome, exhibition halls and festival venues.
• The Corniche — a seven-kilometre crescent promenade with a panorama of the West Bay skyline.
• Khor Al Adaid, the Inland Sea — a rare place where the gulf runs right up to tall dunes, and a popular destination for desert safaris from the capital.
• The 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum — beside Khalifa Stadium, devoted to the history of sport and the Olympic movement.

Food

The cooking combines Qatari and Levantine traditions. The basis of the local table is machboos (rice with meat and spices), harees and madrouba, and for something sweet, kunafa and qatayef. Coffee with cardamom and dates is offered everywhere as a mark of hospitality. Alcohol is restricted: it is served only in licensed higher-category hotels and bought by permit through a single distributor. As a rough guide, lunch in an inexpensive café costs 45–75 riyals ($12–20), dinner in a restaurant 130–290 riyals ($35–80), and a coffee with dates 11–18 riyals ($3–5). Prices are as of 2026.

Practicalities

Getting in from Hamad International Airport and moving around the city is easy thanks to a modern metro with three lines and stations at the key points. About three days is the right length: the first for the museum cluster on the bay and Souq Waqif in the evening, the second for Katara, The Pearl and a walk along the Corniche, the third for a run out into the desert to the dunes of the Inland Sea.

The best time to visit is the cool season from November to March, when daytime temperatures are comfortable; in summer the heat goes past 40°C. The currency is the Qatari riyal and cards are accepted everywhere. Respect local custom: cover up at religious sites, and behave with restraint in public spaces. English is widely spoken, which makes the city easy to navigate.