Doha! Making its global debut as a host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, it is Qatar’s largest city and commercial centre! Now that it’s on the world’s radar, travellers are beginning to ask, is Doha worth visiting and is it safe?! Well thanks to my recent flight with Qatar Airways I was able to trail blaze this adventure and share my itinerary of how to Experience the Magic of Doha: Epic 6-hr Layover as a solo female traveller with all of you! Already set to book the same Viator tour as me click here for this Badge of Excellence outing! 

BOOK your FLIGHT QATAR AIRWAYS flight HERE:

Overview:

First things first, Doha is incredibly safe! Qatar is actually the safest country in the world! As a solo female traveller that was a comforting piece of information when deciding whether or not to explore! And is it worth it?! Definitely! It was one of the cleanest, prettiest, most futuristic and cultural places that I have been! Fun fact! Qatar is also the wealthiest country in the world!

6 Hour Layover:

I had 6.5 hours between flights to explore. It took me about 15 mins to exit the airport thanks to my business class seat, I was one of the first through customs. (my luggage was checked through to Kilimanjaro so no time spent there.) I allowed 2.5 hrs to get back through airport security, so I actually only had around 4 hours to explore Doha. Given my limited time frame, I decided it would be best to hire a guide and rely on their knowledge of the sites, roads etc. to maximize my experience. I did some research and came up with a winner! (feel free to contact me for their info Jen@jenzjourneys.com). This was a brilliant decision that worked out perfectly! Book via Viator here!

Ali:

Ali actually made contact with me via WhatsApp the day before arrival to confirm flight details and times. He touched base again the morning of my flight. Very professional and very comforting. When I landed he timed his arrival at the pickup point to be within minutes of my exit. He greeted me with a bottle of water and an overview of where we were headed. He then inquired as to my preference of the order which I left up to his best judgement.

The Corniche:

Our first stop was “after sunset dusk views” of the downtown skyline on the Corniche. The Corniche is a 7kms waterfront promenade that is a popular tourist attraction thanks to the various landmarks along its expanse. We made a few stops along it as we drove!

Museum of Islamic Art

Home to one of the World’s greatest collections of Islamic Art, our second stop was to appreciate the architecture of the outside of this impressive location. Unfortunately on such a short time frame, I opted to not go inside as I would have liked to take my time if I had. This ended up allowing us to do Lusail instead so I was happy about that as a alternate location to visit.

Al Dafna Park

A huge public garden that opened in 1990, Al Dafna Park was a great place to check out at night. Located in front of the West Bay High Rises, the city lights, light up at night and the buildings are fairly close up there too! The other side of the park side faces the Gulf of Doha (Persian Golf). It’s a lovely place to grab a snack or hang out. There is also a waterslide promenade, kids play area and fountains.

Katara Cultural Village:

Katara Cultural Village was our next stop, where first, we visited the Blue Mosque of Katara. Also know as the Katara Mosque, the Blue Mosque is incredibly beautiful and intricate. I went inside briefly via the woman’s entrance which is a smaller sectioned off simple space, as is customary.

Next, we wandered over to the Amphitheater which is the gem of the cultural village! An architectural balance of a greek theatre with Islamic features the Amphitheater seats 5000 people! In winter Ali said Katara Cultural Village is quite busy but being summer we almost had the place to ourselves!

The Pearl:

An artificial island, The Pearl Island is one of Doha’s wealthiest areas… lifestyles of the rich and famous levels! An interesting fun fact is that The Pearl Island is also the first land in Qatar that foreign nationals can obtain freehold ownership of. We took a quick drive through and carried on!

Katara Towers:

Our next stop was to see Katara Towers in Lusail! Katara Towers is a very cool architectural translation of Qatar’s National seal; two crossing scimitar swords. Home to two luxury hotels, it is also known as Crescent Tower Lusail and Katara Hospitality Tower. The Raffles Doha Hotel and the Fairmont Doha Hotel each have a tower and are both part of Accor so they operated under one management! For just over $1000 a night you can stay in one of Doha’s most expensive and unique spaces! We did a quick photo opt and continued on our way!

Looking to book a stay with Accor?! Check out this link:

Eighth Street, West Bay

This was a really cool stop, as I was able to catch a glimpse into the subtle differences of Qatari and Canadian day to day living. We pulled up into a parking spot, honked and then a guy came out and took our order! A few minutes later he returned with our “coffee” and water. This was so cool, it reminded me of a 50’s drive in diner from days long ago that we see in popular movies! Our Arabic Coffee wasn’t actually Arabic coffee at all it was Gahwa coffee. Fun fact, Gahwa coffee helps with digestion issue, boosts metabolism and strengthens the immune system!

FIFA World Cup Clock – Back to the Corniche:

En route to our last destination for the evening, we stopped at The Corniche again, this time at the location of the FIFA World Cup Clock!! The city skyline was beautiful all lit up at night. There were traditional dhow boats (also all lit up) ready to sail customers across Persian Gulf. A couple of quick pictures and we were on our way!

Souq Waqif:

I wish we had had more time at this marketplace in Doha! It had so many restaurants, shisha lounges, and a ton of opportunities to buy traditional garments, spices, souvenirs and more! It was also a popular spot for locals with an active nightlife, I really enjoyed the vibe here!

And just like that our time was done and it was back to the airport to catch my next flight! My layover was an amazing sample of all of the beauty that Qatar has to offer and I can’t wait to visit Qatar again to explore even more! I hope I have also inspired some of you also to Experience the Magic of Doha: Epic 6-hr Layover as a solo female traveller or with family & friends! Ali is an amazing guide so feel free to send me a message on any of my platforms if you would like his contact information for your Qatar layover too! Or you can book this Badge of Excellence outing direct through Viator here! 

Travel to Qatar onboard their signature airline when you book you flight with Qatar Airways here!

Love Time Hack Travel like me?! Check out this link about How to Maximize 10 hrs in London: https://jenzjourneys.com/how-to-maximize-10hrs-layover-in-london/