DOHA, QATAR

OVERVIEW

• When: 20 December, 2025; 4 January-5 January, 2026
• Where (accommodations): The Ned Doha
• Transportation: Qatar Airways Boston (BOS) -Doha (DOH)
• Sights/attractions: Museum of Islamic Art, Katara Cultural Village, Souk Wakif Doha, Place Vendome Lusail, Al Maha Island, The Pearl, National Museum of Qatar, Old Doha Port, Mina District
• Food/drinks: Jiwan Restaurant, Cecconi’s at The Ned

We have flown through Doha, Qatar, several times. It is an amazing airport to layover at, with great lounge access, plenty of shops, and restaurants. So that’s what we always did- walk around, relax, pass the time and never leave to actually see the city.

Well, the time has come. I need to be able to count Qatar as my new country, and airport layovers do not count. On the way to Hong Kong, we had a 9-hour layover, which qualifies for a Transit tour through Discover Qatar. There are various tour options; for us, the most suitable one was the 3-hour Discover Doha tour. I am glad I didn’t book it online, because our flight was slightly delayed and we would’ve missed it. Luckily, there are multiple tours each day, so we were able to get on the later one that evening. We booked it by simply coming to the Discover Qatar desk at the airport.

Three hours is certainly not enough time to see Doha, but it gave us a good sense of where everything is located, the guide provided interesting facts and history about the country, and we felt it was time well spent. We stopped at the Museum of Islamic Art, Katara Cultural Village, and Souk Wakif Doha.

We knew we would be back in Doha on our way home and would spend a night here, so this tour was just a little preview of what to expect.

Jumping ahead: on the way back from Hong Kong, we booked our hotel through Discover Qatar because you can receive a discounted rate at some of Qatar’s top hotels when booking it as a transit layover. We booked it through here.

Qatar is incredibly easy to get into for many countries. As a Lithuanian (EU) passport holder, I didn’t have to pay anything to enter, while Sean, as an American, had to pay for a visa on arrival, valid for two years and allowing multiple entries. The process was quick and simple both when we departed from the airport for the tour and when we came back for a 24-hour layover.

The Ned Doha

This luxury hotel is located in the former Ministry of Interior building with 1970s glamour decor, and from the outside, it reminded me of Boston City Hall.

The Ned on the left, Boston City Hall on the right- same modernist architecture that normally is not my favorite. On the inside, though, these places are, of course, incomparable.

The Ned features multiple restaurants, an outdoor pool, a gorgeous lobby, and spacious, very comfortable rooms. And of course, welcome dates upon arrival.

The pool was heated and if we didn’t care to see the city, we could have easily spent the entire day in the hotel.

But that would be cheating, so off we go. Well, first we had an amazing breakfast overlooking the Corniche and Doha skyline.

And now, time to explore this futuristic looking city.

Place Vendome Lusail

I don’t know if this counts as ‘sightseeing,’ but we started our exploration at the mall. This massive, classic French architecture-inspired mall was quiet when we arrived, and we were bummed to realize that we were going to miss out on the fountain show. Daily shows run every hour and we didn’t want to wait for the next one.

Regardless, this is an impressive mall, and we bought some perfumes, because I love smells with oud, amber, and other Middle Eastern-influenced aromas.

Al Maha Island

Our next stop is Al Maha Island, from where we wanted to see the Katara Towers. Al Maha Island is a high-end dining district, has a beach club, and various options for entertainment.

However, when we arrived, it looked deserted. I think most of the action is in the evening- we noticed that in other Middle Eastern countries as well. It might be that, in certain months, the sun is so strong that the city comes alive only after sunset, when it cools off. It wasn’t hot in January (and it was actually cold in December during our transit tour), so when we saw Al Maha Island so empty, we decided to head to Lusail and see if we could visit one of the towers.

We went inside, but unfortunately could not go up top. The restaurant was closed for another hour and we didn’t want to waste the day waiting for it to open.

The Pearl

Our self-guided tour continues to what appears to be Venice? Or is it Las Vegas? A man-made island known as the “Arabian Riviera” features Mediterranean-style marinas, canals with bridges, and, of course, luxury residences.

Qanat Quartier looked very pretty and colorful, but again- VERY empty. Besides a small tourist group that got out of the van to take a photo, it seemed like we were the only people wandering around. I believe here, as in the rest of the city, most activities don’t start until later in the day.

I believe here, as in the rest of the city, most activities don’t start until later in the day.

National Museum of Qatar

The place that was not deserted was the National Museum of Qatar. I have to admit, we didn’t actually see the inside of the museum. We came for the building’s architecture, inspired by the desert rose (the crystal, not the flower). There were a lot of visitors, though.

It truly is incredible and 100% worth visiting. On the rooftop of this museum, there is Jiwan Restaurant– Michelin guide, expensive, but also worth it. The view alone was priceless, and the food was excellent.

It was a perfect stop for lunch in between all the sightseeing.

Energy renewed, we have one more stop to make before we relax by that amazing pool at our hotel.

Old Doha Port and the Mina District

For the FIFA World Cup 2022, the former industrial harbor was transformed and now serves as a colorful tourist destination known as the Mina District. It is in the same location as the Old Doha Port.

We briefly went inside the fish market, and I have to say it was one of the most beautiful markets I’ve ever seen! Just look at that ceiling! Why this place is wasted on frozen fish is beyond me.

Mina District has a lot of wall art, which we always appreciate seeing.

There are cute little stores and restaurants, and this area was much livelier than what we had seen earlier that day, but still not that busy.

As much as I liked Mina District, it seemed a bit too new and somehow fake. As if it were just made for tourists and Instagram photos. Yes, that would be me, guilty as charged.

Museum of Islamic Art

After resting at the hotel for a bit and enjoying the pool, we decided that we needed to visit the Museum of Islamic Art, not only from the outside. We’ve briefly stopped here during the transit tour, but then there was no time to go inside.

We made it an hour before closing and actually were very impressed. Architecture, artifacts, very aesthetically pleasing, and easy to walk through.

If you go, make sure to visit the inner yard, which offers a view of the Doha skyline through the arches. Very pretty sight.

Souk Wakif Doha

Technically, we didn’t need to return to the Souk Wakif, since we’d already had an hour-long stop here during the transit tour. But I wanted to see the Falcon Souk, so we returned. Falcon is a symbol of nobility and cultural identity. It’s the national bird of Qatar, and falconry is a very popular and protected sport. Falcons often fly in the main cabin of Qatar Airways and other airlines in the Middle East, frequently having their own seat. Since we sadly didn’t get the pleasure of flying next to a falcon, we came to see where they are being sold.

Special hood keeps them calm, and I hope they don’t mind it…It was a bit sad to see them sitting there with the blinders on.

As for the rest of the Souk, it was pretty nice and not hectic. We’ve seen many markets and this one was one of the calmer ones. Some vendors are inviting you to come over, but there is no pressure, and you don’t feel harassed.

While visiting the market, you can’t miss the Fanar Mosque with its spiral minaret.

And that concludes our 24 hours in Doha. We ate dinner at the hotel’s Cecconi’s restaurant, listening to a live jazz singer, caught a few hours of sleep, and were up by 4.30 am for our flight.

A bit shocking was the bill at checkout. Apparently, our in-room breakfast was over $100 USD. It was not a massive feast- two bowls of granola, fruit, and yogurt with some toast. Had we known that the price for room service would be this high, we would’ve at least ordered eggs. Oh well. We still very much liked The Ned hotel and would happily stay here again.

CONCLUSION

Doha and the entire country of Qatar are much more than just a layover destination, and we only scratched the surface. There are desert tours, boat rides, and more museums to explore. While there are beach clubs, coming from the Philippines, we didn’t feel the need for more beach time. And don’t even get me started on shopping – we only visited one mall, but there are many more. The country is very safe, hotels are luxurious, and the service is unmatched. Although Doha looked quite empty during the day, we really enjoyed our time there. I wouldn’t spend a whole week, but I can easily see myself staying for 2-3 days to explore more of the country. Also, breaking up the long flights made returning from vacation much easier. It almost felt like another mini trip before returning to reality.