Things to do in Qatar

The 17 best things to do in Qatar

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1. 1Doha

   Explore Islamic art at the Museum of Islamic Art

   I.M. Pei designed the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) on a purpose-built island beside the Corniche, drawing on the 9th century ablution fountain of the Mosque of Ahmad Ibn Tulun in Cairo. Four floors of galleries show 14 centuries of Islamic art from around the world, from the thousand-year-old Shahnameh manuscript to a 10th century astrolabe and a carved Mughal emerald. Outside, MIA Park is open around the clock and ends at Richard Serra's 7, a steel sculpture unveiled in 2011. Allow a few hours. The museum is about 15 minutes from the airport and close to Souq Waqif.

   Tip: Reserve tickets on the museum's website, remember it closes one weekday (check the hours page), and avoid driving on weekends, when its limited parking fills quickly.

   QAR[fee], reserve tickets onlineKnow the fee?
   Search tickets and tours on KlookSources: Visit Qatar (official); Visit Qatar (official); Museum of Islamic Art (official)
2. 2Doha

   Follow Qatar's story at the National Museum

   The National Museum of Qatar wraps around the old palace of Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al-Thani, which served as the seat of government for 25 years. Jean Nouvel designed the new building to echo the desert rose, the crystal formations found in Qatar's sands, and it covers more than 430,000 square feet. Interactive galleries trace ancestral traditions, growing cities and modern achievements, and the collection includes the Pearl Carpet of Baroda and the Al Zubarah Quran. The museum has its own Gold line metro station, and it is about 15 minutes from the airport by car.

   Tip: Book tickets online, check the weekly closing day and last entry time on the museum's hours page, and give it at least half a day.

   QAR[fee], tickets from the museumKnow the fee?
   Search tickets and tours on KlookSources: Visit Qatar (official); Visit Qatar (official); National Museum of Qatar (official)
3. 3Doha

   Wander the alleys of Souq Waqif

   Souq Waqif sits on the site of Doha's century-old trading market, beside the Wadi Musheireb, and its mud-daubed buildings and winding alleys feel a world away from the skyline behind them. You can browse spices, oud, handicrafts, pearls, gold and art at the Souq Waqif Art Centre, then eat at street stalls and sit-down restaurants. The souq is liveliest after dark and in the cooler months, when street performances and festival parades fill the courtyards. It is a short walk from the Museum of Islamic Art, and the Souq Waqif metro station is on the Gold line.

   Tip: Come in the evening when the cafes fill up, and expect to bargain, which is widely normal in traditional markets like this one.

   Free to visit
   Sources: Visit Qatar (official); Visit Qatar (official); Visit Qatar (official); Souq Waqif (official)
4. 4Doha

   Meet the falcons at the Falcon Souq

   Falconry goes back to the Bedouin tribes, who trained raptors to hunt migratory birds for food, and the falcon is Qatar's national bird. The Falcon Souq inside Souq Waqif has its own entrance marked with a gilded plaque, between Al Asmakh and Al Ahmed streets. You can look at the birds up close, photograph them and, under the shopkeeper's watch, hold one on your arm. Many are hooded, a normal part of keeping a falcon calm. A falcon hospital stands next door for birds that need treatment.

   Tip: Ask the shopkeeper before taking photos or holding a bird, and visit on a weekday or evening, since opening hours are split and Fridays are evening only.

   Free to visit
   Sources: Visit Qatar (official); Visit Qatar (official)
5. 5Doha

   Stroll the Doha Corniche at sunset

   The Doha Corniche is a seven kilometer crescent of waterfront promenade around Doha Bay, and it gives the best view of the modern skyline. It is the setting for National Day and National Sports Day celebrations, and traditional dhows moor along it, lighting up in the evening. Walk all or part of it, linking the Museum of Islamic Art, MIA Park, Al Bidda Park and the National Museum along the way. Metro stations serving it include Corniche, Al Bidda and West Bay QIC.

   Tip: Go in the cooler months and at golden hour, and carry water if you plan to walk the full seven kilometers.

   Free to visit
   Search tours on KlookSources: Visit Qatar (official); Visit Qatar (official); Visit Qatar (official)
6. 6Doha

   Spend an afternoon at Katara Cultural Village

   Katara is a cultural village between West Bay and The Pearl, with a long public beach on one side and the Katara Hills on the other. Its blue and gold Katara Mosque was designed by Zeynep Fadilloglu, and beside it stand pigeon towers. Nearby you will find the gold-tiled second mosque, a Greek-style amphitheater for up to 5,000 spectators, art galleries, the Al Thuraya Planetarium and a strip of restaurants serving food from across the Levant. Walk up the Katara Hills near sunset for views of the village and the sea.

   Tip: Come late in the afternoon so you can see the galleries, then stay for sunset on the hills and dinner.

   Grounds open to visitors
   Sources: Visit Qatar (official)
7. 7Doha

   Discover old Doha in Msheireb Downtown

   Msheireb Downtown Doha is a district of more than 100 buildings next to Souq Waqif, designed around Qatar's heritage with courtyards (barahat), shaded lanes and response to the climate. Al Kahraba Street was the first place in Qatar to have electricity. The Msheireb Museums are four restored heritage houses; Mohammed Bin Jassim House traces how the district's alleys grew, with former residents recalling the first hotel, bank, pharmacy and cafes, while Bin Jelmood House explores the history of enslavement in the Indian Ocean world. Msheireb station is where the Red, Green and Gold metro lines meet, and the free Msheireb tram loops the district.

   Tip: Pick one or two of the museum houses rather than all four, and check the Msheireb Museums site for current opening days.

   Free to visit
   Sources: Visit Qatar (official); Msheireb Museums (official); Msheireb Museums (official); Visit Qatar (official)
8. 8Doha

   Marvel at the architecture of Qatar National Library

   Rem Koolhaas designed Qatar National Library in Education City to look like two sheets of paper pulled apart and folded at the corners. Its 45,000 square meter open-plan interior lets in measured daylight, and the bookshelves rise out of the floor as part of the architecture, so every book is visible. The Heritage Library holds rare archival documents, early Arabic printed material, manuscripts, maps and globes, and some printed items date to the 15th century. The library has its own Green line metro station. Listed hours are Saturday to Thursday 8am to 8pm and Friday 4pm to 8pm.

   Tip: Plan around the shorter Friday hours, and pair it with the nearby Education City Mosque.

   Open to visitors
   Search tickets and tours on KlookSources: Visit Qatar (official)
9. 9Doha

   Browse the seafood and pastel lanes of Mina District

   Mina District is the former Old Doha Port, rebuilt as a neighborhood of cobbled streets and pastel buildings beside the water. Chabrat Al Mina is the fresh fish market and restaurant under a glass ceiling, where you can buy the day's catch or eat it cooked. Nearby Box Park is built from brightly painted shipping containers, with upper floors that look over the skyline, MIA Park and the National Museum. The district has more than 50 cafes and restaurants, and cruise ships dock at the port in winter. It is about a 20 minute walk from National Museum metro station.

   Tip: Come hungry at lunchtime or early evening, and combine it with the Museum of Islamic Art, which is close by.

   Free to visit
   Sources: Visit Qatar (official); Visit Qatar (official)
10. 10Doha

    Ride the canals of Qanat Quartier at The Pearl

    The Pearl Qatar is an artificial island on four million square meters of reclaimed land near West Bay. Its Qanat Quartier is a Venice-inspired neighborhood of colorful buildings, canals and bridges, including a replica of the Rialto Bridge. Water taxis run from Gate B of the canals, each carrying up to 10 people, and shaded plazas and cafes make it easy to linger. The Pearl also has Porto Arabia, a Mediterranean-style marina district. The nearest metro is Legtaifiya on the Red line, then the M110 Metrolink bus.

    Tip: Take the water taxi in the evening, and use a taxi or ride-hailing app from central Doha, since the metro needs a bus connection.

    Pay as you go
    Sources: Visit Qatar (official); Visit Qatar (official)
11. 11Doha

    Spend a day at the Inland Sea, Khor Al Adaid

    Khor Al Adaid, the Inland Sea, is a tidal bay on the Saudi border where the Gulf reaches into the desert. Dunes up to 40 meters high surround it, and the water rises toward them in the morning and recedes in the evening. It lies about 78 km south of Doha and takes one to two hours to reach. The area became a nature reserve in 2007 and is on a UNESCO tentative list. Guided trips cover dune driving, sandboarding, quad biking, camel rides, kayaking, snorkeling and overnight Bedouin-style camps, and oryx can be seen on nature walks.

    Tip: Book a guided trip with a driver, since a 4x4 is essential and there are no paved roads, and choose an early start for wildlife.

    Reach with a 4x4 or a tour
    Search tickets and tours on KlookSources: Visit Qatar (official); Visit Qatar (official); Visit Qatar (official)
12. 12Zekreet

    Walk the Zekreet cliffs to Serra's desert artwork

    Zekreet, on Qatar's west coast about 90 km from central Doha, is a desert of pale limestone escarpments and mushroom-shaped rock formations carved by wind. Richard Serra's East-West/West-East, a monumental artwork set into this landscape, stands among them. Oryx, gazelles and flamingos roam the area, and the region is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Nearby, Film City is a replica village built for shooting movies. There is no public transport to Zekreet, so most visitors go on a guided desert safari or in a 4x4.

    Tip: Aim for late afternoon for softer light and cooler air, and bring water, a hat and sturdy shoes.

    Desert site, check access first
    Search tickets and tours on KlookSources: Visit Qatar (official); Visit Qatar (official); Visit Qatar (official)
13. 13Al Khor

    Step back to pearling days at Al Zubarah

    Al Zubarah is Qatar's first UNESCO World Heritage Site, the ruins of a walled trading and pearling town on the northwest coast, about 105 km from Doha. Streets, courtyard houses, mosques, palaces, a harbor and double defensive walls survive, buried for years under sand. Its 18th and 19th century story ties into regional trade and power struggles, and the town fell to forces loyal to the Sultan of Muscat in 1811. The 20th century Al Zubarah Fort beside the ruins now houses a museum with items from the pearl diving era, such as diving weights and cannonballs.

    Tip: Go by car or on a northern tour, and check the site's current opening times before the long drive.

    Ticketed, QAR[fee], book onlineKnow the fee?
    Search tickets and tours on KlookSources: Visit Qatar (official); National Museum of Qatar (official); Visit Qatar (official)
14. 14Al Khor

    Paddle the Al Thakira mangroves by kayak

    Al Thakira is among Qatar's oldest and largest mangrove forests, about 17 km northeast of Al Khor and roughly 40 minutes from Doha. The grey mangroves grow in salt water and shelter crabs, fish and birds, including herons, flamingos and waders. Guided kayak and stand-up paddleboard tours thread through the waterways, and wooden walkways and Al Thakira Beach give other ways to see it. The area was made a protected natural reserve in 2006. Camping trips with a sunrise paddle are offered by tour companies.

    Tip: Join a guided paddle at sunrise or sunset for wildlife, and never walk in the mangrove forest itself, since it damages the trees.

    Open-air nature reserve
    Search tickets and tours on KlookSources: Visit Qatar (official); Visit Qatar (official)
15. 15Al Khor

    Kayak and picnic on Purple Island

    Purple Island, also called Bin Ghannam Island, lies near Al Khor and is about an hour's drive from Doha. Its name comes from the Bronze Age purple dye made here from murex shells, a trade that thrived in the second millennium BC. Today it is a quiet place of mangroves, birds and walking, with a wooden bridge linking small hills to a beach, plus kayaking and camping. There are no facilities and no shade on the island, so bring your own supplies. Pair it with the Al Thakira mangroves for a full day in the north.

    Tip: Visit between November and February, bring water, a hat and sturdy shoes, and take all trash with you.

    Open-air nature spot
    Search tickets and tours on KlookSources: Visit Qatar (official); Visit Qatar (official)
16. 16Al Shahaniya

    Watch camels train at Al Shahaniya racetrack

    Professional camel racing began in Qatar in 1972, and the sport centers on the Al Shahaniya racetrack. Domestic and international races are held on Fridays from October to February, with major events in March and April. Small robot jockeys in colorful silks ride the camels, controlled remotely by operators, while spectators follow the race from the grandstand or by driving along the road beside the track. Racing camels can sprint at up to 40 mph. Even without a race, visitors can stop by in the morning to watch camels training and look around the stables.

    Tip: For a race, go on a Friday during the winter season; for training sessions, arrive in the morning.

    Visitors welcome
    Search tickets and tours on KlookSources: Visit Qatar (official)
17. 17Al Wakrah

    Join a cultural session at Embrace Doha in Al Wakrah

    Embrace Doha is an independent, women-run cultural house in Souq Al Wakrah, south of the city. Visitors join sessions on Qatari culture, from why the thobe is white and the abaya black to majlis etiquette and the coffee cup language. You can try traditional clothes, practice local greetings and sit in the majlis. Workshops include bakhoor incense mixing, sadu weaving taught through history, leather crafting from scrap offcuts, and Arabic calligraphy. Al Wakrah Beach, a family beach with a promenade of cafes, is nearby. Take the Red line to Al Wakra station, then bus 127 to the souq.

    Tip: Book a session or workshop in advance through the house, since they are hosted rather than drop-in.

    Cultural sessions, ask the house
    Search tickets and tours on KlookSources: Visit Qatar (official); Visit Qatar (official)

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