Best things to do in Doha on a short trip, from bazaar shopping to dune bashing

Doha’s Hamad International Airport is a popular stopover for travellers from Southeast Asia to Europe and the US, and of the 34.5 million passengers the airport welcomed in 2018, many were just passing through.

Rather than leaving these weary-eyed travellers to spend their time slumped in chairs or slurping coffee to stave off exhaustion, the airport has in recent years been encouraging them to extend their stopover, possibly spending an extra day or two – and a few dollars – discovering Doha.

In 2017, a free transit visa for travellers with a layover of five to 96 hours (four days) was made available to all nationalities. Meanwhile, the national tourism council, Visit Qatar, recently launched compact one- and three-day itineraries to entice visitors to this modern city rising from the desert.

There is plenty to keep passengers entertained inside the modern airport, which opened in 2014 with the aim of transforming the Gulf city into a leading global transit hub. It is home to enough shops, 24-hour eateries, art installations and activity hubs to keep both adults and children entertained. There are, however, also plenty of good reasons to venture outside. Here are some of the highlights of this city that blends tradition with contemporary Qatar.

Souk Waqif