Qatar Travel Guide

Essential Qatar Travel and Tourist Information

In this section of the website we have prepared useful information for the traveler headed towards Qatar, from the visas you need to what it’s like teaching EFL in Qatar.

Airport Embassies Food and Drink Holiday Hotels Flights Money Olympics Photography Stats Transport Visas Weather Work

At a Glance

Budget: Hotels and restaurants can easily swallow up your money, although cheaper alternatives do exist.

Activities: Sandboarding/skiing, water sports, blokarting, dune bashing.

Things to see: Singing Sand Dunes, Inland Sea, Islamic Museum, Camel Racing, Horse Racing, Mangrove Swamps.

Shopping and Markets: Souq Waqif, Villagio Mall (complete with canal), Wholesale and Animal markets, fresh fish on the Corniche, Bird Souq (with falcons).

Currency: Riyals & Dirhams.

Arabic: Official Arabic - English is just as widely spoken. Also Hindu, Urdu, Nepalese, Indonesian etc

Religion: Wahabbi Islam - but more moderate than Saudi!

Population: 1,400,000 (2008 estimates)

Further Information:

Airport and Flights

Doha Airport

All you need to arrive at or depart from Doha Airport.

Arrival and Departure Times

Find the latest arrival and departure times for Doha Airport.

Qatar Flights

Airline and Flight listing + Qatar Flight Search.

Embassies

Qatar Embassies

A list of foreign embassies in Qatar, with telephone number and web addresses where available.

Qatar Abroad

Useful sites and addresses about Qatar. Includes a list of Qatar embassies abroad.

Food and Drink

Qatar Bars

Reviews and opinions on Qatar bars.

Qatar Bar Listing

Comprehensive list of Qatar bars with locations and telephone numbers.

Eating Out in Doha

Food and Food Etiquette in Qatar

Find out about traditional Arabic food, customs and taboos in Qatar.

Holidays

Qatar Holiday

Qatar has been working hard to promote itself as an attractive destination. This articles discusses if it is working, and is it worth going?

Tour Agencies

Fancy a tour of Qatar? Here’s a list of Qatar Tour operators with contact details.

Hotels

Qatar Hotels

View a listing of available hotels in Qatar to suit all budgets, browse through our luxury hotel guides for Qatar and its surrounding countries or read individual hotel reviews.

Photography

Photography in the Desert

Abigail Harman, professional photographer and winner of the Mosman Park Photo Art Award 2008 as well as numerous other competitions, giver her tips on how to take great photographs in the desert.

Book Flights to Qatar

From the USA with Expedia

From Europe with Expedia

Qatar Olympics

The Qatar 2006 Olympic and the Qatar 2016 Olympic Bid

In 2006 Qatar held the Asian Olympic Games - the first ever to be held in the Middle East. Not content with this, less than a year later they launched a bid for the Olympic Games in 2016. Read about both in our article on Qatar Olympics.

Transport

Getting Around In Qatar

Public and private transport: The practicalities of getting from A-B in Doha and Qatar.

Buses

Maps of the Qatar Bus routes for Doha, Al Khor & Al Shamal and for Doha's Industrial Area.

Qatar Visitor's 90 Second Guide to Driving in Qatar

Driving in Qatar summarized in a short podcast.

The Qatar-Bahrain Friendship Bridge

After nearly two hundred years of animosity, these two countries have put aside their difference to build the longest bridge in the world.

Money

Qatar Money

All about Qatar money: The riyal and the dirham, the history of the riyal, exchange rates and practical banking information.

Qatar Currency List

A list of common currencies and their current exchange rate with the Qatar riyal.

Qatar Currency Converter

Use our XE currency converter to convert riyals into any world currency - or vice versa.

Statistics

Qatar Facts and Figures

Qatar at a glance! View statistics about Qatar, including population and GDP.

Time Differences

The time differences between Qatar and the rest of the world.

Visas

Qatar Visas

Find out what Qatar visas there are, who is eligible and what you have to do to get one.

Cancelling your Visa

What to do when it is time to leave Qatar.

Visas for countries around Qatar

Find Visa information for the Dubai, Bahrain, Oman and Saudi Arabia.

Weather

Qatar Weather

Read about what weather you are likely to experience in Qatar and when you will experience it.

Work

Finding Work In Qatar

Tips and advice on getting a job in Qatar, information on Qatar Labour Law and working hours and conditions as well as a list of handy questions to ask in a job interview.

Qatar Jobs

View a list of current vacancies in Qatar and the rest of the Middle East, or list your CV so an employer can find you.

Teaching EFL in the Middle East

Teaching English in the Middle East may require a very different approach to the one you normally use, argues our writer, before going on to outline the methods that have worked for him.

Working Women in Qatar

It is now quite normal for women to work in Qatar, and Qatar Labour Law protects their rights and opportunities when working. However, women still need the permission for their family sponsor before undertaking work. Read this article for information.