Are you travelling to Qatar and wondering what to do?
Despite being a small country, this Gulf state has a lot to offer. It’s a great spot for a long stopover, and a worthy tourist destination in its own right.
If you have 48 hours in Qatar, you will find plenty of activities to keep you occupied. To help you plan better, we have put together this two-day itinerary for Qatar.
Are you short on time and still need to book your trip? Then check out the following resources, which you’ll find helpful.
Book a hotel in Qatar:
- Souq Waqif Boutique Hotels – Tivoli (mid-range, beautiful building with a perfect location)
- Sharq Village & Spa (a bit more comfort, luxury hotel with a private beach)
- Royal Qatar Hotel (budget, great location for an affordable price)
Check out these tours that help you explore Qatar:
- Dune bashing, sandboarding and camel rides in the Qatari desert
- Explore Qatari heritage in Northern Qatar
- Doha city tour with a guide
Stay connected with an eSIM for Qatar from Yesim.
Find and compare flights on Aviasales.
Two days in Qatar itinerary
Day 1
#1 Breakfast at Shay Al Shomous
Start your day with breakfast in one of Qatar’s most popular restaurants. The traditional food served here is absolutely delicious.
We’ve written a whole blog post about Qatari food, but to give you a brief overview, we recommend trying some of the breads.
Regag bread is one of our favourites, as it’s nice and crispy. You can get it with various fillings.
At Shay Al Shomous, we also highly recommend trying the eggs with cheese. That cheese is creamy and absolutely delicious.
1-2h
#2 Msheireb Museums
Shay Al Shomous is located in Waqif Souq, which is one of our favourite places in Doha. This early in the morning, though, most places are closed. You’ll come back here later in the day, once things get more lively.
For now, head to the Msheireb Museums, which are located next to the souq.
These museums consist of four buildings, all of which are dedicated to different aspects of Qatari life, history and heritage.
There’s a traditional Qatari house, one about the beginning of the oil industry, one about the history of Doha, and one about slavery.
Entrance is free, you just need to register when you go in.
2h
#3 National Museum
We know you’ve just seen a bunch of museums, but we recommend heading to another one directly afterwards.
The National Museum of Qatar is famous for its architecture, so take a look to admire it before you go in.
Inside, you can find many exhibitions about the country, as well as an overview of Qatar’s history.
1h
#4 Minha District
Your next stop is a former harbour district.
The Minha neighbourhood was completely transformed recently and is now home to Instagram-worthy pastel-coloured houses.
This district is great for taking a leisurely stroll or for sitting down in one of the many cafes. You can also find some local restaurants here, if you want to try traditional Qatari food.
If you just want to have a drink, try some Karak. This milk tea is popular throughout the country, and you can try it at one of the many cafes.
The Minha district is especially nice at sunset, because that’s when it comes alive with people who come here for walks by the waterfront. While you won’t get a stunning sunset view, you’ll get to experience the liveliness of this quarter.
2h
#5 Souq Waqif
It’s time to head to another district that comes alive after dark. Souq Waqif is one of our favourite places in Doha.
It’s the right mixture of narrow alleyways, chaos, cafes, restaurants and lots of photogenic views.
And the best part? This souq is not a tourist trap. Instead, you’ll see lots of locals here.
While you can find souvenir shops here, you’ll also see lots of shops for everyday shopping that are clearly not targeted at tourists.
Stroll around, take your time exploring and then make sure to also check out two special sites in this souq.
Falcon Souq
On the western edge of Souq Waqif, you can find the falcon souq.
Falcons are an essential part of Qatari culture, and this souq shows just how important they are.
Here, you can find a few shops selling falcons. You can go inside and take a look at those majestic birds.
You can also find a falcon hospital, which is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a hospital that specialises in the treatment of falcons, underlining the importance of those animals.
Camel Souq
The Camel Souq is another part of Souq Waqif that’s interesting but easy to miss.
It mostly consists of a camel pen, right in the middle of the city. Come here to take pictures of those funny animals with a cityscape in the background.
2h
Day 2
#1 Al Khor
Today, it’s time to leave Doha behind and explore outside the city. You can do this either by renting a car or joining a tour of Northern Qatar.
While most tours are similar, they’re not quite the same, so make sure to take your time and compare the different offers.
Start your trip in the city of Al Khor. Here, you can see two points of interest.
The first one is the historical towers. Those are watchtowers that overlook the harbour and also defended a well that was an important source of freshwater for the city.
The second point of interest is the fish market. Come and spend some time here to see people buying and selling fresh fish. You should also take a short walk around, as you can see the traditional-looking fishing boats that locals still use to catch fish.
1/2h
#2 Purple Island
From Al Khor, head to nearby Purple Island.
The island is connected to the mainland through a boardwalk that leads through a mangrove forest.
This unique ecosystem is part of the Al Thakira Mangroves Forest, one of the oldest mangrove forests in Qatar. From the boardwalk, you can see the mangroves and look out for animals living here.
Purple Island itself is a relatively small island with a rock formation in its middle. If you climb it, you’ve got a nice view of the bay that allows you to see all the way to Al Khor.
Be careful if you’re coming here with a rental car. The road to the parking next to the boardwalk is not paved. While you don’t necessarily need a 4×4, be very careful so you don’t get stuck in sand.
1h
#3 Al Zubara Fort
From Purple Island, cross the country to its Western coast, where you can find Al Zubara Fort.
This fort is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and once played an important role in the defence of this region.
The structure you see here is relatively new and dates back to the 1930s, but the ruins below are from the 18th century.
Inside the fort, you can find an exhibition that explains more about the history of the fort and its significance.
45min
#4 Jumail abandoned ghost town
Along the coast, you can find many abandoned pearling villages.
Pearling was once an important industry in Qatar that slowly declined and lost its role as the main contributor to the country’s economy with the discovery of oil.
Many villages along the coast now lay abandoned when fishermen moved out and into more prosperous areas.
Living conditions in Jumail were rough. With only desert around them and no access to fresh water, they had to transport water from the closest well. Agriculture was impossible here in the desert, although they were able to keep some livestock.
It’s no big surprise that the village was abandoned the moment better living opportunities became available.
The government of Qatar is slowly transforming Jumail into a heritage village, where you can learn more about the country’s pearling history. For now, you will mostly walk amidst abandoned and half-ruined houses. Let your imagination run wild to understand how this place once looked.
1/2h
#5 Villaggio Mall
It’s time to return to Doha. But don’t go all the way to the city centre yet.
Instead, stop at Villaggio Mall, which is located on the outskirts of the city.
We usually wouldn’t recommend malls in any of our itineraries, as they look similar no matter where you go.
The Gulf countries, though, are different. People here have transformed the concept of malls into something entirely new that is not just focused on shopping.
The Villaggio Mall is built like a shopping street, complete with house fronts and a screen that shows a blue sky with fluffy clouds on the ceiling.
The highlight, though, is the canals, as the entire mall is built in the style of Venice. That means you can stroll past canals, enjoy the view from the top of a pond and go for a gondola ride.
1h
#6 Museum of Islamic Art
From the Villaggio Mall, head back to the city centre. We have two items left for you on this itinerary for today, and the order depends on the time of day.
If it’s still early in the afternoon, head to the Museum of Islamic Art.
This excellent museum focuses on art produced in the Islamic world, from the Middle East to Spain.
Many of the exhibits show some form of calligraphy. Arabic calligraphy is an art form that I will never grow tired of seeing, and it’s fascinating to watch the ancient books on display.
There are also other art pieces, including carvings, carpets and a lot more.
My favourite piece was the Canon of Medicine written by Avicenna and annotated by an anonymous commentator, but there are lots of other amazing artefacts as well.
1h
#7 Doha Corniche and Dhow ride
From the Museum of Islamic Art, it’s only a short walk to the Corniche. Make sure to turn around at least once while you walk, as you get fantastic views of the museum from here.
At the Corniche, close to the Pearl Monument, you can find dhows waiting for passengers. Dhows are traditional Qatari boats, and one of the highlights of Qatar is taking a dhow ride for sunset.
That means you need to time this well so you’re on the boat for sunset. If necessary, postpone the Museum of Islamic Art until after your boat ride.
It’s easy to arrange a dhow ride at the Corniche, there’s no need to book in advance. Just show up, and be prepared to haggle for a better price. You might not always be successful, but it’s well worth a try.
Boat rides usually take half an hour, and you get a great view of Doha’s skyline.
From the Corniche, it’s only a short walk to get to Souq Waqif, where you can enjoy a traditional Qatari dinner. There’s an underpass with an entrance next to the Pearl Monument, which is much faster than waiting for the traffic lights above ground.
1h
If you have more time
3-2-1 Qatar Olympic & Sports Museum
If you have more time, we have one more recommendation for you. The 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic & Sports Museum is a fun museum well worth a visit.
The museum starts with an excellent exhibition about sports and the Olympic Games. The best part, though, comes later, when you can test your fitness.
There are lots of machines and lots of exercises to try. It’s a popular museum with families, as the kids love the experimenting and exercise part, but it’s also a lot of fun for adults.
Practical Information
Best time to visit Qatar
The best time to visit Qatar is from October to early April, as that’s when you can expect mild temperatures.
Qatar is a desert country in one of the hottest regions of the world. In summer, temperatures can reach up to 50°C. Combined with high humidity in coastal cities like Doha, that means that it’s almost impossible to spend time outside.
Qatari engineers have developed air conditioning for outdoors, which you might notice on some streets of Souq Waqif. While they can make the summer heat a bit easier to endure, we still recommend avoiding the hot season completely.
From late autumn until early spring, temperatures are much milder and more enjoyable.
Getting around Qatar
Qatar has an excellent metro system which is useful for getting around Doha.
The metro connects the airport and all major sights in Doha, except for the Minha District.
Outside Doha, getting around is more difficult. We recommend getting a rental car (you can compare prices on Discovercars) or joining a tour. This tour, for example, brings you to the major sights of Northern Qatar.
If you need a taxi, the easiest way to get one is by calling an Uber. You can also find taxis at key places in the city.
Be aware that Careem, a service similar to Uber that’s very popular in the Gulf countries, does not operate in Qatar.
How to get to Qatar
Doha Airport is the main hub for Qatar Airways. That means that you can find direct connections from all over the world to Doha. Plus, there are many other airlines that also serve this airport.
Getting overland to Qatar is more difficult. There’s a ferry from Bahrain to Doha, but it’s difficult to find information about it online. Your best bet is to check on I Love Qatar.
If you’re coming from Saudi Arabia, there’s a bus from Al Ahsa. You can buy tickets online on 12Go.
We hope you found this post useful and enjoy your time in Qatar.
If you have less time, we also have a one-day itinerary for Doha, which focuses on the city’s highlights.
While you’re here, make sure to check out the following posts, which you’ll find useful:
- Traditional Qatari food you need to try
- Is Kuwait worth visiting?
- How to visit Al Madam Buried Ghost Town near Dubai
Until your next adventure!
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