Doha Travel Guide

Once little more than a minuscule pearl fishing village, Doha (Arabic: الدوحة ad-Dawḥa), Qatar's capital, with more people than the rest of Qatar combined, has emerged to become one of the pearls of the Middle East. It is one of the most rapidly-developing cities on the Persian Gulf, akin to the development seen in nearby Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and is aiming to become a centre of international trade and travel. We also cover the neighbouring cities of Al Rayyan and Lusail in this article, as they are effectively part of the Doha urban area.

Compared toDubai, the home of Qatar Airways' arch-rival Emirates, Doha is served by much fewer other carriers. The major European airlines usually provide a single connection to Doha from their main hubs (e.g. Lufthansa fromFrankfurt, KLM fromAmsterdam), but minor ones do not. Pretty much all airlines of the Middle East,Turkeyincluded (but notIsrael), provide connections to Doha. Relatively few Asian airlines do so, however, with the exception of a relatively good choice of connections toIndiaan

Doha is a very safe city as far as crime goes, but exercise the usual precautions. You can call999if you need emergency police assistance.

Compared toDubai, which has hundreds of accommodation facilities, Doha does not offer that much variety with less than a hundred hotel properties and some other accommodations. There are quite a few 5-star international chain hotels in Doha and there are scores of new 5-star hotels on the rise, such as the Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons, and Intercontinental. More modest choices come in shorter supply.