What To Do On An 18-Hour Layover In Doha, Qatar
Do you have a long layover in Doha, Qatar, and don’t want to spend hours sitting in the airport? Well, Qatar doesn’t have to be like that. Doha is one of the best cities for a long layover because you can see a lot in a short amount of time.
On a trip through Qatar, I had a layover that lasted almost the entire day, starting at 4 am in the morning and my departing flight leaving at about 10 pm in the evening. Instead of wasting it the time at the airport, I traveled through the desert, rode a camel, saw Qatari museums, markets, and even made a stop at the Persian Gulf.
Why Doha Is Perfect For A Long Layover
Lots of cities are hard to make the most of a long layover because the airport is too far away, traffic is too much, or there isn’t much to do in close proximity unless you stay the night.
This isn’t the case in Doha.
The airport is close to the city, the roads are easy to navigate, and you can knock out multiple experiences in one day, if not a long afternoon. If you plan ahead, you can go from city to desert, desert to ocean, ocean to markets, and still make it back in time for your flight with time to spare.
If you only do one thing on a long layover in Qatar, make sure you get out into the desert. I booked a combination tour with Golden Adventures Qatar that started in the desert in the morning and headed back into the city in the afternoon before dropping me off at the airport.
This isn’t the only time I have made an adventure out of a layover. If you’d like to see my quick guide, check out my article on: How To Turn A Long Layover Into An Exciting Mini Trip.
Here’s exactly what I did on an 18-hour layover in Doha, Qatar.
1. 4×4 Land Cruisers Through The Desert
The tour started with a pickup from a hotel I booked (honestly, just to have a shower and store my belongings) in a Toyota Land Cruiser (a widely popular vehicle in this region of the world). Once we got out of the city, the landscape opened up quickly into endless sand dunes. It starts feeling like a different world.
Don’t think that this is just going to be another drive on some highway. On my trip, we drove way out into the desert off the road, up and down the dunes, and everywhere in between.
Likely you’ll need to make a pitstop to air down your tires for the best traction, but if you do your trip as I did, we went up and down steep dunes, making it both thrilling and a little scary at times. I don’t think I’ve ever thought I’d use the raised part of the passenger floorboard until this trip, where I felt like I could have been standing up while crawling down a dune.
2. Dune Buggying
The best part of the day was probably the dune buggies, particularly since it was my first time. The drivers out there are absolutely wild (in a good way), and flying up and down the dunes is a thrill you won’t forget.
When you arrive, don’t worry if you haven’t done it before; the staff will teach you the basics, the throttles in the buggy, and likely give you a guide to follow to make sure you make it back alright.
If you aren’t adventurous enough to get in a dune buggy and perhaps catch some air, 4-wheeler ATVs are also available to have a go at a slower speed.
3. Camel Rides
Is it touristy? Yes. Have I done it before? Also yes. Did I maybe pull something this time doing it? Oh yeah.
I did a quick camel ride and got the photos, and honestly, it’s one of those “you’re in the Middle East, so why not?” experiences. If you haven’t ridden a camel before, this is a no-brainer. Even if you have, lean in and enjoy your experience.
As a small note, it might not be a bad idea to carry a little cash for this stop. The vendors offering rides also have hawks whom they offer to do photos with you for a small cash tip, and you even get to hold the bird! Unfortunately, this was a surprise to me, so I didn’t get the chance, but don’t make my mistake!
4. Sandboarding
If you’ve never sandboarded before, it’s basically snowboarding… except you fall softer and get sand everywhere. Not only that, you go much slower, you can’t steer, and you feel like you’re going much faster than you actually are.
Unfortunately for us all, should you take a video (I did) and feel that you were flying down the hill and decide to bail onto your bottom (like I did), when you look at the video, you’ll be surprised at how slow you were actually going.
Do yourself a favor and just sit on the board to stay on and pick up some speed to the bottom of the dune.
To top it off, if you’ve never climbed up a hill of sand, it’ll quickly tire you out. Every step up comes with a small shift of the sand sliding you back down. You’ll be gassed out, tired, and maybe wish there was more to it. Nevertheless, it’s a lot of fun and a great way to break up the day.
5. The Persian Gulf
One of the best parts of the whole trip was ending up at the water. Seeing the desert roll right into the sea was something I didn’t expect, and it was one of those things that highlighted my trip.
Getting my feet wet for a nice walk on the shore was a great break before heading back into the city to finish up the day. It almost made me forget that Qatar was only a stopover along my larger trip.
6. Museums And Culture In Doha
After getting back from the desert and getting the sand out of literally everything I was wearing or brought with me, we headed into the city. First stop, the National Museum of Qatar.
Doha has several modern museums that are easy to get to and explore, even if you don’t have a ton of time. If you’re trying to balance the day with something cultural, this is a pretty good way to do it.
I can’t speak for the rest, but the National Museum has some pretty interesting architecture, great exhibits, a gift shop for souvenirs, and a nice, quiet plaza to enjoy. You should check out their Official Site for more details about the exhibits that are offered. My driver dropped me off for about 2 hours, which certainly wasn’t enough time to see everything, but since I was on a time crunch, it gave me just enough time to soak a little history in.
7. Souq Waqif (Doha’s Main Bazaar)
Souq Waqif is the main market in Doha, and it’s exactly what you’d hope it would look like: busy alleyways, spices, souvenirs, clothing, snacks, cafes and restaurants, and more.
Qatar is making a major effort to compete with places like Dubai, and the buildings and architecture show it. As you walk around, you’ll see seemingly brand new modern structures in the distance, but here in this souq, they’ve been purposely designed more traditionally. While it may be a bit artificial, I can appreciate the effort to keep the charm of the local culture and styling.
Even if you don’t buy anything, it’s definitely worth visiting just to walk around and soak up the experience. This is one of the best places in Doha to feel like you’re actually in Qatar and not just in another modern city.
If you’re used to bazaars and busy markets but don’t like the pressure, you’ll be delighted to find that the street merchants are not nearly as aggressive with their sales as they are in many other places. Actually, they mostly left me alone to browse.
8. Little Italy In Doha
One of my more unexpected stops was what people commonly call “Little Italy” in Doha, but officially known as the Qanat Quartier district of the city.
Known for its resemblance to Venice, Italy’s waterways, and clean, modern design, it’s a nice area to slow down, grab something to eat, and enjoy a different side of the city with more European vibes. Sadly, other than making a short stop to walk around, I didn’t get to spend much time here.
After the desert, sea, and busy markets, it was a great way to end the day before heading back to the airport.
Quick Tips For A Long Layover in Qatar
- Book your tours early in the day (morning tours make the most sense with a layover)
- Wear/bring sunglasses (the desert sun is no joke)
- Bring a light jacket if you’re going between air-conditioned museums and outdoor heat
- Give yourself buffer time to get back to the airport and clear security
- Bring an extra pair of socks
- Bring plenty of water
- Bring some cash for the markets
- Again, ensure you have buffer time to get back to the airport!
Seriously, the last souvenir that you’d likely want to purchase during your layover in Doha is another flight because you didn’t make it back to the airport in time.
Thanks for Reading!
Thank you for checking out this guide on how to spend 18 hours on a layover in Doha, Qatar! If you have the time, Doha is absolutely worth leaving the airport for. Between the desert, the Persian Gulf, museums, and souqs, you can turn an inconvenient stopover into one of the most memorable days of your trip.
If you liked this post, check out How To Turn A Long Layover Into An Exciting Mini Trip!
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