And it all started. Just like that, we found ourselves getting off the plane after the first part of the journey that is going to change our lives. The flight from Vienna to Doha is not long, but we still got off the plane a bit tired, and slightly hungover from the 7am glass of prosecco at the Vienna airport and the subsequent glasses of wine on board our flight — and nobody can blame us because it’s a travel day after all (if you know, you know! 😉).
Doha’s transformation from a modest fishing and pearl-diving village into a futuristic metropolis with polished marble and glass towers took only a few decades, but it still keeps its old habits tucked into the Souq, the coffee cups, the falcon shops, and the sea breeze. It is a city that is, for a lot of people, just a quick layover at the airport, rather than a destination of its own.
But not for us. Qatar’s ambition to change this perspective is how we got to book a few days here. And this ambition is, as is customary for Qatar, well executed.
When booking a flight with Qatar Airways, Qatar’s national flag carrier, you’ll get offered their Stopover Program, which means that if you are not in a rush to get to your final destination, you can stay up to 4 days in one of the partner hotels in Doha, and explore the city. The first tier of hotels is completely free, but there are luxury and business tiers as well, where you need to pay a comparatively small fee on top (somewhere between €20.00 and €75.00 per night and person, depending on the option you select). The only prerequisite is that you have a valid ticket to your final destination, and you can enjoy this gem in the desert.
Sipping our morning coffee on the patio of our hotel, next to a spotlessly clean beach, we were actually thinking that this might, rightfully, be an up-and-coming popular holiday destination. Qatar has been investing heavily in tourism for years, especially around the 2022 World Cup. Museums, cultural districts and luxury hotels were built for transit and cruise ship tourism. Qatar recorded 5.1 million international visitors in 2025, up 3.7% year-on-year, and Qatar Tourism says it is aiming for 6 million visitors by 2030.
To us, the Stopover Program felt like a cheat code: instead of treating the Gulf as a blurred transfer zone between Europe and Southeast Asia, we would actually step outside the airport, sleep in a real bed, walk by the water and explore the city. It would be a gentle introduction to the Middle East, and a chance to understand a little bit more about the region.
Doha is easy to admire with all its cleanliness, beautiful museums, the souq, the skyline. But the more polished a place feels, the more we try to ask ourselves who is doing the polishing — both figuratively and literally. We visited, we enjoyed parts of it, and we’re aware that the comfort we experienced sits inside a more complicated reality. Nevertheless, if you’d like to visit and explore, the layover program is an easy and very affordable way to so.
And Doha has plenty to offer!
The National Museum of Qatar
A gem — both outside and inside! This place almost doesn’t feel real. The building took our breath away, and this doesn’t happen that often — but the architecture is just mesmerizing. The National Museum of Qatar was designed by Jean Nouvel — a French architect known also for buildings like the Torre Glòries in Barcelona, Spain or the Gasometer A in Vienna, Austria. It is inspired by the desert rose, a crystal-like mineral formation found in arid desert regions. The building also wraps around the restored palace of Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani, so the museum literally places the old royal residence inside a futuristic shell. You can easily spend half an hour just walking around the outside of building, taking pictures from all angles and directions, and admiring what’s in front of you. Inside, it’s equally as interesting. The museum says the route takes visitors through the country’s people, environment, and culture from Qatar’s earliest natural history to the present.
It is less a museum where you read the labels but rather one you move through. Almost everything is interactive, with movies playing in the background. That’s what we enjoyed the most: real people telling real stories about the life in the desert, memories and culture beautifully mixed together. A lot of space is given to Qatar’s pearling past. One film, Nafas (meaning “Breath”) tells the story of pearl divers and the families left behind during the season at sea.
The museum is really a must-see. Just check the opening hours beforehand 😉 We arrived around 5pm only to realize that the museum didn’t open until 8pm! One thing we didn’t mention yet is that we were visiting Doha right in the middle of Ramadan, so not only were all the opening hours changed, but no alcohol was served anywhere (but we honestly enjoyed the few days of detox)!
The Souq Waqif
We spent hours walking the narrow streets of the souq. If you search “what to see in Doha”, Souq Waqif is usually the first thing recommended, so we took the Gold Line metro (see below for our experience) and got off at the station with the same name. 10 minutes later we were surrounded by carpets, perfumes, spices, souvenirs, cafés, horse stables, and enough restaurant menus to make the decision of where we are going to eat very difficult. Our tip is to always check how many locals are eating at a restaurant, which usually speaks for the quality of the food. We almost always eat in restaurants serving local meals, ideally with local ingredients.
And so our hunt for a good meal started, until we spotted a logo that seemed familiar, but at first we couldn’t remember why. There it was — Berenjak Souq WaqifRestaurantDoha — our unfulfilled restaurant bucket list item from London. This London-born Persian restaurant had expanded to Doha, opening the location in Souq Waqif in 2024!
We made a quick decision to break our rule this time, and entered the beautiful building with an even more beautiful terrace and view over a busy street of the souq, and ridiculously good food. Responsible travel, as we are learning, is not about never breaking your own rules, rather about noticing when you do.
Souq Waqif felt like the place where Doha loosened up a little. It is fully restored and definitely not a hidden gem, but when evening comes and the narrow streets fill with grilled food, tea, families, tourists and waiters trying to win you over, it becomes very easy to understand why everyone tells you to go there.
The Doha Metro
The Doha Metro is exceptionally modern, and widely considered one of the most futuristic, clean, and luxurious rapid transit networks in the world — and we can see why! Metro station interiors are designed with “Vaulted Spaces” that reference traditional Qatari architecture like nomadic tents, arches, and dhow sailing boats. The striking interior of the trains features an oyster-pearl-like shimmering effect.
The metro is also an extremely affordable way to get around the city! A single trip costs only QAR 2.00, with a daily spending cap of QAR 6.00.
One funny thing you can do to make your metro ride even more interesting is to sit right at the very front or very back of the train, facing the big window. Doha’s metro is driverless and fully autonomous, so you can watch the tunnel open in front of you and enjoy the ride. For something so simple it’s strangely spectacular.
The Katara Culture Town
Nothing as spectacular (unlike the metro ride 😅) but it makes for a cute little walk. The Katara village is a purpose-built complex described as a place for art, culture, restaurants, theaters and events. We stumbled across it on our way from Feeh Al'Aafia - فيه العافيةRestaurantKatara Building 3, Doha, the restaurant where we had dinner on our first night.
Or just walk around (as simple as that)! Doha is built to impress. Its skyline, especially around West Bay, feels almost surreal.
Depending on how long you stay, you can see a lot more of Doha during your trip, but with our two and a half days we felt like squeezing in even more would feel forced rather than enjoyed.
One thing we want to mention: we left Doha less than 24 hours before the Iranian missile strikes on Qatar started. While we were grateful for this lucky timing (many people got stuck in Qatar due to airspace closures), we couldn’t stop thinking about how strange it is to leave a city with your suitcase and memories, while others are left with fear, uncertainty, and no easy way out. We will always condemn violence of any kind.
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