Your Guide to Qatar Airways Transit at Doha: A Personal Experience
Hey everyone! It's me again. Last time, I asked about flying Qatar Airways and transiting through Doha. Now that I'm back, I'm sharing a complete guide based on my own experience! (Warning: it's a long post with lots of info!)
1. Short Transits (Less Than 4 Hours)
Depending on your flight, you might not have much time for activities with connections under 4 hours. You'll mostly be browsing the shops or taking photos in areas like the Duty Free Plaza South (look for the giant teddy bear!) or the Orchard in the North terminal (with its beautiful indoor garden).
Important Note: These two areas are quite far apart. Walking or using the moving walkways takes a while (>7 minutes), and finding your next gate can take another 7-15 minutes. Keep an eye on the time so you don't miss your flight!
2. Transits of 4 Hours or More
With longer transits, you have more options for activities and tours. Here's a breakdown:
Minimum 4 Hours:
- (a) Explore Hamad International Airport (around Qar36/person)
- (b) Sports activities like golf, gym, etc. (from Qar 120-400/person)
8 Hours or More:
You can explore Qatar itself with city tours (around 3 hours) or desert tours (around 4 hours). Qatar is a very small country, mostly land with only a small percentage of desert.
A city tour might cover almost the entire country in those 3 hours! Personally, I recommend doing it during the day for better views. My nighttime tour mostly involved seeing things through the car window. We only stopped at 3 locations:
- A plaza with panoramic views of skyscrapers (5 minutes).
- Another location (I don't remember the name) with a regular view (5 minutes).
- An animal enclosure opposite the royal palace. Seeing the palace was nice, but taking pictures was difficult because of the camels, horses, and falcons. The animals were cute, but the smell was strong. From there, we went to a traditional Qatari market, bustling like a night market, but very rushed (only about 20 minutes) before returning to the airport.
Whether the city tour is worth it depends on your opinion. I found the views and stops weren't worth the money. Tours run every 2 hours from 8:00 AM to 9:30 PM.
The desert tour is more unique, running every 60 minutes from 6:00 AM to 2:00 PM, but it's also more expensive. I haven't tried it yet, so I can't give a full review.
Important: If you book a tour, check in at the information desk (Duty Free Plaza South, near the teddy bear) 2 hours beforehand for the necessary procedures. Whether your transit is short or long, and whether you stay in the airport or take a tour, you don't need to prepare anything beforehand. Just check in, and they'll guide you through the process.
3. Currency
The airport accepts common currencies in cash and card. However, if you pay in foreign cash (like USD or Euro), they'll give you change in Qatari Riyal.
You can use cards in the market, and they accept foreign cash. I'm not sure what currency they give as change.
4. Where to Rest
Hamad Airport has plenty of chairs for waiting. If you have a long overnight transit and want to lie down, you have options:
Paid Options:
Hotels, sleep pods, etc., are available for hourly rentals, usually expensive. Sleep pods might cost around $40-50 for 2 hours. Hotels are more expensive. Check the airline website for more details.
Free Options:
The best free option is the Quiet Room, with separate rooms for men, women, and families, on almost every floor. The men's and women's rooms are very far apart, so if you're in a group of two or more, stay in the family room together. You can also use the Garden area, where people sleep on the artificial grass or benches. However, the Garden is noisy and less private than the Quiet Room.
Remember that sleeping at the airport without a hotel isn't very comfortable if you're not used to it. Even the Quiet Room is not very comfortable. (Hard chairs, announcements, people talking, etc.)
IMPORTANT: The airport gets VERY COLD at night. Bring a thick jacket or blanket to stay warm.
That's my review! I might not check my inbox or comments often, but I'll try to answer any questions you have. Have a great trip!
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