|
I've got a 9-hour layover in Doha (landing at 5pm on Tuesday). What could I venture out of the airport to do on a Tuesday night and get back in time for a 2am flight?
|
# ? Mar 7, 2015 18:56 |
|
|
# ? Mar 28, 2024 13:52 |
|
dexter6 posted:I've got a 9-hour layover in Doha (landing at 5pm on Tuesday). The visa to enter Qatar costs something like USD40. There is a free city tour available near the giant teddy bear at the airport that allows you to go around visa free. I think the last one leaves at 7pm, so try to get on that. The airport itself is a bore unless you have lounge access (and even then al Mourjan lounge is much better than the pay/non-QR lounges), but there are quiet areas with chairs you can somewhat sleep in. Edit: If you buy the visa and leave the airport without a tour, Souq Waqif is a short walk away (well, 30-45 minutes in hot weather) or you can take a taxi. Other than that, Qatar is a shithole. The Souq itself isn't that nice since it's all reconstructed, but it's at least an attempt at culture. Most museums will be closed by 5pm, but the Museum of Islamic Art was designed by IM Pei and is by the sea shore close to the Souq, so it might be worth just checking out the outside of the building. You have a good view along the Corniche of new Doha from there too. Geriatric Pirate fucked around with this message at 15:04 on Mar 8, 2015 |
# ? Mar 8, 2015 14:35 |
|
The evening is a nice time to get into the city because it'll be cool enough to walk around. Yeah, Doha sucks, but if you've never been to the Gulf before it'd be an interesting experience. I also recommend the Corniche and Souq Waqif but I'd say it's best to take a taxi in and then walk around from there. Take a looksee on Google Maps to figure out where to get dropped off so you don't have to double back. Other than that, I guess the other option is to go to shopping malls - shopping is the new national pastime of basically all the Gulf states - or go have a fancy cocktail at the bar at the W hotel and chat up some of the expats and hear about how weird and lovely Doha is.
|
# ? Mar 8, 2015 22:51 |
|
Thanks guys! Just got on the tour. It's pretty cool they give you the visa voucher. I've got access to the QR business class lounge so I grabbed some food there. I heard there are massage services I may try out after the tour. Thanks for the recommendation!
|
# ? Mar 10, 2015 17:17 |
|
dexter6 posted:Thanks guys! Just got on the tour. It's pretty cool they give you the visa voucher. I don't think there are massages available in al Mourjan (the main QR lounge), could be wrong, it's not what I usually go for. If you need a shower after the tour (it's quite warm in Qatar...)and there's a line for the showers in the lounge (it gets quite busy closer to midnight because most of the other lounges aren't open yet), try the showers located in the Quiet Room, those are usually available immediately. The Quiet Room is at the end of the corridor in the sandwich/salad bar area.
|
# ? Mar 10, 2015 21:01 |