Qatar: Doha, Hometown Tour Guide

This month’s Hometown Tour Guide is blogger Wandermust Mummy from Wandermust Family. Here’s what she has to say about her adopted hometown – Doha, the capital city of Qatar. 

What is the name of your hometown and where is it?

Doha, Qatar,

What, if anything, is your hometown famous for?

Most people have heard of Doha and Qatar as the hosts of the upcoming 2022 World Cup! But there is a lot more to Qatar than the upcoming World Cup

The top 5 attractions are:-

1. Souq Waqif – probably the most famous attraction. Meaning standing market, my personal favourite time to go is weekend evenings when the place really comes alive. It’s a great place for food too!

2. Museum of Islamic Art – one of the most photographed buildings in Qatar. Designed by IM Pei on its own island off the Corniche. The museum is home to Islamic Arts from carpets, jewelry to astrolabes. It also has a great café and is a great spot to sit by the water overlooking the West Bay skyline.

3. The Inland Sea – is a great place to go to experience desert. It is a brilliant place to go dune bashing

4. Malls –it use to be Villagio which is set out like Venice complete with canal and gondolas but the Mall of Qatar is now open and is the second biggest mall in the Middle East after Dubai Mall and will become third once the Festival City Mall opens later in 2017

5. The Pearl – Doha’s answer to The Palm in Dubai. A man-made island home to great restaurants and shops.

If you would like to know more about things to do in Qatar check out my A-Z of Things to See and Do.

Are there any local sports teams? Where do they play?

N/A

My 3 favourite restaurants are:-

Doha is full of great restaurants from high end brands to cheap eats. My favourites are probably –

1. Bandar Aden in the Souq as it was the first place I experienced Yemeni food and it’s so different from any other Middle Eastern cuisine.

2. Hakkassan for high end food and keeps the standards of its other global branches.

3. Damasca 1 also in the Souq. It has a great terrace to people watch from and does amazing Middle Eastern Mezze.

My 3 favourite bars/pubs are:-

While Qatar is not a dry country, only 5* hotels are able to serve alcohol (except during Ramadan when the whole country is dry). My three favourite places to go for a drink are:

1. Champions at the Marriott Marquis. An American style sports bar with an amazing quiz night once a month

2. Wahm Bar at the W hotel- great for cocktails and has a lovely outdoor terrace!

3. La Veranda for their appertivo nights! You can sit right by the water with stunning views of the Doha skyline. It also has a great brunch and is one of my favourite places in Doha especially in the cooler weather

Top 3 Hotels are:-

1. We love a staycation at the Intercontinental Doha, it has a great beach and pool area. 

2. The Grand Hyatt to get a bit further out of town. 

3. The Westin because it has some great restaurants.

Why do you love your hometown?

I love Doha because it is such a family friendly place to visit. There is not much you can’t do with your children. It is also a great stopover place on your way to Asia and Australia.

Who should visit your hometown?

I think families would really enjoy a trip to Doha (mainly in the Winter – it gets hot!) and anyone who is on a layover on the way to or from Australia or Asia

Best time of year to visit (weather): 

Definitely the Winter (UK time). Temperatures can reach 50 degrees in the summer and isn’t very pleasant. But if you do visit in Summer I have lots of survival tips over on the blog.

Language spoken: 

Arabic is the native language but I have never been anywhere where English isn’t spoken!

Currency:  

Qatari Riyals

Thank you again to Wandermust Mummy from Wandermust Family for being this month’s Hometown Tour Guide. Why not connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.