A stopover in Doha with kids

For long-haul flights between Europe and Asia / Australasia, Qatar is a good choice. But rather than enduring the flight in one go, parents may be wondering if it’s worth stopping over in Doha with kids for a few nights.

Rising majestically from the barren desert, the glitzy skyline of Doha is forever changing as money oozes from the oil and gas refineries and pours into the rapid and constant development of the city. The city is booming and Doha is a fascinating and welcoming place for families to visit. If you are considering doing a stopover in Qatar, here we share our experiences of things to do in Doha with kids.

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With our visit back home to the UK, we thought we would take advantage of our Qatar Airways flight and stopover in Doha for a couple of days. We had previously done a stopover in Abu Dhabi with kids, and as it had worked so well, we thought we’d try Doha for a stopover.

However, when we initially scoured the hotels online, we thought we had made an expensive choice. Doha promotes itself as a high end tourist destination where one enjoys luxury hotels, dines at fine restaurants and shops at shiny malls. This isn’t quite us. In fact, far from it.

So is a stopover in Doha with kids worth it? Is Doha good for families on a budget? And what about visiting Doha with toddlers?

Where we stayed in Doha with kids

Although it would have been lovely to stay in a 5* resort, we couldn’t justify the cost. We had pre-booked the 3* (their website says 5*) Golden Ocean Hotel, which was a huge mistake. After a 30 minute wait to check in, we were shown a room with a tiny bed for all four of us to sleep in. The hotel were happy to show us another room with a larger bed, however one of the rooms still had a person sleeping in it (?!) and another was thick with cigarette smoke. We hastily left.

We quickly realised that Doha is perhaps a place you need to stretch the budget a bit and we opted for the 5* Saraya Corniche Hotel after a super quick booking.com search. I would say that it is more 4*, although it’s a great location (short stroll to the Corniche), comfy and clean rooms (many with amazing views across the bay) and there is also a indoor pool and kids play room. We really only used the hotel as a base for exploring and it was more than adequate for this.

Experiencing 5* resort luxury for the afternoon

We were invited to spend the afternoon at the Intercontinental Doha. We had heard from friends and bloggers living in the area that this is the place for families, and we can see why!

With a wonderful playground, kids’ swimming pools and a sandy private beach overlooking the bay, we were all still playing once the sun had set.

We also enjoyed a marvellous buffet lunch; after 6 months living in India the boys particularly enjoyed the bangers and mash, whereas I had my eye on the scrummy sushi and the delicious range of cheese and cured meats.

Doha Desert trip with kids

No visit to Qatar would be complete without visiting the desert. We booked a fantastic half day desert tour with Qatar Inbound Tours.

The drive south to the desert from the city took about 25 minutes along a wide, clear highway. When the tarmac ran out, the driver let the air out of the tyres in preparation for some dune bashing and we took a ride on the camels. Admittedly this isn’t quite what we expected. We essentially spent QAR60 (£12) for two camels to walk 40 metres up and down a car park. However, the boys absolutely loved it and it’s just one of those thing we had to do in Doha with kids, although it was no way near as good as our experience riding camels in the Sahara Desert or Essaouira, Morocco.

But it was the dune bashing that we had come for. What absolute exhilarating fun! I will never forget the giggles from all the boys as our skilful driver careered up, over and around the silky dunes. We also stopped to take in the seemingly endless views of untouched sand and drove so far south we could see the coastline of Saudi Arabia.

Free things to do in Doha with kids

As you may have gathered so far, it’s quite easy for the budget to blow out of the window in Doha. However, there are some fantastic free things to do in Doha with kids, which are all within easy walking distance of each other.

We loved wandering around Souq Waqif; smelling the array of spices, browsing the eclectic shopfronts and getting lost amongst the maze of alleyways. It has been cleverly redeveloped to retain the character and structure of the original 19th-century souq.

From Souq Waqif you can cross under Al Corniche St towards The Pearl Monument, and enjoy a stroll along the Corniche Promenade. To escape the daytime heat, this is best enjoyed in the evening when the skyscrapers across the Bay are colourfully lit up.

Follow the Corniche around to the right (East) towards the Museum of Islamic Art (open until 7pm every evening, free entry). A bit further along is MIA playground, a fantastic play space for kids with two large playgrounds – itt does get very busy on weekend evenings. There is also a good playground at Sheraton Park.

For a comprehensive list of what to do with kids in Qatar, visit Wandermust Family’s post: Ultimate Guide of What to do with kids in Qatar in Winter. Or check out this list of  things to in Doha.

Getting around

If it’s too far to walk, taxi is your best option of getting around. As with many cities around the world, e-hailing apps have simplified the humble city taxi service and Doha, of course, has embraced this change. Both Karwa and Uber apps are used in Doha.

As for getting from Doha Airport (often voted as one of the best family friendly airports in the world) to your hotel, do check with your hotel in case they offer a free airport shuttle service. Otherwise, download one of the trusty e-hailing apps before your arrival. If you are struggling to connect your phone to the internet to use an e-hailing app, then you can jump in a regular taxi (these are reasonably priced and metered).

Check out this handy guide for what to wear in Doha airport.

Is it worth doing a stopover in Doha with kids?

Most definitely!

Okay, so we soon realised we needed to stretch the budget, a lot (particularly for accommodation), and we spent a bit more than we would normally for a two-day city break. But hearing the boys giggles as we careered down those sand dunes was priceless and the clean order of everything was a fascinating contrast to the chaos of Bangalore where we lived at the time. Plus, we still found lots of free things to do in Doha with kids!

Useful Travel Info:

Best time to visit: Winter (Nov-March). However, we visited in late October; the heat of the summer was passing and it was comfortable.
How to get there: Qatar Airlines is the main provider to Doha’s Hamad International Airport. Other providers include SriLankan, IndiGo, Kuwait Airways, Jet Airways, Oman Airways.
ATMs: Multiple ATMs are available at Hamad International Airport and they are plentiful across the city (check locations of ATMs on this map).
Visas: No visa requirements for citizens of 80 countries, including Australia, the European Union, New Zealand, the UK and the US. Visa waivers are issued on arrival and you can stay for up to 60 days.
Language: Arabic is the official language of Qatar, with Qatari Arabic the local dialect. English is widely spoken as a second language.
Time: GMT+3
Government travel advice: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/qatar

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