Skip to content
Wooden dhows moored in Doha Bay off the Corniche, seen from MIA Park, with palm trees along the waterfront and office buildings behind

Where to stay in Doha

Photo: Zairon, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Places to stay in Doha

Add your dates above to compare prices for your stay.

About Doha

By road, Souq Waqif is about 10 km from Hamad International, West Bay about 15 km and the Pearl and Lusail about 24 km. Holiday homes need a Qatar Tourism licence shown on every listing, and they may be let for at most 30 consecutive days.

Qatar. Guide last checked .

Facts and rules

Last checked . Each fact links to its source.

Airport
Hamad International (DOH), east of the city; by road about 10 km to Souq Waqif, about 15 km to West Bay and about 24 km to the Pearl and to Lusail. Source
Tourism fee on hotel bills
None found in the laws and circulars Qatar Tourism publishes, and no official rate for a service charge; unverified as of September 2026, so check what a total includes. Source
Holiday home licences
Letting a holiday home without a Qatar Tourism licence is prohibited, and the licence is valid for five years. Source
Licence number in listings
Since Circular No. 11 of 2022 only licensed holiday homes may be listed online, platforms must show each listing's licence number clearly, and guest details go to the Ministry of Interior through the SITA platform. Source
Holiday home stay length
A licensed holiday home is let by the day or week, or for any temporary period of at most thirty consecutive days, and the guest may not be charged costs outside the contract. Source
Leases
Law No. 4 of 2008 covers furnished units let for more than one month: the lease is written and registered at the Real Estate Lease Registration Office, and a residential deposit is capped at two months' rent. Hotels and tourist accommodation are exempt. Source
Entry, UK visitors
A tourist visa on arrival on a full British citizen passport; a stay beyond 30 days needs an extension from the Ministry of Interior before it expires. Passports need 6 months of validity. Source
Entry, EU visitors
Visa-free entry with a passport valid for three months and a confirmed hotel booking on arrival. The length of stay is unverified as of September 2026. Source
Entry, US visitors
A visa on arrival valid for two years or until the passport expires, for multiple entries of up to 90 days each, with a confirmed hotel booking. Source
Health insurance
UK travel advice says a stay of more than 30 days needs health insurance bought before travel from an insurer registered with the Ministry of Public Health. Source
Parking with a rental car
No citywide tariff: the municipality designates paid areas and many streets and lots are free (via GetCar). Free park-and-ride car parks stand at the Al Wakra, Al Qassar, Lusail and Education City metro stations. Source
Currency
Qatari riyal (QAR), the only currency used in the country, pegged at QAR 3.64 to the US dollar. Source
Emergency number
999 for police, fire and ambulance Source

Areas of Doha

The main street of Souq Waqif, with mud-rendered buildings, wooden roof beams, lanterns and café tables along a paved lane
Photo: Zairon, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Msheireb and Souq Waqif

The old centre: Souq Waqif, a market of garments, spices, handicrafts and restaurants in a building renovated in 2006, and next to it Msheireb Downtown Doha, a regeneration of the historic Mushayrib district begun in 2010. It suits a first visit on foot and short stays near the airport, less so a beach trip.

Hamad airport (DOH)
about 10 km
West Bay
about 6 km
Msheireb from Souq Waqif
about 2 km

Car and parking

Souq Waqif has a three-level underground car park for about 2,000 cars, entered from Al Matar Street, and Msheireb its own car park with an app; neither tariff is published officially (via GetCar).

West Bay

The business district of Al Dafna, built on land reclaimed in the 1980s, with dozens of towers, the City Center mall and mostly upmarket apartments, at the northern end of the 7 km Corniche promenade. It suits a tower hotel or apartment and business trips.

Hamad airport (DOH)
about 15 km
Souq Waqif
about 6 km

Car and parking

Doha has no citywide parking tariff and West Bay's car park prices are not published officially, so ask the hotel or host about a space (via GetCar). The Red Line metro runs through West Bay to the airport and Lusail (via GetCar).

Katara Beach with patterned floor cushions, tents and torches on the sand, a buoy line in turquoise water and residential towers across the bay
Photographed in 2019. Photo: FLASHPACKER TRAVELGUIDE, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Katara

The cultural and commercial complex on the coast between West Bay and the Pearl, opened in 2010, with a long beach on one side. It suits a beach hotel within reach of both West Bay and the Pearl.

Hamad airport (DOH)
about 20 km
Souq Waqif
about 11 km
West Bay
about 7 km

Car and parking

Katara has its own car parks, at tariffs not published officially (via GetCar); ask the hotel whether parking is included.

The Pearl-Qatar

An artificial island of nearly 4 square km, the first land in Qatar that foreign nationals could buy freehold, with around 52,000 residents in 2024 and 32 km of new coastline. It suits an apartment stay by the water, and a month.

Hamad airport (DOH)
about 24 km
Souq Waqif
about 15 km
West Bay
about 11 km

Car and parking

The Pearl has its own car parks at tariffs not published officially (via GetCar); ask the host about a residents' space before booking.

Lusail

A new city on the coast north of the West Bay Lagoon, planned with marinas, residential districts and island resorts, and home to the stadium of the 2022 World Cup final. It suits a newer apartment or hotel and events at the stadium.

Hamad airport (DOH)
about 24 km
Souq Waqif
about 14 km
The Pearl
about 7 km

Car and parking

The Ministry of Transport runs a free park-and-ride car park at the Lusail metro station, on the Red Line; car parks along Lusail Boulevard charge tariffs not published officially (via GetCar).

A paved lane between sand-coloured walls and trees in the old souq of Al Wakrah, with the sea at the end of the lane
Photo: Zairon, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Al Wakrah

The old fishing and pearling town immediately south of Doha, now a city of more than 80,000, with a rebuilt souq on the seafront and a free public beach beside it (via GetCar). It suits a quieter base near the airport and the beach.

Hamad airport (DOH)
about 18 km
Souq Waqif
about 17 km

Car and parking

The Ministry of Transport runs a free park-and-ride car park at the Al Wakra metro station, where the Red Line ends, so the car can stay there for trips into the centre.

Guides

Questions

Which area of Doha is best for a first visit?

Msheireb and Souq Waqif, the old centre, about 10 km from the airport by road, for the souq and the museums on foot. West Bay, about 6 km north along the Corniche, suits a tower hotel near the business district.

Is there a tourist tax on hotels in Doha?

Quub found no tourism fee or levy in the laws and circulars Qatar Tourism publishes; it is unverified as of September 2026. Check what the total includes before paying.

Must a Doha holiday home listing show a licence number?

Yes. Qatar Tourism's Circular No. 11 of 2022 makes a valid licence a condition of being listed and requires platforms to show each listing's licence number clearly.

Is parking free in Doha?

Doha has no citywide tariff; some car parks charge and many streets and lots are free (via GetCar). The Ministry of Transport runs free park-and-ride car parks at the Al Wakra, Al Qassar, Lusail and Education City metro stations.