Why Qatar
A peninsula of eleven thousand square kilometres, most of it flat desert. Everything happens in Doha and within an hour of it: Pei's Museum of Islamic Art, the rebuilt Souq Waqif, the Corniche, and Msheireb, an entire district rebuilt downtown.
To the south, Khor Al Adaid, the inland sea, is an arm of the Gulf ringed by dunes and reachable only by four-wheel drive. It is the country's one major natural landscape and it sits on UNESCO's tentative list.
November to March: twenty to twenty-five degrees, the only comfortable window. From May to September the heat passes forty-five degrees with high humidity, and life moves entirely indoors.
Entry and stay
Requirements depend on nationality. Check yours with the local authorities before booking.
No duration is quoted here, for want of an official source verified at the time of writing — 22 September 2026.
Getting around
Doha's métro is new, air-conditioned and very cheap, with three lines covering the airport, the centre, the museums and the souk. It is the simplest mode for a visitor.
Taxis and ride-hailing apps fill the gaps. A car is needed for Khor Al Adaid, and access to the dunes is by guided excursion.
Money
The Qatari riyal, pegged to the US dollar at a fixed rate.
Cards work everywhere. The country is expensive for accommodation and eating out, and the gap with its peninsula neighbours is real.
Health
No vaccination required from Europe. Malaria is absent.
Medical facilities are of a very high standard. The real risk is heat: exposure in summer is dangerous and outdoor exertion between eleven and four should be avoided from May to September.
Before you go
Qatar is more conservative than Dubai. Covered shoulders and knees are expected in public places, and this is posted at the entrance to shopping centres and museums.
Alcohol is served only in licensed hotels and is not sold in shops to visitors. Drinking in public and public drunkenness are offences.
Public displays of affection are frowned upon and can cause problems, including between spouses.
On Friday mornings life stops for prayer: many businesses open only in the early afternoon.