Some countries are just perfect to visit as a layover rather than a vacation.

Either they are small enough to see in a short amount of time, or they hold some intrigue while not quite making the top of your travel bucket list.

For me, Qatar is a great example of that. It’s one of the biggest layover hubs in the world thanks to it being the home of Hamad International Airport and Qatar Airways, the number one airport and airline in the world respectively.

I recently spent 24 hours in Doha and hope that this itinerary serves as a source of inspiration for any layover you might have in the city. I crammed a lot in and really felt like I maximized the time I spent in the city and engaging with everything Qatar has to offer.

6:45 AM: Landed in Doha

My flight landed quite early but it was already 90+ degrees in Doha. As Qatar is a Muslim country, it is respectful to dress nicely and wear clothes that cover your knees, even in the heat. Thankfully, I didn’t have to be outside too long.

After passing through immigration, I called an Uber which took me for a ride along the Corniche (Doha’s boardwalk more or less) and took me to my hotel to drop off my luggage. It was a Friday morning which meant the streets were nearly empty as it is the Muslim day of prayer. As a result, most shops don’t open until 2:00 PM on Fridays.

8:30 AM: Camel and Off-road Sand Dune Tour

After dropping off my luggage, I got picked up at my hotel for a tour of Qatar’s sand dunes. By chance, there were two other people on the tour, Martin from Hong Kong, and Anna from Kazakstan, who were both in college and we hit it off immediately.

Our tour took us about an hour outside of Doha where we did the classic but essential Middle Eastern camel ride in the desert.

After a few photos and some tea, our guide took us deep into the desert sand dunes where we went off-roading in a 4x4. Our driver, Khalid, knew how to hit some perfect angles and acceleration along the dunes to make the hour-long excursion feel like a rollercoaster.

We capped off the tour by stopping by a beach near the border to Saudi Arabia before heading back to Doha.

12:30 PM: Lunch at a 5-star restaurant at The Pearl

Encouraged by a friend from the Middle East, I decided to ball out for lunch at a Lebanese restaurant situated in The Pearl, an artificial island in the north of Doha. It was still prayer time in the country, so I practically had the restaurant to myself as I ordered so much food that I thought I was going to explode.

2:00 PM: Check in to the hotel and explore

Following lunch, I checked into my hotel: the Sheraton Grand Doha Resort and Convention Center.

It’s safe to say that I did not deserve it. I’ve never stayed at a 5-star hotel before and this one had every amenity you could imagine. Of course, it had your typical pool, hot tub, and restaurant, but how about a private beach, an indoor tennis court, a separate building housing a brand-new workout facility, and complimentary food everywhere you looked?

It was ridiculous.

4:00 PM: Souq Waqif

After coming to terms with the fact that my hotel was far too insane for a 23-year-old kid, I headed to Souq Waqif, Doha’s most popular market, which Martin, Anna, and I had made plans to explore.

I’m not too big into buying souvenirs, but there was one thing I really wanted to buy: a thobe, the white garment that you see many Qataris and Saudis wearing.

Contrary to popular belief, a thobe is not a religious garment, it’s simply the attire of choice in the conservative Middle East because it doesn’t show any extremities, but also makes the heat bearable.

I negotiated with some vendors at Souq Waqif before buying a thobe for 100 QTR, or about $28 USD. Right after buying it, I put it on. Graciously, a local in the street saw the poor white guy struggling with the headpiece and adjusted it correctly on my head.

Now not only did I look like a local, but I was able to handle the heat much better. A lot of people walking by gave me nods of approval after realizing that I was a foreigner trying out the new look.

6:00 PM: Sunset boat ride along the Doha skyline

Across the street from Souq Waqif was a bay that housed tons of boats that Martin, Anna, and I had been eyeing.

After some more negotiations, we paid less than $5 a person for a 25-minute boat ride along the Doha skyline as the sun was setting.

Good vibes, good music, and good views.

7:00 PM: Dinner in Souq Waqif

We headed back across the street to Souq Waqif with the sun now completely set. Souq Waqif seemed to have gotten twice as popular since we left for our boat ride, at which point I realized that most Qataris wait until nighttime to go outside.

Anna wanted to try some Qatari food, so we went to a restaurant in the market, told the owner that we wanted to try local food, and he came back with like 8 different dishes.

It was way more than we could eat, but at least we could sample a smattering of local cuisine.

Anna’s flight out of Doha was that night, so after dinner, she headed to the airport, and Martin and I parted ways as well.

It was really fun spending a large part of the day with people I had only just met that morning. They made the layover feel way more intimate.

9:00 PM: Workout at the hotel

I took advantage of the hotel’s world-class fitness center to get a pretty hardcore workout in.

Being a Friday night at 9:00 PM, I had the entire gym to myself, and the facilities were excellent.

My energy was low from the heat, but powering through that workout re-energized me to try to make the most of my few hours left in the city.

11:45 PM: Enjoy a live DJ at the hotel bar

I thought really hard about going to sleep after the workout, but if I’m only in Qatar once, I figured I might as well check out the nightlife.

Thankfully, most of the nightlife is centered around the bars in five-star hotels anyway, so I didn’t have to go far to get a good taste of it. The Sheraton bar had a live DJ with a few people dancing. I sat at the bar and made friends with a girl from Ethiopia while watching a soccer match on TV.

It was a pretty good vibe, and although I didn’t stay long, it was exactly what I was looking for after a long day.

I went to bed around 1:00 AM which wasn’t ideal, but that was how long it took for me to do everything I wanted in my 24-hour layover.

5:00 AM: Wake up to complimentary hotel breakfast

When I checked in the previous day, the hotel receptionist told me to write down everything I wanted for breakfast on a piece of paper. After seeing that I only wrote eggs and sausage she told me to write more 😂. I didn’t even know what else I wanted so I just put fresh fruit and water as well.

Sure enough, at 5:00 AM, my breakfast was delivered to my room. They added a gazillion other things on top of eggs, sausage, and fruit that I didn’t even want, but it just goes to show that the hospitality at the Sheraton, and in Qatar in general, is top-notch.

Everywhere I went, I felt like someone wanted to take care of me, make sure I was happy, well-fed, and welcome in their country. After quickly eating and checking out, I took a ride to the airport to catch my 7:45 AM flight out of the country.

Conclusion

Obviously, Qatar is making a big push to increase tourism to their country, and I have to say that as a layover goes, I felt right at home. While it was definitely extensively hot during the day, I otherwise had no complaints and nothing but good things to say about the experience.

More people should make a mini-trip out of a layover in Doha, as it’s quite possible to see much of the city within a day. If I had more time the only things I would have added were to check out the National Museum of Qatar, and perhaps drive by the World Cup stadiums (I was still able to see 2 or 3 of them in passing). In general, though, it’s small enough to see in a day and completely worth it. The whole country is brand-new, clean, and welcoming.

You won’t regret it :)