🛫 How to Get There

✈️ Flying to Qatar

Main Airport

Hamad International Airport (DOH) in Doha is the country’s only international gateway. It opened in 2014, sits 15 km south-east of the city centre, handles around 50 million passengers a year and routinely ranks in the global top three. The terminal is single-roof, easy to navigate, fully air-conditioned and has its own metro station, hotel (Oryx Airport Hotel) and indoor garden (The Orchard).

Qatar Airways is the flag carrier and operates from Doha to more than 170 destinations across six continents. Almost every major airline serves DOH—Emirates, British Airways, Lufthansa, KLM, Turkish, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Air France, Etihad and Saudia among them—making Qatar one of the easiest places in the Gulf to reach from anywhere.

Stopovers and transit

Qatar Airways runs the “+Qatar Stopover” programme: if your itinerary connects through DOH, you can break the journey for one or more nights at a discounted partner hotel. It’s one of the cheapest ways to turn a long layover into a proper mini-trip. Discover Qatar (the official tourism operator at the airport) also runs short transit tours of the city for travellers with 5+ hours between flights.

More info →

🚇 From Hamad Airport to the City

Hamad International is 15 km from downtown Doha. Off-peak it takes 15–25 minutes by road, slightly longer in rush hour (7–9am and 5–8pm). There are four realistic options.

Doha Metro Red Line (cheapest, easy)

The metro station is inside the terminal—follow the signs after passport control. The Red Line runs directly to Msheireb (the network’s hub for Souq Waqif, the Museum of Islamic Art, and old Doha) and continues north along the coast to West Bay, Katara, The Pearl and Lusail. A single ride is $0.5, a day pass is $1.6. You’ll first need a rechargeable travel card from the ticket machines for $2.7. Trains are spotless, air-conditioned and run every few minutes.

Karwa taxi (most popular)

The state-owned Karwa taxis are turquoise-blue and queue up just outside arrivals. They’re all metered. From the airport, the meter starts at $6.9, then runs at $0.4 per kilometre (daytime 4am–11pm) or $0.5 per kilometre (overnight 11pm–4am). Typical fares from the airport:

• West Bay or Doha Corniche: $11 to $16
• Souq Waqif or Msheireb Downtown: $14 to $16
• Katara, MIA or Grand Hyatt: $16 to $21
• The Pearl-Qatar or Lusail: $19 to $25

Uber

Uber operates in Doha, with Uber Black and Uber XL allowed to pick up at the airport (as of mid-2025). Follow the Uber-branded signs from the terminal to the designated pick-up zone in the East Car Park. Karwa is usually cheaper, but Uber is convenient if you already have the app and a card on file.

Transit tour (for long layovers)

If you have at least 8 hours between flights, a guided transit tour gets you out of the airport, through immigration on a free transit visa, and around the main Doha sights (Souq Waqif, Katara, The Pearl, Corniche) with hotel-style pickup and drop-off at the terminal.

More info →

🛂 Visa & Entry Requirements

Qatar has one of the most generous visa policies in the Gulf. Citizens of over 102 countries can enter visa-free for tourism, including most of Europe (Schengen, UK, etc.), the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and many more. Stay durations vary by passport, typically 30 to 90 days.

Visa-free entry (most Western visitors)

Just show up at the immigration desk at Hamad International with a passport valid for at least six months. You’ll be fingerprinted, photographed and given a free entry permit. No paperwork in advance, no fees.

Hayya e-visa (everyone else)

If your nationality isn’t on the visa-free list, apply for a Tourist Visa (A1) via the official Hayya platform before flying. Upload your passport, proof of accommodation (hotel booking) and a return flight ticket. Fee is $27. Processing usually takes 2–5 working days. The approval arrives by email as a PDF—print it or have it on your phone.

US citizens (F1 visa)

US passport holders use a specific category: F1 visa-free for up to 30 days, single entry. No application needed in advance.

Health insurance

Qatar now requires all visitors to hold a valid health insurance policy registered with the Ministry of Public Health for the duration of their stay. Most travel insurance policies from major providers comply. Buy it before you fly.

🚆 Doha Metro — lines, fares, opening hours

The Doha Metro opened in 2019 and is now the easiest way to move around the city. The network covers 76 km and 37 stations across three operating lines (a fourth, the Blue Line, is under construction). Trains are driverless, spotless and run every 3–7 minutes.

The three lines

• Red Line (also called the Coastal Line) – runs north-south along the coast. Connects Hamad International Airport, Msheireb, West Bay, Katara, The Pearl-Qatar and Lusail. This is the line most visitors use.
• Gold Line (Historic Line) – east-west through old Doha. Stops at Souq Waqif, Msheireb (where it interchanges with Red and Green), the National Museum of Qatar and Al Wakra.
• Green Line (Education Line) – runs out to Education City and Hamad Hospital. Useful for the Qatar National Library, Mathaf, and the Education City stadium.

Fares and travel cards

Three classes share the same trains:

• Standard: $0.5 single, $1.6 day pass, $11 weekly, $33 monthly
• Family: same prices as Standard; first carriage of each train, reserved for women, families and people with disabilities
• Gold Class: $2.7 single, $8.2 day pass; premium leather seats, fewer passengers

Buy a rechargeable card at the ticket machines (English available) for $2.7. Top it up with cash or card.

Operating hours

Monday–Thursday and Saturday–Sunday: 5am to 1am. Friday: 9am to 1am (later opening because of Friday prayers). Each metro station has a free Metrolink bus that runs a short loop to nearby neighbourhoods and tourist sights—use it to bridge the “last mile” from station to door.

🚖 Karwa Taxis, Uber & Ride-Hailing

Karwa (recommended)

The state-owned Karwa taxi fleet is everywhere—turquoise-blue cars, all metered, all air-conditioned, all driven by licensed drivers. Flag them down on the street, find one at a taxi rank (every mall and hotel has one), or order via the Karwa Taxi app (free on App Store and Google Play). Standard fare structure:

• Base fare (street pickup): $1.9
• Base fare (airport pickup): $6.9
• Per kilometre, daytime (4am–11pm): $0.4
• Per kilometre, overnight (11pm–4am): $0.5

Use the promo code RAIL in the Karwa app for a 20% discount on trips that start or end at a metro station.

Uber

Uber operates across Doha. Minimum fare is $2.2; surge pricing applies during rush hour and major events. It’s a good fallback when Karwa demand is high (Thursday and Friday evenings, after concerts and big football matches).

Things to know

• Drivers expect to be paid in cash or by card via the app—tipping is not customary but rounding up is appreciated
• Most drivers speak basic English; saving a Google Maps pin to share is easier than verbal directions
• Women travelling alone at night will find Karwa and Uber equally safe; both record trips and drivers are vetted

🚙 Renting a Car

You don’t need a car in Doha—the metro plus ride-hailing covers almost everything. A rental car only makes sense if you’re heading out of the city: to Al Khor in the north, Al Wakrah on the south coast, the camel races at Al Shahaniya, or the long drive south-west to Khor Al Adaid (the Inland Sea).

What you need to know

• Drive on the right side of the road
• Most nationalities can drive on their home licence for up to 14 days; longer stays need an International Driving Permit
• Speed limits: 60–80 km/h in cities, 100–120 km/h on highways. Radar cameras are everywhere—fines are sent to the rental company and charged to your card later
• Fuel is cheap by global standards (around $0.6 per litre of petrol); stations are abundant
• To reach the Inland Sea you need a proper 4×4 and a guide—don’t try sand driving in a regular sedan
• Major agencies (Avis, Europcar, Budget, Sixt, Hertz, Thrifty) have desks inside the airport arrivals hall

🚗 Compare rental cars in Qatar

🚌 Karwa Public Buses

Mowasalat’s Karwa public bus network covers Doha and the surrounding towns. There are around 90 routes; almost all are clean, air-conditioned and run on a flat-fare model.

• Single ride: $0.5 to $1.4 depending on the route
• Pay with the same rechargeable Travel Card used on the metro (or with cash on board)
• Useful routes for tourists include the airport shuttle, the Education City loop, and the local buses around Souq Waqif and West Bay
• Free Metrolink shuttles connect every metro station to nearby neighbourhoods (no ticket needed)

For intercity travel within Qatar, Karwa runs scheduled coaches to Al Khor, Al Wakrah, Mesaieed and the Saudi border at Abu Samra. Schedules and fares are posted at the central Doha Bus Station in Al Ghanim.

🛣️ Land Border & Onward Travel

Qatar is a peninsula and shares only one land border—with Saudi Arabia—at the Abu Samra crossing in the south-west. Since the lifting of the Gulf blockade in early 2021, the border has been open to private cars and coaches around the clock.

Crossing at Abu Samra

• Distance from Doha: about 80 km (1 hour by car)
• Pre-register your vehicle and insurance on the Hayya platform before arriving at the border
• Carry your passport, vehicle ownership papers and a valid Qatar Unified Insurance Bureau policy (mandatory for road insurance)
• Cross-border coaches run between Doha and Dammam, Al Hofuf and Riyadh; tickets sold at the Doha Bus Station or via SAPTCO Saudi coach lines

By sea

Doha Cruise Terminal at Old Doha Port handles seasonal cruise calls (mainly October to April) on lines like MSC, Costa and AIDA. There’s no scheduled passenger ferry service to other Gulf countries at the time of writing.

💰 Money-Saving Tips

• Take the metro from the airport – $0.5 vs. a $16 taxi to West Bay. Same time door-to-door if your hotel is near a Red Line station
• Buy a metro day pass – $1.6 covers unlimited travel on all three lines for a calendar day; pays for itself after three trips
• Use the RAIL promo code in the Karwa app – 20% off any taxi ride that starts or ends at a metro station
• Apply for the Hayya visa yourself – $27 official fee; agencies charge two or three times that
• Stack a Qatar Airways +Stopover – if you’re transiting anyway, the discounted partner hotel programme is often cheaper than just paying for the layover hotel separately
• Pre-book rental cars online – walk-up rates at the DOH desks are often 40–60% higher than booking ahead

🔗 Useful Links