Qatar Travel Guide: Luxury Vacations in Doha and Lusail

Qatar is a peninsula about the size of Connecticut, and almost everything a visitor wants sits within an hour of Doha. That makes it ideal for a long weekend or a stopover on Qatar Airways, which flies nonstop from more US cities than any other Gulf carrier.

The country invested heavily in culture long before it hosted the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The result is a capital with I. M. Pei's Museum of Islamic Art, the desert-rose National Museum of Qatar by Jean Nouvel, and a skyline that lights up the waterfront Corniche. Its long-term plan is laid out in Qatar National Vision 2030.

Visa: US citizens enter visa-free on arrival for tourism, with a passport valid at least three months, a return ticket and a hotel booking; longer stays may need health insurance. Confirm before you fly on Visit Qatar. Qatar Airways and its Qsuite business class are among the best ways to fly; compare options in our first and business class guide.

Dress: modest in public, with shoulders and knees covered in malls, souqs and museums; resort wear is fine at hotel pools and beaches. Alcohol is available in licensed hotel bars and restaurants only. During Ramadan (expected to begin around February 8, 2027), eat and drink discreetly in daytime; evenings are lively.

Money: the riyal is pegged at about 3.64 to the dollar. Dinner for two at a top Doha restaurant from about $220 (QAR 800); a desert safari with dune bashing and the Inland Sea from about $110 per person (QAR 400). Doha Metro is clean and efficient; for longer trips use a chauffeur service.

Day one: begin at the Museum of Islamic Art, walk the Corniche to the dhow harbor, and spend the evening in Souq Waqif, ending with dinner in one of the souq's rooftop restaurants. Day two: visit the National Museum of Qatar in the morning, explore Msheireb Downtown in the afternoon and head to The Pearl or Lusail Marina for dinner by the water.

Day three: take a private desert trip south to Khor Al Adaid, with dune driving and a swim in the Inland Sea, or drive north to Al Zubarah and the mangroves of Al Thakira for kayaking.

Qatari home cooking features machboos, harees and luqaimat, golden dumplings drizzled with date syrup. Doha's top hotels host restaurants by internationally acclaimed chefs, and Souq Waqif offers excellent Levantine, Persian and Yemeni kitchens. Karak tea, sweet and spiced, is sold at every corner.