6 best day trips from Doha

Day trips compared

The day trips

80 km · About 1.5 hours each way by 4x4

1.Khor Al Adaid (Inland Sea)

In the far south-east of Qatar, tall sand dunes run straight down to a tidal inlet of the Gulf, with Saudi Arabia visible across the water. Tours stop at Sealine for camel rides and sandboarding, then drive over the dunes for a swim and lunch or an overnight desert camp.

Getting there

Guided 4x4 desert tour from Doha

Best for

First-timers, Families, Couples

105 km · About 1 hour 15 minutes by car

2.Zubarah

The UNESCO-listed ruins of an 18th-century pearl-trading town on the north-west coast, with excavated streets, houses and a harbour, next to the restored square fort of Al Zubarah. Visitor panels explain the pearling economy that once shaped the whole Gulf.

Getting there

Car or organised tour

Best for

Culture, Quiet stays

18 km · About 25 minutes by Red Line metro or car

3.Al Wakrah

A coastal town south of Doha with a restored seafront souq of low stone buildings, seafood restaurants and a public beach. It is quieter than Souq Waqif and especially pleasant at sunset on a winter evening.

Getting there

Red Line metro or taxi

Best for

Families, Quiet stays, Food lovers

60 km · About 1 hour by car

4.Al Thakhira mangroves

Grey mangrove forest on the north-east coast near Al Khor, best explored by kayak on a guided tour timed to the tide. Herons, crabs and small fish live among the roots.

Getting there

Car or kayak tour

Best for

Quiet stays, Families

25 km · About 30–40 minutes by car

5.Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani Museum

A private collection set in a fort-like building on a farm west of Doha, with everything from vintage cars and carpets to Islamic manuscripts, fossils and a reconstructed Syrian house. It is eccentric and enormous; allow a half day.

Getting there

Car or taxi

Best for

Culture, Families

85 km · About 1 hour 15 minutes by car

6.Zekreet and East-West/West-East

On Qatar's west coast, Richard Serra's four steel plates, each more than 14 metres tall, stand across a kilometre of open desert in the Brouq Nature Reserve. Nearby are mushroom-shaped limestone formations and the abandoned film set known as Film City.

Getting there

4x4 recommended for the final desert tracks

Best for

Culture, Quiet stays, Couples

Day-trip tips

• Leave early: most trips are more relaxed with a morning departure and a return before dinner.
• Free Metrolink feeder buses connect many metro stations with surrounding neighbourhoods, and Mowasalat (Karwa) runs public bus routes across the city.
• For trips over about 150 km, an overnight stay or an organised tour saves a lot of travelling.

Questions travellers ask