6 hours to kill in Doha

[smala01]

Does anyone have any recommendation of how to kill 6 hours on a stopover in Doha?

I hear the airport is rather small and lacking in facilities, although the Oryx lounge has been recommended.

Smala01

[oldpax]

I was stuck there once and taken to a hotel until the next flight that evening,the hotel was OK but......,it was Ramadan!Not even a bottle of water in the fridge!Its almost the same time (22 August or thereabouts)so make sure your not there a month after that date!!!
Drank the tap water and survived!

[jokada]

Haven't had to kill six hours there (yet), but for 3-4 hours can definitely recommend the Oryx lounge (provided you can get the small fry off the computers and spend your time on pprune!:ok:). It is a pay facility if you don't have the necessary card(s). Only one problem: the snacks they provide are MEGA-sweet, so if you want something a bit more savoury, check out the snack bar - on the same level - beforehand. Also, the duty-free shop is quite reasonable and has a good selection for browsing.

Having said that, Doha is definitely a good option for long-haul stopovers.

Good luck!

[amphan]

We had a 9 hour wait there in the normal lounge although the bar was not open they sell Orange juice,lemonade etc in snack bar and the duty free sell very reasonable .25,.5 and full bottles of spirits you may get a few dismaying looks from the locals but its legal and it helps pass the time

[Sober Lark]

Check out the Museum of Islamic art. Building designed by I M Pei.

Check out the opening hours on mia.org.qa Should take about 25 mins to get there by taxi and is well worth a visit.

[chillcoat]

I have a related question (first post by the way),
Qatar Airways are showing up as the cheapest option for London-Dubai in October. One of the possible flights they offer includes a 30 minute transfer in Doha. This seems extremely short to me (!) but is the airport small and well-organised enough to make it possible?
Thanks,
Chris

[BAOREY]

I would say its a definite NO to accept a 30min transfer in DOH, it is an efficient airport and transfer can be quite quick but the problem is the outgoing flights which in my frequent experience with QR can leave up to 20mins early, indeed on one occasion a colleague and myself we chased to board as the last remaining passengers nearly an hour before the published take off time. i would always go for at least an hour as it helps the blood pressure if nothing else. I do like QR though so recommend them.

[chillcoat]

OK, thanks for the advice!

[jeanyqua]

Strange that as on our last flight through on route to bkk 18 months ago.,we were 45 mins late coming in to Doha from manchester,& literally thought we had about 15 mins to make the next sector.(thought we might not make it at all.)
We had time for a couple of ciggies,and a trip to the loo before they called the flight.
I have been told since that they sometimes hold the flight if they know there are connecting passengers.
We loved Qatar (although we flew in J),we found them far superior to Emirates.

[smala01]

Just to close the thread as i was the OP.

We found the lounge (on the third try!) and was pleasantly surprised. It cost the equivalent of £24 and for that we got a very comfortable place to relax for the 5 hour wait.

O Good food/drinks including a quantity of quality sandwiches, soup and cakes
O 5 internet terminal (No cost)
O Quick WiFi
O Shower
O Ample comfortable seating

On short connections: The Qatar staff were very efficient in directing connecting passengers (under 60 mins) to the "fast lane" of security. However in all honestly we were through in 20 mins using the regular line (all machines in use - this is not BAA!)

There is quite a scrum to join the security queue - as the entrance to the zig zag queuing area is relatively narrow. This gives the impression as you enter the area of a long wait time but this is not actually the case.

Smala01

[Anansis]

Smala01

Good to hear you had a pleasent experience. I´ve had some decent layovers in Doha as well as some terrible ones (I suppose it depends on the time of day- 6 hours through the night when tired is never too much fun).

Check out the Museum of Islamic art. Building designed by I M Pei.

That would be my reccomendation for future reference. Anyone with a western passport can buy a visa on arrival (I think its $20- and you can only pay in dollars or by credit card) and spend a few hours exploring the city (or getting a tan!).

I would say its a definite NO to accept a 30min transfer in DOH

In the case of a DOH-DUB transfer, I dont think it really matters. QR flights to Dubai depart almost hourly, 24 hours a day so if the worst happens, you wont be waiting too long to get on the next available flight. In any case QR are (in my experience) quite good with regards to connections- I´ve had a few upgrades and free lounge access when I´ve missed long haul connections but it hasnt happened often.

Anansis

[apaddyinuk]

You may be required to buy a visa to land yourself there if you decide to leave the airport.

Otherwise why not head down to the Souqs....Now they say they are traditional but to be honest they were only built a few years ago and given an "old theme"...bit like disney would do. Or if you want to go to a normal mall you could head to Villagio....crazy arabic extravagance built with a Canal down the middle and gondalos to ride on or if you dont want that madness you can go to City Center mall in the diplomatic area which is just more of the same rubbish you find in arabic malls!