DIY Walking Tour of Doha, Qatar

So you’ve finally booked that trip to Doha, Qatar or maybe you are doing the stop over program to maximize your next trip. Either way, we are so excited you are going to visit the beautiful country of Qatar. 

We quickly fell in love with Doha, Qatar because they have one of our favorite things: sidewalks. I know but just hear me out… after living in a place without sidewalks, I didn’t know I could miss them so much! We are big walkers and love exploring a place by foot. You must be too as you clicked on an article titled DIY Walking Tour of Doha, Qatar! Well we’re glad you came and you’re in luck. Here we will give you all our tips and tricks to make the best of your time in Doha Qatar. 

For starters, if you haven’t already read our post about Qatar, click here to read the details about getting there, visas, currency and all the things you need to know before you travel. 

Quick Overview 

Day 1 of your walking tour we recommend starting at The Pearl, then walking south through Katara, West Bay, and ending in Souq Waqif. Depending on where you are staying, you can take the Metro or a taxi out to The Pearl to start. This path is about 14 km (9 miles) long. 

Day 2 we recommend starting from Souq Waqif and staying downtown. Here you will be exploring all the parks all the way out to the Mina District. Today will be less walking and more enjoying the outdoor views. 

The Details 

Day 1 – DIY Walking Tour of Doha Qatar

The Pearl is a manmade island offering yacht-lined marinas, residential towers, villas, and hotels. Here you can explore the Qanat Quartier which is like a colorful Venice with bright buildings lining gorgeous canals. This area is full of wonderful little restaurants and coffee shops so grab some breakfast at Pure Eats Co. for some gluten free treats or Volume Cafe to enjoy some delicious coffee right on the water. Crossing Pearl Blvd can be difficult as they’ve added fencing recently to prevent crossing on the busy road so look for the underpasses as the best way to get from one side of the island to the other. The underpasses are well marked with signage and are easy to use. 

The island is made up of three major circular inlets. Each inlet looks decently similar with tall high rise residential buildings and hotels surrounding the marina. Get ready to see lots of yachts! We recommend walking the boardwalk of just one marina to get an idea of the island. While there are small differences to be seen on the rest of the island, it could take you an entire day to walk the whole island! If you have the time, please do. 

After exploring The Pearl, start walking west to leave the island. We recommend leaving on the south side of the island so you’ll pass Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jaber Bin Mohamed Al Thani Mosque. It’s gorgeous! The only tricky part is after passing the Mosque, the sidewalk seems to disappear but trust us here, just walk across the grass of the Bentley dealer and the sidewalk picks up again. This is a great spot to get some pictures of Doha to the south and Lusail to the north. 

As you exit the island, you’ll see signs pointing to the Legtaifiya Metro stop. Follow the signs. You’ll turn left (south) and walk past the oddest parking lot with what looks like a bunch of restaurants. Don’t be fooled, there is no seating here. This area is called District One. Basically a restaurant can rent a small kitchen for drive up orders or delivery drivers. We tried to order food here and we had to sit outside in the sand. We’d recommend skipping but it was interesting to walk through. 

Now, head toward the highway. I know what you are thinking… won’t it be loud walking on the highway? I don’t know what Qatar did but the sidewalk that lines the highway is actually not loud at all. We were able to hold full conversations the whole time! I was super impressed. At the highway, head south toward Katara. 

At the Katara Metro station, head east toward the water. Here you will walk through 21 High Street which is a luxury mall with air conditioned outside sidewalks! Be sure to make a stop in the Snan Food Hall just to admire the stained glass ceiling. As you walk east, you’ll pass Katara Multipurpose Hall. This amphitheater is stunning with clean, smooth marble seating and floors and stunning views of the water. This is the perfect place to stop for pictures. If you continue on you’ll run right into Katara Beach. If you’ve got the time, bring your swimsuit and take a dip in the water! To the west and acting like a backdrop is the Katara Hills. It’s such a refreshing site to see this much green and trees in the desert. If you have the time, there are many walking paths through the hills and it gets you high enough for great views. As you continue walking south on the coast, you’ll walk through a labyrinth of amazing restaurants and coffee shops. If you are hungry, thirsty or have to use the bathroom, now is a great time. Stop at one of the many delicious restaurants in Katara. The next stretch you won’t see stores for a while so stock up here before you continue on. But don’t fret, you’ll have plenty of options once you reach West Bay! 

From Katara, walk south on the highway again because it’s a giant bike path with ample room. This is a good time to tell you there is very limited shade anywhere so bring a good hat, sunscreen or any sun protection you have. It does get very hot here depending on the time of year you come. Walk south past ⅚ Park which again is a stunning green space in the middle of the desert. Make sure to look across the highway to see all the embassies. We started counting the flags and trying to see how many different countries’ flags we knew! 

When you hit Omar Al Mukhtar St, you’ll want to head east towards West Bay and the water again. West Bay is like the happening downtown area. With tons of malls, amazing restaurants, high end hotels, there is so much exploring to do! You can definitely walk the entire coast line here but we saved our waterfront walk for later. Here we meandered through high rises, stopping in a mall to cool off and for a snack. The Ministry buildings are gorgeous in this area as well so it was like walking through the financial and political center of Qatar. 

Once you’ve had your fill of fancy streets, head to Al Corniche street to keep walking south. This corniche is like a boardwalk and bike path combined hugging the beautiful coastline. With amazing views of the water on Doha Bay, the high rises of West Bay, and the views of the Souq coming up, it’s a great walk to soak in all that Doha has to offer. 

When you make it to the light at Grand Hammand/Banks Street, cross the road and head into Souq Waqif. We definitely recommend Souq Waqif at night due to the spectacular way it’s all lit up. Also more people come out at night so the people watching is great. Most restaurants have outdoor dining facing the walking streets so treat yourself to a delicious meal and enjoy the atmosphere here. Once you’ve had your fill of food and rested a bit, make sure to take in Msheireb Downtown Doha at night as well. This planned city of the future is gorgeous with intricate detailed lighting. Always look up too as the buildings use the most amazing patterns and designs. It’s stunning. And finally take your rest. Luckily tomorrow there is not as much walking but there is still a lot of city left to see! 

Day 2 – DIY Walking Tour of Doha Qatar

Today we start at Souq Waqif. It’s definitely interesting to see it both during the night and during the day to compare the differences. There are many good breakfast spots in and around Souq Waqif to start your morning. The other option we really enjoy is to walk out to the pier and enjoy an amazing Qatari breakfast at Belhambar Qatari Restaurant. The views of the water and West Bay are unmatched. It’s a great start to the day! Today we’ll be staying on this side of town only exploring the piers and waterfronts. 

Dhow Harbour Promenade is a great place to see the old traditional boats used by the pearl divers back in the day. You can even rent a boat here to take you out on the water. The end of Al Bandar Corniche has the best views for sure. Head back in and to the east to MIA Park. Here you’ll find the beautiful Museum of Islamic Art. If you have time, we recommend a visit. However the outside is just as visually stunning. Take a walk over to East Mound-Skyline View Point to see the back side of the museum. Flag Plaza is another stop in this park district. This beautifully designed plaza has flags from many nations on display. It’s really quite a site when the wind is blowing! As you head out to Box Park, you’ll pass the Qatar Flour Mill Company. Depending on what they are making that day, you can smell the difference in the air. Mina District at the end of the pier is a site to be seen. This colorful city is a joy to walk around. With a few restaurants, coffee shops and cute stores, you can grab coffee and watch the cruise ships port here. Also the fish market is worth stopping at, even if you don’t plan on buying fish. It was hands down the cleanest, most beautiful fish market we’ve ever seen. Don’t forget to look up to see the amazing stained glass ceiling above the vendors selling fish!