Hamad International Airport: where to stay, areas and recommended…

Hamad is a transit hub before it is an arrival airport, and in Doha you choose according to the type of layover. Anyone changing planes with a long wait has a hotel inside the sterile area, reserved for transit passengers, and does not even have to pass passport control. Anyone entering Qatar instead finds the Red Line metro, which takes you to the centre in 20-25 minutes for 2 QAR, so there is no reason to stop right beside the runways. The centre is compact: the market, museums and the skyscrapers of West Bay are all on the same line.

At the airport (transit only)

At the airport · The Oryx Airport Hotel is in the transit area, after passport control, at the South Plaza next to the big lamp with the teddy bear; you need the boarding pass for your next flight.

Best for: Long layovers without leaving the terminal, for sleeping a few hours or a whole night before the next flight.

Pros

From bed to gate you walk within the sterile area, with no immigration
Reception open 24 hours a day and rooms that can be booked even for a few hours

Cons

It cannot be used by those entering Qatar or who have just landed from within the country
To see Doha you still have to leave and re-enter through the checkpoints

Recommended hotels in this area

Oryx Airport Hotel: The first hotel built inside the transit area, with a pool, gym and spa; you book by presenting the boarding pass for your next flight.

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Msheireb Downtown

City centre · The Red Line takes about 20-25 minutes to Msheireb, the central interchange with the Green and Gold lines, a few minutes from the hotels.

Best for: Those sleeping one or two nights for museums and strolls, with the Red Line and no changes.

Pros

Direct metro from the terminal to Msheireb
The Msheireb museums and Souq Waqif can be reached on foot or on the Gold Line

Cons

Rates are among the highest in the city
In the district, cheaper places to go out are rare

Recommended hotels in this area

Mandarin Oriental, Doha: On Barahat Msheireb Street, in the heart of the district: 158 rooms and suites and a wellness centre, a few hundred metres from the museums.

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Souq Waqif

Neighbourhood · You get off at Msheireb on the Red Line (20-25 minutes) and continue on the Gold Line or on foot along the Corniche in about 15 minutes.

Best for: Those who want to sleep among the alleys of the historic market, with restaurants and evening strolls right outside.

Pros

After dinner you stroll through the alleys without taking taxis
The taxi from the terminal takes 15 minutes according to the hotel's website

Cons

The metro does not stop in the market: you need a change or 15 minutes on foot
At weekends the market is very crowded and noisy

Recommended hotels in this area

Souq Waqif Boutique Hotels by Tivoli: Eight historic buildings inside the market, with 160 rooms and their own restaurants, about 15 minutes from the airport.

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West Bay and the Corniche

Neighbourhood · The Red Line serves West Bay with the DECC and West Bay Qatar Energy stations, a few minutes from Msheireb; by car it takes about 20 minutes.

Best for: Business trips and conferences among the skyscrapers, or those who want the beach and the Corniche nearby.

Pros

The JW Marriott Marquis is directly linked to the DECC station
The Corniche and the Sheraton Grand on the seafront for walking at sunset

Cons

An office district, empty in the evening and at weekends
For the museums and the market you need another metro ride

Recommended hotels in this area

JW Marriott Marquis City Center Doha: The Red Line's DECC station is linked to the hotel, convenient for trade fairs and conferences, with a single train from the terminal.
Sheraton Grand Doha Resort & Convention Hotel: On the West Bay Corniche, with 400 metres of private beach and the largest conference centre among Doha's hotels.

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