Doha literally translates to “the big tree” and is the capital city of Qatar located on the coast of the Persian Gulf. If you are thinking of visiting Qatar, Doha is the main destination with over 60% of the nations population residing in the city or its surrounding suburbs.
There are many things to visit and check out when in the city some static year round places and events and some depending on when you will be there. For example this current week August 1-7 you can catch these events as detailed below.
The Museum of Islamic Art opens two brand new exhibits this month and they will be running until January, they are The Intelligence of Tradtion: Antiquity and Early Islamic Glass and Illuminations: the Mosque Lamp as Iconographic Image. This opens today (1st August), entrance is free and it is open during the normal museum hours.
If you feel like catching some amateur sporting events to really get the feel of being a local then the QSports league has a special Ramadan Tournament on for both men and women with sports including basketball, cricket, football and volleyball. Tournaments are run daily from 8:30pm-12:30am and most events have free admission. Check out the QSports site for more information.
The Qatari Philharmonic play regularly on the small waterfront concert hall that has a 500 seat capacity and a beautiful view out of the bay. It is based in the Katara Cultural Village the new beach side complex that includes cinemas, galleries, restaurants and a huge amphitheatre.
The Souk Waqif is always a big tourist draw with its winding lanes and thriving tiny stalls crammed with everything from antiques, spices and food to jewellery. The Souk Waqif is a very atmospheric place and is a great and exciting place to find some holiday gifts. Most stalls are closed between 1pm and 4pm so get there early or later.
If high end shopping is more your thing then a visit to Villaggio Mall will be your paradise as the venice styled mall has kilometres of shops to explore and even has a very luxury wing with high end boutiques that will see you ready to spend the holiday money. The mall also has an indoor ice skating rink for those that fancy a slide on some ice.
After a relaxing or exciting day (depending on your choice of activities) you will want a modern city centre based Doha hotel and the Radisson Blu Hotel is a convenient place to stay with quick links to the West Bay district and Doha international Airport. The hotel features 19 restaurants and bars and a fully kitted out leisure centre to relax or work out in.
Doha is a wonderful place to go on holidays and even for life, with really good places to enjoy !
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