London_traveller

I'm transiting through DOH on Friday 25th March; Good Friday so peak travel time for many people.

I'm working out our options. We land in DOH at 18:35 and our onward flight (to NRT) departs at 01:05. So a 6.5h layover. We're in business class.

Is the QR city tour viable at this time? As far as I can tell, check-in for the last tour closes at 19:00, with a tour start time of 20:00. Is this viable, bearing in mind we need to clear security at this time of day/week? I'm trying to get an idea of how flexible the check-in closure time is.

Also, if we do sprint to the tour desk, then find it's fully booked (is this likely?), how easy would it be to arrange our own mini-tour? I'm assuming we'll need local currency to make that work anyhow..?

I know we have nice options if we stay in the airport, but 6.5 hours is a long time and I'd rather spend 3 hours seeing a little bit of Doha, if we can make it work.

I've read several threads on the tours so don't need generic advice, but specifically, getting through DOH at that time of day/week, and joining that last tour. And, options if we're too late/it's full anyway.

remdk

London_traveller i hate to be a killjoy but the last city tour is said to be quickly overbooked so your chances would be small. By all means try. You may find http://dohahamadairport.com/sites/hi...ap-24Nov15.pdf useful.
I will leave it to others who have tried their own private tour to advise you on them.
The Al Mourjan lounge should contain enough to occupy you for the length of your transfer.

sharp5flat9

Get out anyway. Visas and taxis are cheap, and the city is only a 15 min drive. Wander around Souq Waqif and grab some food, get some fresh air along the corniche and then head back to the lounge. 6 hours is too long in any lounge

London_traveller

That's what I was thinking. The lounge complex at DOH looks excellent, but after 4 hours I'm likely to be seriously regretting not making better use of the time.

Could I get by with some USD for a short hop out to the city, or do I really need Riyal?

VH-RMD

You will need Riyal.

sharp5flat9

Yes, you'll need some QAR, as well as a credit/debit card to pay for the visas. I think it's still QAR100, or less than 20 quid, each.

There are ATMs and exchanges in the airport, and everywhere else.

The free city tour may be free, but you get what you pay for, and there's no freedom to wander.

London_traveller

Thanks. Thinking about it, I'd rather not get a city tour; more relaxing to grab a taxi to Souk Waqif, wander round, get dinner, then head back to the airport when we're ready.

I'm assuming grabbing a cab from the Souk, to get back to the airport at about 10pm Friday evening, won't be an issue (that's the only point things would really start to become stressful... .

London_traveller

Well, my DOH layover is this Friday! Exciting.

We (my partner and I) will make up our minds on the day - literally on the way to DOH on whether we want to wander out to see the Souq rather than spend all that time in the lounge. I'm keen to explore; my partner slightly less so.

Quick question though: do we need to make this decision, i.e. to exit the airport in order to see Doha, when getting off the plane, in order to follow the lines to immigration and get out of the airport? Or, if we follow the transfer lines, do we have options to exit the airport after then, even when we're in the lounge? Or are we officially airside in transit, with no (easy/straightforward) exit options at that point.

Also, check-in is 48 hours before. I'm assuming that's 48 hours before our first flight LHR-DOH, and that we'll be able to check in for our connecting DOH-NRT flight at the same time, at T-48 hours to the first leg?

purple1addict

I believe you can go through transfer security screening and later exit the airport - although my understanding is that you will need to backtrack through the transfer screening to do so. Someone more knowledgeable than me can hopefully confirm this for you.

For online check-in, you can do this 48 hours before your first flight and it will check you in for both legs.

Enjoy your flights and layover in Doha!

remdk

London_traveller since you are in Business Class why not use the luggage boxes in Al Mourjan to deposit unwanted hand baggage before venturing out?

As purple1addict says you will probably need to go back through Security. As a J passenger go into the airside Arrivals lounge and get fast track immigration. Your incomming QR boarding pass will give you access.

Ben_W

As most people have suggested, just grab a taxi to the Souq and / or walk along the Corniche. Traffic will be very busy on a Friday evening so doing any sort of tour wouldn't be worth it. Shouldn't take much more than 20 minutes to get there.

There will be plenty of taxi's at the Souq at 10pm and there are ATM's both in the airport and Souq.

London_traveller

Thanks - that's good advice.

sharp5flat9

I once went back through transit security when I needed to visit the transfer desk (there's no ticketing capability airside ... grrr). Just retrace your steps and catch the eye of one of the uniformed security guys.

SinkOrSwim

Just be aware that Friday nights are absolutely crazy time in Doha - the traffic is insane (and slightly scary, even by Doha standards) and the souq will be absolutely heaving. It's perfect weather at the moment for being outside and everyone is making the most of it before the heat arrives.

Another nicer option, IMHO, would be to get a cab to the new Souq in Al Wakra, which will take you away from the crazy traffic (it's also closer to the airport) and it's an absolutely beautiful souq which has recently been built in the old style (as was Souq Waqif), but it's a lot more characterful and beautiful. None of the shops have opened yet, but it's still worth walking around. There are lots of cafes open now and they are all situated on the waterfront. It's a lot nicer and more of a cultural experience than Souq Waqif. And it will be much more pleasant on a Friday evening.

SinkOrSwim

Alternatively, head to the MIA park (on the corniche - opposite Souq Waqif) for the Qatar International Food festival, which is on this weekend. It's really good and the fireworks at 8.30pm every day are really impressive too.