Qatar Airways offers free Doha City tour to explore the beautiful city of Doha. This complimentary tour sounds interesting that I have to include it during my layover to Paris. I was like, I need to turn this transit into a wonderful experience instead of just sitting and waiting at the airport for my next flight. I have 19 hours to discover Doha and believe it or not, 19 hours is not really enough to fully enjoy Qatar.
What’s included on the tour?
The tour focused on City’s famous attractions such as the Museum of Islamic Arts (MIA), Souq Wafiq, The Pearl Qatar, West Bay, The Corniche, and the Katara Cultural and Heritage Village. This truly give the passengers a short introduction and get a taste of the city.
The tour comes with a free Tour guide that speaks English which provide a great insights about Doha.
How to avail the Free Doha City Tour?
This complementary tour is only provided by Qatar Airways, You must book a return ticket via Qatar airways and must have more than 5 hours layover.
How long is the duration of the City Tour?
The Duration of the tour is approximately 3 hours
Where to book the Free Doha City Tour?
You can register your tour at Doha City Tour Counter Concourse B at Doha International Airport. This is before the immigration so you will never miss it! You have to book this 90 minutes prior to the tour.
This tour is subject to availability since booking is done on a first come first served basis, and if you want to make sure, you can also make an advance booking online.
Tour Schedules are as follows. Make sure you have enough time to catch your next flight!
| Morning | Afternoon |
| 8:00 | 15:00 |
| 10:00 | 18:00 |
| 12:00 | 20:00 |
The tour is just 3 hours and like I said I have 19 hours in Doha and it would be a waste of time to just kill time at the airport so I also took advantage of the Free Transit visa and tour Doha on my own. Luckily, my classmate in college is based in Doha and it’s pretty good to have someone to tour you around there especially if they know the place really well.
How to apply for a FREE Transit Visa in Qatar?
You just basically enter your Booking Reference Number, your Last name, provide your passport document and then you’re in!
What’s the requirement for the Free Transit Visa?
The requirement is just the personal information page of your passport and it would take about minimum of 7 days. I had mine for like 2 days despite having a problem with my scanned document as my passport wasn’t clear. I received an email from them asking me to scan a clear copy. So make sure your scanned document is clear with high resolution and not more than 512kb. If this happens to you, don’t worry. They will reply immediately after you have gone through the re-submission of your application through the online application portal. What’s great about it is that you can view and track your visa status on the same link! And oh by the way, you are lucky if your nationality is part of the 80 Countries listed here that does not require to apply a transit visa and we are quite lucky too, because even if the Philippine passport is not part of the list, you can still get it because it is FREE application with only few clicks on the web! Qatar Transit Visa is valid for 4 days and is open for all nationalities as long as you have a valid return ticket via Qatar Airways.
Movenpick West Bay Doha was my lovely abode in Doha, It has a wonderful view of the bay and if you have a multi city booking, you can also avail a complimentary stay in Doha.
I did not know this is possible until now, I could have done this the last time I flew to Cape Town, and nevertheless, I am glad I did this Transit tour around Doha. I Love Doha! It is a small city, yet so much to offer, and I fell in love with it probably because it was the first Middle East country I visited, Saw a camel, and I’ve tasted real Arabic food.
This free Doha City tour and free transit visa is so great that you really have to take advantage of it. So, next time you fly, remember this and experience Doha at its best! Doesn’t matter how many hours it would be, as long as you make use of your time to something worthwhile! Wherever your next destination would be, make sure to make a stop in Doha.
I am already thinking about going back and get a taste of a real dune safari experience on my next flight! What about you?
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