From the airport to the city centre Qatar
By metro. The airport is only 4 km from the center of Doha, and is linked to all parts of the city by the metro (the red line), open from 6am to 11pm Wednesday to Saturday, until midnight on Thursday and from 2pm to midnight on Friday (ticket 2 QAR).
By cab. You can also take a blue cab with a metric meter and ticket if you need one, or an Uber, at a very modest price as petrol costs nothing here (45 QAR during the day, 55 QAR at night approximately).
By rental car. Agencies are open 24/7. Beware of speed cameras, which are everywhere, especially on the road to the airport. Fines are expensive, so respect the speed limits from the outset.
Public transport Qatar
The metro. Here again, Doha's metro, inaugurated in 2019, is brand new. With its three lines (red, green and gold), it serves all the interesting districts to discover and where to stay or eat. It is ultra-modern, air-conditioned, automatic, suitable for PRMs and baby carriages, with free wifi and carriages reserved for women and families. The ticket is 2 QAR, nothing at all, and above all it's very practical at rush hour in the evening when the area around Souq Waqif is totally congested with traffic. Because here, everyone is in their car - it's the king of transport. Buses are really reserved for workers, and it's best to take a cab or Uber if the metro doesn't serve your destination well.
Bike, scooters & co Qatar
In Doha, self-service bicycles and scooters can be found in the grounds of the MIA (Museum of Islamic Art), just outside the entrance. With your credit card and the Internet, you can rent them just like self-service bicycles. Tourist sites and shopping centers are all equipped with free golf carts that you simply hail to borrow. Handy in the hot sun!
With a driver Qatar
Cabs and VTCs are really affordable, costing just 10 QAR for an intramural journey. At peak evening times, however, the wait can be a little long (20 to 30 minutes), as they are very busy. The rest of the time, the driver arrives within 3 minutes. There is also a more expensive limousine service, VTCs with more luxurious cars.
By car Qatar
Renting a car at the airport is as easy as in Europe. Prices are very reasonable if you book in advance on the Internet with an international or local agency, and with a tourist visa you can rent a car for up to 15 days with your French driving license. The cars are new, superbly equipped and very spacious. The smallest model is equivalent to a large sedan in our country. But beware of speeding! Speed cameras are everywhere on the freeways, and there are plenty of them. But that doesn't stop some furious, gleaming 4x4s from going by like bombs. So be careful, and check your rear-view mirror before changing lanes on American-style highways with 6 to 10 lanes. And beware of drivers of older cars who drive a little sportily, far from European or Middle Eastern standards. In general, city driving is rather quiet, and traffic is governed by an American-style traffic light system, often very long (patience!).
Accessibility Qatar
Everything is designed with strollers and PRMs in mind, with elevators everywhere, in malls, parking lots, the metro, etc.
Tourist traps Qatar
There are no real tourist traps in Doha, as everything is highly regulated if you use an online service (cab booking app or Uber). Beware, however, of the drivers of so-called "limousine" VTC cars, who will take advantage of the situation if you hail them on the street and ask you three times the price.
