Whether you are heading to Doha for a short layover or a longer trip there is plenty to see and do both in Doha city and beyond! In this guide I round up the best day trips from Doha featuring nature, history and desert as well as some of the best Doha tours to help you make sure you see the most beautiful and the best of the city!

Note: As we were residents in Doha we managed to do the below on our own as we had our own vehicle however we think all of the destinations recommended below are worth a visit with a tour and in some cases are better taken as an organised excursions for those that do not know the country or its roads.

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Table of Contents

The Best Day Trips From Doha

Qatar is a small country and while most of the things to see and do are in the capital city, there is also lots to explore beyond the city! In our opinion the best day trip from Doha are:

The Inland Sea and dune bashing!

If there is one day trips from Doha that should be on your Doha itinerary even if you are only in Doha for a day it is going to the Inland Sea and going dune bashing. The Inland Sea in Doha is a UNESCO recognised reserve. It has been given this status because of the unique natural features it has on top of its interesting natural wildlife.

The Inland Sea is 60km outside of the city and is one of the best places to go dune bashing in Qatar. The dunes are really high here and offer some of the most beautiful views on the country. The great thing about heading to the Inland Sea is that it can be a half day or full day excursion and can be done morning, noon or night. All time of day are great but this is one of my personal favourite things to do in Doha at night as it is one of the best places to watch the sunset in Qatar.

Although we had our own vehicle in Qatar I never attempted and never would attempt to dune bash in my own vehicle. It is really important to go with a good company for desert safaris as you need to have a good and experienced driver to navigate the dunes as it is so easy to get stuck in the sand! I would never recommend driving yourself unless you have lots of sand driving experience and even then my preference would always be a a tour! In my opinion this is one of the best Doha trips you can take!

In my opinion this is one of the best things to do in Doha Qatar.

Click here for reviews and details of dune bashing experiences

Purple Island and Al Khor – Seeing the Mangroves of Qatar

One of my favourite places to go outside of the city is Purple Island. Purple Island is located in al Khor and is called Purple Island because of the small snails found there which are said to create the color of the Qatar national flag when crushed.

You can read our post about why Purple Island is the perfect desert experience for kids here! In the winter you can see flamingoes but it is a great spot for bird watchers all year round.

And as an added bonus there are so many ways to see Al Khor! My favorite way is to take a Kayak Tour but for those more adventurous you can take a helicopter tour over the mangroves!

It’s also worth remembering that Al Khor has a great public park for children.

Purple Island is proof that there are plenty of things to see and do in Qatar outside of Doha City!

Doha Day Trips to Zekreet, Film City and the East Meets West, West Meets East Artwork

East Meets West is the famous Richard Serra sculpture in the desert at Zekreet. This in my opinion is one of the best Qatar day trips as it takes you out of the city and into the Qatar desert.

The size of this artwork in such a barren landscape is an awe striking scene. When we have been out to zekreet we would travel in convoy with other cars in case of any problems!

If you don’t have a 4×4 or access to your own vehicle you can take this tour out to see the sculptures and Zekreet!

East meets West doha tours- one of the best things to see and things to do in Qatar.

Zekreet doha day trips – One of the best things to see and things to do in Qatar

Doha day tours to see Zubarah Fort

Qatar’s only UNESCO world heritage site and one of the best Doha day trips. A fort and museum that is worth the drive out of Doha to visit. You can read all about how to get there and out experience here.

doha day tours to see Zubarah Fort Qatar

If you want to visit the forts of Northern Qatar and don’t have a vehicle there some good Doha day tours that can take you – CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS

Sheikh Faisal Museum and Camel Racing Doha Excursions

If the Middle East is syonomous with anything its camels! These one day private Doha excursions will take you to see the fascinating camel racing and will also stop at one of Qatar’s most interesting museums, The Sheikh Faisal Museum which has on display exhibits relating to life in Qatar as well as some great transport collections!

CLICK HERE FOR RATES AND AVAILABILITY OF THIS TOUR

The Best Doha Tours and Day trips in Doha

Doha is a compact city but there are a few places that a trip to Doha is complete without!

No Day trips in Doha are complete without a visiting :

Museum of Islamic Arts or the National Museum of Qatar depending on your interest
Souq Waqif (number one on any doha day tour itinerary) and a great place for buying souvenirs from Doha.
Katara

All of these can be visited easily without a tour, but will need a taxi to get you between each venue!

However pretty much all tours in Doha will visited all of the above places. if you are interested in taking one of the private tours of doha click here!

CHECK RATES AND AVAILABILITY HERE FOR BEST TOURS DOHA

Another great way to see the city is a walk and a sunset cruise – CHECK PRICE AND AVAILABILITY HERE

Wondering how much to tip your tour guide in Doha? Click here for our tipping in Doha complete guide.

What is your favourite Doha day trip?