Taxis and the underground are the best options for getting from the airport. Buses are the cheapest form of transport, but they are mostly used only by airport staff.

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Taxi / Uber

The most commonly used form of transport to the city centre is the city taxi. The initial fare is 7 qar + 25 qar from the airport; each additional kilometre costs 1,6 qar during the day and 1,9 qar at night.

A journey to the lower part of Doha (the Souq Waqif area) will therefore cost approximately 60 qar

You can reach Doha City Centre, the business district with its skyscrapers, for around 70 qar.

The light green airport taxis are operated by a single company, Karwa, and the pick-up point is on the left in front of the arrivals hall.

You pay the taxi driver directly, and you can always pay in cash (Qatari riyals only) or with standard contactless cards.

Almost always a cheaper option is to use the Uber mobile app, which works well in Doha. The fare to the Souq Waqif area will be around 45 qar, and the fare to Doha City Centre around 50 to 60 qar

However, the waiting time for a car is longer than for taxis, and during peak times you may have to wait up to 15 minutes for an Uber.

The pick-up point is located by the car hire offices opposite the terminal, and the route there is clearly signposted.

Underground

Public transport is provided bythe Red Line metro, which runs to the city centre and the Corniche area. Official information can be found on the websiteqr.com.qa.

The highly modern metro system is easy to navigate, reliable and fast, and definitely offers the best value for money when travelling around Doha.

When travelling from the city centre to the airport, please pay attention to your final destination. The line splits – half the services go to the Al Wakra terminus and half to the airport (Hamad International Airport).

Ticket prices are as follows:

• 2 qar – single journey
• 6 qar – all-day pass

The all-day ticket is valid across the entire Lusail metro and tram network in Doha. It is valid only for the calendar day in question and not for 24 hours. Tickets can be purchased from ticket machines at every station, and card payments are accepted.

Metro trains run to the airport every 6 minutes; the journey to the city centre takes about 20 minutes. Metro operating hours vary depending on the day of the week:

• Last trains – 23:59 from Saturday to Wednesday, or 1:00 on Thursdays and Fridays
• First trains – 5.55 from Sunday to Thursday, 6.25 on Saturday, 14.00 on Friday

On Fridays, neither the metro nor the trams run in Doha for the entire first half of the day, so you’ll need to use taxis or buses.

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Buses

Since the metro opened, bus routes no longer run to the city centre, but only to the surrounding neighbourhoods.

The only useful connection for travelling into the city is bus route 757, which runs to the Al Mansoura area south of the old town. Here you can change to other bus routes or the green metro line. The advantage of the 757 is that it runs 24 hours a day at 20-minute intervals (including Fridays).

Lines T612, T613 and L533 only serve housing estates near the airport and industrial areas, and are not suitable for travelling to Doha city centre.

Timetables can be found on the operator’s official website:mowasalat.com/Bus-Schedules.

To travel by bus, you must purchase a Karwa Card (see official information) for 10 qar for two journeys or 20 qar for unlimited bus travel for 24 hours. You can buy the card from a ticket machine near the terminal exit, heading towards the bus stops.

You’ll find the bus stops at the far right end of the terminal, specifically at bays 3 or 4 marked ‘City Bus’. Don’t ask anyone for directions – nobody here knows the bus routes; everyone travels by car or on the underground.

Car hire

If you’d like to explore the desert and the less touristy parts of Qatar on your own, the best option is to hire a car.

There are many large multinational car hire companies based in the building near the metro station, and a 4-day hire starts at 70 eur.