Doha Airport — Night One — Direction BKK
Doha Airport is simply stunning. Futuristic trains run along the sides to cut almost a kilometre off the walk. The whole terminal is dominated by an enormous dome — a faithful replica of an oasis with full-grown trees. On the lower level you genuinely feel like you have stepped into the middle of real nature.
What was less great was spending the night at the airport. With a room at the airport hotel going for around 280 euros, I needed to find another way to get through those ten hours. I decided to pay for a lounge. Even with a lingering illness that had been dragging on for two weeks, it turned out to be perfectly fine. I arrived before midnight, loaded up on food, had two beers and settled into an armchair for the next six hours. When I left at six in the morning, they were just starting to serve breakfast — so I ate again and headed to the gate. If you are travelling alone, a lounge is a great way to eat well, have a drink and get through the night in peace.
Doha Airport — Night Two — Direction PRG and Ramadan
I had no idea my planned stopover with a city tour would fall right in the middle of Ramadan. I had not thought about it at all. I got off the plane, went through passport control and since all the airport shops were open I did not give it a second thought. I was a little hungry but figured I would eat something in the city. Since it was noon and check-in at the hotel was not until two, I skipped the taxi and took the metro instead. A 24-hour ticket cost just two dollars — essentially free.
Just as I had not thought about Ramadan, I had not paid attention to the metro signage either and walked into a carriage reserved exclusively for women and children. I realised when a supervisor came over and told me with barely concealed irritation: "Sir, are you here with children?" I had no interest in arguing, so I ignored his tone, apologised for missing the sign and moved to the next carriage. They could label it a bit better — standard pictograms do not get a second glance unless you are looking for a toilet.
After getting off the metro and walking around for a bit, I started to notice how empty everything was. When I walked into a café, the employee let me know Ramadan was on. And that was that. He could wrap something up for me to take away, but I did not have a room ready yet and the hunger was becoming serious. That was when it clicked why customs had been so insistent on seeing my hotel booking. A lot of things in the city were running on reduced hours.
Once I got to the hotel everything was fine. I was given a beautiful large corner room. The hotel restaurant was running normally, so I could finally eat. Apart from a handful of Filipinos, I had the place to myself.
Walking through an empty city was an experience in itself. During the day not a soul moved outside and everything was shut. Overcast, a pleasant 24 degrees for the locals — after three weeks in the tropics I was slightly cold. I passed several food outlets and found one open shop, so even during Ramadan you can buy things during the day. In the centre I went to the massive Souq Waqif market — usually buzzing with life, now completely silent. Only the bird market was open. Seeing a place like that so still made me oddly nostalgic for proper Sunday closing back home. I took the metro back to the centre, found a partially open mall with a café and walked through the modern district.
The real surprise came in the evening. The streets suddenly filled with crowds. Everything opened, people were eating, drinking, living. I wandered through the old centre for a while and eventually ended up in a restaurant — unexpectedly treated to the best hummus I have ever had in my life.
Would I recommend a stopover in Doha during Ramadan?
YES.
I booked a taxi for six in the morning that accepted card payment. For about six euros the driver comfortably dropped me at the airport six kilometres away.
