Getting from the airport to the city in Qatar

Hamad International has its own Doha Metro station on the Red Line, in terminal 1, which puts it among the easiest major airports in the world to leave.

• The fare is QAR 2 for a standard journey, with a daily cap of about QAR 6. This is not a typographical error; Doha's metro is close to free.
• Msheireb is the interchange for the Gold and Green lines and for the old town, Souq Waqif and the corniche.
• West Bay, Katara and The Pearl are all on the network.
• Trains are driverless, spotless and air conditioned to the point of cold. Bring a layer even in August.
• It does not run all night. Check the last train if you land after midnight, which many long-haul flights do.
• A Travel Card is bought from a machine at the station, or you can tap a contactless bank card.

• Karwa is the official metered fleet, turquoise, honest and regulated. QAR 40 to QAR 60 to central Doha is normal, plus an airport surcharge.
• Uber and Careem both work, with a minimum fare around QAR 8, and pick up from a marked area rather than the kerb.
• There is no haggling and no meter refusal. Qatar simply does not have the airport taxi problem most of the region has.
• A hotel car will be two or three times the taxi fare and is worth it only for luggage or a very late arrival.

• Karwa buses serve the airport for a couple of riyals and are the cheapest option after the metro. They are slow and aimed at workers rather than visitors.
• The metro feeder buses connect stations to the districts around them, on the same ticket.

• Immigration is fast and biometric for waiver nationalities, often a machine rather than a desk.
• The heat hits you in the walkway, not outside. From May to September, stepping out of the terminal at midnight is like opening an oven.
• Get riyals from an ATM in arrivals if you want cash, though cards work almost everywhere.
• Do not carry a vape through. Bags are scanned thoroughly, including for transit passengers.