Everyday practical information for Qatar

Dress

• Cover shoulders and knees in public. This applies to men as well as women, and shorts on a man in a mall attract attention.
• Government buildings, hospitals and banks enforce it, and some malls will turn people away.
• Swimwear is for the beach, the pool and nowhere else, including the walk back to your room.
• A scarf is useful for a mosque visit, and the Katara mosque and the Museum of Islamic Art both expect modest dress.
• Nobody expects a visitor to cover their hair in the street.

Alcohol

• Sold only in licensed hotel bars and restaurants. There are no bars outside hotels and no shops.
• The legal age is 21 and an original passport or ID is asked for. A photocopy is not accepted.
• It is expensive, deliberately so.
• Duty free on arrival is not available to visitors the way it is in Dubai.
• Being drunk in public is a criminal offence. Take a taxi from the hotel door.

The week and the day

• The weekend is Friday and Saturday. Friday morning is very quiet, with most things opening after midday prayers.
• Shops and malls stay open late, often to 22:00 or later, because the evening is when it is bearable outside.
• Government offices work mornings.
• Prayer times pause some businesses briefly five times a day.

Ramadan

• Eating, drinking and smoking in public during daylight is prohibited, for everyone including non-Muslims.
• Hotels serve food to guests discreetly, usually in a screened area.
• Working hours shorten and everything shifts to the evening.
• Iftar and the night markets are the best time of the year to visit if you are willing to live on that schedule.

Practical odds and ends

• Plugs are the British three-pin type G at 240 V, 50 Hz.
• Arabic is the official language and English is universal in shops, hospitals and government offices.
• The weekend brunch is a Doha institution and books out.
• Everything indoors is over-air-conditioned. Carry a layer, in August especially.
• Tap water is safe, the sun is stronger than it feels, and sunglasses are not an affectation here.
• Metrash2 is the government app for fines, permits and visa extensions, and is worth installing if you are staying more than a few days.