The metro and a taxi app cover almost everything a visitor does. A hire car only earns its place for the desert, and driving here is the country risk.
- Three metro lines and the Lusail tram, all at the same flat QAR 2 fare, with feeder buses from the stations included and a family and women's carriage on every train.
- Uber and Careem are cheap by any standard and a cross-city trip is QAR 20 to QAR 40. Doha is compact and nothing a visitor does justifies a hire car.
- Driving is the real risk in Qatar. Road discipline is poor, speeds are high, accidents are common, and a phone in your hand is a QAR 500 fine.
- Drink driving is zero tolerance, with a sentence measured in months to years and a fine of QAR 10,000 to QAR 50,000, plus possible deportation.
- Check Metrash2 for outstanding fines before you fly out - an unpaid one can stop you leaving - and any accident, however small, needs a police report before insurers act.
Metro and tram
- Three lines - Red, Green, Gold - plus the Lusail tram, all at the same flat QAR 2 standard fare.
- Msheireb is the only interchange and everything routes through it.
- Metrolink feeder buses run from stations into the surrounding districts and are included in the fare.
- Gold Club carriages cost more and are worth it for nothing except sitting down in August.
- There is a family and women's carriage on every train.
Taxis and apps
- Uber and Careem are the two apps and both are cheap by any international standard.
- Karwa taxis are metered and can be hailed or booked through the Karwa app.
- A cross-city trip is QAR 20 to QAR 40. Doha is compact.
- Cash is accepted everywhere but the apps default to card and that is simpler.
Driving
This is the part of Qatar with a real risk attached.
- Road discipline is poor, speeds are high and accidents are common. The FCDO says so plainly and the statistics support it.
- Speed and red-light cameras are everywhere and the fines follow the hire car to your credit card weeks later.
- Using a phone while driving is a QAR 500 fine.
- Drink driving is zero tolerance, with a sentence measured in months to years and a fine of QAR 10,000 to QAR 50,000.
- Check Metrash2 for outstanding violations before you fly out. An unpaid fine can stop you leaving.
- Any accident, however small, needs a police report before an insurer or hire company will do anything. Do not move the cars.
Where a car is worth it
- Khor Al Adaid, the inland sea, needs a 4x4 and, realistically, a driver who knows the dunes. Go with a tour rather than alone.
- Al Zubarah, the north-west forts and the beaches are an easy day out by road.
- Nothing in Doha itself justifies a car. Parking is difficult and the metro is faster.
Getting out of the country
- The land border with Saudi Arabia at Abu Samra is open and used, and needs a car with the right insurance.
- Everything else is a flight, and Hamad connects to more places than almost any airport on earth.
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