Have you ever heard about airline stopover programs where you can spend a few days in a city at virtually no extra cost? If you haven’t, I’m about to change your life! One of those stopover programs is from Qatar Airways. You can stay in a fancy hotel and explore a Doha before jumping back into an airplane to get to your actual destination! But is the Qatar Airways stopover worth it in 2025? Here are all the pros, cons and my travel tips!

Last year, back when my partner and I planned for our trip around the world, we stumbled across Qatar Airways stopover program in Doha. Our actual first destination, Japan, is quite far away from Germany. So for us, it only made sense to split up the travel time and enjoy a cheap stay in Qatar.

I will be super honest, Qatar has never been on my travel list. Especially after everything that went down during their FIFA World Cup preparations (I won’t be going into that), I was hesitant to give my money to this country. However, I think you should always see everything for yourself and create your own picture of a place. This stopover program is the perfect way to get a glimpse of a culture that you might never have experienced otherwise.

What is the Qatar Airways Stopover Program?

Qatar Airways offers travel packaged of up to four nights if your transit is in Doha. You have a few hotel options to choose from, from 4-star hotels, 5-star luxury stays, and even beach front accommodations. Packages start from $14 per night for a standard 4-star hotel, and go up to $84 a night for the luxury stays.

Here is a little overview of your options:

How to Book the Qatar Airways Stopover Program

Booking the stopover program is really easy!

Qatar Airways has a special website called Qatar Holidays where you can simply select the “Flight + Stopover” option. Then just select the origin, destination, and dates, as well as when you want to do the stopover and for how many nights.

Afterwards, you get to this page where you can add on a more premium hotel. As you can see in the screenshot, the standard hotel would even be for free. So upgrading for 23€ for a premium hotel is for sure worth it!

And that’s it, really. You pay just as you normally would, and then you receive an invoice and travel plan with all the detailed information about your stay in Qatar.

Our Experience with the Qatar Airways stopover

I have to say, the flying part was already a nice surprise. Qatar Airways is a pretty modern airline. We had a new plane, and the in-flight entertainment had a really good mix of movies and TV shows, which definitely helped pass the time.

On our second flight, from Doha to Tokyo, we even got upgraded to premium economy. The seats were much bigger and more comfortable, which was a really nice bonus we didn’t expect. So overall, flying with Qatar Airways made the whole journey a bit easier.

Getting into Qatar was surprisingly easy. If you’re from one of over 100 countries, you can just use their 96-hour transit visa. It’s free and super straightforward. We just went to the immigration counter, told them where we were staying, and they gave us a sticker in our passports (which, fair warning, isn’t exactly pretty, so if you collect stamps, you might be a bit disappointed). By the time we were through, the luggage belt was already moving, and we picked up our bags without any waiting around.

If you’re doing a stopover, I definitely recommend setting up an eSIM before you arrive. That way, you can just open your phone and call an Uber. I couldn’t get my eSIM to work, so we ended up exchanging some cash at the airport (and lost quite a bit to fees). Then we took a regular taxi, which ended up being about twice the price of an Uber.

The Hotel

We decided to upgrade our standard hotel and went with a 5-star option. The place we chose was Souq Al Wakra by Tivoli, which isn’t actually in Doha itself, but in Al Wakra, a smaller town by the beach. It’s about a 15-minute drive from the airport, so still very convenient.

When we checked in, one of the first things they told us was that the English football national team stayed here during the 2022 World Cup. Not exactly essential info, but kind of a fun fact.

The hotel itself is built across a wide area, with low, sand-colored buildings designed in a more traditional Qatari style. There’s a spa, a nice pool area, and a handful of restaurants on-site. Because of the heat, we couldn’t really go outside until later in the day, so having a relaxing place like this really helped us settle in.

The breakfast buffet had a solid mix of Western and Arabic dishes. There were hash browns, shakshuka, baba ganoush, omelettes, fruit platters, muffins, toast, and even warm za’atar pastries. It cost QAR 65 per person, which is around 15€. The coffee was okay, and the only milk alternative available was soy.

Overall, staying in this hotel was a really nice way to kick off our trip. The heat forced us to take it slow in the mornings, which actually turned out to be a good thing. It gave us time to enjoy the space, unwind a little, and get used to the climate before moving on.

The City

I’ve been to a few arabic countries before, so it’s always interesting to see how they compare. Doha, to me, seems extremely clean, modern, and widespread. It feels like it was just built a few years ago (which is probably not all that wrong). You can clearly see the different cultural influences of this immigrant country.

There’s some really beautiful architecture around the city that definitely caught my eye. Buildings like the National Museum of Qatar and the Museum of Islamic Art are especially impressive and feel like works of art in themselves. Another spot I loved was Mina District, near the port, where everything is painted in soft pastel colors. It’s super photogenic and has a very curated vibe.

That said, as stunning as these places are, they also felt a bit staged and somewhat lacking in real history. I’m sure there are parts of Doha that feel more authentic and lived-in, but the areas designed for tourists seem focused on presenting this polished, modern version of Qatar. And honestly, I get it. But it does leave you wondering what the city looks like beyond the surface.

Reasons not to do it

I’ll be very honest: this stopover might not be for everyone. And that’s totally okay! There were a few things that I maybe didn’t love during our stay, and here are the main ones:

1. Forbidden Items

If you’re stopping over in Qatar, be prepared for thorough luggage scans at multiple points. Our hand luggage was scanned at the airport upon arrival, and surprisingly, all our bags were scanned again when we checked into our hotel.

Qatar has strict customs regulations, and some everyday items are completely banned like drones, adult toys, or alcohol. If you feel strongly about bringing any of these items on your trip, you might want to reconsider the Qatar Airways stopover, as there’s little room for exceptions.

I actually wanted to bring a drone with me for my travels, but obviously couldn’t after finding out about this law. Now I might either not have one or buy one in Tokyo. Either way, not ideal.

2. The Heat

Qatar can get super hot, depending on the time of year you’re traveling. If you’re coming during the summer months (June – August), you need to be prepared for intense dry heat. The heat also doesn’t go away at night. The lowest temperature I experienced in July was 34 degrees, and during the day it ranged between 39 and 41. Of course, this is less of an issue if you travel during the cooler months of November through April.

3. Religious Customs

Qatar is a very religious Muslim country and you have to abide by their law and customs. That means especially women must dress modestly in public. When swimming in public places, they need to cover everything from their shoulders to their knees. I was lucky I brought a UV swimming shirt and then I just stole my boyfriend’s swimming trunks.