Cars and drivers
Run the whole stay on chauffeured cars. Raffles sits 30 km from Hamad, so most online fare guidance, which quotes central Doha, runs half the distance and half the price. Blacklane is the recommended vendor: distance-based prices with no surge, flight tracking, the driver held a full hour after you land, and free cancellation up to an hour before pickup. Business Class buys a Mercedes E-Class or BMW 5 Series, and First Class an S-Class. Quote Transfeero and Karwa Limousine against it, and quote the Raffles hotel car through your butler, which is the most expensive option and the most seamless. Budget QAR 100 to 150 for a metered run to Lusail, and two to three times that for a chauffeur.
Fallback transport
Karwa runs the turquoise state taxis and holds the only licence to pick up at the airport kerbside, with cars at the rank even at 03:00. Uber works across the city with upfront pricing and routes you to a designated zone at the airport. Careem withdrew from ride-hailing in Qatar in 2023, so ignore any guide that still lists it. Skip the metro: Raffles connects through Legtaifiya on the Red Line plus a tram link, which turns a 25 minute drive into 45 minutes.
Heat
Expect 39 degrees by day and 29 overnight, with high humidity. Move between air-conditioned spaces by car and walk only after 17:30 or before 08:00. Carry water.
Dress
Cover shoulders and knees at the museums and in the souq. Hotels and Lusail relax this. Long sleeves in linen beat short sleeves in the sun.
Photography
Qatari law treats photographing people without consent as an offence, and this applies with force to women and to government buildings. Ask, or shoot wide. Drones need a permit you will not get in three days. Museums permit handheld photography without flash, and tripods need permission at the desk.
Alcohol and money
Licensed hotel venues only, and public intoxication carries penalties. Duty free on arrival sells nothing. The riyal pegs to the US dollar and cards work almost everywhere.
Where to eat in Doha
Alba at Raffles. Malaki Lounge for afternoon tea. Aqua Urban Deck for sunset drinks. Jiwan at the National Museum for the best lunch view in the city. Parisa and Shay Al Shomous at Souq Waqif. Nobu at the Four Seasons and Morimoto at the Mondrian.