|
| Best of |
Surprises: The charming city of Doha, which hosted the Asian Games in 2006, is the capital of Qatar and a popular tourist destination. There are dozens of fascinating attractions including the Corniche Bay, the ethnographic museum and the huge tower Wind House.
|
 |
Romantic: Perfect country for holiday between relax and cocooning. Ideal for a first trip to the Middle East! Beach lovers will be delighted by the languages of sand from the island of Palm Tree.
Discovery: visit Qatar to explore the renewal. Peninsula of sand and beaches, the desert and the sea are the main places to visit Qatar ...
Culture: Qatar and the region of the Arab East has a unique heritage. Dating back thousands of years, the Arab civilization contributed greatly to the art, crafts, religion and science.
Hotels: Doha offers a wide range of hotels to budget categories and very varied. The occupancy rate of hotels is very high because of Qatar visitors more than increase the number of rooms available.
|
Itinerary for a trip to Qatar
Doha, located in a bay, the capital is a sprawling city with wide highways. It circulates in the middle of white houses, mosques and public buildings covered with arabesques. Visitors can also try a true hookah in one of the many cafes, inspired by the locals. It is advisable to walk along the seven kilometers of coastline lined with palm trees, gardens, flowers, restaurants and ports dhows. You can also make a boat trip to the island of Palm Tree, with a restaurant, games and facilities for water sports.
Al Wakra: was one of the largest cities pearl. It is adjacent to Doha and has a port with many dhows.
Bir Zekri: is a site with beautiful limestone formations. You will find after a few kilometers of a very nice beach for a day or two.
Al SHAHANIYA: is the city where you will see flocks of camels and oryx and you can attend the races at camelodrome. Best time to visit is 16h because the camel herders to conduct training. The races take place every morning from early October but the most prestigious races take place in March or April.
Al Khor: is a small town by the sea with a port, a small museum that was before a police station and a large sandy beach. Near the city there is a mangrove.
The desert south of Qatar, tracks bypass the sand dunes with a height less than 60 m to reach the sea or Khor Al Oudeid. This adventure into the desert requests certain precautions, a 4x4 that will be deflated before the tires for better traction on the sand. A good knowledge of the tracks with a compass or a GPS is recommended. We participate in several cars in a convoy with picnic and drinks throughout the day and sometimes it sticks. You will discover beautiful landscapes and fun walking up and down these dunes.
|
|
|
|
Qatar
The State of Qatar, colourful and welcoming land where the modern compliment the legacy of an ancient culture, is a peninsula located on the south shore of the Persian Gulf, between the Emirate of Bahrain and the UAE, to the limits of Saudi Arabia.
Once, it was home to fishermen, Bedouins and pearl divers, Qatar is now a modern state. It is among the richest, cleanest, most secure among the nations of the world.
Small oil state in the Middle East, Qatar is mainly a business destination. Emphasis on high-end tourism, the country hopes to attract luxury hotels wealthy clients. Its beaches and seabed, its desert, its blend of Eastern traditions of Bedouin and capitalist modernity are its main assets.
Sports and entertainment for conferences and exhibitions, Qatar has it all. In addition, the popular television channel Al-Jazeera (or Aljazeera), based in Doha, is now known throughout the world. It is the first news channel in the Arab world continuously broadcast via satellite and watched by nearly forty-five million Arabs in the world.
|
How long we must remain at least?
The Corniche: A half day for a morning or later at least warm seasons, the Corniche of Doha is one of the most beautiful of the Gulf, and thus unavoidable.
Rumeilah Park (formerly Al Bidder Park): A half day for this closed area and surprisingly green, is more than a park, located along the Corniche, facing the sea.
The Heritage Village: A day is enough for a glimpse of life in an Arab village at the time preceding the discovery of oil.
Equestrian Club - Horse racing: Two hours is enough to visit the equestrian club located on Al-Furousiya Street, which is the heart of Qatar's equestrian activities for generations, with the horses in existence since the early 60s.
The Zoo: A morning is enough to visit the zoo located on Al Furousiya Street, almost opposite the equestrian club, the zoo houses over 1,500 animals including 147 species worldwide. The space is very large (42 hectares) and offers the opportunity to see desert animals, as well as more traditional animals.
Tours dhow: Pass an enjoyable day at sea, a dhow tour you will discover the Bay of Doha from another point of view that the cornice. The dhows are traditional wooden vessels found throughout the Gulf. The word is derived from the Swahili "dau".
Orientalist Museum: Four hours is enough to visit this museum, located in a high white house with 4 floors in front of the National Museum of Qatar.
It comprises 3 floors on a large collection of oil paintings and watercolors (ceded to the state of Qatar in 1999).
Museum Fahd Bin Ali Palace: One hour is enough to visit the museum behind the Palace of the Emir who is on the Corniche, is open daily from 9am to 13h. There are mainly the exhibition "From Cordoba to Samarqand"-an illustration of the Arab-Muslim, seventh in the nineteenth century AD-C, which was previously at the Louvre in Paris, but also an exhibition of cars former Emirs, an exhibition of coins and a photo exhibition which is sometimes closed.
The Museum of Weapons: Spend two hours in this museum presents a wide range of swords, daggers and traditional curved cuirasses some of which date from the sixteenth century, and a large number of guns dating from the Ottoman era. Many parts are made of gold, silver and precious stones. It contains over 2300 pieces.
The Museum of Modern Art: Spend an hour in this museum, which presents some of the private collection of contemporary art including Sheikh Hassan calligraphy, ancient weapons, and Orientalist paintings.
|
|
|
|
Itinerary for a trip to the region
Towards Emirates : DOHA-SALWA-SAUDI ARABIA-ABU DHABI-DUBAI-FUJAIRAH-RAS AL-KHAIMAH SHARJAH is a 2000km loop. The 7 Emirates nearby Qatar, are easily accessible and offer a multitude of tourist attractions: crazy projects in Dubai fund submarine in the Gulf of Oman through the orange dunes in the eye of Liwa or rugged mountains of Musandam. It takes about 7am door to door from Doha to Abu Dhabi with waiting times at borders.
Towards Bahrain :It is also possible to travel by car to Bahrain or the Emirates from the border with Saudi Arabia having a Saudi transit visa. Car insurance is necessary for both countries.
Towards Saudi Arabia : It is possible to make advance reservations online for Buses in Saudi Arabia (Saptaco; www.saptaco.com) the departures from Doha to Dammam (QR100), with leave to Amman (Jordan) and Damascus (Syria) every two to SR150. Manama (QR25, 5 hours) Abu Dhabi (QR21, 6 hours) Kuweit (QR26, 10 hours). Departures are daily from the central station in Doha.
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
  
When to go
Climate, type of desert, is characterized by long summers and warm (up to 46 ° C) and wet, mild winters (between 10 ° C and 20 ° C) punctuated by rare rains. The most pleasant weather is from November to April.
| Weather |
J |
F |
M |
A |
M |
J |
J |
A |
S |
O |
N |
D |
| Average temperature |
16 |
18 |
21 |
26 |
27 |
34 |
35 |
32 |
26 |
26 |
24 |
19 |
Security
Thank you to consult the advice of the passenger site of French Foreign Ministry Please consult.
Population
The total population of 743 000 people, including 20% of nationals. The majority of the population lives in urban areas. Indeed, 83.1% of the population lives in Doha and Al Rayyan. This population is mainly young men: almost one third have less than 20 years. 90% of residents are Muslim, the rest are Christians, Hindus or Buddhists.
Single Woman
No restrictions of clothing vis-à-vis foreigners, a simple common sense can serve as a guide in the selection. Wearing a veil is not mandatory for women Qatari but its use is fairly widespread.
Languages Spoken
The official language of Qatar is Arabic. However English is spoken fluently. Certain official documents are written in Arabic and English. Persian, Urdu, Hindi and other oriental languages are widely used in Qatar.
The Arab world
Without a visa for members of the Cooperation Council of Arab Gulf states comprising Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates and Qatar. They may have a visa on the spot upon arrival for a stay of 14 days (renewable).
Other
Nationals who are not exempt from visas and are cited in the above table are advised to contact the Embassy for their visa.
The exempt from visa
Qatar grants tourist visas at the border for citizens over 33 countries: USA, Canada, Iceland, western Europe (the Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, Italy, Norway, Ireland, Portugal , San Marino, Denmark, Luxembourg, France, Liechtenstein, Finland, Malaysia, Spain, Germany, Monaco, Sweden, Greece, Switzerland, Vatican ...), some countries of Eastern Europe, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia , Hong Kong, South Korea, Brunei, Australia and New Zealand, and nationals of the countries of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf. The visa is valid for a stay of 14 days (renewable). The price of the visa is 55 Rials (about 16 Euros). .
NB
Visitors for tourism purposes are required to take Qatar Airways to come to the country.
Rahhala Estimation
The cost of living is quite high in Qatar because most products are imported. The price of items is on average comparable to France. However, food produced in Qatar and the Gulf have a reasonable price.
For trips, counting 400 QR for a trip into the desert with dunes and dinner beside the campfire, 75 euros but you can find cheaper, QR 240 for a trip in the desert an 4X4. For a night in the desert in a Bedouin camp with all that goes with it (the sunrise in the desert) 550 QR. The boat dinner costs around QR 220.
Lodgings & Costs
Doha offers a wide range of hotels to budget categories and very varied. The occupancy rate of hotels is very high because of Qatar visitors more than increase the number of rooms available. Refer to the sites of the hotels for more information.
| 5 stars | | 4 stars | | 3 stars |
| Doha Marriot Hotel (Tel :429 88 88) | | Al Bustan Hotel (Tel :432 88 88) | | Merweb Al Sadd (Tel :477 11 11) |
| Four Seasons Hotel (Tel :494 88 88) | | Mercure Grand Hotel Doha (Tel :446 22 22) | | Doha Tower Hotel (Tel :435 46 46) |
| Grand Regency (Tel :434 33 33) | | Mövenpick Hotel Doha (Tel :429 11 11) | | Gulf Horizon Hotel (Tel :443 25 25) |
| Intercontinental Doha (Tel :484 44 44) | | Oasis Hotel & Beach Club (Tel :442 44 24) | | Qatar Palace Hotel (Tel :442 15 15) |
| Mövenpick Tower and Suites Hotel (Tel :496 66 00) | | Ramada Doha (Tel :441 74 17) | | Regency Hotel (Tel :436 33 63) |
| The Millennium Hotel (Tel :424 77 77) | | Rydges Plaza (Tel :438 54 44) | | |
Change
1 dollar = 3,65 QR.
On 1 July 2008, 1 Riyal qatari (QAR) = 0.17 £ / 10 QAR = 1.74£.
Flights to Qatar
Many airlines have flights from Doha or in the direction of Doha, but only one is from Paris-Doha (Qatar Airways). There are no domestic airlines. Thank you to our line of low-cost Asia: Please consult.
Doha, it is very easy to travel by air in the region. Among the most popular destinations:
Dubai (2h flight) 1650QR (Qatari Riyal).
Oman (Muscat-Doha: 1h15 flight) for 1400QR.
Jordan (Amman-Doha: 2h30 flight).
Syria (Damascus-Doha: 3 hours of flight).
Yemen (Sanaa-Doha: 2h30 flight) 2000QR.
Iran (Tehran-Doha: 2h flight)..
Transports
The road network is well maintained: the major roads are 4 or 6 channels, the central being planted with palm trees or grass (with automatic sprinklers) are tiled sidewalks and roads are lit at night.
The only solution for the visitor, is to rent a car or taxi. Renting a Mr. Lancer is around 280 Riyals, or about 54 euros. Gasoline costs about 0.8 ryal therefore approximately 0.16 euros, with that you will not have to watch the odometer. On leaving the airport, there are several rental companies who can rent a vehicle.
Bus: The bus traffic is nonexistent, except in cities. A new bus system was introduced in October 2005 but it is mostly used by foreign labor to move their homes to their work, women and children to avoid. You will find the bus stops at the edge of the main roads and bus routes on recent maps of Qatar. It will cost 2QR up in Doha and 7QR for cities outside Doha.
Taxi: The limousines are somewhat more expensive than taxis, but the price is very reasonable. Qatar is set to change all the old white and orange taxis taxis against any new turquoise and silver Mowasalat Company, you shall know them by the acronym Karwa written on the side. Some taxis are metered, or it must negotiate the price in advance.
The boutre: The traditional local river may be used, but there are no official prices. The port of dhows Doha is situated near the palace of the Emir, near the city center.
Events & most important Festivals
Sporting events of international level are held in Qatar each year including:
Qatar ExxonMobil Open Men's Tennis, January.
Qatar Masters Golf Tournament, on March.
Qatar Cycling Tour, from January to February.
Qatar Fencing Grand Prix, from January to February.
Qatar Total Open Ladies Tennis Tournament from February to March.
Qatar Moto GP, Mars.
Horse racing, from October to May.
Religious holidays mobiles: Eid al Fitr (end of Ramadan), Birth of the Prophet, Eid al Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice of Abraham), New Year according to the lunar calendar.
Independence day, September 3.
The weekly rest day is Friday. The weekend is Friday and Saturday (the weekend has changed since mid-2003). During Ramadan, the life business is very slow, as during the months of July and August.
Activities in Qatar: hunting
During the cultural festival of Qatar, at the opening of the Heritage Village on the ledge do not hesitate to listen to elders tell their memories of fishing with pearl ...
Hunting falcon: falcon hunting is the preserve of princes and emirs. Possession of this volatile is a symbol of power and nobility. It is practiced with the help of a master falconer.
Arabic folk dance (as a hobby is very popular): One of the most popular was the Ardha. Composed of dancers men wearing ceremonial swords, this dance was traditionally performed to show the unity and strength of the group. It combined dance and poetry as a poet was the comings and goings between the rows of singers and dancers. The lyrics spoke of the traditional art of horsemanship, chivalry and strength. This dance is still performed in Qatar on the occasion of special festivals.
Culture
The traditional songs and dances: The Qacida (traditional songs) are old complaints of the desert and the sea, they are accompanied by the UDD (a kind of large lute). The dance is performed during religious festivals, weddings and circumcisions. Only men are involved, the sound of cymbals, large drums and tambourines. The dances are called ardhas, laywahs or Jerba.
Music: traditional Arabic music was accompanied by percussion instruments such as drums and tambourines and wind instruments and stringed traditional Arabia. The songs of the cities and desert were very popular, while the fishermen invented pearls melodies and songs while working. At weddings and other festivities, we can find folk singers, musicians and storytellers playing traditional music and tales of folklore stories.
Embroidery in gold thread: Among the traditional crafts of Qatar include pottery, the creation of fine jewellery and small objects in gold and gypsum sculpture to architectural ornaments.
History of Qatar
Origins: the peninsula was occupied from the Stone Age, in the fifth century BC, Herodotus sees them descendants of the Canaanite sailors.
2nd century: The geographer Ptolemy's map is on the site Catara (or Catra), which is probably the city of Zuharah.
VII C: Advent of Islam.
Eighth century: Under the Abbasids, the caliphs of Baghdad, Qatar boomed.
XV C: Rivalry for control of the coastline between the various European powers (France, Great Britain, Netherlands, Portugal).
1617: The Portuguese controlled the country, followed by the Turks since 1638. Towards 1730: Immigration from the Najd, Outoub tribes, including the family Al-Thani, the current dynasty.
1868 (September 12): Treaty of Peace between the Sheikh Mohammed bin Thani and Britain.
1871: Qatar became an Ottoman administrative division, depending on Basra.
1893: Battle of Wajbah, Qassim bin Mohammed is folding Ottomans.
1913 (July 19): Anglo-Turkish Convention by which the Ottoman Empire renounces all its rights in Qatar.
1916 : British protectorate..
|
|
