Got a long layover coming up at Doha Airport? Here’s everything you can fill your time with, including the best shops, restaurants, activities and even places to sleep in one of the best airports in the world.
Doha Hamad International Airport has been voted the best airport in the world three times, most recently taking the top spot in 2024.
So, when James and I spotted that we could have a long layover on our flight from Bangkok to Oslo, we opted to spend 20 hours checking out exactly what you could do.
Spend 20h in Doha Airport With Me
James and I were flying home via Doha and arrived from Bangkok to Doha Airport at 11:50am. Our journey onwards wasn’t until 8:35am the next day.
With 20 hours for our layover, instead of trying to squeeze in a sightseeing trip to Doha, we thought it would be fun to make the most of the airport instead.
Hour 1 - Time for a local breakfast
Touchdown in Doha!
The airport is shaped a bit like a capital I, if you draw it with a line across the top and bottom. The top end is referred to as the North Node, and the bottom end is the South Node.
We arrived in the South Node, but jumped on the free shuttle that whizzed us up to the North Node in less than 60 seconds.
Then we went for a bite to eat at Chapati & Karak, a Qatari owned cafe and tea house. We enjoyed our chapatis (£4.40 each) and a cup of karak – a strong tea that’s popular in the middle east that’s a type of chai (£1.40 each).
There are loads of options to eat in this area, including a Joe & Juice, Wok to Walk, Evergreen Organics and even an Oreo Cafe.
There are also plenty of cafes and restaurants in The Orchard too – and that’s where we’re heading next!
Hour 2 - Exploring The Orchard
Time to visit The Orchard! I’d say that this is one of the main attractions of Doha Airport. It’s a lush green area with loads of trees and plants – apparently 300 trees and over 25,000 plants!
It feels like a big greenhouse, kind of like the Eden Project in Cornwall. It definitely reminded me of The Jewel at Singapore’s Changi Airport as well, which has won back the world’s best airport crown for 2025.
Maybe they took some inspiration from those guys, maybe they didn’t, but either way it’s a beautiful spot. Perfect for a wander to make you feel zen and revive you during a long journey.
They had a few little wooden tent pods in there, which we spotted some people sleeping in. So it could make a great spot to catch some shut eye if you managed to bag one!
Hour 3 - Let’s go window shopping
There are loads of designer shops at Doha airport! If like me, your budget won’t quite stretch to a purchase, then you can still have fun window shopping.
Dotted around The Orchard are lots of luxury options including Burberry, Gucci and Louis Vuitton, all offering tax free shopping.
A number of the designer shops here also have designer cafes, which is kind of fun although the prices are RIDICULOUS. James was tempted by a Fendi cake, and we actually ended up in the Louis Vuitton lounge… but more on that later.
Hour 4 - Relax in a business class lounge
There are a bunch of business class lounges at Doha airport, which are a super luxe place to spend your time. Of course these are free for business class travellers, but if you’re travelling Economy with Qatar Airways, you can pay extra to access them.
Al Mourjan lounge
Al Mourjan lounge is a lush lounge near to the designer shops in the North Node and The Orchard. Access is exclusively for Qatar Airways, oneworld and First and Business Class passengers, with free access for those with the necessary status or those flying business class or first.
However there is often an option for those flying economy with Qatar Airways as well. For around £100 entry ,you can spend 6 hours in there, enjoy free food and drink, and – best of all – they have sleep pods here where you can catch 40 winks. So if you aren’t fussed about sleeping in a hotel room during your layover, or perhaps you’re a solo traveller, this could end up being better value for money.
Al Maha Lounge
Al Maha lounge is one that anyone can pay to go in, and is also available on Priority Pass. It’s also free to access with some bank accounts like Revolut. There’s one in the North and the South Nodes, and a few more in Departures and Arrivals too.
We popped in to the South lounge as we get Priority Pass with our credit card, and boy am I glad we didn’t pay. It’s one of the worst lounges I’ve been to! Especially given that the price to get in is around £48.
The one perk is that it has showers but the refreshments were very limited and I personally think you’d be better off (and comfier!) spending your money on a restaurant instead.
Louis Vuitton Lounge
The Louis Vuitton Lounge is located just above their store in The Orchard. You can use it if you’re a business class traveller or if you’ve been ‘invited’ by Louis Vuitton.
We tried to stroll in and were told that as we weren’t flying business class, we would have to have an invite to get in instead.
As someone who doesn’t buy designer, I thought there was no chance but I decided to pop into the shop downstairs just to find out what people need to get one of these exclusive invitations.
Well, it turned out the answer was: ask nicely! I did have to set up a free online account but then she whipped out a gold pen and wrote me out a personal invite. It’s so beautiful, I’m gonna frame it!!
Now one of the reasons we may have got in was because there was no one else there… haha! Also, you do still have to pay for everything though it is perhaps the only way I’ll be able to afford something for LV – by buying a branded coffee!!
The lounge is beautifully designed, with furniture and homeware from Louis Vuitton! Plus, you’re up by the Al Mourjan lounge and so you also get to enjoy views of The Orchard from above.
Once we were in, we got the calculator out and made our way through the menu to figure out which lunch items weren’t going to clear out our bank balance.
And look, all of these are overpriced items but we were spending 20 hours in the airport so thought it could be our treat portion of the review!!
I really wanted something branded (the whole point surely?!) and so after a few conversions, we ended up splashing out on some coffees (£8 each), a lobster toastie (£15) and a cake (£13). Cue our surprise when the tiniest toastie in the world arrived!!
Honestly we lost it when they put that down!!
The coffees were dead posh with branded coffee art on top, and James’ toastie and my cake also had a logo on top too. Although as I said to James, it actually made me think of Orla Keily, rather than Louise Vuitton! I am sure I can’t be the only one!
Anyway, despite their hefty price tags, all the things we ordered were delicious. And the staff were really lovely, and told us all about the history of the place. But yeah – it’s very pricey for what it is.
But perhaps think of it as paying for a bit of calm and tranquility as well?
Either way, I’m glad we went and honestly very thankful for the staff at Louis Vuitton that they allowed us to go up. They could have quite easily have said no!
Other lounges
There are actually lots of other lounges at Doha Hamad Airport. Whether or not you can access them will depend on the class of ticket you have and which airline you’re flying with – Qatar Airways or a oneworld airline, for example.
Hour 6 - Shop like a local
Did you know there’s a souk at Doha airport? It’s a nice option to shop for souvenirs and crafts if you want to take a taste of Qatar back home – but you don’t plan to leave the airport.
Souk Al Matar is in the North Node and has seven shops and two restaurants (one of them is Chapati & Karak). You can get everything from sweets and snacks to clothing and fragrances.
Hour 7 - Check out the art
It was time now to explore some more of the airport, and go and see the many pieces of art on display. It’s actually a collaboration between Qatar Museums and Discover Qatar, and is a way to show off some of the country’s impressive art collection to travellers.
The pieces you can see include:
- Small Lie by American artist KAWS (in the pic above – originally displayed in the UK’s Yorkshire Scupture Park)
- Other Worlds by American sculptor Tom Otterness
- A Message of Peace to the World by Iraqi artist Ahmed al-Bahrani
- Cosmos by French artist Jean-Michel Othoniel (in the pic below)
James and I are not big art buffs, but I do rate how they’ve displayed everything here to give travellers some world-class art to see, and get a kind of gallery experience even. They also run art tours a few times a day, where a guide will give you the low down on the pieces.
You can also see the tree from the 2022 Football World Cup, if that’s your bag!
Hour 8 - Visit the world’s most expensive teddy
Wandering down from the North Node on our art tour, we finally made it back to the South Node where we found the most famous piece of art from the airport.
Yep it’s Lamp Bear, the giant bear sculpture, which is pretty iconic. It’s made of bronze and has a whopping price tag of £5 million!
Hour 9 - Shop for duty free and eat dinner
After we’d played at being art critics, it was time for dinner, so we checked out the food court in the South Node.
I got a veggie curry (£8.50), James got a biryani (£14) – they were both super tasty and the portions were large, although I will say both could have been a bit hotter.
In this part of the airport, we saw more of the traditional duty free shops selling souvenirs and food items, although there were some designer stores here as well like Harrods.
Whilst this wasn’t our plan, in this area, you’ll also find the Discover Qatar Transit Desk.
This is where Qatar Airways can sort you out with arrangements to leave the airport, if you’ve got time to play with on your layover. They offer organised tours that make a quick sightseeing trip a breeze – and they can even sort you out with a hotel stay.
Hour 10 - Head to the hotel
It was now time for us to check into our airport hotel! Now I was dead excited about this one – because the hotel is right inside the terminal!
It’s called Oryx Airport Hotel and yes it’s an actual hotel INSIDE the terminal, where you can see out into the departures area from inside your hotel room. Needless to say, this felt like my dream accommodation, and I couldn’t wait to explore!
When you stay at Oryx Airport Hotel, you tell them when your first flight arrives and when your next flight leaves. They can usually give you the room for the entire time, so it’s great – you can check in as soon as you leave the tarmac.
And did I mention it’s so convenient – when you need to board your flight you can just walk right to the gate in a matter of minutes.
Now I know what you’re gonna ask me – what’s the price tag Chelsea?
Well, it cost us £200 for the night. Now I know that’s punchy for a night’s stay, but I looked at it this way – a business class seat on a flight where you can lie flat and sleep comfortably costs £1000s of pounds.
By spending just £200, we could enjoy a big bed and the opportunity to catch up on a whole night of sleep before catching our Economy flights home the next day.
If you’re not bothered about staying right on site, then there are loads of hotel options nearby which come with an affordable price tag.
If you’re looking for alternative – i.e. cheaper – places to sleep, then you have a couple of options:
Sleep’n’fly
Doha Airport has a sleep lounge, called sleep ‘n fly. I have a Priority Pass which got me free access to this area for a couple of hours, and it was really cool. It’s a tiny pod with just a bed – when you get inside there’s kind of a big futon you sit down on, which then reclines into a bed.
You can pay £60 for 2 hours in one of these sleep pods if you don’t have a Priority Pass. For a few hours of sleep I think this would be so worth it.
Recliners
Finally, if the thought of spending any extra cash at all on a hotel room, sleep pod or anything else, isn’t to your liking, then don’t worry! The good news is that they do have a few recliner seats dotted around the airport. So you can always kick back in one of those and get a snooze in.
Hour 11 - Go for a swim
I couldn’t not have a little nap on the giant and very comfortable bed that was waiting for us in our room at Oryx Airport Hotel, but then it was time to get up and out – to the pool!
Now Oryx Airport Hotel has a pool, gym and jacuzzi – called the Vitality Centre. You don’t actually have to be staying at the hotel to use it, you can pay a fee for entry (£40). That gets you access to a decent size pool, a big gym and men’s and women’s Jacuzzis.
And when you’re done, they have driers so you can dry off your swimwear so it doesn’t stay all soggy in your luggage – win!
Hour 12 - Time for bed!
Now, it was time to dive back into that delicious hotel bed and get some sleep before our flight home in the morning.
Hour 19 - Go for breakfast
The wonderful thing about staying in a hotel in the terminal? They’ll give you a call just before your boarding time and confirm your boarding time!
However, we’d decided to get up already and have some breakfast. We found a place not far from our gate – Le Petit Belge. We had a coffee and a full English here – I could see the departures board, and James could see the planes – so it was really the perfect spot!
We ordered coffees (£5 each) and I had an omelette (£9.50). I think it could happily have fed just me and James – so if you go there for brekkie too I’d say definitely order one and share it.
Hour 20 - Head to the gate
It was time to go to the gate and board our flight back home! Now if you’ve stayed inside the airport the whole time like me and James – then you’ve already been through security. So all you need to do is stroll up to the gate!
There’s Loads To Do on a 20 Hour Layover in Doha Airport
After my and James’ 20 hour Doha Airport layover, I actually felt like we’d had an adventure at a real destination. And of course we’d had a great sleep in a proper bed too!
If it’s important to you, it’s definitely a more affordable way to get proper rest during a long travel day versus flying business class. That, and having this in between break actually really helped with our jet lag when we got home.
I would say if you’re looking at any flights that have a long layover in Doha, then don’t be put off. There’s plenty to see and do whilst you’re here.
