Getting Around Qatar

The short version

The country is small. Almost everything a visitor wants is within a couple of hours of the capital, and the far north west, where Al Zubarah is, is about two hours. Inside the capital the metro does most of the work; outside it you need a car and a driver, or an operator.

The metro

Modern, air conditioned, inexpensive and genuinely step-free, with lifts at stations and level boarding. It connects the airport, the main districts and the stadiums, and it is the easiest way to move around in the heat because you are indoors for most of the journey. For a visitor staying in the capital it removes the need for a car almost entirely.

Taxis and ride-hailing

Both are plentiful and cheap by the standards most visitors are used to. Ride-hailing apps work normally and take card, which removes the fare conversation altogether. Traffic is heavy at predictable times and the FCDO's own advice on the roads is worth taking in the spirit it is offered: be patient and show tolerance, particularly around dusk when everyone is trying to get home.

Driving yourself

Possible and mostly straightforward on the main roads, and not what we would arrange for a group. Driving standards are assertive and the road layout changes as construction proceeds. Where we do use vehicles we use a known driver, which also solves parking.

The desert is a different question

You do not take a hire car to Khor Al Adaid. Soft sand requires a four wheel drive, deflated tyres and somebody who knows the route, and getting that wrong is how people end up waiting a long time in the heat. Go with an operator. See Khor Al Adaid.

Verify Before You Travel

Road safety advice is on the FCDO safety and security page. Next: accessibility and best time to visit.

Sources

• UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office: Qatar travel advice: the FCDO issues no advisory against travel to any part of Qatar. Accessed 15 September 2026.
• UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office: Qatar safety and security: the alcohol licensing rules, the drugs position, photography consent and the law on relationships outside marriage. Accessed 15 September 2026.