Yes. A buffet dinner is served on board during the evening dhow cruise, together with tea, coffee, soft drinks and bottled water.

Can dietary requirements be accommodated?

Tell us when you book and we will pass your requirements to the operator in advance. We will confirm in writing what can be arranged rather than promise anything on the day.

Is the dhow air-conditioned?

Yes. The lower deck has air-conditioned indoor seating, and the buffet is served inside the air-conditioned dining area. The upper deck is open for the views.

Are there restrooms onboard?

Yes, restrooms are available on board throughout the cruise.

Yes. The pace is gentle, the water inside the bay is calm, and the cruise is usually the highlight for younger guests. Tell us their ages when booking so we can arrange suitable seats in the vehicle.

Is hotel pickup included?

Yes. We collect you from your hotel, residence or cruise terminal in Doha and return you there at the end of the evening.

Can we customize the tour?

Yes — it is a private experience. Add stops, spend longer at the places you enjoy, skip what does not interest you, or ask us to build an entirely bespoke programme.

How long does the tour last?

Five to seven hours in total, including the evening dhow cruise and dinner. The exact length depends on the stops you choose and traffic on the day.

Doha City Tour Exclusive — Private Doha Tour with Dhow Dinner Cruise

Why choose this tour

What makes it exclusive

Private tour

Your group only, from hotel pickup to the moment you step off the dhow.

Licensed Qatar Tourism guide

Accredited guides who live in Doha and know the stories behind every façade.

Flexible schedule

The order and the pace follow you, not a printed timetable.

Luxury transportation

Modern, immaculate, fully air-conditioned vehicles matched to your group.

Hotel pickup & drop-off

Collected from your hotel, residence or cruise terminal and returned there.

Premium experience

A city day arranged with the care usually reserved for private travel.

Professional local guide

Someone who answers questions properly — history, culture, daily life.

Photo stops

Planned at the viewpoints that photograph best, at the right hour.

Evening dhow cruise

A traditional wooden dhow along the illuminated Corniche as the day ends.

Buffet dinner included

Served on board, with Arabic barbecue grilled fresh during the cruise.

Complete itinerary

The city, stop by stop

A suggested route rather than a fixed one. Your guide will adjust it to the weather, the traffic and — above all — what you find interesting.

Stop 01

National Museum of Qatar

Jean Nouvel drew the building from the desert rose crystal — 539 interlocking discs wrapped around the restored palace of Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani.

Did you know: There is barely a straight wall inside; the galleries curve for roughly 1.5 kilometres without interruption.

Why it matters: It is the shortest honest route into Qatar: desert geology, Bedouin life, pearling, oil and the modern state, in sequence.

On the day: We begin here while the light is still soft. The exterior and the lagoon are always part of the tour; an interior visit is yours to choose.

The discs from the south lawn, mirrored in the reflecting lagoon.

20 minutes outside · 60–90 minutes inside (optional)

Stop 02

Souq Waqif

Merchants have traded beside this wadi for well over a century. After a fire, the souq was rebuilt in the 2000s in mud render and exposed timber, faithful to its old proportions.

Did you know: The name means 'the standing market' — traders once stood to sell, long before permanent shops existed.

Why it matters: This is where Doha still behaves like a small Gulf town in the evening, a few hundred metres from the towers.

On the day: Spice alleys, oud and perfumers, textiles and gold, a glass of karak on a low stool, and the shaded courtyards where families gather.

Lantern-lit alleys just after sunset, and the arcades from the central courtyard.

60–75 minutes

Stop 03

Falcon Market

Falconry is older here than the state itself, and the market beside Souq Waqif remains a working one, with its own falcon hospital next door.

Did you know: A well-bred hunting falcon travels with its own passport — and often its own airline seat.

Why it matters: Nowhere else shows so plainly that tradition in Qatar is practised, not performed.

On the day: Rows of hooded birds on perches, owners inspecting talons and plumage, and your guide explaining bloodlines, training and the hunting season.

Close portraits at the perches — ask the owner first; most are glad to say yes.

20–30 minutes

Stop 04

Doha Corniche

The seven-kilometre waterfront promenade was created on reclaimed land through the 1970s and 80s and curves the entire way around the bay.

Did you know: Wooden dhows still moor here, in front of a skyline that scarcely existed in the year 2000.

Why it matters: One view that explains Qatar's rate of change better than any museum caption.

On the day: A slow drive along the bay with photo stops, the dhow harbour and the palm-lined promenade.

The towers from the Museum of Islamic Art park at golden hour, then again once the lights come on.

30 minutes

Stop 05

West Bay

Doha's financial district rose from open shoreline into a dense cluster of towers within a single generation, planned as the country's commercial centre.

Did you know: Almost every building you can see has been completed since 2000.

Why it matters: The clearest statement of modern Qatari ambition — banks, embassies, hotels and headquarters in glass and steel.

On the day: A drive through the district with your guide naming the towers and the architects behind them.

Looking straight up between the towers from street level, and the full skyline from across the water.

20–30 minutes

Stop 06

Katara Cultural Village

Opened in 2010 as Qatar's cultural quarter and deliberately built in a traditional idiom: pigeon towers, an open amphitheatre and mosaic-clad mosques.

Did you know: The amphitheatre seats 5,000 with the sea directly behind the stage; the blue mosque's tiles were made by hand in Iran.

Why it matters: The cultural counterweight to West Bay — galleries, concerts, film and food in one walkable village.

On the day: Pigeon towers, the Greek-style amphitheatre, art galleries and the beachfront promenade.

The pigeon towers in raking afternoon light; the amphitheatre arches framing the Gulf.

40–50 minutes

Stop 07

The Pearl Island

Built over former pearl-diving beds, The Pearl added around 400 hectares of reclaimed land and became Doha's first freehold address.

Did you know: Qanat Quartier was modelled on Venice, down to the painted façades and the footbridges over the canals.

Why it matters: Contemporary Qatari lifestyle at its most relaxed: marinas, terraces, boutiques and long waterfront walks.

On the day: Porto Arabia's marina, the pastel canals of Qanat Quartier and a coffee stop if the schedule allows.

The canal bridges of Qanat Quartier and the yacht rows at Porto Arabia.

30–45 minutes

Stop 08

Lusail City

Planned from nothing on empty coastline north of Doha, Lusail is now a full city of marinas, boulevards and towers, and hosted the 2022 World Cup final.

Did you know: The Katara Towers silhouette is drawn from the crossed scimitars of Qatar's national seal.

Why it matters: A rare chance to see a city being finished in real time, rather than one already settled.

On the day: The marina promenade, the Katara Towers viewpoint and the boulevard skyline at dusk.

Katara Towers from across the marina, best in the last hour of light.

30 minutes

Stop 09

Mina District

The old fishing port was reimagined as a waterfront quarter of painted warehouses, keeping the working harbour alive alongside cafés and galleries.

Did you know: The pastel façades were designed to echo the cargo containers that once filled the same quay.

Why it matters: A calm, photogenic finish to the land portion of the day, and often the guests' quiet favourite.

On the day: A stroll along the coloured frontage with the fishing boats still moored a few metres away.

The painted warehouse row, and the boats against the skyline behind.

20–30 minutes

Luxury transportation

Chosen for your group, not for the fleet

Vehicles are selected according to your preferences and group size — a couple travels differently from a family of eight. Every car is modern, immaculate and fully air-conditioned. The exact vehicle depends on your requirements and availability on the day.

Toyota Land Cruiser
Lexus LX
GMC Yukon
Mercedes V-Class
Mercedes Sprinter

The highlight

Exclusive evening dhow cruise

Traditional wooden Arabian dhow on Doha Bay in the evening

When the sightseeing ends, you step aboard a traditional Arabian dhow — the same wooden hull design that carried pearl divers out of this bay for centuries, now polished, lit and fitted for an evening at sea.

The dhow sails slowly along the Corniche while the West Bay towers light up one by one. From the open deck you get the panoramic view of the illuminated skyline that no photograph taken from land quite matches — the whole city curving around you, reflected in still water.

The atmosphere is calm and elegant rather than loud: equally right for couples, families, friends travelling together and business guests looking for one memorable evening in Doha.

Panoramic skyline views Sailing along the Corniche Calm, elegant atmosphere

On board

Buffet dinner at sea

Dinner is served as a buffet on board, in the air-conditioned dining area, while the skyline drifts past the windows. Guests eat at their own pace and return to the deck whenever they like.

Fresh salads
Arabic appetizers
Hot dishes
Fresh fruits
Desserts
Tea
Coffee
Soft drinks

Freshly grilled Arabic barbecue

The barbecue is cooked onboard during the cruise and served hot, straight from the grill. For most guests it is the part of the evening they describe first afterwards.

Buffet dinner with Arabic appetizers, salads and hot dishes

Comfort on board

Traditional outside, modern inside

The dhow keeps its traditional character but is equipped for a genuinely comfortable evening — relaxing, unhurried and suitable for all ages.

Air-conditioned lower deck

Indoor seating throughout the cruise, cool whatever the season.

Dining inside

The buffet is served in the air-conditioned dining area, comfortably seated.

Comfortable seating

Space to settle in as a family or a couple, without crowding.

Restrooms onboard

Available throughout the evening.

Open upper deck

Step outside whenever you like for the skyline and photographs.

Suitable for all ages

Calm water, gentle pace — easy with children and older guests alike.

Personalized experience

Adapted to the way you travel

Every tour is shaped around your interests and your schedule. Ask for an extra stop, stay longer somewhere you love, or have us design a completely bespoke private programme.

Add stops

Something you have read about and want to see? Tell your guide on the day.

Linger longer

Stay where you are enjoying yourself; we adjust the rest of the route around it.

Photography timing

The itinerary reordered around golden hour and blue hour.

Fully bespoke

Entirely private programmes can be designed from scratch on request.

What's included

Licensed Qatar Tourism guide
Hotel pickup
Hotel drop-off
Private transportation
Air-conditioned vehicle
Evening dhow cruise
Buffet dinner on board
Tea
Coffee
Soft drinks
Bottled water
Photo stops

Not included

Personal expenses
Museum entrance fees (where applicable)

Anything you add to the programme is confirmed in writing before the day — no surprises.

Perfect for

Who this experience suits

Families

Short drives, shaded stops and a boat evening children remember.

Couples

Sunset over the bay and dinner on deck with the skyline lit.

Honeymoon travellers

A quiet table, unhurried timing and privacy throughout.

Solo travellers

Company and context, with the freedom to set your own pace.

Business travellers

The whole city and an evening out, inside one free day.

VIP guests

Discreet service and arrangements confirmed quietly in advance.

First-time visitors

Everything that matters, in the right order, in one day.

Cruise passengers

Timed carefully around your ship's schedule.

Why Al Khalidiah Qatar

An international group, run locally

Al Khalidiah is part of an international tourism group with decades of experience across the Middle East, and our Doha office is staffed by people who live here. The same guides work with us year after year, and we answer personally for every tour we send out.

Professional service end to end
Guides licensed by Qatar Tourism
Personalized itineraries
Genuine local expertise
High service standards, consistently

Good to know

Frequently asked questions

Light, breathable clothing and comfortable walking shoes. Shoulders and knees covered is respectful in public places and required inside mosques. Bring a light layer — the vehicle and the dhow's lower deck are strongly air-conditioned, and the open deck can be breezy after dark.