If you haven’t heard about the Qatar stopover program yet, I’m about to change your life! I stumbled upon this cool opportunity to break up the journey from Bucharest to Cape Town at virtually no extra cost. It meant we got to extend our layover, explore the city, and sleep in a 5-star hotel for next to nothing.
This post is not sponsored. I didn’t get a free flight or hotel, and I didn’t make any money. I just wanted to share my experience because it was cool and I think you should do it too! That said, this article may contain some affiliate links, which generate a small commission for me at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting my writing.
What the heck is the Qatar stopover program?
The Qatar stopover program makes some flights eligible for an extended 1-4 day layover in Doha. This gives you the opportunity to break up a long journey, explore a new city, and add a new pin to the ol’ map. The best part? You can book a 4 or 5-star hotel room for as little as $14/night per person.
This was our room at the Al Najada. We got a complimentary upgrade from “superior” to “deluxe” when we arrived. A deluxe room is usually $157/night.
This seemed too good to be true, as middle eastern destinations like Qatar and Dubai are notoriously expensive. But it’s real!
The government has subsidized this cost for travellers on the stopover program as a way to encourage tourism. Accom is usually one of the biggest expenses on any trip, so their plan totally worked… I was hooked instantly!
Qatar stopover program highlights
- Staying at a 4 or 5 star hotel for what I'd consider free
- Breaking up a long-haul flight with an extended stopover
- The opportunity to visit Qatar on a budget
- Access to epic activities like exploring the desert
- Free 96-hour transit visa on arrival
Examples of Qatar stopover routes & prices
Here are just a few examples of the different Qatar stopover packages you can book. All examples show the total flight & hotel package price for 2 people, and all prices are in USD:
Budget
Barcelona to Delhi with 2 nights in a 4-star hotel (Standard Package)
One way: $1,200 ($600 per person)
Return: $1,775
This is just the cheapest one I could find when searching some random example routes. You may find something better! It doesn’t seem like they offer the program for short flights that you could just do direct, like Bahrain to Dubai.
Mid range (what we did for our Qatar stopover)
Bucharest to Cape Town with 3 nights in a 5-star hotel (Premium Package)
One way: $1570 ($785 per person)
One way price without the stopover program, for comparison: $1410
Return: $2,620
Premium hotel price: + $24 more than the Standard package (for 3 nights)
Luxury
London to Zanzibar business class flights with 4 nights in a 5-star hotel (Luxury Package)
One way: $8,475 ($4,237 per person)
Return: $14,815
Luxury hotel price: + $187 more than the Standard package (for 4 nights)
Obviously, this is way more expensive because you’re really bougie and want business class seats. But if there’s ever a good reason to splurge on business, this is it because Qatar Airways consistently ranks among the top airlines in the world.
There’s also the option to upgrade your hotel to a wellness retreat, which is insanely expensive, but if you’re a millionaire, do you.
Here’s an example of what we did: Bucharest to Cape Town with a 3-day stopover. The upgrade to the premium package was just $24 more total than the standard.
So just over $750 each to fly to Cape Town and stay in a 5-star hotel in Qatar for 3 nights.
In my opinion, it’s not worth booking a 1-night stopover in any situation because you won’t have time to do anything except check in to your hotel. Definitely book at least 2 nights! But the max is 4.
It’s also totally worth booking the premium instead of standard because it’s a negligible amount for a way better hotel.
If the route you want doesn’t seem to have a stopover package option, you can also contact Discover Qatar directly. They still offer super discounted hotels for up to 4 nights, but you’ll just have to book it separately.
The National Museum of Qatar, which was designed to look like a desert rose.
How to book the Qatar stopover program
This is how I booked our amazing 3-day Qatar stopover, and how you can too:
1. Visit the Qatar Airways homepage
Go to qatarairways.com, and make sure you click the “Qatar Stopover” tab. It’s at the top of the main booking section where you’d input your destination, dates, etc.
2. Search for your desired route
Put in all your trip details and how many nights you want to stay in Qatar, then hit search like you would for any other flight!
The downside is that you don’t get to see the range of prices like you would when searching on Skyscanner or Google Flights, but you can play around with the dates a little bit to find something that works for you.
3. Select your Qatar stopover package tier and flight times
You can then select from a standard, premium, or luxury stopover, which determines the type of hotel you can book. There’s absolutely no reason to book the standard, because it’s usually just 20ish bucks more to go premium.
There’s also an option to browse different flight times that might suit you better than the ones the site suggests. Look for the “Change Flight” tab in the area where you can choose from the standard/premium/luxury packages.
It will show you the list of options. We used this to change our flight from the suggested 2:00 am to an 8:30 am departure instead… at no extra cost!
Go out on a traditional dhow boat at sunset or at night to see the city skyline.
4. Choose your hotel
On the next page, it’ll default to one hotel in the category you chose. But you can browse all your options and change it if you want. I made this handy map of every available hotel in each category so you can decide where you want to stay.
I highly recommend staying in the Souq Waqif area. We stayed at the Al Najada Hotel, which was right outside the metro station and directly across the street from the markets. Other options included the Pullman, Marriott, Crowne Plaza, Intercontinental, Voco, and Shaza.
5. Consider adding other activities for your Qatar stopover
Qatar is mostly desert and sits kinda right in the middle of the Persian Gulf.
Because the country is so geographically small, it’s completely possible to spend a day swimming with whale sharks (currently not operating) or riding a camel or dune buggy through the desert.
We didn’t add either of these activities to our itinerary because they were quite expensive, but I ever go back I’ll make sure to include them.
Read more: My Complete 3 or 4-Day Itinerary for Qatar
Activities to add to your Qatar stopover
Luggage storage for your Qatar stopover
If you don’t want to carry all your bags to the city for a short stopover, you can store them.
As of right now (January 2024) the only option in the airport is the Tawfeeq Travel Hub, which you can find next to the metro station. Important: They’re not open 24/7, so make sure you consider your arrival and departure times before choosing this option.
Alternatively, you can use a service in the city, like Bounce Luggage. But honestly, if you’re going to tote your bags all the way to the city, you may as well just bring them to the hotel.
The metro system in Doha is amazing, and you can grab an Uber or taxi for a reasonable price so it’s easy to bring your luggage along during your stopover. If you’re worried about alcohol in your bag, I’ve written this article about how you can leave it at the airport for pick up.
Our experience with the Qatar stopover program
So we booked a 3-day premium stopover in August 2023. Do I recommend going to Qatar at the hottest time of the year? No, not unless you enjoy being outside in a humid 45 degrees. So that part was a bit of a mistake.
But everything else about Qatar was amazing! I’d never really prioritized the Middle East as a destination, but I’m so happy I went.
We were a little worried about what everything else would cost once we got there, but I promise it’s totally possible to do Qatar on a budget! Our average sit-down meal for 2 in the Souq area cost $15 for the two of us.
But it’s also totally possible to go for a Michelin star fine dining meal and blow a thousand bucks, too. Qatar really has it all.
The National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ) is hands down the best museum I’ve ever been to. Doha is safe. The architecture in the city is incredible. Middle Eastern food is delicious. What more do you need to hear?!
Read more: How I spent less than $60 per day in Qatar.
And, of course, there was our hotel. It still blows my mind we got to stay here for next to nothing. There was a guy in the lobby always ready to serve up a little cup of Arabic coffee with a delicious date. The pool was an incredible place to cool off in the middle of the day. It was less than a minute’s walk to get to the heart of the Souq. Everything was perfect.
This was particularly luxurious after staying at a coliving house in Bucharest for a month. We were like, robes? A pool? Our own bathroom?! This is the life.
Read more: What Coliving in Bucharest is Like.
Visa requirements & more essential info
- No visas required for 100 nationalities! You’ll automatically get a 96-hour transit visa on arrival. For people from countries not on that list, you can get a visa online in advance. All things considered, pretty easy! More details here.
- The non-married loophole. So I foolishly didn’t think about this before booking, but Chesney and I aren’t married. And sharing a hotel room in Muslim countries is often illegal… like it is in Qatar. So that was a bit hectic. I was worried we were going to have to pay for an additional room, but when I contacted the hotel, they said it was fine because we’re technically on a transit visa. Somehow, that meant we didn’t have to abide by that specific Qatari law. I don’t get it, but I didn’t want to ask any further questions, so we just took it as a win.
- Bringing alcohol into Qatar. It’s illegal to bring any alcohol into the country, even if you’re on a transit visa. We had some bottles we wanted to bring to Cape Town as gifts, so we found a (completely legal) way around the rule.
- Staying connected with an eSIM. For an extended layover like this, downloading an eSIM can be super useful so you have access to data. I used an Airalo eSIM and it worked great for 3 days in Qatar.
- Dressing appropriately. It’s hard for me to get my head around a dress code as a feminist. But obviously, when you choose to visit another country, you need to respect their culture. Covering your knees, shoulders, stomach, and cleavage is important in Qatar. It’s not illegal like it is in some other Middle Eastern countries like Saudi Arabia, but it’s not the norm. Make sure you bring some long, loose fitting dresses, light pants, and breathable tops so you can be comfortable. Here’s what I wore in Qatar:
Fabulous! Great tips. I’m going to try to book a Qatar stopover the next time I’m travelling through that part of the planet.
how do we collect luggage and recheck in for the stopover
You’ll go through customs and leave the airport just like normal, and will need to check in again as if you’re catching a new international flight when you return to the airport. If you don’t want to bring your big luggage with you for the short stopover, there is also luggage storage at the airport near the metro station (Tawfeeq Travel Hub).
Thanks for asking! I’ll add this to the post for other travellers 🙂
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Hi there! I was going to book Qatar stopover, but run into the nuance that is not 4 nights but 4 days – I contacted them by email and they confirmed that to me. So with our eternary that is provided be stopover booking – I’ve chosen maximum of 4 days -, we arrive on the 1st at 16 pm at Qatar, and fly on the 5th at 8 am. But we have to check out on the 4th from the hotel. That doesn’t make sense to me that we have to look ourselves for a hotel for the last night, but on email Qatar airways representative explained for me that this is how this program works :/
How it was for you?
Hey Oleksii!
You’re within the 96-hour visa they give you (if my math is correct haha), so that *is* annoying. But I guess if they only offer the option to book a max of 3 nights in the discounted hotel, there isn’t much you can do. I only stayed for 2 nights/3 days so I don’t have personal experience with this.
But I see two good options:
1. Contact the hotel you’re staying with directly and ask if they will give you a good rate on a 4th night. They may be more flexible than the Discover Qatar/Qatar Airways team.
2. If you’re traveling light (or if your hotel will hold your bags), you could check out of your hotel on the 4th and spend the day exploring, then head to the airport at night and kill time there until your morning flight. It’s open 24/7 and they even have those little sleep pods I’ve always wanted to try!
Did you book stopover together with the tickets or you first bought tickets and then added a stopover?
I booked it all together with the tickets, so it was pretty smooth.
Hi! May i know if you were able to select ur seats during booking? Or only after payment?
Thank You!! Great information and advise.