Your Wedding Guests: Things To Do and See in Qatar

The Pearl

The Pearl Qatar is one unique destination that offers visitors an integrated leisure experience. This fascinating man-made island provides luxury services, shopping, entertainment, and scenic backdrops. Discover a charming Island, where luxury, recreation, and a thriving community coexist.

Known for its hotels, variety of charming cafes and restaurants, iconic marina, and luxury boutiques, it is a popular residential area, with a lavish community lifestyle. 

The Pearl Island is home to elegant fashion, jewelry, and lifestyle boutiques in addition to selected specialty stores that offer a unique shopping experience with an unmatched combination of indoor and outdoor venues in an upscale, yet relaxed atmosphere.

It is a lively dining destination characterized by spectacular views and an eclectic mix of cafés and restaurants that are carefully selected to suit every taste. From waterfront fine dining and family casual restaurants to quick bites and innovative café concepts, The Pearl Island treats food lovers to a comprehensive and delectable experience.

The Pearl Island is a beacon for recreational and leisure activities. With its variety of exceptional indoor and outdoor locations, it certainly has everything that a great family day-out could include.

The Corniche

From the pyramid-shaped Sheraton Hotel at the northern end to the Museum of Islamic Art at the south, those two destinations are interesting enough, but it’s what can be discovered in between this palm-fringed boulevard that makes it a magnet for Qataris, expatriates, and tourists.

Overflowing with restaurants, clubs, parks, and cultural attractions, it’s no surprise that you and your wedding guests will discover laughter and happiness all along the promenade.  

The dining experiences along the Corniche are simply too numerous to list here but rest assured, you will find delicacies to please every palate.

Watching the dhows lighting up the Corniche in the evenings while walking around the bay or simply taking a boat ride to soak in the vista of this city is a worthwhile experience. 

Souq Waqif

Looking for a beautiful place for your guests to shop, dine, explore, or simply sit at one of the many attractive outdoor cafes to watch the world pass by, look nowhere but Souq Waqif in Doha.

Built on the site of Doha’s century-old trading market, on the banks of the Wadi Musheireb, Souq Waqif feels like an anachronism, particularly against the backdrop of Doha’s dramatic modernist skyline.  

With its mud-daubed buildings, the market harkens to a bygone era while remaining a hub of activity, where commerce and gossip collide.  Souq Waqif’s winding alleys offer a tableau of traditional street life.  

Here are some things you can do at Souq Waqif:

• Visit the gold souq: Gold jewelry remains widely popular throughout the Middle East, and wandering through the gold section of the souq one can get a sense of its continued importance in local traditions.  From intricate headpieces and multi-tiered necklaces to more everyday items, the Gold Souq has you covered, no matter your budget.
• Hold a falcon: Falconry is a traditional sport in Qatar, and Souq Waqif is home to a Falcon Souq where you can see the majestic birds up close and, under the shopkeeper’s watchful eye, pose with a falcon perched on your arm.  
• See camels and horses:  Head to the camel pen near the Falcon Souq to see these doe-eyed creatures, or wander to the Emiri Stables where beautiful Arabian horses hold sway in between taking the heritage police on their daily rounds of the souq. 
• Shop till you drop: The shops that line the alleyways of the souq beckon with all manner of goods both practical and fantastical.  From shoes to antiques to handicrafts, the souq rewards treasure hunters, with artifacts from around the region.  Fishing and pearl-diving equipment vie for attention with woven fabrics, rugs, wooden furniture, and glass ornaments that are made in adjacent workshops.  Aspiring musicians can delight in local varieties of drums, flutes, and string instruments, including the melancholic oud.
• Enjoy the art: Decorated with beautiful woodwork, hand-painted tiles, and colorful lanterns, the Souq Waqif Art Centre showcases the works of local and visiting artists, all available for sale. Workshops surround the exhibition space, and it is possible to take an art class or watch artists at work.
• Buy local beauty products: From Oud and musk to custom-made perfume, kohl, argan oil, and henna design stencils, many of the region’s traditional fragrances and cosmetics can be found at the Souq. For a temporary souvenir, get a fresh henna tattoo applied by an onsite artist.

Museum of Islamic Art

When architect Ieoh Ming Pei designed the Museum of Islamic Art, he suggested it be built on a standalone island so that no new buildings would obstruct it. Situated just off the Corniche, the museum looks like it's floating on water from some of its angles. 

The Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) houses one of the most comprehensive collections of Islamic art in the world, with masterpieces from every corner of the globe representing the diversity found in Islamic heritage.

Your art savvy guests will surely appreciate the wealth of Islamic heritage found at the museum.

Katara Cultural Village

Located at the point where the Middle East meets Asia, the compact peninsular state of Qatar has long been a melting pot of cultures. 

With a staggering array of cultural venues, including museums, galleries, and public art, Qatar offers a potent mix of tradition and modernism. 

Spelled in an ancient manner, Katara is a self-styled cultural village nestled between the gleaming financial district of West Bay and the half-moon towers of The Pearl residential neighborhood. 

Bordered by a vast beach on one side, and the twin Katara Hills on the other, Katara is Doha’s go-to destination for art, culture, and cuisine.  In no particular order, these are the top things to do here:   

• Visit the Katara Mosque: Designed by Turkey’s Zeynep Fadilloglu, who is believed to be the first female architect to specialize in mosques, the mosque features Persian and Turkish tile and enamel work in shades of blue and gold, proffering a stark contrast to the surrounding buildings. 
• Visit the Gold Mosque: The second mosque in Katara, this is smaller, but no less eye-catching.  Facing the amphitheater is covered with gold tiling, which glints in the sun. 
• Discover the Amphitheatre: Spread over 3,275 sqm, this classical Greek-style amphitheater reflects Islamic influences, particularly in its arched entrances. Accommodating up to 5000 spectators, it affords stellar views of the sea on one side and the cultural village on the other. 
• Explore 21 High Street: A giant gift box marks the start of this ultra-luxe high street, or follow the trail of high-end cars dropping shoppers off at Galeries Lafayette – the iconic French department store. 
• Check out the art galleries: With numerous art galleries, workshops, exhibition areas, and performance arenas, Katara is an artist’s haven. Tucked in between the alleyways of Katara, the Qatar Museum Gallery showcases local and international artists, whose works depict human-centered themes.

Place Vendôme

Make sure that your wedding guests visit this architectural masterpiece where fun-filled entertainment for the whole family is combined with a luxury shopping experience. Place Vendôme Qatar is located in Lusail Entertainment City. The mall is easily accessible through public transport.

Place Vendôme is an extravagant 1,150,000 square meter mall inspired by classic French architecture. The four-floored, open-concept mall houses 580 high-end and mid-range stores, including every global fashion brand. Within the nooks and curves of the grand mall, your guests will find plenty of culinary experiences within cafes, restaurants, and food courts.

Running through the interior and exterior of the mall is a water canal that features an iconic dancing water fountain show that should not be missed! Accompanied by a 3D laser show that takes place every night, your guests' experience at Place Vendôme will surely be memorable.

Attend Sporting Events

Check out the sporting calendar during your wedding period and consult with your friends and guests to book their tickets ahead of time. There are always some important games going on. 

The ATP World Tour, which stops in the capital every winter, attracts tennis giants. The Qatar Moto Grand Prix, World Superbikes, and Qatar Masters Golf Tournament are also annual events. So too are Qatar's traditional sports, Arabian horse racing, camel racing, and falconry.

The new stadiums built to house the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ are worth a visit.

Day at The Beach

This beautiful city is entirely surrounded by the warm turquoise waters of the Gulf, and also offers plenty of beaches to enjoy a fun-filled refreshing day. 

Here are some of the most popular and beautiful beaches to enjoy in Qatar:

• Katara Beach: The spacious public beach at Katara invites visitors to stroll, sit, or engage in their choice of activities. Beach equipment rentals and services offering speed boat rides, knee boarding, parasailing, and water skiing are readily available and eminently affordable. 
• Fuwairit Beach: A pristine natural treasure close to Al Maroona, Fuwairit Beach is stunning; powdery white sand and crystal clear blue waters make this beach an ideal escape for all. 
• Banana Island: Banana Island Resort Doha by Anantara offers guests a taste of traditional Qatari hospitality and a unique island resort experience with the first and only overwater villas in Qatar. 

Qatar is a watersports haven, some of the best water sports experiences in Qatar, for the more adventurous friends, include kitesurfing, parasailing, wakeboarding, and windsurfing, in addition, of course to jet skiing, scuba diving, fishing, and sailing.