Best Beaches for Facilities
Some of Qatar’s public beaches are completely wild and untouched by development. Those beaches rarely have any facilities, guests must bring everything they need for the day. Some beaches, especially those closer to towns and cities, have a multitude of facilities.
If you prefer a few modern conveniences on your trip to the beach, here’s a short description of the best beaches in Qatar for facilities:
Al Khor
The Al Khor coastal area has several beaches. Within a few kilometres of the city’s centre, you can find Al Qarma Beach Garden, Al Farkeeh beach, Al Farkiah Coastal beach and Al Farkiah Beach.
Al Qarma Beach Garden is a well-tended beach garden for women and children under ten only. It is well-equipped with kids play areas, picnic tables and benches, grassy areas with trees for shade, washrooms facilities and lighting.
Al Farkeeh beach, Al Farkiah Coastal beach and Al Farkiah Beach are all family beaches, less well-tended but with a variety of basic amenities.
However, one of the most popular family-friendly beaches is Al Khor beach, located within the city limits. This beach, with its white sand and blue seas, is scenic, clean, well-maintained and well-equipped. The water is shallow for about 50 meters out beyond which swimming is possible - the swimming area is protected by a sea wall.
The best time to visit the beach is considered to be in the late afternoon and evenings.
Around 50 kilometres north of Doha, and reached via the Al Khor Coastal Road, the journey to the beach takes about 55 minutes. It is easy to access by car, and there are plenty of amenities that you can enjoy
Amenities
Al Khor family beach incorporates plenty of amenities including sun shades, benches, showers, toilets and changing rooms, barbeque grills, a picnic area, a beach restaurant, children’s play area and a small mosque.
Round and About
Adjacent to the beach is Al Khor’s Corniche. Visitors to the Corniche can expect a winding promenade with white sand and sea on one side, grassy areas with picnic tables, benches and a host of shaded seating on the other. All along the Corniche visitors can find a variety of restaurants and cafes, play areas and washrooms.
The centre of Al Khor is close by with an array of modern facilities – shops, eateries and petrol stations.
Al Khor Park is a short car journey away from the beach. This spacious park offers plenty to do with a skate park, kids playground, mini zoo, an aviary, mini-golf, a museum and a mini train.
A little further afield you could visit Al Thakira beach, Zakhera Beach and Purple Island with its mangroves.
The FIFA 2022 World Cup Al Bayt stadium is also located in the town.
Useful Information
- The beach is available 24 hours a day.
- There is ample parking available.
- Boat tours are available from the beach.
- You can hire kayaks to explore the mangroves.
- You can do a spot of fishing at the boat jetty.
Getting There From Doha
- Head out of Doha on the Al Khor Coastal Road;
- Follow Al Khor Coastal Road to Al Khor;
- Take the Al Khawr Town Road into the city;
- Head north to the beach.
Al Ruwais
The beach (also known as Abu Dhalouf Beach) is part of Abu Dhalouf Park. Recently renovated, it is a well kept and well-equipped family beach with a paved promenade and grassy park area that is ideal for BBQs and picnics. The water is clear and shallow – ideal for paddling and chasing crabs and shrimps.
Outside of the park area, the beaches at Al Ruwais are a mixture of sand and rock formations that meet the sea. Golden stretches of sand give way to rocky land that juts out into the water. Sightings of Dugongs (marine mammals similar to manatees) have been reported around the rocks.
The park beach is located at the north-most tip of the Qatar peninsula about 110 kilometres from Doha. The journey takes about 80 minutes, and the park is accessed via the Al Shamal Road. It is a far-flung destination, but the route is all tarmacked roads, so the journey is an easy one.
Amenities
The park beach has an array of amenities, including toilets, showers, playgrounds, grassy areas, benches and shaded areas, car parking and solar powered lighting.
If you feel like getting out on the water, you can ask one of the locals to take you for a boat trip – make sure to negotiate the price.
Round and About
Al Ruwais and Abu Dhalouf towns have all the normal facilities – shops, eateries and petrol stations.
The towns provide a good base for exploring the Al Shamal municipality. Within the town of Al Ruwais there is a large, peaceful green park - Al Shamal City Park. There are a number of historic ruins – the old police station, Al Ruwais mosque and the ruins of Al Ruwayda.
Further afield, approximately 25 km, there is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Al Zubarah was once a thriving settlement associated with the pearling industry. The archaeological remains of this ancient town and the abandoned Al Zubarah Fort from the 1930s are all that remain. There is a visitors centre for the settlement, and the fort is now a museum open to the public. Admission is free. Zubara Beach is just to the West of the fort.
Useful Information
- The beach is available 24 hours a day, there is no entry fee.
- There is ample parking at the beach.
- The park is only accessible to families and the showers are for children’s use only.
Getting There From Doha
- Head west out of Doha on the Al Rayyan Road;
- Head north on the Doha Expressway and join the Al Shamal Road;
- Stay on this road for approximately 90 km to Al Ruwais;
- The beach is reached via the Madinat Al Shamal – Al Gharya Road and the Abo Dhalouf Road.
Al Wakrah
Al Wakrah Souq Beach is a new souq built in traditional style with a maze of alleyways and courtyards. Tucked away in the courtyards are a host of shops selling anything from clothes to cookware, spices to perfume.
If you wander east through the souq, you will find yourself on a seafront promenade full of cafes and restaurants, a white sandy beach dotted with restored wooden boats, and a perfect view of the ocean.
Walk left along the beachfront and the sand opens out into a large park for children.
Most of the beach gently slopes into the clear blue water, though a small square of the promenade juts out into the sea, surrounded by rocks. This is a great place for spotting crabs, fish and the occasional heron.
Opened in 2017, families flock to the beach, which is clean and well maintained, good for swimming, and surrounded by amenities.
The souq beach is about 16 kilometres south of Doha and takes about 24 minutes by car on the Al Wakrah Road.
Amenities
Al Wakrah Souq offers plenty of shops, cafes and restaurants, changing rooms, toilets, a number of masjids, ATMs, and a children’s play area. There is plenty of seating around the souq and the promenade, and a small amount of covered seating on the beach.
Lifeguards are available along the main family beach area.
During the summer, all along the promenade, a host of temporary kids activities pop up - inflatables, trampolines, bikes, go-karts, camel and horse rides, and more are available for a fee.
The souq also hosts a number of vibrant festivals and events throughout the year.
Round and About
The beach is right in front of the souq with its shops, restaurants and cafes, and the promenade stretches for 3 km providing a great way to walk to the local port and fishing points.
Al Wakrah town has a myriad of shops and a mall to explore.
Al Wakrah Family Beach is a short car ride away.
Useful Information
- The beach is available 24 hours a day with no entry fees, and is manned from 10am to 6pm.
- Park in the souq car parks for the souq beach.
Getting There From Doha
Al Wakrah Souq Beach by car:
- From Doha, head out of the city on Al Matar Street;
- Follow the road onto Al Wakra Road and Al Wakra Main Street in Al Wakrah;
- Drive past the souq on the left to the next roundabout;
- Drive round the roundabout and head back up Al Wakra Main Street to the soup now on your right.
- Turn into the souq and park.
Al Wakrah Souq Beach by Metro:
- Take the Metro, the red line to Al Wakrah station;
- Take the metro Shuttle Bus to the souq and follow the signs to the beach.
Katara
Katara Beach is located at Katara Cultural Village, in Doha - a place for cultural activities with purpose-built theatres, performance areas, art studios, galleries and concert halls. The cultural village backs on to a wide promenade overlooking the 1.5 km beach and the Arabian Gulf.
The beach is narrow, clean, safe and sandy. The clear blue water is good for paddling or swimming. There is a great play area for children on the beach and, during the winter, there are additional inflatable beach games, an inflatable water park and several rides to keep little ones entertained. There are also a multitude of water sports and adrenaline activities that you can try. With so much to do, it is one of the most popular beaches in Doha.
Katara beach is located near West Bay Lagoon and The Pearl. It is easily accessed by road (cars, buses and taxis) or on the Metro. It is about a 15-minute drive from the Corniche.
Amenities
There are beach recliners and umbrellas on Katara beach, but you can also bring your own. There are restrooms throughout the cultural village and plenty of restaurants and cafés for refreshments. There are also two masjids for prayer.
If you fancy something active, for a fee, you can water-ski, windsurf, wakeboard, kneeboard, parasail; take a ride on a speedboat, a sailboat, a catamaran or a gondola; have a banana/doughnut ride; or hire a Hobie Cat, a kayak or a canoe. There are even jet skis, sea-breachers and Jetlev-flyers for hire.
Lessons are also available for some of the water sports.
Round and About
As Katara is a stone's throw away from Doha city centre, The Pearl and Lusail, there are a multitude of attractions on offer.
However, Katara Cultural Village has shops, eateries, an amphitheatre, an opera house, an indoor theatre, cultural architecture, activities, workshops and exhibitions to keep most busy for the day.
Useful Information
- The beach is available from 10 am to 9:30 pm, though swimming stops at sunset.
- There are no entry fees. A QR50 day pass is needed for all those above 6 years old to use inflatable games. Children under 6 can use them free of cost.
- Tickets for water sports are available till 30 minutes before sunset.
- There is a strict dress code - no bikinis or speedos.
- Park at the Village car parks. There are free shuttle buggies to the beach.
- Contacts:
- +974 4408 0000
- [email protected]
- www.katara.net
Getting There From Doha
By Road (from the Corniche):
- Take Al Markhiya Street;
- Turn right on to Al Istiqlal Street and join the Lusail Expressway;
- Turn off the Expressway at Katara Cultural Village;
- Follow the road to the car parking, then walk through the village to the beach.
By Metro:
Take the red line and get off at the Cultural Village station.
KEEP QATAR’S BEACHES CLEAN - TAKE YOUR RUBBISH AWAY WITH YOU!
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