Shopping in Doha - Souq Waqif

Souq Waqif is prossibly one of most favourite places in Qatar so far.

Souq Waqif is situated in the heart of Doha, just past the illustrious Emir’s palace. There is ample parking, although if you get there to late you will have difficulty finding a spot. You’ll find another entrance opposite the PDF Islamic centre.
The original Souq Waqif was an old Souq, and it was decided to knock it down and replace it with a new “old looking” Souq, but with beautiful stone built buildings, narrow walkways creating a maze effect of corridors, and I have to say, they did a fairly good job of it!
There is a “flea market” feel to parts of Souq Waqif and bartering is acceptable. You can buy almost anything from here, from pots, pans & kitchen accessories, clothes, shoes, bags to sunshade canopies to wooden, pearl & traditional trinkets. Rugs, carpets even musical instruments are sold here. I don’t think I have been to the Souq for something and mot been able to find it.!!
My favourite walkway has to be the herbs and spices, the smell and colours are incredible and the choices are endless. Rock incense is used to enhance the look & scents. All you need do is follow your nose.
There is a main street running the length of the Souq full of traditional coffee shops where you can have anything from a variety of refreshments from Turkish coffee, latte, or fruit Shisha.
Purchases to heavy to carry? No problem, men with wheelbarrows wait in the walk ways ready to carry your purchases.

Not far off from the main section of the Souq is the gold souq, this is were some real bargains can be found. There are rows and rows of shops selling jewellery with gemstones of every colour, shape and size.  You can have anything you wish made for a fraction of the price in the UK. Gold here is good quality, but very yellow compared to what we are used to

Shopping In Doha

Qatar Shopping

By: Qatar Visitor

Stroll along a canal while browsing shops, or enjoy a meal over flowing water. Admire the gondolas, stare up at the blue skies and fluffy white clouds above you or admire the moon and star constellations above you. You could be forgiven for thinking you were in Venice – but actually you are in Qatar, a tiny desert peninsula country on the outskirts of Saudi Arabia. The mall is Villagio: Qatar’s newest and most stupendous shopping centre – and that’s even before it’s finished.

For such a small city (in such a small country!) there is a huge range of shopping. Doha. may not yet match Dubai in shopping terms (although Qatari ladies – expert shoppers if there ever were any – maintain Doha’s shop prices are substantially cheaper), but as ever it is determined to catch up with its neighbour.

Qatar shoppers certainly have the money to spend – Qatar now has an average annual income of over $60,000 a year. That’s substantially more than the average income of an American.

Villagio alone has over 130,000 square metres of retail space – which will include a cinema (with 3-d screens), ice-skating rink and even an roller-coaster.

But Doha offers far more than luxury shopping malls. Souq Waqif is a huge sprawling traditional Arab Souq – traditional in style at least, the actual buildings have all been rebuilt. Here you can find colourful arrays of spices, Indian clothing, falcons and much more.

If you prefer something more basic you can head out to the wholesale markets on the outskirts of towns. In addition to the superb vegetable market, a live animal market (be sure to check out the camels) and a fish market you can also find the Omani market.

Here you can buy traditional pottery, huge dried fish and even – in wet winters – desert truffles.

The only thing to remember when booking a visit to Qatar is the weather. Don’t go in the summer. Otherwise the inside of those luxurious (and air-conditioned) shopping malls is the only thing you’ll be going to see.

About the Author

This article was provided by Qatar Visitor. Qatar Visitor is a tourist and resident's website providing extensive information about jobs, travel, flights, culture and the history of Qatar, and includes images, sounds and videos.

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Shopping in Doha...Villagio

This is by far the prettiest Qatar shopping mall I have ever visited. The ceiling is domed and painted with sky & clouds. The lighting is very natural, and for all intents & purposes it feels like walking around an open-air shopping centre. The different avenues are all set to different times of the day, and dressed accordingly, including streetlamps and sky colour. The top half of the shops are decorated with painted on windows, balcony's etc, giving the whole mall an Italian feel. It even has a canal running though the centre.... yes a canal, with a gondola that you can ride from one end of the mall to the other. There are bridges to cross the canal, and comfy seating alongside where you can sit & watch the world go by.
The mall houses several well known UK stores including Wallis, M&S, boots and more. There are home ware stores and several jewellery shops. Carrefour, the leading hypermarket, have a large store here. At the top end is a very exclusive area that houses shops for those with expensive taste & money to spend... this includes the likes of Rolex, Gucci, Tiffany’s to name but a few.
There are plenty of eating options, from a quick take-away, to a full 3 course sit down meal, with restaurants available from all cultures, including, Chinese, Greek, Mexican & English. Throughout you will find coffee shops that you can sit & relax at.
The mall everything need to keep you entertained, when you are done shopping & eating you can take in a movie at the 13 screen IMAX 3D cinema, or visit funfair with the family where there are rides & stalls for children of all ages.
All in all, visiting Villagio is an extremely pleasant experience..... one I intend to enjoy again & again!!

Shopping in Doha - City Centre & Centre Point

So, after being here for a week, I have started shopping and have visited a few shopping malls, and from what I can see there are plenty more to come!

City Centre

This is probably the biggest of all the shopping malls and is based in the heart of Doha. It houses several of the high street shops we have in the UK, Monsoon, Next and Debenhams to name but a very few. There are lots of Qatari shops new to me, and are obviously aimed at the local population.
Home ware shopping is well catered for with exceptional furniture and household accessories shops, where you can buy anything from a tea-towel to a sofa or bed. Carrefour have an extremely large branch within the centre and also carry’s a lot of home ware lines as well as electicals, gardening and clothing products.
Cafés and restaurants are in abundance, with the 3rd floor having a dining area. You can have anything from local cuisine to KFC and burger king. There is a Starbucks on 2 floors along with various other coffee houses. There are plenty of toilet facilities, and prayer rooms are available on all floors. Parking can be a bit of an issue in busy times, but the centre itself never feels busy or rushed. Air conditioning ensures the centre feels comfortable at all times of year.

Centre Point

Situationed just off the C ring, junction after Toys R Us, this is a small but extremely useful centre for household items. There is a large Home Store, from which you could furnish and decorate your entire home.
There is also an electric store which carry’s everything from TV’s to portable disc drives to hair straighteners. It also has a couple of clothing / fashion shops and a large Shoe mart store.
There is a small eating area with a few menu choices, including a Costa coffee and a Baskin Robbins ice cream parlour. Toilet and prayer facilities are also available in this area.
Parking is underground, and again, can be very busy at weekends.