When booking our Qatar Airways flights from Lusaka to Kathmandu, we realised we had an easy opportunity to visit another country along the way.
Our route already took us through Doha, and Qatar Airways allows you to book a longer stop in the city through its Qatar Stopover programme. We chose to spend three nights in Qatar before continuing to Nepal.
We were flying Business Class, and when we compared the options, choosing a three-night stopover didn’t change the price of our flights. We simply had to pay for our hotel and what we spent while we were in Doha.
For us, three nights was enough time to explore the city without adding too much time or expense to our journey from Zambia to Nepal.
There was just one thing we hadn’t planned perfectly: we visited in July. And Doha in July is very, very hot.
What Is the Qatar Airways Stopover Programme?
The Qatar Stopover programme allows Qatar Airways passengers travelling through Doha to spend up to four nights in Qatar before continuing to their final destination.
When searching for flights on the Qatar Airways website, you can select the Qatar Stopover option and choose whether you’d like to stop in Doha on your outbound or return journey, as well as how many days you’d like to stay.
Once you’ve booked your flights, you can choose from a selection of discounted stopover hotels.
If you’ve already booked your flights, you may still be able to book a Stopover hotel through Discover Qatar, provided your existing itinerary includes an eligible stop in Doha. If you only have a short connection, you’ll need to change your flights first if you want to spend longer in Qatar.
Hotel packages start from around US$14 per person per night, although the exact price depends on the hotel and package you choose.
You can check current prices, eligibility and available hotels directly through the Qatar Airways Stopover programme.
Our Hotel: Shaza Doha
We stayed at Shaza Doha, a five-star hotel in central Doha.
Through the stopover programme, we paid around US$60 per night including breakfast.
The hotel was very nice, with comfortable rooms, a rooftop pool and a good breakfast, and its central location worked well for a short stay when we wanted to make the most of our limited time in the city.
We’re not married and had no issues staying together at Shaza Doha. We booked one room and checked in together without being asked for any proof of marriage.
There were also considerably cheaper hotels available through the programme. We chose to spend a little more for somewhere we really liked, but a Doha stopover certainly doesn’t require paying US$60 a night for accommodation.
With entry-level stopover packages starting at around US$14 per person per night, there are options for different budgets.
How Long Can You Stop Over in Qatar?
The Qatar Airways Stopover programme allows stays of up to four nights in Doha.
We chose three nights, which worked really well for us. It gave us enough time to experience the city without the stopover taking over the rest of our journey.
If you only have one or two nights, you can still see quite a bit, particularly as many of Doha’s main sights are relatively close together.
We’ll cover everything we did during our stay in our separate 3 Days in Doha guide.
Is the Qatar Stopover Only for Business Class Passengers?
No. We happened to be flying Business Class on this trip, but the Qatar Stopover programme isn’t exclusively a Business Class benefit.
The available hotels and prices depend on the stopover package you choose rather than your cabin class, so it’s worth checking even if you’re travelling Economy.
Visiting Doha in July
Would we deliberately choose July for a holiday in Qatar? Probably not.
Temperatures in Doha during summer are extreme, and the heat definitely affected how we planned our days. Walking around outside in the middle of the day wasn’t particularly appealing, so we spent more time indoors during the hottest hours and explored outside later in the day.
But a stopover is slightly different. We were travelling through Doha anyway, and spending three nights there gave us the chance to experience Qatar without planning an entirely separate trip. Despite the heat, we’re still glad we did it.
If you have more flexibility with your travel dates, the cooler months would make exploring Doha much easier. But if your Qatar Airways journey happens to fall during summer, we wouldn’t automatically rule out a stopover. You just need to plan around the temperatures.
How Much Does a Qatar Airways Stopover Cost?
How much you spend will depend on the hotel you choose and what you do while you’re in Doha.
When we booked our flights from Lusaka to Kathmandu, we chose a three-night stopover in Doha through the Qatar Airways Stopover option. The flight price was the same as it would have been with a regular connection, so we didn’t pay anything extra in airfare to spend three nights in Qatar.
Our hotel cost around US$60 per night including breakfast, and we then just needed to budget for food, transport and anything we wanted to do while we were there.
With cheaper hotels available through the stopover programme, a few nights in Doha don’t necessarily have to add a huge amount to the cost of your trip.
Is a Qatar Airways Stopover Worth It?
For us, yes. We were travelling through Doha anyway, the three-night stopover didn’t increase our airfare, and we were able to book a five-star hotel for around US$60 a night including breakfast. Instead of spending a few hours changing planes at Hamad International Airport, we got three nights to experience a country we’d never visited before.
If you’re flying Qatar Airways through Doha and have a few spare days, it’s worth comparing the stopover option with a regular connection when booking your flights.
Even a night or two can turn the journey into an extra destination rather than simply another airport connection.
Planning a Doha stopover? Read our 3 Days in Doha guide for what we did, where we ate and our tips for exploring the city.