Formula 1 Weekend in Doha

In 2024 I wanted to attend a Formula 1 Race weekend, and chose to go for the Doha race in November. Qatar is becoming a more popular destination, either as a stand alone trip or as a stop over enroute to further destinations, so it made sense for me to take a trip & experience it for myself. I flew on the direct flight service out of Dublin with Qatar Airways – it is between 7-8 hours each way, and extremely handy that we have this direct connection. Onboard service in economy was very pleasant.

For accommodation I was staying in the W Doha in the West Bay area for the 4 nights of my trip. This is really well located for access to restaurants, shops, the metro and Doha Sands Beach Club. We stayed in a Spectacular room here which had plenty of space and a nice bright bathroom. The breakfast served at the hotel had a great selection of options – everyone would be able to find something they liked.

Doha has so much to offer – there are many shopping options open to those who need some retail therapy. The Souks offer a more traditional shopping experience and the Souk Waqif is worth a dander through. Whilst at Souk Waqif we took a Dhow cruise around the bay which was a great way to see the 2 sides of the city of Doha from the water – the Traditional and the High Rise.

Getting around Doha and the surrounding areas could not be easier. The Metro system is so simple to use – if you prefer to not use the Metro and opt for taxis, we found these also to be very good value & apps like Uber worked really well for us.

Formula 1 – what a weekend ! The event is at the Lusail circuit – outside Doha. You can either taxi to it or take the metro the Lusail station & then catch one of the many shuttle buses from the station out to the circuit. It is a well oiled machine & runs extremely smoothly. We went for Main Grandstand seating for the weekend – this meant we had allocated seats so each time we knew exactly where we would be and didn’t have to worry about finding seats in our allocated section. The racing is electric & I can’t wait to attend my next race ! The Lusail circuit does involve a lot of walking – it is approximately 15-20 min walk from where the buses or taxis drop you off to get in to the circuit ground itself.

Doha to me felt very friendly and safe – certainly a destination I would return to. It also has lots of offer a range of customer – families, couples, groups of friends. Hotels range from functional city hotels through to the all inclusive resorts that can appeal to families. Alcoholic drinks are only available within the hotels – so restaurants outside of hotels are dry.

Travel Counsellors have teamed up with our partners in Qatar to be able to offer some fantastic packages for the area. The Formula 1 2025 Earlybird package rates are now available for sale through to Feb 2025. Please do get in touch if you think you would like to plan a trip for yourself - I would love to help you put it together !