Hamad International Airport

I arrived at Doha's Hamad International Airport from Incheon, South Korea, and entered the departure area to transfer to my flight to Munich.
There are duty-free shops and other facilities nearby.

Harrods Teddy Bear

There was a Harrods tea room in the duty-free area. Inside stood a giant teddy bear, about two meters tall.

Lamp Bear

This is the famous “Lamp Bear” at Hamad Airport—a massive teddy bear with its head stuck in a lamp shade. It is located in the Grand Foyer of the duty-free area.

Lamp Bear and Passengers

There were many travelers gathered around the Lamp Bear.
It really shows that air travel demand is returning now that the COVID-19 pandemic has settled down.

City Tour Reservation

Since I had about a 22-hour layover, I signed up for a sightseeing tour of Doha. The tour started at 4:00 p.m. and lasted about 4 hours. It cost around 3,000 yen. This is the counter where I booked the tour.

To the Qatar Airways Lounge

Since it was still about nine hours until the 4:00 p.m. tour (it was just before 7:00 a.m. at this point), I decided to relax in the lounge.

I headed to the Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Lounge located at the top of this escalator.

Lounge Entrance

This is the entrance to Qatar Airways’ Business Class lounge.

Departure Information Board

This is the departure information board inside the lounge. It shows the current time as 6:44 a.m.

Manage Your Own Time

This electronic sign inside the lounge reminds passengers that there are no boarding announcements. "Please check your flight time and proceed to the gate at least 20 minutes before departure."

Entrance Sculpture

This striking sculpture near the lounge entrance is made of stacked silver metallic blocks.

Reflecting Pool

A vast water feature located near the entrance of the lounge.

Beverages

Here are the drinks I had:

Bar Counter and Seating Area

A view inside the Business Class lounge. It's a stylish space. You can see the bar counter in the back right corner.

Separate Dining on 1st and 2nd Floors

The lounge has two levels. Each floor has its own dining area. The first floor serves light fare such as salads, appetizers, and sandwiches, while the second floor offers warm main dishes.

Salads and Yogurt Corner

This corner on the first floor features salads, yogurt, desserts, and appetizers.

1st Floor Bread Corner

This is the bread corner on the first floor of the lounge.

1st Floor Sweets Corner

This is the sweets corner.

Butter and Lemon

Butter and lemon wedges for squeezing over dishes were placed in the bread corner.

Champagne

I enjoyed Laurent-Perrier champagne in the first-floor dining area of the lounge.

Soup

I had two kinds of soup in the first-floor lounge.

Meals Enjoyed

Additional dishes I had on the first floor of the lounge.

View from the Seating Area

After the meal, I relaxed in the seating area.
This is the view outside the lounge from that area.

Seating Area Chairs

This is inside the seating area.
Two blue single chairs are placed side by side, with a platform between them to place luggage. A unique design.

View of the Apron

This is the view of the apron from the lounge’s seating area.

2nd Floor Dining Area

The lounge is structured across two floors. I moved from the 1st to the 2nd floor.
This is the dining area on the 2nd floor.

Various Salads

You can enjoy a variety of small-bowl dishes on the second floor.

Middle Eastern Sandwiches, etc.

Behind the Middle Eastern hummus, there are sandwiches made with flat Middle Eastern bread.

Parsley Salad

This is "Tabbouleh," a Middle Eastern parsley salad.
A very healthy dish.

Sweets

About ten kinds of cakes and desserts are lined up. It's impressive.
The one in front is tiramisu with a chocolate bar on top.

Middle Eastern Sweets

This is the Middle Eastern traditional sweets corner.

Bread Corner

This is the bread corner. Around 15 varieties of hard and soft breads are displayed.

Hot Dishes

This is the hot food corner.
There are also curry-style dishes available.

Salad Vegetable Corner

This is the salad corner.
Leafy vegetables like lettuce are heaped in a large basket and placed at an elevated height.
Smaller vegetables like cherry tomatoes are beautifully presented atop leafy greens in the bowl.

Champagne

I had some champagne.

Sushi

This is the sushi corner. You can order as much as you like from the menu.

I paired it with Middle Eastern parsley salad. It went surprisingly well.

1st Floor Lounge Seen from 2nd Floor

This is the view of the first floor lounge area as seen from the second floor dining area. It's an expansive space.

Heading to the Tour Meeting Point

After finishing my meal in the 2nd floor lounge, I returned to the seating area on the 1st floor.

Now I’m heading to the tour meeting point to join the sightseeing tour.

City Tour Counter

At the scheduled time, I returned to the counter where I had previously booked the city sightseeing tour.

Temporary Entry Permit

The tour staff handed me an immigration card. It’s a temporary entry permit issued by the Qatar Tourism Authority for the purpose of the tour.

Beginning the Exploration

After completing the necessary procedures, I entered the country. Since there was still some time before the tour bus departed, I decided to explore the airport.

First, I descended from the departures level to the arrivals level.
There is a gently sloped moving walkway installed between the second and first floors, allowing smooth transit between the two levels.

Departure Lobby

After taking a look around the arrivals level on the first floor, I went back up to the departures level on the second floor. At the far end, you can see the check-in counters.

Information Counter

This is the central information counter in the departure lobby.
The check-in counters are visible in the background.

Qatar Airways Booth

A Qatar Airways service booth located in the departure lobby.

Premium Check-in Sign

A sign showing the dedicated check-in counters for First and Business Class passengers.
The scale of the signage is quite large.

View from Departures to Arrivals Level

This is the view from the second-floor departure lobby looking down at the first-floor arrivals area.
A long moving walkway (auto-slope) connects the two floors.

Outside the Departure Level

I stepped outside from the entrance of the second-floor departures area.
Entrance 1 is for First and Business Class passengers, while Entrance 2 is for Economy Class.

As expected, it was extremely hot outside.

Premium Sales Office

Located on the second-floor departures level is the Premium Sales Office.
It likely assists with the purchase of flight tickets.

Arrivals Lounge Entrance

This is the entrance to the Arrivals Lounge, exclusively for passengers arriving in Qatar Airways’ First or Business Class.

Arrivals Lounge(1)

This is the board located at the reception of the Arrivals Lounge.

Arrivals Lounge(2)

I also stepped inside the lounge to take a look. I presented my boarding pass and passport at reception to enter.
After checking in, I took the elevator to the second floor, where there were sofas like these.

Arrivals Lounge(3)

This is the seating area inside the Arrivals Lounge.
The seats with a table in the middle are the same type as those found in the departure lounge.

Dining Area in the Arrivals Lounge

The Arrivals Lounge also has a dining area where guests can enjoy meals.

Arrivals Lounge

This is the buffet counter available in the Arrivals Lounge.

Food in the Arrivals Lounge

A variety of dishes are available in the Arrivals Lounge as well.

Smoking Room in the Arrivals Lounge

This is the smoking room inside the Arrivals Lounge.

Drink Station in the Arrivals Lounge

The beverage station inside the Arrivals Lounge.

Meeting Room in the Arrivals Lounge

Inside the Arrivals Lounge, there is an open corridor leading to a business center with numerous meeting rooms.

I imagine it’s designed for businesspeople arriving at the airport to hold meetings or work.

Atrium in the Business Center

This is the atrium of the business center, viewed from the walkway.

Business Center Entrance

At the end of the walkway is the business center, which contains numerous meeting rooms.

Business Center(1)

In addition to meeting rooms, the business center also provides workspaces for getting tasks done.

Business Center(2)

This is another workspace inside the business center. It’s a spacious and relaxing environment for working.

Business Center(3)

This is one of the meeting rooms, furnished with a table for four. The lounge is generously equipped to support business activities.

Business Center(4)

This area appears to be for viewing screen presentations or videos.

Golden Sculpture

This golden sculpture was located in the arrivals lobby. It probably isn’t made of real gold, though.

Arrivals Lobby

This is also part of the arrivals lobby.

A long, gently sloped auto-walk connects the second-floor departures area with the first-floor arrivals level and is located by the windows.

Oryx Statues in the Arrivals Lobby

Seen from the atrium near the Arrivals Lounge, the first-floor arrivals lobby is filled with statues of Arabian oryxes. The Arabian oryx is the national animal of Qatar and also a symbol of Qatar Airways.

Arrivals Lobby

A collection of robust statues of Arabian oryxes in the first-floor arrivals lobby.

Boarding the Bus

I boarded the bus for the Doha city sightseeing tour. There was a guide who provided explanations in English.

The tour participants came from various countries.

Covered Parking Lot

The tour bus departed, and I was surprised to see that the airport's outdoor parking lot had a roof. Probably to protect from the heat. I heard that summer temperatures in Doha can reach up to 45°C.

Wooden Boats at the Port

Traditional Arab wooden sailing boats called dhows were moored in the harbor.

View from the Bus Window

You can see many dhows moored in the foreground, with high-rise buildings towering in the background.

Camels on a Stroll

We spotted camels from the bus. According to the guide, the camels are managed by a government agency, and officials ride them at designated times like 4 or 4:30 PM for walks. The white building in the background is the government office.

Mascot Sculpture

A sculpture visible from the bus window. It's the mascot of the 2006 Asian Games held in Doha, modeled after the Arabian oryx.

Stadium 974

This stadium was one of the eight used during the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Called “Stadium 974,” it was constructed using 974 shipping containers, referencing Qatar’s international dialing code (+974).

National Museum of Qatar

This is the National Museum of Qatar. The architectural design is inspired by the “desert rose.”

Flag Display Area

An area built for the 2022 World Cup to display national flags.

Skyline in the Distance

You can see the high-rise buildings rising across the water.

Museum of Islamic Art

The white building in the back is the Museum of Islamic Art. Our bus made its first stop here, and we had about 10 minutes for photos. Although it was already after 4 PM, it was still extremely hot.

Skyscraper District (1)

We boarded the bus from the Museum of Islamic Art and arrived at the skyscraper district.

Skyscraper District (2)

There are many skyscrapers here.
According to the guide, embassies from various countries are located within this cluster of high-rises.

Shopping Mall

This is a shopping mall located within the skyscraper district.

Katara Cultural Village

This is Katara Cultural Village, an open-air complex showcasing Qatari culture. The tour bus made its second stop here.

Katara Mosque

This is a full view of the Katara Mosque. It's a small mosque, but beautifully adorned with mosaic tiles.

Information Board

This is a directional sign for facilities around Katara, pointing to the mosque, opera house, theater, and more.

Minaret Adjacent to Mosque

This is a tower adjacent to the mosque.

Katara Mosque

This is another view of the mosque from a different angle. It's a beautiful and impressive structure.

Pigeon Towers

Near the mosque are the Pigeon Towers, with numerous holes for nesting and perches for pigeons.

In the Middle East, such towers have historically been built to collect pigeon droppings as fertilizer for agriculture.

Outdoor Shade Structure

This is a shade structure found within Katara Cultural Village.

Cultural Village

Katara Cultural Village also has cafes and restaurants.

Open-Air Theater

This is the open-air theater located in Katara Cultural Village.

Seating in the Open-Air Theater

This is the seating area inside the open-air theater.

Stage in the Open-Air Theater

This is the round stage inside the theater. The acoustics allow your voice to carry across the entire theater even without a microphone.

Souq Waqif(1)

This is Souq Waqif, the largest traditional market in Qatar. The tour bus stopped here after departing from Katara Cultural Village. “Souq” means “market” in Arabic.

The market is home to around 300 traditional Arab-style shops.

Souq Waqif(2)

This is a section of the market, where spices and probably other Arab food items are sold.

Market – Sweets Shop

This is a sweets shop.
You can even find Japanese snacks like “Umaibo” (corn puff sticks) here. It seems to carry various snacks from around the world.

Market(1)

Here they sell sunflower seeds, peanuts, and other ingredients commonly used in Middle Eastern cooking.
It looks like they are sold by weight.

Market(2)

This appears to be dried citrus fruits, possibly limes.
They are probably used as spices or flavorings.

Market – Spices

This shop sells spices.

Market – Birds

This is a bird shop selling parrots and parakeets. There were about 20 similar shops in this area.

Main Street Inside the Market

This is one of the larger streets within the market.
There are restaurants and other shops along this street.

Souvenir Shop

This is a souvenir shop.
They sell Middle Eastern-style lamps, Arabic coffee pots, leather bags, and various goods.

Glittering Arcade

This is a very dazzling area. It’s an arcade-style street.

Market – Kanemochi

This is a shop called “Kanemochi” located in one corner of the market.
They sell traditional Japanese-style buns filled with sweet red bean paste.

Public Square

This is a square within the market area. People sit on wooden benches with backrests, chatting or playing. It seems that socializing outdoors with friends is quite common—a part of the national character.
The building in the background is the Fanar Mosque, also known as the “Spiral Mosque.”

Market – Pottery

This shop sells pottery such as jars and mushroom-shaped ornaments.

Market – Finger Sculpture

This sculpture shaped like a human finger was spotted while walking through the market. It even has a fingernail.

Market – Sunset

The sun was gradually setting. It looked like it was about to disappear behind the ground-level structure of a building.
That marked the end of the bus tour, and we returned to the airport.

Return to the Airport

After finishing the city sightseeing tour, I returned to the airport terminal. The tour guide kindly saw us off all the way to the baggage screening area in the arrivals hall.

Lounge – Seating Area

Back at the airport, I spent the time until boarding in the lounge again, relaxing and resting in this seating area.

Lounge – Water Feature

Next to the seating area where I stayed until boarding was this vast water feature.

Near the Lounge Entrance

This metallic sculpture near the lounge entrance looked like stacked metal blocks.

Heading to the Gate

As the boarding time approached, I left the lounge and headed toward the boarding gate.
A golden necklace-shaped ceiling ornament sparkled overhead.

Corridor to the Gate

I proceeded through the terminal corridor toward the boarding gate.

Boarding Gate

This is the boarding gate for the flight to Munich.

Bus to the Aircraft

For this flight, too, we were transported to the aircraft by bus instead of using a boarding bridge.

Boarding via Stairs

I boarded the plane by climbing the mobile stairs.

Business Class Seat

This was my seat in business class for this flight.

In-Flight Lavatory Amenities

These are the amenities provided in the in-flight lavatory.

Welcome Drink

I was served a glass of champagne as a welcome drink.

Champagne and Amenities

After takeoff, I was served champagne and nuts.

In-Flight Meal – Starter Plate

This was the plate served after takeoff.

In-Flight Meal – Middle Eastern Side Dishes

Next was a platter of Middle Eastern side dishes.

Each dish was wonderfully seasoned with fragrant Middle Eastern spices.

In-Flight Meal – Main Course

This was a ciabatta sandwich salad.

In-Flight Meal – Dessert

Dessert time.

Arrival in Munich

While enjoying food and drinks on board, we arrived in Munich.

Disembarkation

This was the scene while disembarking from the plane. The lighting had a reddish tone—most likely in burgundy, which is Qatar Airways' corporate color.

Munich Airport

This is the arrival area at Munich Airport.

The Aircraft I Flew On

This is the aircraft I flew on that day.

Baggage Claim Area

This is the baggage claim area.

Collecting Luggage

Standing in front of the conveyor belt to collect my luggage.
It was great that the walking distance from baggage claim to the terminal exit was so short. This is one of Munich Airport’s many appealing features.