Doha to Belgaum Flights

  About Doha

Qatar's capital, Doha, is one of the most famous and populated cities in the Middle East. It is nestled along the coast of the Persian Gulf and has brilliant connectivity with several international cities in the world.

Best time to visit Doha

Desert nations often enjoy exquisite winters making them the peak months for tourism. Doha too enjoys the brisk winter winds as it hosts various fun events. December to January is considered the ideal months for a travel pursuit to Doha. The weather is a beautiful amalgam of warm and cold. As a desert, the winter days are pleasant while the nights are cold in Doha. It is certainly inviting as the luxurious setting of the city with expanses of scintillating brown sand would make anyone happy. So much that the hotel prices skyrocket during these months. It would be extremely difficult to find a cheap snazzy hotel in Doha during winter. Unless you make prior hotel bookings in Doha, you might not be able to find the ideal accommodation. The same goes for flights as well, so best would be to book them months in advance.

Winter might be peak season but so is fall in Doha. September through November is actually ideal weather as the city transitions from hot to cold. The experience during the fall in Doha is exquisite. What makes this very convenient is how tourism doesn't reach its peak in these months. You will be able to enjoy the pleasant weather, and at the same time, you wouldn't even have to splurge massively. Prior hotel bookings in Doha always come in handy as it would help you save more to spend in the city. Besides, the flight and hotel deals in Doha ahead of winter are aplenty. You will find many flight deals to Doha online with some room for accommodation combos too. As long as you spend enough time to find the right deal with an exquisite hotel room, your Doha trip would be a good one. Note though that many tourists start planning for a fall vacation in Doha thanks to the climate and the possibility of getting cheaper rates in Doha.

Places to visit in Doha

Doha's popularity doesn't just come with its Middle East heritage but also fancy locales and tourist attractions. To get the feel of Qatari heritage, you should start your tourist endeavours from the Museum of Islamic Art. It is an architectural delight and definitely worth the pursuit. You will be amazed by the exquisite location with its tree-covered facade. Doha Corniche is the second most important tourist attraction of Doha. The location is basically a waterfront which has a fascinating promenade forming the Doha Bay. The Corniche often sees a lot of events and festivities as being an important hub of the city of Doha. You can also make a day plan to visit Doha's artificial island, The Pearl-Qatar. It spans across four kilometres, the island is still under work as the officials wish to stretch the coastline to 32 kilometres. The National Museum of Qatar is located within the city premise and would take you through the history and cultural train of Doha and Qatar. Speaking of history, the AlKoot Fort would definitely catch your fancy as a military fortress that was built in 1927.

You can add Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art in your list of places to visit in Doha. The gorgeous infrastructure has been built with modern and contemporary influences of art and creativity. The complex has been recently created and has already managed to rake in a lot of attention and the position of one of Doha's famous attractions. Aspire Park is another interesting place that you can check out. It is located in the southern district of Baaya in the city of Doha. Covering over 88 hectares of land, it is recognised as Doha's largest parks, featuring lovely fountains, green expanses and the view of the Aspire Tower.

Things to do in Doha

The city of Doha has quite a few things that you can indulge in when you visit the place. Some of the tourist attractions are aesthetically pleasing. To make your trip a little lavish, you can head to the Racing & Equestrian Club to check out and bet on horses. Since horse racing is one of the legal gambling scenes in the world, you will be able to get an idea of high-end living. You can also visit the Al Wakrah Public Garden and relish the exquisite spread of colourful flowers and green landscapes that the park boasts. It also has a waterfront, which only adds to the garden's beauty. Oxygen Park is another green spread where you can enjoy some fresh air and lovely vibe of the place. Nightclub hopping is one activity you can take up when you're in the city. Meanwhile, shopping is another fun activity that you will want to do because the city flaunts its Dior and Gucci showrooms like it flaunts the lovely waterfront.

Food and Restaurants in Doha

Doha's diversity in terms of food culture comes from its accommodation of international cuisine. The place has a plethora of international food establishments to cater to the foreign tourists that visit the city on a regular basis. However, while you do indulge in the lovely global cuisine, do not miss out the classic and Qatari food that can be found in Doha. Qatari food is recognised for its exquisite home-cooked styled stews and impeccable delicacies. Much of the Qatari food is heavily influenced by North Africa, Levant, Bedouin and flavours from the Indian subcontinent. Dishes such as Saloona, Warak enab, balaleet, majboos, to name a few, are from the authentic Qatari kitchen. They would certainly leave quite an impact on you. You can find the best of these dishes at food establishments such as Al Jasra, Walima, Al Manchab, Easair Cafe, Shisha Garden and Chai Halib.

While you're indulging in their meals, do not miss their ubiquitous savouries with luqaimat taking the cake. It is a traditional sweet dumpling that is stuffed with flavours of saffron and cardamom and is drenched in sugar syrup. Umm Ali is also a fancy dessert that you should check out when in Doha. Some of the Indian influences in their Qatari dishes include the famous rogag. It is a thin layer of batter, inspired by dosa, filled with minced meat, vegetables or egg. The dish is traditionally consumed as a breakfast item. Shay Al Shoomos in Souq Waqif serves the best rogags, you should probably write down this name in your list of culinary expeditions in Doha. Another interesting savoury by the Qatari cuisine is the kunafa, quite famous in the Middle East belt. To experience the best of Doha's culinary delights, the ideal thing to do would be to check out the Al Souq Street in the city. They are literally swamped with exquisite food joints and establishments.

How to reach Doha (Transportation)

Flight connectivity to Doha from India is excellent and very regular. The city in Qatar has a massive demand in the city with many tourists flocking over on a daily basis. Hence, the number of flights are also excessive, not to mention the connectivity and convenient duration. There are a plethora of direct flights to Doha from India. In fact, many airports have been specifically constructed in India to cater to the demand for Doha and other Middle-Eastern countries. Airlines such as IndiGo, Srilankan Airlines, Qatar Airways, Oman Air, Turkish Airlines, British Airways, Turkish Airlines, Singapore Airlines, to name a few, have daily flights to Doha. Even though there are many direct nonstop flights to Doha from India, many often take the international route to Doha from Muscat or Dubai. The flight duration to Doha from India is also quite decent as it takes about three hours to reach the city. This depends on the flight and airlines that you choose. Although the time duration is perfect since it leaves a lot of time in hand to explore the city, it comes with a price.

Flight tickets to Doha range from cheap and affordable to expensive. A majority of how much you spend on booking flight tickets to Doha depends on the airlines you pick and the flight duration. For cheap and inexpensive flight tickets to Doha, you will get them in the range of INR 17,000. However, you will end up spending about nine hours travelling. By adding an extra INR 1000 to the ticket expenditure, you will not just save up on flight duration to Doha but also receive better flight services. Booking flight tickets to Doha come with a plethora of online deals. You might be able to make the most of travel discounts by booking flights and hotels in Doha. Depending on the season, the hotel prices in Doha might vary and hence, to acquire cheap and affordable deals, you should make prior bookings. Interestingly, while Doha is easy and convenient to reach from India, many opt to drive down to Doha from Bahrain as the long stretch of highways in the Middle East are perfect for petrolheads to go on a driving excursion.

  About Belgaum

Belgaum is a small city located in the borders of the state of Karnataka. The city, also known by the name Belgavi, rests comfortably in the northern regions of the Western Ghats. A proposal to make Belgaum the second capital of Karnataka after Bangalore is in the works. A replica of the state administrative structure Suvarna Vidhana Soudha has also been constructed in the city's outskirts. The city of Belgaum has been selected to be developed into a smart city under the flagship project of PM Narendra Modi, also called Smart Cities Mission.

Best time to visit Belgaum

Winter is considered to be the ideal season to visit Belgaum. As mountains and vast expanses of greenery surround the city, the weather is charming and cool between November to February. The city's cool ambience and serene atmosphere would make you feel calm and relaxed.

The monsoons are also not all that bad as Belgaum turns into a nature-lover's paradise, come monsoon. The clouds enveloping the city while the rains add more life to the green panorama is an image that would stay with you forever. The roads might not be all that friendly to your vehicle or back, but the air and atmosphere would certainly be lovely. You can book a hotel in Belgaum and check out the bliss that the monsoon brings.

Summers are not the best time to visit the city as the temperatures take a hike. The scorching heat would put a damper on your travel plans as the weather is known to see a spike during summers.

Places to visit in Belgaum

Belgaum specifically doesn't have exemplary tourist attractions, but the areas around the city have some fun highlights that you can explore. From sitting under the Gokak Falls to taking a stroll through the Belgaum Fort, here are some places that you can visit when in Belgaum.

Gokak Falls

The Gokak Falls is close to 60 km away from the city centre and worth a visit. The blissful scenery of the falls located on the green Ghataprabha river forms quite a visual spectacle. Not to mention how the white waters cascading through the mountains offers a beautiful feel. There is an old temple of Lord Mahalingeshwara close to the falls so you can also visit the shrine.

Shri Ramakrishna Mission Ashram

Located in the city, Shri Ramkrishna Mission Ashram has spiritual significance and hence, is a tourist attraction. It has been stated that Swami Vivekananda took solace in the ashram and resided there for a few days. The ashram's look is quite interesting as there are decked up prayer halls, a Sarada mandap and elegant appeal to the structure. It is the best spot for people who wish to seek a retreat and break from their busy lives.

Navila TirthaNavila Tirtha is originally a village nestled in the Savadatti taluk of Belgaum district. While it is away from the central city, what makes this rocky village so special is the fact that it has a majestic dam. With several names such as Renuka Sagar, Navilteerth Dam and even Malaprabha Dam, the structure has been built across the Malaprabha river. Another highlight of the dam is the size and the fact that it is the shortest dam to be found in Karnataka.

Kittur Fort

The Kittur Fort and Palace is believed to be the works of Rani Chennamma. The complex now holds not just an aesthetically pleasing architecture but also has an archaeological museum within the palace. The collection is also quite exciting as the weapons, jewellery, historical sculptures, armour, costumes and more are displayed. The site would be a good place for you to learn a little more of Belgaum's history.

Belgaum Fort

It is said that the Belgaum Fort is the architecture of the rulers from the Ratt Dynasty and was constructed back in 1204 AD. While it is popularly known as Belgavi Fort, this is easily one of the tourist attractions that you can find when in Belgaum. The structure boasts some impeccable architecture with Indo-Saracenic features and an intriguing amalgamation of Deccan and Chalukyan designs. Within the fort, you will find a handful of temples including shrines of Ganpati and Goddess Durga. As you further explore the fort, you will see some beautiful mosques as well as Jain and Hindu temples.

Vajrapoha Falls

A little away from the small town of Belgaum is this pristine Vajrapoha Falls that overlooks the towering Sahayadri mountains. The scenic beauty of the place has often brought several travellers to its lap. The beauty of the falls is further amplified during monsoon. To be close to nature, one couldn't ask for a better getaway.

Things to do in Belgaum

The city has some beautiful forts and structures that can be explored. However, for outdoor activities, the best way to go about is to step out of the main city. Belgaum has several fun adventure activities that you can indulge in. From trekking at the Jamboti and Amboli ghats to picking white water rafting at the Kali river, these are some noteworthy activities that one can select when in Belgaum. As you go to the Jamboti ghat, you can also sit under the Vajrapoha falls and soak in the marvellous scenery at your perusal.

Similarly, you can also pick more trekking and hiking options and head to the Gokak and Godchinmalki waterfalls. Although the locations are a little away from the city centre, it would be an excellent way to unwind. Here's another exciting activity that you can take up when in Belgaum. The city actually has paragliding activities that you can pick up. Although the Himalayan terrains are known to offer the best of views and landscapes for paragliding, the one in Belgaum will give you a bird's eye view of the gorgeous Sahayadri mountains.

Food and Restaurants in Belgaum

The quaint city of Belgaum has an interesting melange of taste when it comes to food. Their history with Maharashtra has further led them to incorporate the same in their cuisine as well. You will find hear people speak Marathi and Kannada with a twang as they are at the border of the state. Even the cuisine is heavily inspired by Marathi culture as well as some flavours of North Indian delicacies. Not to mention how South Indian food such as the classic idli, vada, dosa and more are part of their staple food.

Over the years, thanks to impeccable development, Belgaum is seen quite a cultural twist with several big city joints such as Domino's, McDonald's, KFC and more making their way to the city. You can enjoy delicious Puri bhaji at Ajanta cafe and probably head to Belgo for some dessert. For all the tea lovers, Appolo tea bar is the place to be at to get the best tea in the city. As for those who wish to delve into scrumptious seafood, Hotel Aadinarayan is famous for their dishes.

How to reach Belgaum (Transportation)

By Air

Belgaum has decent flight connectivity from Bangalore as two dedicated airlines fly to and from Belgaum. SpiceJet and Star Air Airlines are the two services providers who have flights reserved for the city. The Belgaum airport is located in Sambra is touted to be the oldest airport in North Karnataka. Stretching across 10 kilometres, the airport is a little away from the city and close to State Highway 20. The government has included the airport in the UDAN 3 scheme which is why the city has regular flights flying in and out of Belgaum. Works to add more planes to fly from Belgaum to domestic routes of Mumbai, Pune and Mysore have also been planned out. These links will soon be added to the list of flights flying in and out of Belgaum.

By Rail

The Belgaum railway station is in the city centre and also part of the Indian Railways grid. The rail is perfectly connected with several major cities which make travelling to the city easier. Some trains go via Hubli to major metropolitan destinations such as Mumbai, Bangalore, Goa, Pune and even Delhi. The connectivity is quite good as there are not many transit changes required when travelling by train.

By Road

Belgaum is connected to major states thanks to National Highway 4. The national highway makes it easier for passengers travelling from Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu. This domestic route from Belgaum allows the city to connect with a majority of Southern states in India directly. Another route connecting Belgaum to Karnataka and Goa is the 4A route. Several government buses run on these routes. The North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation and KSRTC have dedicated set numbers to connect all the places within the state.

Various private bus services have also been reaching the city thanks to the national and State highway. Many travellers also take up the Belgaum route for road trips as the roads are beautiful. Travellers heading to Goa are especially piqued by Belgaum’s beauty and often use the city as a stop-over. Overall, the city has great connectivity, making it easy for people to venture in and out of Belgaum.

  About Hamad Airport

Hamad International Airport is the only international airport that caters to the state of Qatar and is situated in its capital city, Doha. The airport has replaced the former international airport, Doha International Airport, to be the principal airport that serves the city of Doha and the country Qatar. Earlier, the airport was referred to as the New Doha International Airport, the airport was renamed as Hamad International Airport. It was supposed to open for business and flight operations in 2009. However, due to some cost delays and a series of conundrums, the airport finally reopened in 2014 with a grand ceremony of Qatar Airways' flight landing from nearby Doha International. Following the same, several of Qatar Airways' aircraft and other flights functioning from the old airport were shifted to the new airport, a month after Hamad International Airport opened. The airport has been named after Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the former Emir of Qatar. Since its genesis, the airport has been raking tremendous praise and accolades for being one of the best airports of the Middle East. In fact, it was voted as the Best Airport (in the category of 30-40 million passenger accommodation in a year) and Best Airport Staff in the Middle East in 2020.

Talks about constructing an all-new international airport in Doha started in 2003 with constructions commencing in 2005. Hamad International Airport is located about 5 km the east of older Doha International Airport. The airport is spread across an area of 5,500 acres of land. Initially, the airport was set to only cater to airlines that do not have lounge access to be utilised. The airport was designed to balance out the increase in passenger volume and air traffic witnessed by the city. Initially, the annual capacity of passengers as proposed was 29 million. However, upon completion of the new airport, the capacity also extended to 50 million passengers in a year. Some estimates suggest that the airport has the capacity of accommodating over 93 million passengers in a year, as opposed to the 50 million stated. With this fact, Hamad International Airport becomes the second largest in the region, following Dubai International Airport. The new airport is also set to handle over 320,000 aircraft movement along with 2 million tonnes of cargo in a year.

About Hamad International Airport Terminal

Hamad International Airport only has one terminal but is spread out in about five concourses that have been named alphabetically. These concourses have been designed by the American design, architecture, engineering and urban planning firm, HOK. Meanwhile, the contract to develop the airport was awarded to Bechtel. Here are details of the concourses at the Hamad International Airport.

Concourse A - The concourse has the ten passenger gates that are connected to jet bridges. It is located west of the check-in section of the main terminal. The two gates have been designed specifically to accommodate Airbus A380.

Concourse B - This concourse accommodates ten passenger gates which are connected to jet bridges, located at the east of the main check-in area. Out of the ten gates, two have been reserved to accommodate Airbus A380. Ten airlines operations form the old Doha International Airport has been shifted to Concourse B. Further, some facilities include smoking rooms, duty-free stores and family lounge areas.

Concourse C - The concourse consists of 13 gates which are connected to jet bridges and yet again, two of them are reserved for Airbus A380. The concourse was opened in 2014.

Concourse D - The concourse is divided into two levels, gates 1 - 4's operations being conducted on the first level while gates 18 - 24 have their operations on the ground level. This concourse is fully functional.

Concourse E - The concourse is fully functional and has a similar layout as Concourse D. It has been stated that Concourses D and E are due to be extended with talks of an additional Concourse F that is set to be installed. However, the plans haven't been finalised yet.

The terminal also has facilities of First Class and Business Class lounges installed. One of the biggest highlights of Hamad International Airport's terminal interiors is the prominent gigantic bronze statue of a teddy bear with its head inserted in a lamp. Often referred to as Lamp Bear, the sculpture is the creation of Swiss artist Urs Fischer. It has been put for display at the grand foyer and is surrounded by the airport's duty-free shopping hall. The Lamp Bear statue initially belonged to the Seagrams Building plaza in New York City. However, it was later purchased by a member of the Qatari royal family at an auction for a whopping USD 6.8 million. The structure weighs about 18-20 tonnes and is seven meters tall.

About airport authority

Hamad International Airport is owned and operated by Qatar Airways. The airline is responsible for bringing forth a whole new airport and replacing the old Doha International Airport. The airport authority has been striving to make Hamad International Airport as one of the best in the world by offering world-class amenities and aircraft perks. They aim to create new records and break many more with constant expansion plans. Qatar Airways has also initiated Hamad International Airport to be the first in the world to design structures specifically to accommodate Airbus A380.

The airport authority plans to expand the airport to accommodate the footfall of passengers who will be visiting the city to watch the FIFA 2022 World Cup. It has been speculated that the airport will need to accommodate a massive passenger capacity as the world cup would bring more passengers and travellers from around the world to Doha. Further, as part of their expansion plans, the airport authority also aims to beautify the central building by adding a tropical garden and a 268-meter tall water feature. They plan to emulate the water feature that is found at Singapore Changi Airport's Jewel complex. Qatar Airways also has proposals to expand its lounge space and make it the world's largest airport lounge.

Facilities at the Hamad International Airport

Hamad International Airport has a slew of exquisite and world-class services and facilities that make it one of the best airports in the Middle East. With various facilities such as baggage wrapping, porter services, first-class and business class lounge experience, airline-specific lounge, spas, airport hotels and more, travelling to Hamad International Airport is an experience.

Top airlines flying from the Hamad International Airport

Hamad International Airport caters to a massive number of international destinations by accommodating a slew of airlines. Apart from reserving space for the national carrier, Qatar Airways, some of the airlines that operate from Hamad International Airport include Air India, Air India Express, Biman Bangladesh Airlines, British Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, GoAir, Himalayan Airlines, IndiGo, Iran Air, Kuwait Airways, Nepal Airlines, Oman Air, Pakistan International Airlines, Pegasus Airlines, Philippine Airlines, Royal Jordanian, SalamAir, SriLankan Airlines, Syrian Air, Turkish Airlines and US-Bangla Airlines. These airlines operating from Hamad International Airport has flights to major cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Kochi, Kannur, Mangalore, Dhaka, London, Addis Ababa, Bangalore, Kuwait City, Kathmandu, Muscat, Islamabad, Manila, Paris, Venice, Seoul, Tokyo, Sydney, Zurich, Chicago, Hong Kong, Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, Colombo and more.

How to reach the Hamad International Airport

Hamad International Airport is blessed with a slew of connections to the main city of Doha. Travellers can take public bus services, personal taxi cabs, metro and hire car rentals and chauffer-driven limousines.

By Bus

The bus services in Doha have excellent connections to the airport. The buses are operated by Mowasalat, which is the state's transport company. Some of the routes covered by the bus services also include a route to the airport. You can catch a bus to reach Hamad International Airport at affordable rates and the comfort of an air-conditioned bus. The vehicles are clean and maintained perfectly. Not to mention details of the bus with schedules have been shared on the airport's official website.

By Metro

Hamad International Airport has a direct Metro connection. The airport has fast and frequent Metro services that are available on all seven days of a week. You can reach Hamad International Airport from any of the tourist attractions in the city of Doha. You can also use the Metro line and plan a travel itinerary to check out some of the exquisite tourist attractions of Doha. Live updates of the Metro train as well as their schedules are flashed on the station's monitors.

By Taxicab and car rentals

From booking a car rental to hailing a taxi cab, there are many such transport options that you can avail at the airport. You can even opt for airport shuttle service at the hotel you are staying in (provided they have this facility) to reach Hamad International Airport. Further, to upscale your trip, you can book a chauffer-driven limousine service also. The airport has travel booths where you can figure out the ideal transport facility for your budget.