Doha to Leeds 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 Leeds

Located in the northern English county of Yorkshire is the quaint and lovely city of Leeds. It is snuggled up on the banks of the Aire River and is recognised highly to be one of the fast-paced economies. The city also has some famous food and the third busiest railway station in the country.

Best time to visit Leeds

As a city that is predominantly known to be cold, the summers automatically become the best season to visit. Even in summer, Leeds is not really hot to be specific as the temperatures stand at 21 degree Celsius during the days. Now, this could also vary depending on the erratic changes in the temperatures. Mainly, it ranges from 13 degree Celsius to 21 degree Celsius. June to August is considered to witness the best of summers in Leeds as the temperatures are extremely favourable, especially if you come from a hot country and do not wish to see extremely cold temperatures. July and August's months see a proper summer in Leeds. It is undoubtedly the best time to visit Leeds and also comes with some surge in the tourism industry. The hotel reservations are severe as many people from around the country and world flock over to witness the Leeds summer. This results in a massive spike when booking hotels in Leeds. Even flight tickets to Leeds are expensive during their summers. Hence, you should make prior bookings and avoid the excess surge in rates.

No matter what happens, though, avoid winters. The temperature can get quite low, and the air would be very dreary. The city continues to keep the morale up by hosting festivals and events, including ringing in the alluring Christmas and New Year's. However, the brisk cold breeze and temperatures could be bad for you. Not to mention how it could also lead to frostbites and other health conundrums that accompany cold weathers. Leeds is also known to face the typical English weather with monsoon showers taking over amid summers and winters. The fickle nature of the rain often might disrupt with your touristy plans. But do not let it bring your spirit down as the city's spring and summer do have a pleasant vibe. The best thing about spring in Leeds is it comes with a slash in hotel prices. You can actually book hotels in Leeds for cheap during spring. In fact, the earlier you book your rooms and flight tickets, the better it is. You might even be able to snag some lovely online deals that would enable you to save up and spend more pounds on other activities in the city.

Places to visit Leeds

Leeds is home to some interesting attractions that would further add to the tourist fun. You can start your excursion by visiting the Harewood House. It is located in West Yorkshire and spans over 1,000 acres. The estate is known to be a member of the Treasure Houses of England. An interesting location that would engage you is the National Coal Mining Museum for England. You can actually learn more about the industry and its relevance to the Leeds economy. Temple Newsam is actually one of the popular sites and part of the Leeds Museum and & Galleries. The estate does have an interesting brown building with green expanses making the place's vibe serene. You should also check out the intriguing ruins of the Cistercian monastery called the Kirkstall Abbey. The picturesque ruins paint quite a picture and have been attracting photographers and artists. The National Science and Media Museum is the perfect place to explore more of Leeds' exhibitions of animation, photography, video games, television and everything related to media and science.

Things to do in Leeds

You have got to visit the Roundhay Park, which is one of the most extensive gardens in the city. The popular tourist attraction does accommodate a huge crowd and is perfect for picnics and other fun activities. There are lakes, woodlands, gardens and parklands that easily manage to attract the tourists. RHS Garden Harlow Carr is a public garden which has waterfalls and exquisite flowers and other plants. It recently merged with the Northern Horticulture Society. The place also has coffee shops which serve amazing food and beverages. If you are interested in art, then you should directly check out the Leeds Art Gallery. It has been recognised to be of national importance by the British government. The structure is also quite Victorian and has a fantastic architecture that would marvel you. You should also visit The Hepworth Wakefield to check out some of the best works of artist and sculptor Barbara Hepworth. You should also check out the Macao Tower Convention and Entertainment Centre. While you're at it, do not miss Senado Square and A-Ma Temple in the city.

Food and restaurants in Leeds

Leeds is touted to be one of the culinary gifts of the United Kingdom. The city, with its impressive array of restaurants and quality kitchen, takes food rather seriously. You will be thoroughly amazed to find the diversity in Leeds' restaurant culture. Do not be surprised by the plenty of curry houses in the city as they do have a slew of Indian restaurants. From basic budget restaurants to upscale Michelin-starred establishments, you will find food for all kinds of mood in Leeds. From Italian trattorias to Thai restaurants, you will find them all, and you will fall in love with them too. You can start your food expedition in the city from Aagrah. The best thing about this place is it raves Kashmiri dishes and also has room for the famous Hyderabadi-style food. It is quite famous among the Yorkshire locals. To engage in a more elegant setting with wood-cooked food, you can try OX Club. As stated, wood-fired cooking is phenomenal, and the barbeque grills just bring forth a beautiful smokey flavour. It's especially perfect as you relish the lovely spring weather in Leeds.

Another upscale establishment is The Man Behind the Curtain. The setting of the place is rather compelling, not to mention how the food that borders pretence works well for them. It is undoubtedly an experience worth engaging in. The city also indulges in South American cuisine as they have the Brazilian steakhouse, Fazenda, as its jewel. The establishment is the kind which doesn't just offer exquisite skewered meat but also falls in the budget. Sukhothai is a cute mid-range restaurant which boasts classic Thai food. It actually has many branches within the city and offers authentic dishes from the South-East Asian kitchen. If you do miss home and wish to indulge in some Gujarati vegetarian food, you can find that here as well. Hansa's is a popular restaurant in Leeds that has often earned many accolades in the culinary world of Leeds for being the best vegetarian restaurant hub. The Gujarati thalis, especially, are a rage. You can further check out places like Roots and Fruits, Tharavadu, Nation of Shopkeepers and Prashad.

How to reach Leeds

There is no direct way to reach Leeds from India and flights is the only way out. Sadly though, there are no nonstop flights that fly to Leeds from Indian cities. Even though the demand to visit Leeds is quite a lot in the country, there are no dedicated flights from any of the Indian airlines. Luckily though, the flight connectivity to Leeds is impeccable as there are many international airlines that have regular services to the city. Airlines such as KLM Royal Dutch, Air France, Swiss, Lufthansa, Etihad Airways, Air France, Virgin Atlantic, British Airways, to name a few, have excellent services and connectivity to Leeds. The most popular route to reach Leeds is via Amsterdam and London. Many flights often connect to KLM Royal Dutch to fly to Leeds. Aside from Amsterdam, London and Paris are other famous international routes chosen to fly to Leeds. Since European cities are considered to be the best way to reach Leeds, a Schengen transit visa is required. You will have to apply for a transit visa for flight connectivity. This can be done online or by visiting the embassy.

The duration of flights varies from 13 hours to 15 hours, depending on the layover, change of flights and weather in Leeds. The UK weather is famed for its eccentric and untimely monsoon. Hence, this often disrupts with the flight behaviour and causes delays too. The flight tickets to Leeds are actually quite reasonable. As long as you make prior bookings of flights to Leeds, you will be able to avail some of the benefits. There is a slew of online flight deals to Leeds that can be availed, provided you make prior bookings. Even though the flights are cheap and affordable to Leeds, it would be better to get more discounts from the rates. The pounds saved can be instead spent on luxury accommodation. Speaking of, you can also make your hotel bookings in Leeds. Once again, prior booking of hotels in Leeds would help you as you will be able to get some discounts and online deals. You can opt for some budget rooms or even luxe hotels in the city. The best way to save money would be to book flights and hotels in Leeds together.

  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.