Sydney to Doha Flights

  About Sydney

Located in New South Wales is the city of Sydney, one of the largest cities in Australia. The city is famously known for its harbourfront Sydney Opera House, originally designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon. The structure was eventually finished by an Australian team of architects. The city has massive harbours that connect with many Asian and Oceania countries.

Best time to visit Sydney

Sydney has two diverse seasons which are perfect for a trip. From September to November and March through May, the temperatures are very amiable, especially for tourists. For Sydney, the peak tourist season is between December to February as the temperature ranges between25 degree Celsius to 26 degree Celsius. Not only is the summer pleasant but also tourist-friendly. However, it does come with a cost, that being the expensive flight and hotel costs in Sydney. The temperatures are warm enough for Australians to flock over to the continent's capital, but for an outsider, the prices could be quite steep. Hence, the months leading up to the summer and the ones leading up to winter are ideal for tourists with a budget constraint. Between September and November, the number of tourists in the city is considerably less, giving you ample time and space to soak in the beautiful city's spirits. Plus, the season also brings some amazing festivities such as Sydney Fringe Festival, Night Noodle Markets, Taste of Sydney, Sculpture by the Sea and Festival of the Winds. The events are undoubtedly perfect for invoking the foodie in you.

Similarly, even March through May sees alluring weather with decent temperatures and fewer tourists. With less crowd, the city certainly brings a whole new vibe that would go well with tourists who prefer solitude. Not just the temperatures but even the number of tourists starts to drop during these months while the city prepares to welcome the winters. For those who wish to make the most of the season and have a liking towards the wildlife, you will also enjoy this time. It is known to be the start of the whale-watching season in Sydney, and if you're interested in something like this, then you should plan your trip according to this time. Sydney also rings in some lovely events and festivals such as Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia, Sydney Royal Easter Show, Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival and Vivid Sydney, to name a few. The city bustles with vivacity during this period, and you would thoroughly enjoy being part of all the fanfare. Plus, the additional perk of choosing this season is a drop in the hotel and flight ticket prices. You can book your flights to Sydney as well as accommodations without worrying about exorbitant costs.

Places to visit in Sydney

Sydney's primary location for tourists to head is either the Sydney Harbour or the Bondi beach, but there are far too many things that should also be explored in the city. You can actually start with the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which is quite close to the Opera House. Since the area brims with many tourist attractions, it is the best way to kick off the tour. From the bridge, you can further head to check out the harbour. It is touted to be the most beautiful harbour in the entire world right now. Through the harbour, you can swing past the Sydney Opera House. It would be something to actually get tickets to a show at the Opera House. For the beach bums, beaches such as Manly Beach, Bondi Beach and Coogee Beach are big highlights. These places are always packed with tourists or even the locals who cannot do without water. Aside from the Sydney Harbour, the Darling Harbour is just as alluring and is located close to the Australian National Maritime Museum. Do not miss out the Royal Botanic Garden, which spews fresh air to the city.

Things to do in Sydney

The best way to spend time in Sydney would be not just to indulge in visiting new places but also to engage in some cruising fun. You can make some prior bookings for a cruise and set off from the Sydney Harbour. The cruise can even take you to the Blue Mountains, which is one of the natural wonders of the world. Further, you can actually book a hotel in the vast green mountains and complete the trip. You can also take up various activities at the beaches from surfing to strolling to sunbathing. Most importantly, do a little gallivanting around the city and find some impeccable food establishments as well as watering holes. If everything seems too much for you to do or if you need a day off to just relax, you can visit The Rocks and opt for a leisure stroll instead of the heart-thumping adventure fun. You can do the same at the Royal Botanic Garden as well.

Food and restaurants in Sydney

Sydney's cuisine is majorly influenced by European and Asian cuisine. Since the country does have many immigrants residing from these continents, the food also celebrates their cultures. The elements from these cultures have brought forth some of the finest food establishments in the city. You will find a sizeable galore of Asian and European dishes in places such as Fortune Village Chinese Restaurant, The Spice Room and Medusa Greek Taverna. These places bring about the finest culinary classics which would definitely be the best to go on your trip. Aside from these, you can also visit more ethnic cuisines that are district specifics, and these include, Little Saigon and Cabramatta in the Italian-rich region of Leichhardt and the famous Chinatown area. While these places do favour international cuisine, you can also go in deep to explore some of the rich and traditional Australian meals.

Despite some of the classic Australian dishes that will be at your perusal, they all do have influences in terms of cooking styles and flavours that go back to the international cultures. You will notice that meat is the base of every dish. The Aussies like to involve meat in all their dishes. It reflects perfectly well with their meals. If you do enjoy variations in meat, you will be happy to know that they have such provisions made. In fact, the cattle business is high in this region due to the constant demand for cattle meat of all kind. Sydney is also high on seafood as it is located close to the harbour. In fact, you can visit Darling Harbour's Cargo Bar, Sydney Opera House's Opera Bar and to get some amazing breakfast at Pancakes on the Rocks. You can further extend your food expedition by visiting the city during their food festivals. From Sydney's Night Noodles Markets to Taste of Sydney, these festivals celebrate food, and you will get to savour the most.

How to reach Sydney

Flight connectivity to Sydney from India is quite good with multitudes of flights flying in and out of the country regularly. However, there are no direct flights that fly to Sydney and requires changing of routes. The most popular route to Sydney from India is via Hong Kong. Airlines such as Qatar Airways and Cathay Pacific use the Hong Kong international route to reach Sydney. By flying from these airlines, you will have only one flight to change to reach Sydney. From Hong Kong, you can change flights to Sydney and make it in about 18 hours. The layover in Hong Kong is usually for two hours. There are airlines that take the Singapore route as well to reach Sydney. Airlines such as Qantas Airways and Singapore Airlines use this international route to reach Sydney and have layovers of about an hour or two before they fly from Singapore. The flight duration to Sydney from Mumbai, via the Singapore route, would take approximately 15 to 18 hours to reach. However, sometimes, due to unavailability of direct flights to Sydney from Singapore or Hong Kong could lead the airlines to take a second layover at Melbourne so they can connect to the country's capital.

Travelling to Sydney is rather time-consuming, but the flight tickets are decently priced. If you book your flight tickets to Sydney well in advance, you will be able to enjoy some amazing online flight deals. There might be some discounts for tickets to Sydney, which you can avail as long as you make the right choice of flights and airlines. Make sure that you also book your hotels in Sydney while you're getting your travel sorted. There are a plethora of cheap flights to Sydney that you will find if you peruse through thoroughly. Depending on the season and peak time, the ticket costs will see a spike and drop. You will have to ensure that you make a note of these things before you make your flight bookings. The city has multitudes of options for hotel accommodations. It ranges from ultra-exquisite to cheap and decent, for you to choose from. Again, booking your hotels in Sydney, well in advance will only be beneficial to you as that would give you many offers and deals to enjoy.

  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 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.