Doha with Children

Villaggio Mall makes a fantastic destination for families with children because in addition to the hundreds of stores, the mall has its own theme park. Gondolania Indoor Theme Park, the largest family entertainment center in Doha, offers attractions such as the classic Ferris wheel, 12-lane Bowling alley, bumper cars, a roller coaster, kiddie rides, a state-of-the-art Go Kart Racing, billiard tables, 4D Theater, free-fall drop tower, a horror-themed monorail, a large soft-play area, and an impressive array of simulation games. Just outside Gondolania, the mall offers an Olympic-size ice skating rink (skates and helmets available for rent) and a Venetian-inspired Gondola Boat Ride that takes the whole family around the mall—gondolier clad in red and white striped shirt, included.

Megapolis, a newly opened state-of-the-art entertainment center, located at The Pearl, offers an impressive array of arcade games and indoor attractions like golf (with its own in-house PGA instructor), bowling, snooker tables, an elegant billiards salon, private karaoke rooms and darts. It also offers high-tech games, and a vast extreme action zone with ultra-modern simulators for anything from F1 race cars to Boeing 747 and F16 Fighter jets. Hungry after all this fun? No worries, Megapolis has a high end food court with a Sushi Bar and a wide selection of fine snacking and sophisticated food & beverages.

Jungle Zone, located next to the food court at Hyatt Plaza, is an indoor theme park with attractions including roller coasters, also bumper cars, a racetrack and bumper boats, video games, indoor water ride, a zip line, and carnival games. As an animal-themed children’s attraction, the employees dress as playful jungle animals. One of the Jungle’s main attraction is the 7D Dark Ride, a multisensory game/ride. There is also a small soft play area for toddlers and a nifty nest art area where kids can draw, color or just have a quiet time. It’s open 12:00 to 22:00 Sunday to Wednesday, 13:00 to 23:00 Thursday and Friday, 10:00 to 22:00 Saturday, 9:00 to 12:00 on weekdays during scheduled school visits.

Landmark Shopping Mall is not just a place for shopping. Children have their own Circus Land Park to enjoy themselves. This fun-filled, circus-themed park offers six major attractions, including a traditional horse carousel, a playful airplane flyover, an inflatable slide, a variety of simulators and video games, trampoline beds, bumper cars and an impressive four-story soft play area. And for the hungry kids, just outside Circus Land is a spacious food court offering some of the world’s best known franchises in the fast food industry. For the kiddos in need of a trim, Little Jungle Kid’s Salon offers lots of toys and games while their little clients get a haircut.

Al Khor Park, one of the oldest in the country, has recently opened after having been closed for the last six years while undergoing a QR250 million renovation ($68 million). The new park has an aviary, well-manicured green spaces, a waterfall, water fountains, a miniature golf course, a battery-operated train that can hold 36 people, and a small zoo with oryx, emu, zebras and exotic birds, among others. There is also a large children’s play area, a basketball court, amphitheater, skating area, 26 restrooms, and a couple of cafeterias. The park is open daily—except Friday mornings--from 8am to 10pm daily. The entry is QR5 ($1.4)

Umm Bab Family beach, is located 80 miles west of Doha. Umm Bab Beach is part of a vast natural reserve called Alreem natural reserve. The beach is also known as “Palm Tree Beach” because of the small cluster of palms at the end of the road alongside the small pier. The beach is ideal for camping with young ones because it has its own fenced beach area for families, toilets and kids’ playground, the water is shallow and the beach is very private, without being off the beaten path. To get there, drive west on Salwa road for about 60 miles until you see the sign for Umm Bab. You’ll have to drive north into the town and then south to the beach. N25 12.401 E50 46.067