Mina District
Pastel waterfront lanes at Old Doha Port — cruise terminal, Box Park containers and Chabrat Al Mina fish market.
The Mina District transforms Doha's former port into a strollable neighbourhood of cobbled streets and pastel façades facing the water. A new cruise terminal welcomes winter ships; Box Park stacks painted shipping containers into shop units; and Chabrat Al Mina combines a glass-roofed fish market with a restaurant where chefs cook the day's catch.
Some fifty cafés and restaurants and about a hundred shops fill the district, with hotel apartments for pre- or post-cruise stays. Flag Plaza, the Museum of Islamic Art and Souq Waqif lie within walking distance along the Corniche.
Exhibo editorial
Mina is Doha's answer to a Mediterranean harbour village — slightly stage-managed, but cheerful and very photogenic at golden hour.
Come hungry, walk the waterfront before dinner, and do not skip the fish market hall even if you are eating elsewhere.
How to find it
Doha Corniche, Old Doha Port. ~20 minutes' walk from National Museum metro (Gold Line). Parking at Mina and Box Park.
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