The Museum of Islamic Art stands on its own island at the end of the Doha Corniche. Designed by I. M. Pei and opened in 2008, the building of pale stone was inspired by the ablution fountain of a mosque in Cairo. Its collection covers 1,400 years of art from three continents, with manuscripts, ceramics, metalwork, textiles and jewels. A park beside it looks across to West Bay.

The Doha Corniche is a waterfront promenade that curves for about seven kilometres around Doha Bay. It runs from the Museum of Islamic Art to the towers of West Bay. Palm trees and lawns line the path, and wooden dhows are moored along it. It is used for walking and running, and for national day parades. The skyline view is best at dusk.

Souq Waqif, the standing market, has been a trading place in Doha for more than a century. Bedouin once brought sheep, goats and wool here. It was rebuilt in the 2000s in traditional style, with mud-rendered walls and timber beams. Its lanes sell spices, perfumes, cloth and sweets, and there is a falcon souq with a falcon hospital. In the evening its cafes fill up.

Al Koot Fort, also called the Doha Fort, stands in the middle of the Souq Waqif area. It was built in 1927 by Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani as a police post to protect the market from thieves, and was later used as a jail. The white fort has a square plan with three round towers and one rectangular tower at the corners.

The National Museum of Qatar opened in 2019. French architect Jean Nouvel designed it as a cluster of large interlocking discs, modelled on the desert rose crystal found in Qatar's sands. The building wraps around the restored palace of Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani. Its galleries tell the country's story, from geology and desert life to pearling and oil.

Msheireb Downtown Doha is a rebuilt district in the old centre of the city, next to Souq Waqif. It replaced a run-down quarter with modern buildings that borrow from Qatari design, with shaded streets and courtyards. A tram runs through it. Four restored heritage houses form the Msheireb Museums, which tell the history of Doha and its people.

Katara Cultural Village lies on the coast between West Bay and the Pearl. Opened in 2010, it takes its name from an ancient name for Qatar. Its lanes hold galleries, theatres, an opera house and a large open amphitheatre facing the sea. It also has a mosque covered in blue and gold tiles, tall pigeon towers and a public beach.

The Pearl-Qatar is an artificial island of nearly four square kilometres off the West Bay coast of Doha. Building began in 2004 on a former pearl diving site. It has marinas ringed by apartment towers, shops and restaurants. The Qanat Quartier district is built in a Venetian style with canals and coloured houses. It was the first land in Qatar open to foreign ownership.