Doha

Doha has spent two decades buying and building culture, and the result is better than its reputation: the Museum of Islamic Art is among the finest collections anywhere, the National Museum is an extraordinary building, and the restored Souq Waqif is a genuine evening rather than a reconstruction. The desert at Khor Al Adaid, where the sea meets the dunes, is an hour south. It works as a stopover of two or three nights or as a short winter break. The season is November to March; the summer is not survivable outdoors.