If flying in and out of Doha, is it worth adding some time between the connections and visit Doha for maybe 12 hours or so? It would also involve getting a visa at the airport.

Are taxis as cheap as in Dubai but less honest?

If you ever have the chance to visit Doha... Don't.

Doha: not worth it particularly at this time of the year. It gets a bit better during winter.

Taxis: cheap but not reliable. Uber is generally similar priced but more reliable.

I'd have a look, might as well - West Bay, corniche, maybe the falcon market. 12 hours is plenty (in fact way too much unless you're doing brunch, in which case the Westin's is good). Taxis are cheap like Dubai and fully metered but the drivers don't know where they're going a lot of the time. Their GPS doesn't seem to help. Taxis are the same colour as Joey Deacon's car. Away from the new bits of town you could be in Saudi, e.g. the piles of rubble and streets blocked with prayer mats on a Friday morning.

P.S. If you have a transit of (I think) 5 hours or more there's a desk, in the shopping area airside, where you can book a free city tour. They last about 2 hours and there's no visa cost, but places are limited so first come first served on the day. Otherwise, if you DIY it, it costs QAR 100 for the tourist visa - pay by CC at passport control.

I go to Doha frequently for work. The answer depends on what you're looking for.

If you've never been in the Middle East before, then you might enjoy a half day layover in Doha to visit Souk Waqif for a meal and to poke around the souk. There's also an Islamic art museum that's half decent. A view of the West Bay skyline from the corniche. Those three sights are within close proximity of each other.

If it's summer or Ramadan, avoid at all cost.

couldn't agree more - it truly is a sh*thole

Nothing to see in Qatar except your bank balance at the end of the month .

if you're a museum fiend, and in the summer that's probably a good person to be, then both the Museum of Islamic Art and the Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani Museum are worth visiting. The latter is astonishing and can only be seen on a guided tour which will take about 2 hours. It's out of town but one of the most eclectic collections in the Middle East.

Agree about the Sheikh Faisal Museum - it is pretty amazing. I think its basically a private collection of art, cars and other eclectic items (phone in advance).

also worth a look is Katara the cultural village north of Westbay.

as others have said Souk Wakif is also worth a look. I know they rebuilt a lot of it recently but to me it really has the feel of traditional Arabian souk (Not that I'd know what the real thing is like but it's the best I've seen in the GCC)