West Bay

West Bay is the skyline on every postcard of Doha: a dense grid of office and residential towers between the Corniche and the diplomatic quarter. Al Dafna holds most of the corporate floors, with serviced apartments and hotel residences layered above them. It suits people who want to walk to work and be on the water in five minutes.

West Bay grew out of reclaimed land in the 1970s and became Doha's business district by design rather than by accident. Al Dafna holds the corporate towers and the embassies; the Corniche runs along its eastern edge; and the residential stock is mostly high-floor apartments and hotel residences layered into the same towers as the offices.

• Doha Corniche

  Seven kilometres of waterfront promenade along the bay.

• City Center Doha

  The district's main mall, central to Al Dafna.

• Doha Exhibition & Convention Centre

  Qatar's principal trade and conference venue.

• Al Bidda Park

  The green edge between West Bay and the old city.

• Three Red Line stations serve the district — DECC, West Bay and Corniche — so most towers are a walk from the metro.

• Hamad International Airport is about 20 km by road via the E-Ring.

Almost everything here is an apartment, and a large share is let furnished to corporate tenants on company accounts — which keeps rents firm and voids short. Buying is possible in designated towers rather than across the district, so check the tenure of any specific building before you go far.