Bahrain
Discover Bahrain
The Kingdom of Bahrain (Arabic: البحرين , al-Baḥrayn) is a Middle Eastern archipelago in the Persian Gulf, tucked into a pocket of the sea flanked by Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The kingdom combines modern Arab culture and the archaeological legacy of 5,000 years of civilisation. The island is home to forts including Qalat Al Bahrain, which has been listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The Bahrain National Museum has artefacts from the country's history dating back to the island's first human inhabitants some 9,000 years ago and the Beit Al Quran is a museum that holds Islamic artefacts of the Qur'an. Some of the popular historical tourist attractions in the kingdom are Al Khamis Mosque, which is one of the oldest mosques in the region, the Arad Fort in Muharraq, Barbar Temple, which is an ancient temple from the Dilmunite period of Bahrain, and the A'ali Burial Mounds and the Saar Temple. The Tree of Life, a 400-year-old tree that grows in the Sakhir desert with no nearby water, is also a popular tourist attraction.
Taste of Bahrain...
Bahrain has an impressive dining scene, with numerous restaurants to choose from. The main dining area is Adliya, where you can take your pick among numerous cafes, trendy lounges and restaurants. There are also traditional Arabic restaurants around the country. Restaurants in Bahrain run the gamut from cheap stalls offering local food to fancy restaurants in fancy hotels. American fast food franchises are ubiquitous. Western (mostly American) style-foods and franchises can be found around the malls and in the city centre, offering food for upper mid-range prices. There is even a popular alley in Juffair called 'Americans' Alley', due to the huge variety of American-based restaurants in that area. In Ramadan, restaurants are closed during daylight – while they may appear to be open after lunchtime, that's actually them preparing for the meal that breaks the fast, so you will not be able to order anything until Iftar. Traditional Bahraini food is very hard to find in restaurants, and is typically confined to the homes of locals. If you have Bahraini friends, being invited home for a meal is the best chance you have to sample the local cuisine. Home delivery (that is, having food delivered to your place of residence) is offered by the restaurants in some cases. With the pandemic, the popularity of third-party delivery services (the most popular being Talabat) exploded and the majority of restaurants support home delivery today, if not by the establishment themselves.
A Rich Past
Explore the historical roots that shaped Bahrain into what it is today.
Bahrain has a rich history going back 5,000 years and was the site of the ancient Dilmun civilization. As one of the earliest places to convert to Islam, Bahrain was famous for its pearling industry. After a period of Arab and Persian rule, it was then ruled by the Portuguese Empire. The House of Khalifa has ruled Bahrain since 1783. Following successive treaties, Bahrain remained a British protectorate until its independence in 1971. Since then, it has been ruled by a constitutional monarchy. Arabic is the official language, although English and Persian (Farsi) are widely spoken. Urdu and Hindi are also understood by South Asian expatriates, with Malayalam being another popular language. The local dialect, the Bahrani dialect, is native to the island. However, nationals learn Modern Standard Arabic in school, so you could go around with MSA skills. English is also spoken widely to varying levels. Citizens of 69 countries may obtain a 14-day visa-on-arrival, while citizens of 114 countries, including all those eligible for a visa-on-arrival, are eligible to apply for a 14-day online visa. Check the web-site of the Ministry of Interior for the latest details. If your nationality is not eligible for either of these, or if you are visiting for purposes other than tourism or business, you will require a sponsor in Bahrain to file your visa application for you....
Climate
The best time to visit Bahrain is November–March, with October and April being just bearable. Take along a sweater during December–February as evenings can be cool (about 15 °C/60 °F). Bahrain's summer, May–September, is very hot and humid, though occasional cool northerly winds provide some relief. More frequent are the qaws, the hot, dry summer winds that can bring sandstorms. Rain is occasional, and happens only in the winter season. Bahrain has a rich history going back 5,000 years and was the site of the ancient Dilmun civilization. As one of the earliest places to convert to Islam, Bahrain was famous for its pearling industry. After a period of Arab and Persian rule, it was then ruled by the Portuguese Empire. The House of Khalifa has ruled Bahrain since 1783. Following successive treaties, Bahrain remained a British protectorate until its independence in 1971. Since then, it has been ruled by a constitutional monarchy.
Essential Information
Best Time to Visit
Nov – Aprbest time to visit Bahrain is November–March, with October and April being just bearable....
Getting There
Multiple OptionsCitizens of 69 countries may obtain a 14-day visa-on-arrival, while citizens of 114 countries, including all those eligible for a visa-on-arrival, are eligible to apply for a 14-day online visa. Check the web-site of the Ministry of Interior for the latest details. If your nationality is not eligible for either of these, or if you are visiting for purposes other than tourism or business, you will require a sponsor in Bahrain to file your visa application for you. With the normalisation of relations between Bahrain and Israel in 2020, Israeli citizens are now eligible for the online visa. The cost of visa on arrival is 5BD, while an e-Visa costs 9BD. At airport you just obtain and pay for your visa on arrival as you go through the regular immigration, thus there is no point in getting an e-Visa of you're eligible for visa on arrival....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
The official rates start at BD 1 plus 0.200 fils per kilometre. Cabbies will often ask for ridiculous prices. Most taxis now use their meters. The airport gives guidelines as to the official way of calculating taxi fares. An extra BD 2 will be added if you take a taxi waiting at the airport. On the whole taxis offer a good service but you do encounter some bandits. When travelling from the airport always use the white with red roof or London-style taxis. There is a rule if the meter is not used there is no charge; hold your ground on this and call the police, and the driver will cooperate very quickly with the correct fare for the trip. Finding a taxi can be difficult, although major hotels and malls usually have a few waiting outside.
Money & Budget
The currency in Bahrain is the Bahraini dinar, denoted by the symbol " .د.ب " or "BD" (ISO code: BHD). It is divided into 1000 fils. One dinar is worth US$2.66, as the exchange rate is fixed, making this one of the world's highest-valued currencies (second only to Kuwait). This can take some getting used to: that seemingly cheap BD 10 taxi ride is in fact almost US$27 and thus an extortionate rip-off. The dinar is a fully convertible currency, and there are no restrictions on its import or export. Coins are issued in denominations of 5 fils, 10 fils, 25 fils, 50 fils and 100 fils (500 fils coins are rarely seen, but are valid). Banknotes are issued in denominations of 500 fils (BD 1/2), BD 1, BD 5, BD 10 and BD 20.
Language & Talk
Arabic is the official language, although English and Persian (Farsi) are widely spoken. Urdu and Hindi are also understood by South Asian expatriates, with Malayalam being another popular language. The local dialect, the Bahrani dialect, is native to the island. However, nationals learn Modern Standard Arabic in school, so you could go around with MSA skills. English is also spoken widely to varying levels. Citizens of 69 countries may obtain a 14-day visa-on-arrival, while citizens of 114 countries, including all those eligible for a visa-on-arrival, are eligible to apply for a 14-day online visa. Check the web-site of the Ministry of Interior for the latest details.
Safety Information
Safety Overview
During 2011, a state of near civil war broke out in Bahrain, with many deaths, hundreds of injuries, and a large number of activists and health professionals arrested and tortured. Though the crisis has mostly died down since then, problems occasionally occur, and visitors should be cautious when visiting sensitive areas (black billowing smoke from burning tyres is a telltale sign that something is wrong there). Pregnant women without a marriage certificate should consider their legal situation; pregnancy outside marriage can lead to a conviction. Also consult the hospital at your destination to ensure access to emergency care. Islamic Sharia law applies in certain cases, including alcohol abuse, adultery (extramarital affairs) and homosexuality. The "wearing of gender-unconforming clothing" is also prohibited. However, compared to neighboring Saudi Arabia, the laws are much more permissive, and therefore some Western expatriates who work in Saudi Arabia prefer to live in Bahrain.