Bahrain — Where to Go
Top Things to See
Bahrain National Museum
Unlock the past at the excellent Bahrain National Museum before venturing beyond Manama to find traces of Dilmun, Bahrain's ancient civilization.
Tombs of Sar and A'Ali
Visit the honeycomb tombs of Sar and the extraordinary town of A'Ali where 170,000 ancient burial mounds lump and bump the landscape, occupying 5% of Bahrain's land mass.
The House of Beit al-Jasra
The House of Beit al-Jasra is the birthplace of the ruler of Bahrain and a wonderful example of traditional Bahraini architecture. Developed in 1907 and constructed with exquisite external simplicity, it is built from local materials such as coral stone.
Bahrain Fort
Take a Portuguese-eyed view of the sea from the strategic Bahrain Fort, built in the 16th-century and recently restored to its former no-nonsense grandeur.
Al-Areen Wildlife Park & Reserve
Experience the harsh reality of the desert on the edge of the Al-Areen Wildlife Park & Reserve (with a resident herd of Arabian oryx) before the new developments in the area turn the wilderness into a garden.
Tree of Life
Sit under the Tree of Life - an ancient mesquite tree that stands in an otherwise treeless desert.
Oil Museum
The Oil Museum was built in 1992 to com mark the 60th anniversary of the discovery of oil. Its grand white building is quaintly at odds with the nodding donkeys and sprawling pipelines of the neighboring vicinity.
Top Things to Do
Muharraq
Discover the wind towers (traditional air cooling systems) of Muharraq's old houses in a walk around the island's atmospheric backstreets.
King Fahd Causeway
Drive halfway to Saudi Arabia and stop for an egg rollup and coffee at the King Fahd Causeway tower restaurant; from here you can admire the 27km (16 mile), four-lane causeway with its 12,430m viaducts in all its engineering glory.
Bab al Bahrain
Get lost in the souks around Bab al Bahrain and enjoy the nosegays of cardamom coffee, apricot sheesha, sizzling kebabs and heady incense-laced perfumes.
Adliya
Buy a copy of Bahrain Hotel & Restaurant Guide and tick off the hip cocktail bars, Arabian retro restaurants and divine pastry houses of Adliya.
Formula One
Drive a lap of the circuit on the 90-minute tour of the Formula One Racetrack and see where champions are sprayed local style with pomegranate and rose-water instead of champagne.
Gold City
Barter for bangles at Bahrain's glittering Gold City in central Manama, a collection of gold shops that will bedazzle even the most jaded of travelers to the Middle East.
Pearls
Learn about the formation of pearls and the industry that once sustained this and neighboring nations at the Museum of Pearl Diving; better still, don a nose peg and dive for the perfect pearl with the help of Aquatique Scuba Center.
Hawar Islands
Take a 40-minute boat ride to the Hawar Islands and look out for the dolphins who play in the calm Gulf seas while flamingos stalk through the shallow waters.
