Manama
An island capital built on pearls and trade, with the mound of ancient Dilmun on its northern shore, a 1949 gateway to the souq, and a private terminal in the building that was once the kingdom’s airport.
- Arrival
- Bahrain International · BAH
- To the city
- Across the Shaikh Isa Causeway from Muharraq
- Private jets
- Awal Private Terminal at BAH
- Best time
- October to April
The city
Dilmun, pearls and the Bay.
Manama is named in records of the 1330s. The Portuguese held it from the early sixteenth century until the Safavids drove them out in 1602, and well into the twentieth century the town lived largely by pearling. Today some 740,000 people live in the capital, and reclamation has pushed the waterline kilometres beyond the old gate of the souq, out to Bahrain Bay and its island hotel.
October to April is the season, with afternoons of 20 to 34 °C and a sea that is still 30 °C in October. Winter brings a few showers, never much. From May the highs pass 35 °C, and in August the Gulf reaches 34 °C.
Arriving
Bahrain International and the Awal terminal.
Bahrain International is on Muharraq Island, joined to Manama by the Shaikh Isa Causeway. A new passenger terminal opened in January 2021, and private flights use their own building on the same airfield.
- Abu Dhabi 55 min
- Muscat 1 h 25
- Nice 5 h 55
- Frankfurt 6 h 05
- Shanghai 9 h 10 long-range jet
When to go
October to April.
Hot and dry, with a short mild winter. January is the coolest month at about 20 °C; July and August reach 39 °C, and heat and humidity are at their most oppressive from July to September.
- 20° J 20 19°
- 22° F 16 18°
- 25° M 18 20°
- 30° A 9 23°
- 35° M 1 28°
- 37° J 0 30°
- 39° J 0 32°
- 39° A 0 34°
- 37° S 0 32°
- 34° O 1 30°
- 28° N 6 26°
- 23° D 13 22°
What to see and do
Days in and around Manama.
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Landmark
Qal’at al-Bahrain
A mound twelve metres high, layered with settlement since about 2300 BC and once the capital of Dilmun.
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Landmark
Bab Al Bahrain
Charles Belgrave’s gateway of 1949, built on the shore and now well inland, opening onto Manama Souq.
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Landmark
Bahrain National Museum
A whole Dilmun burial mound brought from A’ali and rebuilt indoors, beside the water facing Muharraq.
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Culture
Pearling Path
Listed by UNESCO in 2012, a walk of about 3.5 km through old Muharraq links seventeen merchants' houses, shops and a mosque from the pearling era to the Siyadi complex.
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Culture
Al Fateh Grand Mosque
Built in the late 1980s in Juffair for more than 7,000 worshippers under a fibreglass dome, the mosque welcomes visitors with guided tours every day except Friday.
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Culture
Beit Al Quran
Since 1990 this museum in Hoora has kept about 10,000 manuscripts spanning fourteen centuries, the oldest from the seventh century.
Official site -
Opera & music
National Theatre of Bahrain
Plácido Domingo opened the waterfront house in November 2012, and its 1,001-seat auditorium now stages concerts, ballet and theatre.
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Racing & sport
Bahrain International Circuit
Home of the Bahrain Grand Prix, the Sakhir circuit runs a daily programme of circuit tours, karting on its 1.4 km kart track and off-road rides.
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Golf
The Royal Golf Club
Colin Montgomerie designed the championship course at Riffa, eighteen holes and 7,102 yards, with the nine-hole Wee Monty alongside.
Official site -
Wildlife
Mohammed bin Zayed Nature Reserve
Founded in 1976 as Al Areen Wildlife Park and renamed in 2025, the reserve at Zallaq shelters Arabian oryx, sand gazelle and birds over more than five square kilometres.
On the calendar
A date to plan around.
Dates as published by the organisers. Runways, hotels and slots fill early around these weeks: the sooner we know, the more choice you have.
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12–14 Mar 2027
Formula 1
Bahrain Grand Prix
Round 1 of the 24-round 2027 Formula 1 World Championship, held at Bahrain International Circuit with a Sprint race.
Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, about 23 km away
In 4 months
Where to stay
From the Bay to the west coast.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
- Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay An H-shaped tower on its own island, reached by a short bridge, with a white-sand beach and two MICHELIN Keys.
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The Ritz-Carlton, Bahrain Two hundred and sixty rooms and seafront villas with their own infinity pools, beside a private beach, lagoon and marina.
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Address Beach Resort Bahrain A private beach on the island of Diyar Al Muharraq, 15 to 20 minutes from Manama, with Cipriani and Sumosan among its restaurants.
- Sofitel Bahrain Zallaq Thalassa Sea & Spa Built directly on the beach, with a seawater thalassotherapy centre and the Bahrain International Circuit five minutes away by car.
- Gulf Hotel Convention and SPA Open since 1969 and looking over the Grand Mosque, with Persian, Japanese and Indian kitchens and a spa on three floors.
- The Westin City Centre Bahrain Two hundred rooms joined to City Centre Bahrain and its 340 shops; the spa on the third floor has a hammam.
- Downtown Rotana Its 243 rooms are in the financial district by Bab Al Bahrain, and the Alto lounge and the pool are on the roof.
- Crowne Plaza Manama A business hotel of 278 rooms among the embassies and banks, attached to the Bahrain Conference Centre.
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Raffles Al Areen Palace Bahrain Seventy-eight walled villas, each with its own pool, the first all-villa hotel in Bahrain, holding two MICHELIN Keys.
- The Merchant House In the capital itself, and one of only three hotels in Bahrain to hold a MICHELIN Key in 2026.
Where to dine
The best tables on the island.
No MICHELIN guide covers Bahrain. Lyra is ranked by Middle East & North Africa’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026; the others are hotel and chef tables from the Bahrain Confidential dining guide.
- Lyra MENA’s 50 Best, No. 48 Greek Vida Beach Resort, Marassi Al Bahrain
- CUT by Wolfgang Puck Bahrain Confidential Steakhouse Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay
- re/Asian Cuisine Bahrain Confidential Asian Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, 50th floor
- Masso Bahrain Confidential Italian and Mediterranean Palmyard Hotel, Manama
Elsewhere in Bahrain
More reasons to come.
Flying to Manama?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.