Muharraq
The old pearling town of Bahrain, on the island where the airport lies, with merchants’ houses on a UNESCO trail, a ruler’s house cooled by a wind tower, and new beaches at Marassi.
- Arrival
- Bahrain International · BAH
- To the town
- The airport is on Muharraq Island
- Private jets
- Awal Private Terminal at BAH
- Best time
- October to April
The city
Where the pearl boats set out.
Muharraq has more than once been the capital of Bahrain, and for centuries it lived by the oyster beds offshore. When pearling faded in the 1930s, the houses of the merchants remained; seventeen of them, with shops, storehouses and a mosque, were listed by UNESCO in 2012 and are linked by a walk through the old lanes.
Arrival could hardly be simpler: the airport sits on the same island, under three kilometres from the old town. Come between October and April, when highs run from 20 to 34 °C; in summer the island bakes at 37 to 39 °C.
Arriving
The airport on the island.
Bahrain International is on Muharraq Island itself, so the old town, the hotels of Marassi and the causeways to Manama are all close at hand.
- Abu Dhabi 55 min
- Dubai 1 h 00
- Almaty 4 h 15
- Kigali 5 h 15
- Tokyo 11 h 00 long-range jet
When to go
October to April.
The island is hot, and dry or humid by turns. From October to April the days are 20 to 34 °C, with the little rain falling between November and March. Summer highs reach 39 °C, and the sea warms to 34 °C in August.
- 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 Muharraq.
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Landmark
Pearling Path
Three and a half kilometres from the shore at Bu Mahir to the Siyadi family’s mosque and majlis, past the houses of pearl merchants and divers.
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Landmark
Qal’at Bu Mahir
The fort on the southern tip of the island, where the boats left for the oyster beds.
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Landmark
Sheikh Isa bin Ali House
Built around 1800, with twenty-six rooms in four wings around courtyards and a badgir catching the breeze.
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Culture
Arad Fort
Square, with a tower at each corner and a moat, this fort of the late fifteenth century was held by the Portuguese from 1521.
Official site -
Opera & music
Shaikh Ebrahim Center for Culture and Research
Opened in 2002, the centre has restored more than twenty old houses of Muharraq, among them a music house and a hall for concerts.
Official site -
Culture
Bahrain National Museum
On a peninsula facing Muharraq since 1988, its six halls cover some 5,000 years, from Dilmun seals and burial finds to old Qur'ans.
Official site -
Culture
Qal'at al-Bahrain
A twelve metre mound of successive settlements from about 2300 BC, crowned by the Portuguese fort and inscribed by UNESCO in 2005.
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Racing & sport
Rashid Equestrian and Horseracing Club
Thoroughbreds race here on day, twilight and floodlit cards, including the Bahrain International Trophy each November.
Official site -
Golf
The Royal Golf Club
Colin Montgomerie designed this 18 hole course, which hosts the DP World Tour's Bahrain Championship.
Official site
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 27 km away
In 4 months
Where to stay
On Marassi beach, by the airport, or across the water.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
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Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay A tower with two MICHELIN Keys on its own island in the bay, joined to the shore by a short bridge.
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Address Beach Resort Bahrain One hundred and seventeen rooms on the Marassi beach, with a floating waterpark offshore and direct access to the Marassi Galleria.
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The Ritz-Carlton, Bahrain Seafront villas with infinity pools, a lagoon and a marina on the Manama shore.
- Mövenpick Hotel Bahrain A hundred and six rooms just across from the terminals, with a 576-square-metre infinity pool and rooms looking over the lagoon.
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The Merchant House Across the causeway in the capital, and holder of one MICHELIN Key.
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; CUT and re Asian are among Bahrain Confidential’s best restaurants of 2025, and La Table Krug is the fine-dining room of The Ritz-Carlton.
- Lyra MENA’s 50 Best, No. 48 Greek Vida Beach Resort, Marassi Al Bahrain
- CUT by Wolfgang Puck Bahrain Confidential Best Restaurants 2025 Steakhouse Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, about 4 km across the water
- re Asian Cuisine Bahrain Confidential Best Restaurants 2025 Modern Asian, omakase Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, about 4 km across the water
- La Table Krug Signature restaurant, The Ritz-Carlton, Bahrain Champagne-led fine dining The Ritz-Carlton, Seef, Manama
Elsewhere in Bahrain
More reasons to come.
Flying to Muharraq?
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.