Sakhir
The desert heart of Bahrain, where the Gulf’s first Formula 1 circuit runs under floodlights, a lone tree has stood for four centuries, and the west-coast beach resorts are a few minutes away.
- Arrival
- Bahrain International · BAH
- To Sakhir
- About 30 minutes from BAH by car
- Private jets
- Awal Private Terminal at BAH
- Best time
- October to April
The city
The circuit, the desert and the west coast.
Sakhir is the open south of the main island, where Hermann Tilke’s circuit was opened in March 2004 and staged the first Formula 1 race in the Middle East less than three weeks later; since 2014 the Grand Prix has been run at night. Around it lie the reserve where Arabian oryx are bred, the low hill of Jebel Dukhan, and the coast road to Zallaq.
The months to choose are October to April, with afternoons from 20 to 34 °C and a Gulf still warm enough for swimming in autumn. Summer is long and harsh, at 37 to 39 °C from June to September.
Arriving
Land on Muharraq, drive south.
Bahrain International is on Muharraq Island, about half an hour by car from Sakhir and the Zallaq beaches. Both airline and private flights land there.
- Abu Dhabi 55 min
- Jeddah 2 h 00
- Mumbai 3 h 30
- Paris 6 h 35 long-range jet
- Bangkok 7 h 15 long-range jet
When to go
October to April.
An island desert climate. October to April is comfortable, with highs of 20 to 34 °C and a few winter showers. From May the heat rises above 35 °C, and August brings 39 °C with the sea at 34 °C.
- 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 Sakhir.
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Landmark
Bahrain International Circuit
A Grand Prix lap of 5.4 kilometres and stands for 70,000, raced under lights since 2014.
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Landmark
Tree of Life
A single tree almost ten metres tall on a sandy rise, dated to the 1580s, with no certain source of water.
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Landmark
Mohammed bin Zayed Nature Reserve
The former Al Areen reserve, four square kilometres open to visitors since 1976, where the Arabian oryx and Bahraini reem are protected.
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Racing & sport
Rashid Equestrian and Horseracing Club
Founded in 1977 and on its present site since 1981, the racecourse runs day, twilight and floodlit meetings, with the Bahrain International Trophy in November.
Official site -
Golf
The Royal Golf Club
An 18 hole course by Colin Montgomerie at Riffa Views, home to the DP World Tour's Bahrain Championship.
Official site -
Culture
Dilmun Burial Mounds
Thousands of Bronze Age grave mounds, with the royal tombs of A'ali among them, were inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 2019.
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Culture
Qal'at al-Bahrain
Layers of settlement from about 2300 BC form a mound twelve metres high, topped by the Portuguese fort that gave the site its name.
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Culture
Bahrain National Museum
Six permanent halls trace some 5,000 years of the islands, with Dilmun stamp seals, temple finds and a hall of graves.
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
In 4 months
Where to stay
On the Zallaq shore, or in the capital.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
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Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay One of only two hotels in Bahrain with two MICHELIN Keys, standing on an island of its own off the capital.
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Sofitel Bahrain Zallaq Thalassa Sea & Spa Two hundred and sixty-two rooms and four water villas, with a seawater thalassotherapy centre, the only one in the Gulf according to the MICHELIN Guide.
- Jumeirah Gulf of Bahrain Resort & Spa A west-coast resort with eight restaurants, a Talise spa, a small cinema, and an eleven-bedroom summer house right on the beach.
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The Ritz-Carlton, Bahrain A city resort with its own lagoon, marina and private beach, close to the capital’s restaurants.
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Raffles Al Areen Palace Bahrain An all-villa retreat with butlers and a palace botanist, two MICHELIN Keys, and the circuit as a near neighbour.
Where to dine
The best tables, up in Manama.
No MICHELIN guide covers Bahrain. 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; all three are in Manama.
- CUT by Wolfgang Puck Bahrain Confidential Best Restaurants 2025 Steakhouse Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, about 23 km north
- re Asian Cuisine Bahrain Confidential Best Restaurants 2025 Modern Asian, omakase Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, about 23 km north
- La Table Krug Signature restaurant, The Ritz-Carlton, Bahrain Champagne-led fine dining The Ritz-Carlton, Seef, about 23 km north
Elsewhere in Bahrain
More reasons to come.
Flying to Sakhir?
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.