Riches are the first thing that comes to everyone’s mind when most people think of the Arab world. However, I’d like to add here that besides all of its oil reserves, luxury hotels, glittering gold, and everything expensive, I found Bahrain rich in culture, too. Wandering through the following 8 locations like the intrepid tourist that I am, I could sense the wisps of Arabian culture and the evolution of Bahrain to be just as fresh as anyone would think.
Let’s get down to the list of my top 10 things to do in Bahrain, shall we?
1. Say hi to the history at the Bahrain National Museum
Hitting on its cultural fabric, I first managed to visit a museum. Not just any museum, but the most popular and diverse museum of all the museums in Bahrain. Its postmodern building had much in store for me and I was literally dazzled by the type of landscaping that’s been done here. My favorite sights from the museum are the archeological relics from Dilmun Civilization and the temporary exhibits on tales.
By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander
Last weekend, a colleague and I went to Manama in Bahrain to renew our Saudi visa. I’ve been to Bahrain 4 times already and I stayed 3-4 nights in each visit. There’s nothing much to do in Bahrain, really. You can even explore the whole country in half a day!
Manama is called “Saudi Bar” by the local Saudis I know here. When they want to have “fun”, they go to Bahrain. Sure, shopping in Bahrain is great, too! They have shopping malls everywhere!. And oh, even if the shops claim to be on sale, the prices are still bad for your wallet.
On our second day in the city, my colleague rented a car and we drove around the city. Traffic was freakin’ terrible and it’s so hard to find a gas station in country whose economy depends on gas! And even the locals don’t know where the nearest gas station is!
I was in Manama (Bahrain) for three days and two nights–and the whole time I was there, it rained. It did stop a few times during the day but it’s murky cloudy and then rain showers would come back and forth. I didn’t really explored the city much, except visiting the old Bahrain Fort, hiring a taxi to King Fahd Causeway and walking around Old Manama where I was billeted at Delmon International Hotel.
Travel Tips:
The best way to get to Bahrain Fort is via a taxi. Agree on the fare first before getting on. It’s 10-15 minutes from downtown. There’s no public transport that goes there. In fact, part of the road going there is unpaved. You can explore The Fort on your own. It’s free. Really, it’s free! Just make sure to tell the taxi driver to wait for you because it’s going to be hard to get one when you’re done.