Bahrain is a country in the Gulf that I’ve visited in January 2026. You’ll find the posts I wrote about Bahrain down below and also an amazing map with things to do in Bahrain. If I’d visit again, I hope it will be on the Unified GCC Tourist Visa in combination with (at least) Saudi Arabia. I didn’t do nearly as much as I hoped to do during my stay, because I was quite ill.
Before that, the closest I’ve been was in 2014 when I considered going from Iran to Bahrain or Qatar. I didn’t because I would have had to reenter Iran with a new visa and Saudi Arabia hadn’t opened up for tourism (yet). Alas, the Bushehr, Iran ferry to Manama, Bahrain doesn’t exit anymore in 2026. Little did I know those were the good years.
Things I’d Like to do in Bahrain Next Time
- Hitchhike with the locals! I’d love to improve my Arabic somewhat, as I managed to do while hitchhiking in Morocco and Mauritania in early 2025. I’m not sure where I’d hitchhike to, because the area is heavily urbanized, but we’ll see. I hope to hitch across the King Fahd Causeway next time
- Visit the capital city Manama and the Souq ✅
- Eat vegetarian-friendly things, such as muhammar (sweet rice dish, try to ask for no fish), balaleet ✅(tried in Kuwait), halwa Bahraini ✅(goopy sweet dessert), khabeesa (also sweet), khanfaroosh (deep-fried sweets), and of course, biryani, ful, and falafel✅. Bahrain doesn’t have many traditional plant-based foods, although it has some
- Go off the beaten track and visit the Hawar Archipelago close to Qatar. However, right now it doesn’t seem like there’s a normal ferry service. I think now you can only stay in the Hawar Islands in a €300 per night resort with overwater bungalows
- Visit some museums and historical sites, such as the Bahrain National Museum ✅, Bahrain Fort ✅, Arad Fort ✅ (under renovation), the Beit Al Quran, Military Museum, Riffa Fort/Sheikh Salman bin Ahmed Fort, and the Dilmun Burial Mounds
- Walk (part of) the Pearling Path ✅ in Muharraq Island between Qala’t Bu Mahir Fort and Siyadi House/Mosque/Majlis
- Do a longer day trip to the south to the highest point Jebel Al Dukhan (when the weather is clear), the first oil well of Bahrain, and the Tree of Life. The bus system of Bahrain doesn’t seem to take you there all the way
- Do a day trip to Al Dar Island
- Visit the Al Fateh Grand Mosque on a tour ✅
- Rent a kayak and paddle on one of the two seas at sunset or do a guided mangrove kayaking tour
- Admire the tall and sometimes funny buildings ✅
Map of Things to Do in Bahrain
You can ⭐ this map and the POIs will show up in your Google Maps (for a while). Drop a comment below if you found another activity/interesting site in Bahrain you want me to add!
If you know cool places and things to do in Bahrain, comment below so I can always find your suggestions again once I start planning my return! Tips are especially welcome if you are Bahraini or have lived there for a while
Are you a travel blogger and do you have good posts about Bahrain? Drop them in a comment below and I’ll read them!
Bahrain Visa Guide: Visa on Arrival or eVisa?
We arrived in Bahrain from Kuwait on the 7th of January, 2026 and stayed for 11 days. We chose to opt for a Bahraini visa on arrival (VOA) instead of an eVisa. Here’s what the process is like, what documents you need to bring, and whether you should choose an eVisa or the VOA. In early 2026, the tourist visa costs between 5 BHD and 25 BHD, depending on your length of stay Bahrain Visa Online Research For most nationalities, Bahrain has two options to enter as a tourist: the eVisa or the visa on arrival (VOA). The eVisa hasContinue reading
Accommodation in Bahrain: Airbnb in Al Fateh + Manama City Hotels
Congratulations! You are in the minority of travelers considering a visit to Bahrain for more than a day trip. Here’s where we stayed for 10 nights in the capital city Manama, alternative hotels under €100 per night, and what to expect of accommodation in Bahrain as a digital nomad Al Fateh: Airbnb Close to Food Truck Heaven Duration: 11 nights (12 paid) at about €60 per night Our final choice was a spacious Airbnb in the Al-Fateh neighborhood of Manama in Bahrain. Bahrain had far more suitable Airbnb options than Kuwait. So we chose this one based on its goodContinue reading
How to Get a SIM Card in Bahrain: eSIM Options + Batelco, Zain, and STC
We traveled to Bahrain for about 10 days in January 2026. To stay online as a tourist, Jonas used his Global eSIM and I bought a physical SIM card in Bahrain at the airport. Here’s what your options are, starting with the cheapest First Choice: Global eSIM or Bahraini eSIM Just like in nearby Kuwait and the UAE, getting a physical SIM card in Bahrain is on the expensive side. Luckily, eSIM technology has come a long way. If your phone is eSIM compatible, this should be your first choice. Within eSIMs, there’s still two ways to go about it:Continue reading
Tourist Visa on Arrival in Kuwait: Our Experience + Advice (Get the eVisa)
We entered Kuwait a couple of days before New Year’s 2025–2026. On December 22nd 2025, the government of Kuwait increased its visa fees from 3 KWD to 10 KWD. This applies to both visa on arrival (VOA) and the Kuwaiti eVisa. Here’s our experience getting the visa on arrival in Kuwait Late 2025 Visa Costs Increase in Kuwait When Jonas and I reunited in the Netherlands after Christmas on the 26th of December, we rechecked the visa situation in Kuwait. I’d written down the cost of the Kuwaiti eVisa and VOA in our spreadsheet as roughly €10 per person. JonasContinue reading
Accommodation in Kuwait: Al Salmiya Apartment + City Hotels
I visited Kuwait for 10 days in late 2025 and early 2026. This is what to expect of accommodation in Kuwait as a digital nomad + some hotel recommendations in Kuwait City Al Salmiya: Lavan One Serviced Apartment We chose this condo in Al Salmiya neighborhood close to the coast and one of the places where the ferry to Failaka goes. There was one other contender, but that apartment was next to Winter Wonderland Kuwait. The reviews said that place was noisy into the night. Also, this apartment didn’t say it required proof of marriage for people to stay here.Continue reading
Staying Online in Kuwait: eSIM Options + Kuwaiti SIM Card
Going to Kuwait for more than a few days and don’t have the option to have an eSIM? Here’s what Kuwaiti SIM card to get, where to get it, and what to expect. First Choice: Get a Kuwaiti eSIM! For some reason, getting a real SIM card in Kuwait is quite expensive. That’s why your first option should be to get an eSIM. If you’ve never used this technology before, now is the time to try. Within the world of eSIMs, there are two approaches: the Global eSIM and a Kuwaiti eSIM. If you don’t use much data, are onlyContinue reading
Manama, Ajman — Visiting the Inland Exclave + Al Dhaid as a Day Trip from Sharjah
On the 25th of February, 2021, Jonas and I traveled from Sharjah City to Manama in the United Arab Emirates. Manama is an exclave of the Emirate of Ajman. To travel there, we needed to take a bus from Sharjah’s bus station to Masafi and disembark halfway. We also visited the town of Al Dhaid in the Emirate of Sharjah. Doing the Research on Manama During our stay in Sharjah, we visited the Al Jubail bus terminal to figure out how to travel to Umm Al Quwain. During this exploratory trip, we also learned that this is where bus 116Continue reading
How Many People Can Visit All Countries on Earth?
You might have heard of some people who have visited all 195 countries on earth. Whoa! How do they do that? Isn’t this hugely expensive? Could a person like you or me visit all countries? Possibly, yeah, but if you think money is the greatest obstacle to visiting all of the world’s countries, you’re wrong. It’s actually the passport you hold – if you can afford one, to begin with. Out of curiosity, I tried to calculate how many people cannot visit one or more of the world’s 195 countries. If one country doesn’t let you in based on your nationality,Continue reading