Bahrain: country facts, travel advice and health

Uber: ride-hailing app with its own pick-up point at the airport.Careem: ride-hailing app with its own pick-up point at the airport.Talabat: food delivery app; signing up needs a Bahraini or Gulf phone number.Google Maps: directions and bus routes; QR codes at bus stops confirm arrivals.WhatsApp: cheaper international calls over the internet.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Cards or cash

Mostly cashMostly cards

Step 4 of 5: Cards are accepted in most places; cash is mainly needed for buses.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Money in Bahrain

Bahraini Dinar · BHD

Saudi riyals are taken almost everywhere at the fixed rate, but change usually comes in dinars.

Spend or change leftover dinars before leaving; they are hard to exchange abroad, even in Saudi Arabia.

Avoid the Formula One race weekend for sensible hotel prices; rates can be four times higher.

A visa on arrival costs 5BD against 9BD for an e-Visa, so eligible visitors gain nothing online.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Collect Bahraini Dinar in CointryOur sister app for coin and banknote collectors · cointry.appOpen

Public holidays in the next 12 months

Wed, 16 Dec 2026 · National Day اليوم الوطني

Thu, 17 Dec 2026 · National Day اليوم الوطني

Fri, 1 Jan 2027 · New Year's Day رأس السنة الميلادية

Mon, 8 Feb 2027–8 Mar · Ramadan (expected date)

Mon, 22 Feb 2027 · Sports Day اليوم الرياضي

Tue, 9 Mar 2027 · Eid al-Fitr (expected date)

Sat, 1 May 2027 · Labour Day يوم العمال

Sun, 16 May 2027 · Eid al-Adha (expected date)

Source: Nager.Date · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗Source: Umm al-Qura calendar (computed with ICU) · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

02Free

Safety today

Germany, the US and the UK publish their travel advice openly. Here is what those that cover Bahrain say, side by side, checked daily.

German Foreign Office says

No travel warning

Calm ●

Caution

Serious

Don’t go

Source: Auswärtiges Amt
Updated 23 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

U.S. Department of State says

Reconsider travel

Calm

Caution

Serious ●

Don’t go

Level 3 of 4

Source: travel.state.gov
Updated 22 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

UK Foreign Office says

No advice against travel

Source: GOV.UK
Updated 8 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

Countrywise is a summary. The official page is authoritative.

03Free

Health

Routine vaccines plus hepatitis A for unvaccinated travellers; typhoid is advised for most.

Vaccinations

Be up to date on routine vaccines; hepatitis A is recommended for unvaccinated travellers aged one and over, and typhoid for most travellers.

Talk to a travel clinic 4–8 weeks before you go.

Source: CDC
Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

Summarised from the CDC’s Travelers’ Health pages. Using them does not mean the CDC endorses Countrywise.

04Travel layer

In the app: the travel layer

The travel layer

Read a country like someone who’s been there.

What’s different from home, and what’s the lawMust-see places, free entry and World Heritage sites20 words to remember, with pronunciationStrange and surprising factsThe anthem and national symbolsSaved for offline use

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Must-see · 1Qal'at al-Bahrain (Bahrain Fort)

Restored UNESCO-listed fort near Manama; entry is free.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Strange & surprising · #1

The name Bahrain means "two seas" in Arabic.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

National anthem: Bahrainona. The lyrics, translated, and the story are in the app. Source: Wikidata · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

3 World Heritage sites in Bahrain, each with a photo and its story, in the app. Source: UNESCO World Heritage List

05Free

Deep facts

Economy
GDP	≈ $49 billionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Per person	≈ $30,597Source: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Top exports	refined petroleum, aluminum, iron ore, aluminum wire, jewelry (2023)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Population
Population	1.6 millionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Median age	33.5 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Life expectancy	80.4 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2024 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Religions	Muslim 74.2%, other 25.9% (2020 est)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Geography
Area	760 km²Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Climate	arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summersSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Terrain	mostly low desert plain rising gently to low central escarpmentSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Government
Type of government	constitutional monarchySource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Calling code	+973Source: libphonenumber · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

About the data

Written from the sources we link, and checked against them before each release. Countrywise summarises public sources. We are not an official source. For safety and entry rules, always follow the official page we link to.

From your foreign ministry when it publishes its advice openly (Germany, the US, the UK). Otherwise we show those three side by side. Checked daily, with the date next to every entry.

CDC · 24 Oct 2026 ↗GOV.UK · 24 Oct 2026 ↗IANA Time Zone Database · 23 Oct 2026 ↗libphonenumber · 23 Oct 2026 ↗Nager.Date · 23 Oct 2026 ↗The World Factbook (archive) · 23 Oct 2026 ↗U.S. Department of State · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Umm al-Qura calendar (computed with ICU) · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Unicode CLDR · 23 Oct 2026 ↗Wikidata · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Wikivoyage · 24 Oct 2026 ↗World Bank · 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Flag artwork from flag-icons (MIT licence).