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When travelers think of Bahrain—a pearlescent chain of islands at the western edge of the Arabian Gulf—they might imagine the bustling souks of Manama or the glittering race track. Yet for all the kingdom’s cultural charm, getting here is a story of modern infrastructure and historic routes. Upon arrival, whether by plane, bus, car, or even sea, one steps immediately into spaces shaped by decades of planning, innovation, and expansion. This article traces those portals into Bahrain: the newly rebuilt airport in Muharraq, the long causeway bridge from Saudi Arabia, and the island’s sea port. It is not a tale of tourism or politics, but of the lived reality of arriving, of passport checks and highways, of waiting in terminals and feeling the slow sway of the Gulf beneath a cargo ship’s hull. Through a thoughtful, observant lens, we explore how Bahrain welcomes the world—an evolving network of roads, rails, and runways that speak to a small nation’s big ambitions.
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Flying into Bahrain is to touch down on the oldest international airport in the Persian Gulf. Bahrain International Airport sits on the eastern tip of Bahrain, on Muharraq Island just a short drive from the capital, Manama. You can see the waters of the Gulf of Bahrain glittering below on descent. In the past few years, the airport itself has been transformed: a grand new terminal opened in 2021–2022, a $1.1 billion project that quadrupled the old building’s size and raised annual capacity to around 14 million passengers. In a region of enormous hubs, Bahrain’s new terminal feels deliberately human-scaled: spacious and uncluttered, with high ceilings and sweeping interiors, where natural light plays off white marble and simple geometric motifs. Stepping off the jet bridge into the new departure hall, one may immediately notice how airy and efficient everything is—much like “one of the most efficient hubs” a recent traveler noted. For a five-year construction project, it certainly delivered a modern airport that seems designed around the passenger experience rather than sheer size.
Here, Gulf Air reigns supreme. As the national carrier’s central hub, Bahrain Airport feels every bit Gulf Air’s home. The airline’s blue-and-gold insignia is omnipresent in the terminal, and you will often see Gulf Air’s fleet of sleek Airbus and Boeing jets parked at the gates. From Bahrain, Gulf Air strings a spider web of connections: just about every major city in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has daily service. Riyadh, Jeddah, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Kuwait—they all lie a short flight away. Long-haul flights to London also run frequently, reflecting Bahrain’s historical link to Britain. Even more than routes, Gulf Air lends the airport a certain character. Cabin crews in their distinctive cultural dress weave through the lounge areas, and announcements echo in Arabic and English with a gentle welcoming tone. Many Western travelers note how the local staff have a warm, deliberate courtesy. The overall impression is of a national carrier and a national airport moving in sync, each reinforcing the other’s presence. Because Gulf Air is smaller than the giant carriers next door, the atmosphere is relaxed but still polished: it feels like a well-oiled boutique airline operation rather than a mega-hub.
Arriving visitors often comment on the airport’s user-friendliness. Despite the scale of the new building, passengers rarely complain of long lines or confusion. The check-in halls are ample, with dedicated counters for first- and business-class passengers as well as plenty for economy. Immigration booths are guarded by polite officers. Luggage claim is efficient and punctual—if you’re early, you might even catch a quick glimpse of Bahrain’s skyline from the window behind the carousels. The airport design separates arrivals and departures neatly, so crowds don’t bottleneck, and there are clear signs in both Arabic and English guiding the way. An unexpected convenience is the short walk between the arrival gates and the exit: you won’t have to trek a quarter-mile of corridors the way you do in some mega-hub. For many visitors from smaller Gulf airports, Bahrain’s new terminal feels almost boutique in its calm orderliness.
Tax-free shopping is one subtle pleasure here. Scanning the expansive duty-free mall under the main concourse, one finds familiar luxury brand stores: fine fragrances, watches, electronics, and fashion. While Bahrain isn’t known as a regional shopping capital the way Dubai is, the selection is respectable and the prices competitive, all untaxed. A quick stop at a shop stocking Arabic sweets or Bahraini souvenirs allows visitors to take home a piece of local flavor before catching their flight onward.
Passengers in transit may also be intrigued to learn about the terminal’s built-in “transit hotel.” Unlike some airports where you must venture out for a hotel room, Bahrain’s new terminal includes an airside hotel within the secure zone. It is modest—around fifty small rooms with beds, and a few showers for weary travelers to freshen up. If your itinerary has you waiting on a late-night connection, you can book a room (known as the Transotel) without exiting immigration. This feature has long catered to transfer passengers; originally a simple hostel-like lodge, it is now a sleek mini-hotel that blends seamlessly into the terminal’s design. Staying there means you awaken just steps from your departure gate, which many connecting passengers have appreciated.
Beyond the architecture, the airport experience itself carries a gentle Bahrain vibe. The interior decor eschews ostentation and even clerical pomp. Instead, you may notice crisp lines, subtle motifs inspired by Islamic art, and small indoor water features that whisper quietly. Public announcements are made in both Arabic and English with a kindly intonation, rarely ruffled or terse. Even the security staff here often smile behind their badges and guide confused passengers graciously. In short, arriving by plane in Bahrain often feels stress-free. Many travel writers remark that it feels more like stepping into a modern lounge than a hectic transit point. For those flying in from Riyadh or Dammam via Saptco buses (more on that shortly), the airport can even feel intimate compared to the sprawling terminals of neighboring countries.
Saudi visitors in particular have a soft spot for Bahrain’s airport. Every weekend, thousands of Saudis drive down the short causeway to spend a few days in Bahrain, and often they fly home from Manama. Some Gulf Air flights are explicitly timed to cater to Eastern Province residents. Recently, Gulf Air even announced dedicated shuttle bus services to Dammam and Al Khobar to ferry passengers to Bahrain Airport for departures. So it’s common to see Saudi families in the terminal, perhaps buying duty-free liquor or gadgets for the trip back across the causeway. By one estimate, the largest share of foreign tourists to Bahrain come from Saudi Arabia. So Bahrain Airport often feels like a second terminal for eastern Saudis—there are even signage and announcements occasionally in simple terms to help them navigate. The cross-border friendliness shows up even in the airline lounge: Gulf Air and Bahrain Airport have partnered to make visas, currency exchange, and tax exemptions as straightforward as possible for Saudi visitors.
Flights beyond the Gulf are also a source of pride. Direct services to Europe and Asia connect Bahrain to the world, and the airport’s scale means security screening is usually quick. For a South Asian traveler, for instance, it can be a relief to land in Bahrain and find immigration lines far shorter and friendlier than those at the larger hubs in Dubai or Doha. There’s a certain understated efficiency here—no grand announcements of arrivals, just efficient passport stamping and a polite “Welcome to Bahrain.” Luggage appears on the belt almost without delay. And once you pass through customs (where the only task is to open your suitcase if asked), you find yourself outside quickly, greeted by bright sunlight and maybe the sight of camels or a car ride into the city.
Finally, the route connections are a key piece of context. Bahrain is small, so as an air transit point it relies on linking hubs. Besides Gulf Air’s strong network, LCCs like Wizz Air and Air Arabia offer flights to hubs in Europe, India, and the Gulf. London Heathrow, Frankfurt, Istanbul, and Delhi all have service. This international connectivity boosts the airport’s profile, and indeed some travelers describe Bahrain as an underappreciated node: ticket prices to Europe can sometimes be cheaper via BAH than Riyadh or Jeddah. This again explains why Saudis cross over to fly: it’s occasionally easier or less expensive to use Bahrain’s air links. In that sense, Bahrain International Airport operates not only as the country’s air gateway, but as a regional little hub whose catchment area stretches beyond its shores.
In short, arriving by air in Bahrain means stepping off into a modern space that feels friendly and efficient. Architecture and staff culture alike say, “Relax, you’re in Bahrain now.” Visitors notice the convenience of the new terminal and the subtle cues of a national airline at the core of the experience. And before long, travelers who started in crisp business class or back-row economy are piecing together the details of how this kingdom connects to its neighbors by land, to which we now turn.
For many who come or go overland between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, the journey is made by bus. The King Fahd Causeway—a forty-minute drive from Bahrain’s airport—forms a single four-lane highway link between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. It is on this causeway that a fleet of shuttle buses runs daily, carrying hundreds of passengers in both directions. The service is operated by the Saudi–Bahraini Transport Company (locally called SABTCO or SATRANS, after a merger of Saudi SAPTCO and Bahrain’s buses).
Imagine a cool morning at Al-Aziziyah Bus Station in Dammam. There, under a simple roofed platform, stands a line of air-conditioned minibuses attached to small trailers. These are not the huge interstate coaches of Europe, but are modern coaches fitted for medium-haul travel. The interiors have comfortable reclining seats (typically two-aisle) and air conditioning humming steadily. Each bus also tows a small covered trailer for passengers’ checked luggage—large suitcases, boxes of dates or souvenirs, even furniture pieces are common sights. The passengers themselves are a mix: Bahraini retirees returning home after visiting family, groups of Saudi businessmen heading to a meeting in Manama, and even Western expats or South Asians traveling back to Bahrian because their Saudi exit re-entry expires. The scene is both utilitarian and quietly communal: strangers chat softly, share batteries and snacks, and exchange tips on the two-hour journey ahead.
Typically about six of these bus trips depart each day from Dammam’s station in Saudi Arabia, stopping briefly in Khobar and Al Khobar (or arriving from there) before heading north onto the causeway. (In Bahrain, the buses pull up at a terminal by the Lulu shopping center in central Manama, convenient for access to the city’s hotels and docks.) Schedules vary: you might find buses leaving early morning, midday, late afternoon, and sometimes even one or two during the night. Most buses seem to avoid the peak prayer times and the worst of the afternoon heat, making runs when roads are relatively clear. Ticket counters at the station sell one-way fares for roughly 50 Saudi riyals (about BD 5). No reservations are usually needed; the counters will squeeze you on the next bus even if a trip is “sold out,” meaning the buses are often filled to capacity on weekends and holidays.
Once everyone is aboard and the doors close, the minibus rumbles to life. Even before leaving Dammam city, the coach begins to collect new passengers from intermediate stops. A helpful pattern emerges: a uniformed attendant (sometimes a younger crew member or even a mild-mannered boy in a crisp Saudi school uniform) will move through the aisles, tending to the luggage trailer outside and ensuring every passenger’s ticket is checked. One bus driver once even had a small nephew accompany him as an apprentice of sorts, reading names off a manifest and pointing out to the driver which passports were still missing. It’s a quietly efficient system; boarding and sorting passports at the start keeps things moving smoothly along the route.
The journey itself is surprisingly pleasant. As the bus rolls onto the causeway, a hint of adventure sets in: with every mile, the waters of the Gulf stretch beneath the windows, turquoise and endless. Inside, passengers often peer out at the merging lanes and nearby islands. There are few toll booths or barriers once past Dammam; instead, the asphalt runs ahead framed by the blue ocean. Folk lore says the first causeway launched in 1986 was a wonder of engineering, and indeed modern travelers can drive across the narrow desert causeway to the man-made border islands.
Soon after entering Saudi’s border checkpoint on the causeway, the bus is signaled to stop. Everyone gathers their small carry-ons and luggage, and walks into the immigration building. This part can take time. On the Saudi side, officers will scan passports (usually swiftly if you are Saudi or GCC; others may have visas to check). On the Bahrain side, after a brief bus ride, everyone disembarks again at the Bahraini border complex. Here, each passenger must show a passport or Bahraini ID and have any necessary visa or entry stamp. Bus drivers usually hold the passports to speed the line, and in about an hour the formalities are complete for all. Luggage trucks typically sit aside, and your bag might be x-rayed. By the time the drowsy travelers herd back onto the bus, often bottles of cold water have been passed around by a friendly crew member for refreshment.
Customs formalities on both sides add roughly thirty minutes to an hour to the trip, making the two-hour estimate realistic on busy days. Travelers note that during peak season (Thursday or Friday evenings, when Saudis flood the causeway for the weekend) the wait can double, as dozens of cars and buses queue up behind. However, an advantage of these buses is that they often get special treatment. In many modern causeway crossings, busses enjoy dedicated lanes. Bahraini and Saudi border officials usually wave the shuttle ahead of slower-moving private cars, so once the passport stamps are done, the bus is off again before the long lines clear.
Between the slow border stops, the ride is comfortable. The bus cruises at highway speeds (even a little over when empty stretches allow), and the driver might pick up a local Saudi radio news station. Inside, you might hear a mix of Arabic chitchat and some English or Urdu. The atmosphere is relaxed; nobody has to worry about driving or directions. In fact, for an adventurous traveler, a long-distance bus on the causeway feels oddly like a private chartered shuttle – personal yet unpretentious. Those reading or napping in their seats might even catch the evening sun glinting on Bahrain’s skyline as the bus approaches exit 3 on Bahrain Island.
Cost-wise, the bus remains an economic choice. At around BD 5 (about USD 13) one-way, it is far cheaper than a taxi or hiring a car. And without parking fees or toll fuss, it simplifies the trip. There is no separate charge for the causeway toll, which the bus company pays in bulk. You just pay once and sit back. For many daily commuters, students, or budget travelers, the bus is the default. Compared to driving one’s own car, the bus offers comfort and a chance to chat with locals. Compared to flying, of course it’s slower, but it has the romance of the road – the border-crossing ritual, the Gulf breezes, and the soft jostle of the trailer rumble as it glides along the bridge.
In sum, traveling from Saudi to Bahrain by bus is a social, almost ceremonial act of entry. Once you settle in your seat, many hours of travel behind you seem instantly forgotten by the scenery. When the doors at Lulu Center open and you step out into Manama, you feel gently deposited in the center of town. The crowd disperses: some hail taksi cabs, others walk to nearby hostels or offices. The arrival point is convenient; next to the bus terminal you’ll find the sprawling Lulu hypermarket and shops if you need snacks or last-minute change. Buses often run all the way until late night, making even a short overnight trip possible.
Above all, the bus journey underscores a broader truth: Bahrain is deeply connected to its eastern neighbour. The steady stream of buses (and cars) over the King Fahd Causeway testifies to two societies blended by commerce, family ties, and geography. Riding that road, one feels less a visitor and more a participant in a mutual rhythm—Saudis and Bahrainis alike shuttling back and forth every week. And as the bus sits at the Manama terminal emptying, one senses that for many travelers, crossing by bus is the most genuine way to arrive on these islands, with stories of the road already echoing in one’s mind.
For those with their own wheels, the King Fahd Causeway is the grand highway approach to Bahrain. This 26-kilometer bridge-and-causeway system, inaugurated in 1986, is the island kingdom’s only direct land link to the outside world. Most drivers in the region know it simply as “the Bridge.” The trip from Eastern Saudi Arabia is straightforward: one follows the Al-Khobar highway south, passes through the city’s outskirts, and then merges onto the causeway at an approach bridge. From the airport on Muharraq, it is about a 50-minute drive west and north (via the Sheikh Isa or Hamad causeways connecting to Manama) to reach the bridge entrance at Khalidiyah.
Driving here feels routine for Saudi and Bahraini locals but can be an adventure for outsiders. The road itself is well maintained—wide concrete lanes with warning signage in Arabic and English. Saudi drivers are known for moving fast, and typically one needs to drive assertively; the causeway has a strict speed limit (100 km/h on the bridges) but enforcement is light. At night, the causeway is illuminated by rows of twin lampposts, and the reflection of lights on the water gives a reassuring impression of safety (although weather can bring fog or sand gusts on rare occasions). For first-time visitors, it’s wise to plan toll payment: cameras now track license plates and allow e-payment of the SR 25 car fee, but many travelers simply pay by credit card at a gate. (As of January 2019, the fee is 25 Saudi riyals per crossing, roughly BD 2; this covers the causeway operating costs. Notably, no one charges per passenger, only per vehicle.)
Documents and regulations for driving across are important to note. Bahrain allows citizens of most countries to obtain a visa on arrival, but regulations vary for different nationalities, so it’s advisable to check requirements ahead. GCC nationals (such as Saudis, Kuwaitis, etc.) typically pass without a visa—holding a national ID card or passport suffices. Non-GCC residents living in Saudi (expatriates) often have to present an “exit/re-entry” stamp from Saudi to go to Bahrain, and their Bahraini visa stamp upon return. The Bahraini immigration building at the end of the causeway looks sleek and modern, but inside it follows the same passport-check ritual: travel documents are inspected, and visitors may be asked to show hotel confirmations or return tickets. Once stamped, the journey is done and the road is open to the Bahrain motorway network.
Many travelers opt not to use their own car at all but to hire a driver or taxi for the cross-causeway trip. From the Saudi side, official taxi ranks and car rental companies sometimes advertise rides to Bahrain. Fares hover around SR 300 (about BD 30) one-way for a regular car, which can carry up to four people and some luggage. The trip can be arranged from Dammam or Khobar with little hassle. Official drivers usually help with immigration lines and then drop passengers at designated parking on the Bahrain side. A convenient feature: once in Bahrain, taxis can switch plates and become licensed Bahraini taxis for the onward journey. (The fare system does not use meters for causeway trips; it’s a flat negotiated rate.) Some taxi operators on the Bahrain side also run “BahrainLimo” services—air-conditioned sedans in the company colors that will take you straight from the causeway exit through to Manama or vice versa for advertised fares. This lets arriving visitors bypass the main taxi rank if they arrange ahead.
However, if you drive your own car—perhaps a rental or your personal vehicle from Saudi—you get a different sense of the journey. After the Saudi passport checkpoint, the road unwinds past two artificial islands built for the causeway’s infrastructure (islands that now host some customs buildings, parking, and control towers). On the left of the road soon emerges a steep ramp onto the final bridge, a straight stretch of four lanes flanked by sturdy blue-and-white railings. Bahrain’s flag, billowing on large flagpoles, comes into view on the island of Umm an-Nasan, a small piece of Bahraini territory that anchors the bridge. The middle of the bridge often swells with a cross-wind off the Gulf, so one can feel the car being gently buffeted. Looking out, one sees shipping vessels far below and the water shining. For drivers accustomed to long highway stints, this is mostly routine, but it always has a majestic moment: six lanes of tarmac arching gracefully over the sea toward the shore.
On-the-ground advice: rental cars are usually permitted to cross (there were older restrictions, but today most rental contracts allow trips to Bahrain if you get a border-crossing deposit). Saudi drivers should remember to carry their original Saudi license and vehicle registration (plus the car rental agreement if applicable). On the causeway toll plazas, plate numbers are often recorded digitally, so as long as your visa and license are in order, passage is smooth. At the Bahraini end, after the immigration booths, vehicles queue again to pay the toll. An interesting note: because the toll is charged per vehicle, not per person, families often prefer to go by car with all luggage, whereas a solo traveler might save money by hitching a ride in a bus or taxi.
A less formal but commonly used option is the so-called “unofficial taxi.” This term crops up in travel forums and local advice columns. Outside the official stands at both Dammam and Manama, you can sometimes find individuals offering to take passengers across for cash, often at a slightly lower price than the licensed taxi or bus fare. These drivers operate their personal cars and might round up other passengers along the way. While some travelers use them without issue, it’s worth noting they operate outside any official regulation, so there is an element of risk (insufficient insurance or unclear accountability if something goes wrong). For safety and peace of mind, most official guides still recommend using only recognized taxi services or the established bus.
Once across on the Bahrain side, driving or taking a taxi becomes straightforward. The causeway dumps cars onto an elevated highway on the outskirts of Manama which leads directly into the capital. Within a few kilometers, one encounters well-marked exits for downtown, the airport (via a trio of causeways to Muharraq Island), or the city of Riffa to the south. Bahrain’s road network is surprisingly well-signed in English as well as Arabic, reflecting the many expatriate residents and travelers. Fuel stations line the route; petrol (gasoline) is cheaper than in Saudi, making filling up an inexpensive pit stop. A popular rite of passage for newcomers is to pull into a Bahraini petrol station, call out “Tawafoog” (meaning full tank, please) to the attendant in either English or Arabic, and watch as he then quickly fills the car. Many foreign visitors delight in the friendly service model: the local attendants pump petrol for free (with an obligatory small tip), check tyre pressures, and even dash through the carwash on request.
Overall, driving across the causeway in a car holds a different rhythm from the bus: you’re the pilot of your destiny. With an official car, one steers through the immigration barriers oneself, but loses the luxury of social contact (who to chat with when your hands are on the wheel?). For larger families or people with a lot of gear, a car can be more convenient—just pack it up and go. For the adventurous or money-conscious, combining transport methods is possible: for example, some Saudis drive their cars partway and then switch to the bus at the border station to save driving. Others might park on the Saudi side and walk on with the crowd, leaving the car behind. But these are edge cases. The main options for travelers by road remain: hop a comfortable bus and surrender driving, or drive/taxi and enjoy the highway on your terms.
It’s worth emphasizing just how popular the car route is. On a typical month, over a million vehicles cross the causeway. On weekends and holidays, the numbers spike, literally doubling Bahrain’s daytime population with visitors. The causeway toll plaza often sees mile-long lines, and when that happens, strategic travelers sometimes wait out the rush or travel at off-peak times. Bahrain and Saudi authorities have been improving infrastructure on both ends to handle the crowds: wider inspection bays, e-payment lanes, and more efficient passport booths. The causeway itself is even expanding around its shoulders: in the early 2020s, both countries dredged new artificial islands beside the crossing, adding customs buildings and extra lanes for inspections. These updates aim to smooth the flow, as the causeway has truly become the vital artery of this region.
In short, driving to Bahrain is straightforward but entails formalities. The regulations are clear: carry your documents, pay the toll, and submit to the immigration officers at each end. The roads are good, the scenery serene, and unlike some other border crossings in the world, the whole experience is rather civilized. You leave Saudi desert and arrive in Bahrain’s urban lights in under an hour. Once that’s done, a traveler can be sipping karak tea in a Bahraini town, all because of this two-and-a-half-decade-old bridge.
As you traverse Bahrain today, it’s striking to realize that the islands we cruise on have been knitted closer only in recent times. Traditionally, Bahrain’s transport was driven by the old economy of pearl diving and fishing, with few paved roads. It was only after oil was struck in the 1930s that Bahrain’s road network rapidly expanded, with new highways linking villages, and causeways erected between islands. Today, Bahrain continues to plan its transport revolution. A number of large-scale projects are on the drawing board or already breaking ground, promising to turn Bahrain into a connected hub on the Gulf.
Perhaps the most ambitious of these is the King Hamad Causeway, sometimes referred to as the Bahrain-Qatar Causeway. This project envisions a brand-new bridge linking Bahrain to Qatar, effectively bypassing Saudi Arabia entirely. Although originally proposed in 2009 and formally agreed upon in the mid-2010s, the latest push has been to elevate it into a full-fledged part of the GCC’s continental railway network. The idea is that the King Hamad Causeway would carry not just cars but also passenger and freight trains as part of the proposed Gulf Railway. Under this plan, one day a train might run all the way from Kuwait City through Bahrain, crossing to Qatar, and eventually on to the UAE and Oman.
For now, the Gulf Railway project is in early stages; major land acquisitions have been underway and feasibility studies are underway. Yet planning clears some imagination: the bridge would likely run parallel to the existing causeway into Saudi and then continue eastward. When completed, it could slash the travel time between Manama and Doha to roughly 30 minutes by rail, compared to the 4-5 hour drive of today. As you move around Manama’s waterfront now, you can see some areas being reserved and leveled for the causeway’s approach. The concept is futuristic: a high-speed train running above the Gulf, integrated with a modern harbor. If this ever materializes, Bahrain would go from being the Saudi Gateway to the Gulf to also being the Qatar Gateway to the Gulf.
Closer to home, Bahrain is also building a domestic rail system – a metro or light rail network that will criss-cross the island. It’s a mammoth undertaking for a nation of just 1.5 million residents. Under government vision, the full network will ultimately span about 109 kilometers and include four color-coded lines (red, green, yellow, blue). Phase I is already under way. Approved in 2021, the first phase will cover roughly 29 kilometers with 20 stations on two lines. For example, the red line will run from Bahrain International Airport to the Seef district in Manama’s west end, and the blue line will link Juffair (a former British military base, now an entertainment district) northward through Isa Town and towards the central financial zone. These lines are to be elevated above ground, meaning stations like sleek platforms on viaducts, not subway tunnels.
Why a metro? Bahrain’s highways are often congested, and planners believe a train system could carry up to 200,000 passengers per day, easing traffic jams. It’s also about urban transformation. Many of the planned stations are in dense, underdeveloped areas of Manama. The government envisions transit-oriented development sprouting up, new business districts replacing car parks. A recent tender announcement hinted at a fully driverless, automated system (GoA4), meaning trains running on sensors with no drivers. The transparency and modern feel of the plan fits Bahrain’s penchant for innovative projects.
While the public has heard of opening by “around 2025,” realistically the metro is probably a couple more years out — these projects always take time. But bits of evidence of progress are visible: new guideway pillars erected on the airport highway, or fenced-off swaths of land at intersections. If you live here, you might have noticed empty blocks in Juffair or Salmaniya marked “Bahrain Metro Station” on the planning maps. When journalists have ridden early test vehicles, they describe a quiet, smooth ride above the city, with gentle curves offering birds-eye views of neighborhoods. For a transit nerd, the “Bahrain Metro” is an exciting, unfolding story – a small country making a big leap.
Beyond metros and bridges, Bahrain’s roadways are also being expanded. A network of new ring roads and highways has been in development. For example, planners have long discussed additional roads around Manama’s fringes to relieve inner-city traffic. One such project is the “Isa Town Bypass” or “Northern City Ring Road,” which will link the old Budaiya Highway in the north to the Shaikh Salman Causeway highway in the south without forcing drivers through downtown. These newer highways are often built with multiple lanes in each direction, dedicated bus lanes, and cloverleaf interchanges – signs of Bahrain’s road engineering aspirations.
Even now, you can drive across causeways between the islands without ever noticing them, thanks to hidden bridges. The three causeways to Muharraq (the Shaikh Isa, Shaikh Hamad, and Shaikh Khalifa bridges) are so ubiquitous that locals forget how recent some are. The Shaikh Khalifa Causeway (opened in the late 1990s) is a wide eight-lane bridge connecting the main island’s east end to Muharraq. In winter, one might spot migrating flamingos on mudflats just south of those causeways, a gentle reminder of the land-sea mix Bahrain is built on.
A stark example of Bahrain’s island-linking projects is the Sitra Causeway. Sitra is a small island south of Manama which was once a fishing village. A four-lane highway causeway now connects Sitra to the main island, and it has become an industrial area full of factories and logistics yards. If you stand on that bridge at sunrise, you’ll watch container ships moving slowly east into Mina Salman’s port, the rising sun gilding the port cranes – a maritime sunrise if ever there was one.
Finally, it’s worth noting why all these roads and rails are emerging now. Bahrain discovered oil in the 1930s, which explains the initial highway boom in the mid-20th century. That wealth funded the bridges and causeways that annexed neighboring islands. Today, Bahrain’s economy is diversifying beyond oil, which means more emphasis on trade, finance, and tourism. An efficient transport network is crucial for those goals. Every new highway or metro line is part of an overall “2025 strategy” to modernize the country. Even smaller steps reflect this: many new buses (with free Wi-Fi) ply the city streets under recent bus franchising, and the King Fahd Causeway Authority has introduced e-payments and automated toll tags to speed crossings. The picture one gets is of relentless progress: Bahrain is methodically connecting its dots, hoping that quick travel anywhere on the map will make the kingdom more competitive and livable.
For the visitor, these projects offer two things. One is tangible improvement: shorter travel times and more options. Imagine in five years being able to jump on a train at the airport, zip to central Manama in 15 minutes, or take a rail link onward to Doha. The other is a sense of change: arriving here now means you’re part of a country transforming its face. Even tourists might notice new expressways being cut through the suburbs, or talk of the causeway forking off east toward Qatar. It provides context: Bahrain is tiny, but the ambitions are big.
Even beyond the future projects, Bahrain’s road network today is extensive and much more developed than it was 60 years ago. Touring the country by car, one finds that the main cities and towns are all linked by wide highways with Arabic names that reflect their era of construction. In downtown Manama, one of the earliest ring roads is Isa al-Kabeer Avenue, built in the 1930s as the capital modernized. It sweeps in a U-shape around the north side of the old city. In the 1960s, Exhibition Avenue was added as a north-south corridor through Manama’s eastern neighborhoods (it’s so-named because it used to pass the exhibition grounds). Then in the 1980s came Al Fateh Highway, a modern multi-lane road running west from town, which eventually forms part of the ring. Each road has its own story, but now they form an interconnected mesh, so that even a small island like Bahrain has a surprisingly robust highway network.
In fact, Bahrain’s islands (there are about 30, though only 4 are inhabited) are well bridged. Besides the causeways mentioned earlier, even minor outcrops are joined. For example, Amwaj Islands – a collection of developed artificial islands north of Muharraq – are linked to the mainland by a low bridge so residents can drive to the airport in minutes. To the west, several narrow causeways connect Bahrain Island to Umm an-Nasan (holding up the causeway bridge), and to Hawar Island (between Bahrain and Qatar). These smaller bridges are not fancier than the causeway, but they quietly knit the archipelago together. As you drive on any of these causeways, you feel that Bahrain has grown out over the sea bit by bit. Where once people launched boats between villages, they now chat across breakfast in cars as seagulls wheel overhead.
The breadth of Bahrain’s roads became visible early in history. After oil’s discovery, even dirt tracks were promptly paved into highways. Oil money spurred inter-city connections, so that by the 1970s one could drive from Manama’s souq district to the once-remote village of Riffa in the south on a well-maintained highway. Villages like Sanabis and Duraz (on the central western plain) became suburbs along those roads. Many pre-oil paths have simply been widened and upgraded. In fact, you can still spot older roads by the gnarled date palms that line them—once winding paths through oasis groves, now the gentle curves of city drives.
Today the total road length in Bahrain is over 4,000 km, most of it paved—an impressive number for a country only 780 km² in land area. Of course, Bahrain switched from driving on the left to the right side of the road in 1967, which required reworking many road signs and even adjusting some bus designs. But for the visitor driving today, that change is no more than a historical footnote. If you have a car, driving around the island has become quite logical: traffic circles (roundabouts) are plentiful, speed cameras are installed on highways, and petrol stations are abundant.
The experience of driving on Bahrain roads also reveals something about urban life. For instance, after sunset one can see how villages like Manama, Juffair, or Riffa have built sprawling suburbs accessible by those highways. Flowing onto Sheikh Khalifa Highway (the road into Muharraq from the Shaikh Khalifa Causeway), you pass through Sh. Hamad Town and A’ali – each town lit by streetlights and lined with shops along the main road. Even in winter evenings, traffic flows steadily as people move from work to home, reflecting that Bahrain is no sleepy backwater but a densely populated island.
Modern ring highways are now under construction to manage this density. A new peripheral road (sometimes called the Northern City Ring or Bypass) is being built to let traffic circle around Manama without congesting the city center. If you happen to catch a taxi right now to the northern suburbs, you may find the new flyovers and ramps jutting into the air. The effect, once complete, will be like pulling a belt tighter around the city: city-dwellers should take 10–15 minutes less to get from west to east.
Finally, a nod to the port side: the causeways connect not only land but industry. Drive across Sitra Causeway into Sitra industrial area, and you enter Bahrain’s factories and warehouses zone. Down that road sits the Bapco oil refinery (though its products mainly come by pipeline from Saudi, not by ship). Nearby are the freight yards of Mina Salman Port. On the Muharraq side, causeways open directly into the Bahrain International Airport car parks. In a way, Bahrain’s roads have grown to tie airports, ports, and cities into one fabric. The ride from the airport into town—via the brand-new Shaikh Isa Causeway, a five-lane bridge finished only a few years ago—is so smooth and straight that many arriving travelers hardly realize they have crossed water; only the billboards and architecture of Manama reveal them to be on island soil rather than sand dunes.
If Bahrain is the “gateway” to the Gulf by land and air, then Mina Salman Port is its gateway by sea. Named after Bahrain’s former emir, Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa I, the port sits on the northeastern shore of Bahrain Island, essentially at the heart of Greater Manama. It was opened in its modern form in 1962, although the natural harbor here has been used for centuries. Today Mina Salman is the island kingdom’s primary seaport for general cargo, container goods (to a lesser extent than Khalifa Bin Salman Port, but still significant), and a variety of logistics services.
From the Gulf, ships entering Bahrain’s waters aim for the long east coast. Approaching at dawn or dusk, one sees the Manama skyline crowned by sleek towers. The channel turns ships northwest toward Mina Salman’s breakwaters. Tugboats often stand by to guide the largest vessels into the long wharf pier. The atmosphere at the dock is industrious: cranes and forklifts move steadily, stacks of shipping containers stand in neat rows, and the smell of sea air mixes with fuel and steel. For sailors and port crews, Mina Salman is routine, but for a new arrival it might feel like stepping onto a maritime trading hub frozen in time yet buzzing with activity.
Operating 24/7, Mina Salman handled about 2.5 million tonnes of cargo a year as of the last full report. It has 15 berths capable of accommodating large bulk carriers, general cargo ships, and container ships. The year-round throughput includes a staggering variety: everything from livestock carriers and grain freighters, to tankers offloading marine fuel, to container ships supplying Bahrain’s markets with cars, appliances, or food. In the 2010s, over 3,200 merchant ships visited Mina Salman annually. Port statistics often cite goods in terms of TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units), and Mina Salman’s annual volume might be a few hundred thousand TEU, reflecting its role as a medium-sized port. (In comparison, neighboring Dubai’s ports handle tens of millions of TEU. Bahrain’s is much smaller, but suits the economy’s scale.)
One unique aspect of Mina Salman is its emphasis on local workforce and service. GlobalSecurity notes that it is “the only container terminal in the Middle East entirely operated by local (Bahraini) staff.” This reflects deliberate policy: rather than rely on foreign dockworkers, Bahrain has invested in training its own maritime labor. At the container yard, you’ll spot mostly Bahraini names on reflective jackets, steering forklifts or walking between shipping boxes. Many credit this with efficiency and pride: operators here know the port intimately, and turnover is low. Also, traditionally Bahraini ports have excelled at mechanical cargo (heavy goods, vehicles) and bulk (like steel coils or rebar for the construction industry). The expansion of technology (modern cranes and automated systems) has only increased the port’s capacity.
Infrastructurally, Mina Salman is a natural harbor. In the 1950s, long before the terminal opened, authorities dredged approach channels so large ships could dock. Five deepwater berths were constructed between 1956 and 1962 to accommodate the first generation of oil-industry vessels. Later, these were expanded into today’s 15 berths. The port is set in a 0.8 square kilometer (80-hectare) area, fenced off with a secure gate. One can drive along the quay, seeing at least half a dozen berths at once. The port’s logistics hubs and warehouses stretch inland for perhaps another half-kilometer, leading toward Manama’s city perimeter.
Shipping lines serving Mina Salman include global giants: container alliances like MSC and Maersk stop here, as do bulk and general cargo companies. Roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) ships call regularly to load and unload cars and trucks, given Bahrain’s significant auto imports. Oil tankers dock in specialized jetties of the port’s industrial neighbor (Sitra or offshore) – not Mina Salman itself – but bunker fuel barges frequently tie up to fill their tanks. Indeed, Bahrain is a regional bunker supplier. A prominent company, Ayoub Janahi & Sons Company (AJSCO), is headquartered in the Mina Salman area; they operate a fleet of tanker barges that dispense marine diesel to ships at anchorage or dock, as well as handle offshore construction support.
The surroundings of Mina Salman are a hive of logistics and industry. Adjacent to the port is the Mina Salman Industrial Area, a maze of sheds, shipyards, and cold-storage warehouses. It’s where goods go to be processed or stored. Local businesses here provide everything from container repair to freight forwarding. Most cargo entering the port—imported food, electronics, parts—will end up moving out by truck along the highways. Indeed, the port is only about 3 km from Manama’s downtown (albeit separated by some neighborhoods). When trucks leave the port, they can reach the airport in under 15 minutes, or head south onto the highway toward Riffa and beyond.
A relatively new development adds to Mina Salman’s appeal: integration with Bahrain’s airport via a sea-to-air hub. In 2021, APM Terminals (the operator of Khalifa Bin Salman Port) announced a bonded logistics center linking the airport and the port. This allows companies to ship goods quickly between sea and air routes. For example, a pharmaceutical import can arrive by plane at Bahrain Airport and be trucked a few kilometers to the port to meet a connecting vessel, all within two hours, with expedited customs clearance. For a small country, being able to turn around freight in days instead of weeks is a competitive edge. And Mina Salman, even as the “old port,” ties into this network because of its location next to the airport.
Visiting Mina Salman, one also notices some visual history. Just across the water to the west is the miniature harbor of Manama. Sometimes you’ll see long wooden dhows (traditional Arabian sailing vessels) being repaired on the beach near the old forts. These are relics of Bahrain’s pearl-diving past. The contrast is striking: not a century ago, Bahrainis navigated these waters in rowboats. Today container ships dwarf those dhows. The port’s signage even preserves old names: references to districts like Barakat (a neighborhood once famous for pearl merchants) or Suq al-Jadid (the old market area) remind that trade here is age-old, even if the cargo has changed from pearl oysters to computer chips.
Mina Salman also has a small but steady cruise ship season. Although Bahrain is not a top cruise destination, a handful of “Arabian Gulf cruises” stop here on itineraries. Passengers disembark into buses that whisk them to the Bahrain Fort or shopping malls. This is a soft form of entry to Bahrain—passports are checked on board, but once on the dock the sight is still foreign. For these travelers, Bahrain’s port is their first impression: hopefully, the neat walkways, the orderly customs queue, and the smile of a Bahraini officer say something positive about the country. (One local observer mentions that cruise passengers often note the port’s cleanliness compared to bigger ports nearby.)
Finally, one cannot discuss Mina Salman without noting that it is now being gradually overshadowed by the newer Khalifa Bin Salman Port in Hidd (to the south). Opened in 2009 on a larger reclaimed area, the Khalifa Port took over much container handling. That means Mina Salman no longer sees the giant 18,000-TEU behemoths as often as it used to. However, Mina Salman remains busy with breakbulk cargo and domestic services (for example, the restocking of local islands, specialist ships, and regional goods). It’s also the customs checkpoint for the passenger ferry terminal at Manama and a minor cruise berth. In effect, Mina Salman has transitioned from Bahrain’s premier cargo port into a complementary multi-purpose terminal.
What does this all mean for a visitor? If you travel by car or bus and happen to look across the causeway at night, you’ll see Mina Salman lit with floodlights, a constellation of cranes blinking. Up close, you’ll smell diesel exhaust and salt air as trucks rumble to and fro. Passengers from Riyadh might remember the bus ride and think how some ended at Manama’s grand Union Cooperative Mall, while those on a flight might glimpse the port from the air on approach. In all cases, Mina Salman is a reminder that Bahrain is an island with a significant place in Gulf trade. Even as newer facilities rise, this harbor retains the hum of ships, and the knowledge that long before airplanes and highways, it was by ship that Bahrain opened its doors to the world.
Bahrain’s access points have been shaped by both fortune and foresight. An airport that blends old charm with new scale; a causeway where Saudis and Bahrainis share routes; roads that hug coasts and span seas; and ports that welcome merchants—each tells a part of Bahrain’s transportation story. For a traveler arriving today, it means choices: you can soar in from Europe on Gulf Air, join the lunchtime traffic on a lively bus from Al-Khobar, or quietly glide under the stars in your own car across the Gulf. In every scenario, the journey is as much the destination: Bahrain’s infrastructure is itself an invitation to understand the kingdom, showing how a tiny nation keeps pace with its giant neighbors by building big bridges, literal and figurative, one mile at a time.
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