8 Manama Things to Do (What They Cost)
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Travel advisory: Bahrain is currently a participant in the active 2026 Iran war, and Manama has been struck directly, including a drone hit on a hotel. Governments are currently advising extra caution or against travel: check your own government’s current advisory (US State Department / UK FCDO) before booking anything on this list. Treat this as planning for when it’s safe to go, not a reason to book a trip today.
What to do in Manama, sorted by what it costs
The main Manama guide covers 9 free or near-free picks. This list goes wider, the things worth paying a little more for, with an honest cost band on each so nothing surprises you once the dinar gets converted.
| Cost band | What it means |
|---|---|
| Free | No entry fee, just your time |
| $ (under $15) | A modest ticket or a cheap tour add-on |
| $$ ($15-40) | A half-day tour or activity |
| $$$ (over $40) | A full-day tour or a splurge experience |
- Bahrain World Trade Center, exterior view. Free. The 240m twin towers were the first skyscraper built with working wind turbines on the skybridges, three of them, generating a real slice of the building’s power. There’s no public observation deck, the towers connect to street-level Moda Mall for shopping, so the best photo is from outside at dusk, not from a viewing floor.
- Block 338 in Adliya, browsing. Free (dining extra). Manama’s arts and dining district, galleries next to independent cafes and restaurants; a coffee here costs what a coffee anywhere costs, the neighborhood itself is free to wander.
- The Tree of Life, a desert drive. $ for the car, free at the tree. A lone 400-year-old mesquite alone in the southern desert with no obvious water source, part local legend, part genuine oddity. It’s around 40km from Manama, a rental car is the practical way there, check current rates on Discover Cars and go for sunset. It’s one tree with no facilities, so set your expectations before you drive out, and check the current advisory before booking any car or tour, not just before this one.
- Bahrain International Circuit, a static visit. $. The Sakhir circuit hosted the Middle East’s first Formula 1 race, but the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix itself was relocated to Sepang, Malaysia, over the war, so there’s no race to watch here this year. Treat it as a day-trip site with a real history, not a 2026 race destination; the official circuit site is the place to confirm non-race visitor experiences.
- Al Areen Wildlife Park, a safari drive. $$. A tour-bus style drive, not a walking zoo, through a reserve with Arabian oryx, cheetahs, and gazelles among dozens of species. Book a Bahrain desert and wildlife tour or check current hours and pricing on VisitBahrain.bh before you go, since both are unconfirmed at time of writing.
- A Hawar Islands boat trip. $$-$$$. A 16-island archipelago about 25km out by ferry, with Arabian oryx, sea turtles, and reportedly the world’s largest breeding colony of Socotra cormorants. Access is genuinely more involved than the mainland sights, verify the ferry schedule before planning around it.
- Riffa Fort. $. A cliff-top fort rebuilt in the early 1800s on older foundations, and the birthplace of a ruling sheikh; a quieter historical stop than the city-center sights.
- King Fahd Causeway, Passport Island. Free to drive, $ for lunch. The 25km causeway to Saudi Arabia has a mid-point “Passport Island” with two 65m towers for a Gulf view, worth the drive out even if you don’t cross the border, McDonald’s on both sides if you need a cheap bite.
For the honest, no-hiking version of Bahrain’s outdoors, see the day trips guide , and for when to fit these in, check the festivals and events guide so you’re not planning around a race that isn’t happening.
Before booking any tour above, check the current advisory again the week you travel, not just before you book.