About Bahrain Intl. Airport
Bahrain International Airport, which was opened in the city of Muharraq by the English authorities in 1920, when Bahrain was a colony of the United Kingdom, was used for civil purposes until the beginning of the Second World War. Throughout the Second World War, the airport hosted military and cargo planes of the United States of America. The airport was transferred to the British Air Forces after the war and to the civil authority after Bahrain became independent in 1971. Expansion and renovation activities initiated at the airport in 1980 were completed in 1994. Bahrain International Airport rendering services to passengers with a single terminal building hosts 8 million passengers every year.
Getting to the City Center from Bahrain Intl. Airport
Bahrain, whose official name is the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country located in the Gulf of Basra, and west of Saudi Arabia, neighboring Qatar in the south east. Bahrain is actually a word in Arabic, meaning "between two seas". Bahrain, which basically consists of 3 major islands, is an important settlement place in terms of being a tourist destination. Oil is cheap in the country because Bahrain provides a large part of its subsistence from oil and natural gas. For this reason, most of the local people are using their private cars for commuting. This means that there is almost no public transport in the city. Buses and minibuses carry a large part of the burden of city transportation. Since transportation by taxi in the city is very expensive, most of the visitors to the city prefer car rental companies. You can go to the city center of Bahrain by renting a car from the airport or by the transfer service of your hotel. Buses, minibuses and taxis are the most preferred means of transportation to go to the city center from the Bahrain International Airport. Apart from that, the number of car rental companies is high; a fact that offers various price options to the visitors. Taxis, along with buses and minibuses, are also among the alternatives that can be preferred in city transportation. Although expensive they can be used in the first stage by many tourists. It is very convenient and easy to reach from the airport to the city center by Bahrain buses. Bahrain Airport stop is also on the route of thee of the bus lines which has various routes. The Line 1 bus (Muharraq-Hidd), the first of these routes, passes through the airport. Its stops are Muharraq Terminal, Road 10, Muharraq Health Center, Bahrain Club, Shaikh Khalifa Road, Bahrain Airport, Arad, and Hidd Muharraq Terminal. The fare on this line is 0.20 Bahreyn Dinar. The other one is the Line 6 (Qalali-Muharraq) bus line with the stops of Muharraq Terminal, Road 10 Tank Water, Muharraq Health Center, Bahrain Airport, Shaikh Khalifa Avenue, Muharraq Maternity Hospital (RF), Arados Roadi Aldaic, Samaheej, and Qalali Muharraq Terminal. The fare for this bus is the same as for the other: 0.20 dinars. Bahrain bus fare varies according to line numbers. Finally there is the Line 13 bus line called Muharraq-Circular. The stops on this route are Muharraq Terminal, Estralal School, Bahrain Club, Bahrain Airport, Muharraq Maternity Hospital (RF), Busaiteen, Muharraq Central Market, and Muharraq Terminal. The fare is 0.20 Bahrain Dinar. Bus number 2 goes directly from the Bahrain Airport to the center of the capital Manama. You can go to the Manama bus terminal with the bus 13, which passes through the city center of Bahrain and departs on an hourly basis, and from there you can take one of the buses X2, X3, X4 or X5 which departs every 20 minutes. Line 10, Line 11 and Line 12 are other bus lines that go directly to the airport. Muharraq bus terminal is on their route. In Bahrain, it is possible to make your way from the airport with the minibuses which are less preferred compared to the buses. It is very convenient and easy to get to the city center of Bahrain at a fee of about 0.15 dinars by taking the minibuses waiting at the exit of the airport arrival terminal. It is also very easy to get to the city center in 15-20 minutes by taking a minibus which can be found at the bus stop located about 3 minutes walking distance from the arrival terminal. Bahrain taxis have a reputation for tending to demand a higher fare than normal. So when you get off the airport, make sure that the driver does not turn the taximeter on and you should remember to try to bargain. Day and night tariffs are applied in the taxis. The day time is from 06:00 to 22:00 and the night time is from 22:00 to 06:00. Taxi drivers waiting at Bahrain airport exit open taximeters with 2 dinar usually. It costs around 2-4 dinars to go to the city center which is 6 kilometers away by taxi. If you find airport taxis expensive, it is possible to find more affordable taxis at www.bahtaxi.com or www.taxicc.com. Private cars are often preferred as much as buses for transportation within the city as well as to the city from the airport. It is possible to make a pre-booking from a car rental company so that your car is ready for you when you land. Major car rental companies and contact numbers at the airport are Budget (+973 17321268), Europcar (+973 17321999), Hanco (+973 1732129), Hertz (+973 17321358), Avis (+973 17321239) and Sixt (+973 36069908). These offices are also located in the center of Bahrain, so you can deliver your car directly at the airport on your return. Thus, you can prepare for your flight with great comfort and save time as well. Renting a small car for a month costs about 150-170 dinars.Bus
Minibus
Taxi
Car Rental
Getting to Bahrain Intl. Airport from the City Center
The main means of transport used in the city are buses and taxis. The buses are very economical and practical. It is possible to reach the airport with one or two bus transfers from the city center or from a further distance. Because of the two most important terminals (Muharraq and Manama terminals) there are buses departing directly to Bahrain Airport every 20 minutes. Apart from that, taxis, car rental services and minibuses are among the other transportation options.
Bus
Buses at the top of the main transportation vehicles in the city are public transportation vehicles which are very convenient for the budget and transportation. With Bahrain buses that are air-conditioned, spacious and comfortable, you can go directly or indirectly to everywhere you wish. Bus ticket prices usually start at 0.20 Bahrain Dinar. Manama bus station is located on Government Avenue.
The prices of Bahrain buses vary between 0.15-0.40 dinars on average. But most of the buses usually get 0.20 dinars for a single fare. The city has 23 different routes for buses with a total of 15 different lines. Buses that go directly to the airport depart from the stop that is about 200 meters west of Regency Intercontinental. For further information, you can call the Bahrain bus company (+973 17 534534).
Minibus
The use of minibuses in Bahrain is at least as popular as the buses. It is much more economical to get to the airport with the minibuses you can encounter in almost every corner of the city. Because the average ticket prices for these minibuses that are not connected to any business vary between 0.15-0.20 dinars. Sometimes even bargaining with drivers can be done. Minibuses with less capacity than buses can be crowded during heavy traffic hours.
Taxi
The fact that oil is cheap in the country does not, unfortunately, provide a discount on taxi fares. On the contrary, the fares are extremely expensive compared to many other cities and countries. So it's your benefit that you do not use the taxi unless you have to. In particular, Bahrain's locals prefer to use their own and not to spend unnecessary money on the taxis. The main taxi companies you can call from any point in the city are Speedy Motors (+973 17682999), Bahrain Limo (+973 17266266) and Arabian Taxi (+973 17461746). Taxis in the city are opening taximeters at a cheaper rate compared to airport taxis: 1 dinar.
Car Rental
The roads throughout Bahrain are asphalt and well maintained. At the same time, oil is so cheap that it offers a great advantage in terms of car rental companies. Because tourists who visit the country prefer not to waste their time on underdeveloped public transport, and prefer to widen their choices, they rent a car. Because of this, there are many offices of international and local car rental companies both in the city and at the airport.
Airport Information
Bahrain International Airport, located 6 kilometers north-east of Bahrain's capital Manama, is only 15 minutes away from Manama city center. Bahrain Airport, which serves approximately 8 million passengers a year, serves flights mainly to the Middle East, Europe and India. Bahrain Airport, which is open to both domestic and international flights, served an average of 8.5 million passengers in 2015.
The airport is open 24/7. Bahrain International Airport hosts 2 communication shops, cafes and restaurants (Starbucks, Chilies, Costa Coffee, Dairy Queen, Papa John's, Jasmi's Caribou, Romanos Macaroni Grill, Habara, Irish Pub Int, Habara Skybar, Mcdonalds, Gloria Jeans Coffees), 9 travel agencies, 2 banks, 2 currency exchange offices, duty free store, souvenir shops, bookshop called Al Hilal, smoking area, and offers free internet access.
At the same time there are 18 different car rental companies, car parking areas and Caravan Group of Hotels, which is the airport hotel.
