The Site

Bahrain Bay Development is a new mixed use development constructed on two reclaimed islands on the ‘North Shore’ of Bahrain, immediately north of Manama’s Diplomatic Area, and north of Bahrain Bay itself. It lies on the north side of Bahrain Bay, immediately opposite ‘The Avenues’ and the Diplomatic Area.

The Development is connected to the rest of Bahrain by the ‘North Manama Causeway’, which currently links Juffair to the Bahrain Financial Harbour, with an interchange to the King Faisal Highway/Shaikh Isa Bin Salman Cause way, to Muharraq and the Airport to the East and Manama, Seef and the rest of Bahrain to the West.

Typical journey times are:

Barhain International Airport: 6.8km; 15 minutes

Bahrain Financial Harbour – 2km; 5 minutes

Bahrain World Trade Centre – 3 km; 6 minutes

Al Fateh Mosqque, Juffair – 5km; 8 minutes

Seef Residential Area – 8 km; 11 minutes

King Fahad Causeway – 34 Km; 38 minutes

A new bridge and interchange is under development next to Bahrain bay, which will provide an even faster link to Muharraq and the airport, and in the longer term, to a new outer causeway and bridge to Saudi Arabia.

Manama City

The Kingdom of Bahrain

Bahrain has its fair share of interesting history and much of it related to trading, rather than foreign invasion of which it also has considerable experience. Evidence as artifacts suggests that since before 1,000 BC and the Dilmun Civilization, Bahrain was a trading gateway. In fact, Dilmun was thought to be the original name of the entire area with Bahrain at its centre. Over the centuries, this trading nature has remained deep within the culture and to this day trading flourishes. Ancient Persian influence is very evident too as is Portuguese who built forts on the Island which have been restored and can be visited today.

The discovery of oil in Bahrain back in 1932 quickly brought prosperity. Through the 80s Bahrain’s banking sector grew dramatically leading to the Island being recognized as a ‘Regional Financial Hub’. Banking is still a very important and prized business feature with several hundred financial institutions established, bearing testament to investment opportunities offered. Furthermore, the Government strives to make the setting up of business as liberal, legally straight forward and less time consuming as possible and more recently allowing 100% foreign ownership in the trading sector.

Travel

Although an Island in the middle of the Arabian Gulf, air travel is of course the most efficient way to get here, but Bahrain is linked to mainland Saudi Arabia by a thoroughly modern and very well used causeway. Gulf Air, the national carrier, has regular flights to many destinations in Europe, the Indian Sub-Continent and the Far East as well as the GCC and Middle East. Added to that, Bahrain has an ‘open skies’ policy whereby many major airlines have daily as well as multiple flights in and out of the Kingdom. offering connections to almost anywhere in the world.

Bahrain in an extremely welcoming place and although busy, the airport boasts one of the quickest and most pleasing transit experience visitors enjoy. Obtaining a visa to visit Bahrain has been dramatically streamlined in recent years and the list of countries whose nationals can obtain a visa on arrival, grows ever bigger. Besides that, an efficient, well laid out and easy to understand government web site details all requirements and explains the various visas available, including costs at www.evisa.gov.bh

Being a relatively small Island nation, personal car transportation is by far the most popular method of getting around and car hire is plentiful. Most hotels offer free transportation to and from the airport as well. Metered taxis are abundant and the experience quite casual, so insist on the meter at all times. Uber is also available in Bahrain

The Bahraini Dinar is the country’s currency (based on .377 to the US Dollar – fixed) and foreign currency exchange is well catered for with the presence of several outlets at the airport as well as elsewhere in Bahrain.