Think twice.

Active notices

• • Global Measles

Vaccines

Required: Yellow Fever

Recommended: Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Measles, Rabies, Typhoid

Dress code

Dress conservatively in public places, particularly religious sites. Bahrainis often dress conservatively in traditional dress. You could cause offence if you dress inappropriately or not in accordance with Islamic values. Dress appropriately and modestly in public places, such as malls, restaurants, and parks. Clothing should not: be transparent expose shoulders or knees if you are a woman display offensive pictures or slogans Nudity is strictly forbidden, including topless sunbathing. These rules are even more closely observed during Ramadan when modesty is promoted.

LGBT+ travellers

Same-sex sexual activity between consenting adults who are at least 21 years old is not prohibited by law. However, public displays of affection can cause offence and are illegal. While arrests are rare, there are some reported cases of individuals punished for same-sex activity. Read more advice for LGBT+ travellers .

Staying safe

• •During 2011, a state of near civil war broke out in Bahrain, with many deaths, hundreds of injuries, and a large number of activists and health professionals arrested and tortured.
• •Pregnant women without a marriage certificate should consider their legal situation; pregnancy outside marriage can lead to a conviction.
• •Islamic Sharia law applies in certain cases, including alcohol abuse, adultery and homosexuality.
• •Drug use is punishable up to life and penalties for possession of even small quantities of drugs are severe.
• •While freedom of expression is often better than its neighbouring countries, that does not mean that you can make unnecessary comments - defamation of the king is a punishable offence and the local newspapers are generally pro-government.
• •During Ramadan, eating, drinking and smoking in public during the day is strictly prohibited, and offenders risk a fine or even a jail term.

Staying healthy

• •Drink plenty of water.
• •Though tap water is reported to be potable, bottled or boiled water is recommended for drinking.
• •In an emergency, call .

SIM / Data

The country code for phone calls to Bahrain +973. For international calls from Bahrain, you can use "00" instead of "+". There are no area codes, although the first digits of landline numbers generally tell the city or region. Landline numbers usually start with 17, mobile phone numbers often with 3 or 66.

Cash vs. Card

The currency in Bahrain is the Bahraini dinar, denoted by the symbol " .د.ب " or "BD" (ISO code: BHD). It is divided into 1000 fils. One dinar is worth US$2.66, as the exchange rate is fixed, making this one of the world's highest-valued currencies (second only to Kuwait). This can take some getting used to: that seemingly cheap BD 10 taxi ride is in fact almost US$27 and thus an extortionate rip-