DESTINATION:
Bahrain
WHAT TO EAT, SEE AND DO WHEN VISITING THE FORMULA 1 GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX 2025
While the action is sure to be hot on-track in Sakhir, the cultural feast that awaits fans in the Kingdom of Bahrain is just as tasty. Check out our guided tour of the best eats, treats and things to do when visiting Bahrain for the Bahrain Grand Prix.
If grilled meat wrapped in flat bread with pickled vegetables, garlic yoghurt and hummus is your thing, you’ll be spoilt for choice…
Widely considered to be the national dish of Bahrain, chicken machbous (or machboos) can be found on most traditional restaurant menus in the Kingdom. Consisting of chicken (although other meat is sometimes used) and rice cooked in a spiced broth, this biryani-style dish for sharing is popular across all the Gulf states.
Not sure what you fancy? Block 338, Bahrain’s colourful, partially pedestrianised dining district in Manama – popular with street artists – is home to an abundance of sports bars, international cafes, restaurants and rooftop bars so you’re guaranteed to find whatever tickles your tastebuds and suits your mood.
Near the Bab Al-Bahrain Souq (read on for more information about this location), you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d taken a wrong turn to the Indian subcontinent, such is the prevalence of chai shops, Indian grocery stores and, of course, restaurants. This is the area to visit for inexpensive authentic curries and good vegetarian food.
If grilled meat wrapped in flat bread with pickled vegetables, garlic yoghurt and hummus is your thing, you’ll be spoilt for choice…
No trip to Bahrain should be without a visit to Bab Al-Bahrain Souq in Manama.
No trip to Bahrain should be without a visit to Bab Al-Bahrain Souq in Manama. A mixture of old town alleyways and newer narrow lanes, you can pick up almost anything here, from souvenirs to gold jewellery.
Soak up the atmosphere from one of the traditional cafes lining the labyrinthine streets, bustling with traders selling everything from traditional Arabic carpets and lamps, to vibrant fabric shops hung with exquisitely embroidered garments.
Highly skilled craftsmen can often be seen adding intricate patterns in gold thread to traditional robes using heavy old sewing machines. Marking the main entrance to the souq is the Bab Al-Bahrain, or ‘Gateway of Bahrain’ – a historical building which once stood on the Manama coastline.
Qal’at-al-Bahrain, also known as Bahrain Fort, is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most important historical forts and archaeological sites in the Arabian Gulf region. This incredibly well-preserved fort, built over 500 years ago by the Portuguese, is surrounded by date palms and a landscape largely unchanged for 2,000 years.
For those wishing to try and emulate their F1 heroes, the Bahrain International Karting Circuit, situated at the Bahrain International Circuit, is the perfect place to show off those on-track skills!
This 1.414km circuit with 14 turns was the first karting tack worldwide to host a World Championship-level race at night, and can be enjoyed by die-hard racers and beginners alike. Even the F1 drivers are known to have a spin around the track…
FUN FACT
The Tree of Life is a 9.75-metre high prosopis cineraria tree that’s over 400 years old, and situated in the desert 40km from Manama. A popular tourist attraction with approximately 65,000 visitors a year due to it being the only major tree growing in a barren area, it’s rumoured to grow on the site of the biblical Garden of Eden, hence its mystical ability to survive the arid desert conditions.
