Manama eSIM
In Manama you connect to Batelco or stc, whichever is performing better where you are standing. The typical speed across the country is 78 Mbps. Your data starts working the moment you land, before you reach the immigration hall.
- Networks
- Batelco and stc
- Typical speed in Bahrain
- 78 Mbps typical, 22 Mbps at busy times
- 5G
- yes, non standalone
- Throttle
- None on metered plans
- Tethering
- Allowed on every plan
Plans that cover Manama
| Data | Validity | Price per GB | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | Never expires | $8.89 | $8.89 | |
| 3 GB | Never expires | $4.96 | $14.89 | |
| 5 GBMost travellers | Never expires | $4.38 | $21.89 | |
| 10 GB | Never expires | $3.49 | $34.89 | |
| 20 GB | Never expires | $2.74 | $54.89 |
How Bahrain compares across Middle East
- Regional typical speed
- 72 Mbps
- Upstream networks
- 2, Batelco, stc
- 5G
- Yes, non standalone
- Next fastest nearby
- Saudi Arabia, 83 Mbps
- Next slowest nearby
- Israel, 72 Mbps
- Cities with their own page
- 1: Manama
Landing at Bahrain International Airport (BAH)
- Airport
- BAH / OBBI
- Distance
- 7 km from the centre of Manama
- Wifi on arrival
- Free wifi in the terminalOperator lists free wifi on the SSID "Bahrain Airport", up to 6 hours, with no registration required.
- SIM on arrival
- SIM counters or vending in the terminalBatelco, stc and Zain all operate outlets in the Arrivals area.
Getting into Manama
- BPTC route A2 (Airport - Manama - City Centre - Seef - University of Bahrain) (BAH)
- BPTC route A1 (Airport - Muharraq - Manama - Isa Town) (BAH)
- Metered taxis from Car Park B, and app-based taxis from outside Gate 1 (BAH)
Worth knowing about Manama
- The airport is not in Manama: it sits on Muharraq island, roughly 7 km from the Manama central business district and reached across a causeway of over 2.8 km.
- All three Bahraini mobile operators - Batelco, stc and Zain - have outlets in the airport Arrivals area, so a physical SIM can be bought before leaving the terminal.
- Airport wifi is free for up to 6 hours and needs no registration, which is enough to cover a long connection but not an overnight wait.
- Bahrain International Airport is the country's only international airport and dates from 1927, making it the oldest in the Persian Gulf.
- Buses leave from exit 4 on the Arrivals level, currently from zone 4A on the road closest to the terminal. The airport itself calls route A2 the fastest way into Manama.
- Routes 10 and 11 run the same loop in opposite directions, linking the airport with Arad, Hidd, Mina Salman, Kuwait Avenue and the Manama and Muharraq bus terminals.
- A single trip bought from the driver costs BHD 0.300. A GO Card, sold at the three bus stations for a one-off BHD 0.500, lowers each trip to BHD 0.275 and caps spending at BHD 0.700 a day.
- For a longer stay, the GO Card can carry a seven-day pass for BHD 3 or a 28-day pass for BHD 12, with unlimited trips, and it holds up to BD50 of stored credit.
- Bahrain's red public buses offer free Wi-Fi on board, and the buses linking the airport with the rest of the island run 24 hours a day.
- Metered Bahraini taxis wait in Car Park B, and app-based taxis pick up outside Gate 1. Fares are set by the government and run slightly higher at night, on Fridays and Saturdays and on holidays; Uber also operates.
- Car hire desks are in the Arrivals hall. The minimum renting age is 21, and drivers whose licence was not issued in a GCC country need an international driving permit alongside it.
- Registering a local SIM requires your passport, so keep it to hand when visiting an operator shop or authorised dealer.
- Public and commercial signage across Bahrain is bilingual, in Arabic and English, and English is widely spoken alongside Hindi, Urdu, French and Tagalog.
- Bahrain Public Transport Company's customer line, 66311111, answers daily from 6 am to 9 pm, and its online stop monitor shows live departures.