Bahrain

Is Bahrain safe to visit?

On everyday measures, Bahrain is one of the safest places in the region. UNODC recorded 0.20 homicides per 100,000Homicide rateThe number of people killed on purpose each year for every 100,000 residents. It is the most comparable crime figure between countries.More in the glossary people in 2022, the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says crime is low in most areas, and the roads are better than in most of the region.

The risk is the war. Bahrain hosts the headquarters of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet in Manama, and Iran has targeted it since the first day of the 2026 conflict. The US State Department rates Bahrain Level 3 (reconsider travel). We score it 74, near Qatar and Kuwait; without the war it would rank well above both.

Strikes on Manama and the Fifth Fleet

On 28 February 2026, hours after the US and Israel struck Iran, Iranian drones damaged facilities at the Fifth Fleet headquarters in Juffair, and Americans were evacuated from the area, Defense One reported. The worst civilian toll came on 9 March, when the Health Ministry said an Iranian drone attack in Sitra injured 32 Bahraini civilians, four critically, including young children. Around the same time, the Interior Ministry said one person was killed and several injured in an attack on a residential building in Manama.

After the US-Iran memorandum of understanding on 17 June, the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says Iranian strikes resumed across the region from 8 July, including in Bahrain, against US military and civilian infrastructure. On 20 July the US Embassy warned that Iran may try to target unspecified locations in central Manama. The UK advised against all but essential travel to Bahrain from 23 July to 20 August 2026. The US advisoryUS travel advisoryThe US State Department's rating of each country from Level 1 (exercise normal precautions) to Level 4 (do not travel).More in the glossary of 27 August keeps Level 3, and US government staff still need special authorisation to travel there.

Two practical points stand out. First, avoid hotels next to the naval base in Juffair while the conflict lasts. Second, Bahrain is an island: in April 2026 its airspace and the King Fahd Causeway to Saudi Arabia closed at the same time, the FCDO says. Keep your departure plans flexible and your documents ready.

Protests and terrorism

Bahrain is calmer than in February and March 2011, when mass protests led the king to set up an independent commission of inquiry into the events. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says gatherings, protests and clashes with security forces still take place, especially around anniversaries, and names villages such as Sitra, Diraz, Bani Jamra, Karzakan and the area along the Budaiya Highway. Public gatherings on roads and squares are currently banned. Main routes are generally orderly by day.

The FCDO considers a terrorist attack likely, though it notes that none has been carried out successfully for several years. Earlier bombings in public places killed and injured people.

Roads, heat and air

Bahrain's roads are mid-table for the Gulf. WHO estimatesWHO road-death estimateThe World Health Organization's estimate of road traffic deaths per 100,000 people in a country, adjusted for deaths that police statistics miss.More in the glossary 8.1 road deaths per 100,000 people in 2021, below Oman (11.0) and Saudi Arabia (18.5) but above the UAE and Qatar. The national count has since fallen: government open data show 76 deaths in 2025, about 4.7 per 100,000. Most fatal crashes involved drivers who followed too closely. Enforcement is strict: any alcohol in your blood counts as drink-driving and can bring a travel ban, and tailgating, racing and phone use bring heavy fines.

Summer is hot and humid, and the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary now lists poor outdoor air quality as a health risk, which matters for people with asthma or heart conditions. Visitors pay for emergency treatment, so take insurance. Call 999 for any emergency.

Laws visitors should know

Bahrain is more relaxed than its neighbours: alcohol is legal in licensed venues, and dress codes are looser in hotels and malls. But public drunkenness, rude gestures and online posts that criticise the government or the monarchy can lead to prison or deportation. Carry photo ID at all times, and do not photograph security sites or incidents. A waterways curfew applies between 6.30pm and 4am.

How to stay safe in Bahrain

• Check the US and UK advice the week you travel, and sign up for embassy alerts.
• Stay away from the naval base and other military sites, and shelter indoors during alerts.
• Leave any protest or crowd at once.
• Use reputable taxi companies or apps.
• Plan outdoor time for the cooler months, from November to March.

How we scored it

Violent crime (95) and petty crime (88) are among the strongest in our country list. Road safety (74) is scored on WHO's 2021 estimate of 8.1 per 100,000, the top of its band. Conflict (40) is the weak point, reflecting the strikes on Manama and the naval base, terrorism risk and the US Level 3 advisory. The weighted average is 74, just under our cap of conflict plus 35 (75), so the cap does not bind.