Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Government offices
7am to 2pm Sunday to Thursday
Internet cafes
8am to 1pm and 4pm to 10pm
Post offices
7am to 2pm (and 4pm to 6pm at alternating offices)
Restaurants
11am to 3pm and 6pm to 1am
Shopping centres
9am to 10pm Saturday to Thursday, 10am to 10pm Friday
Shops
8am to noon and 3.30pm to 7.30pm Saturday to Thursday
PHOTOGRAPHY
Plenty of shops in Manama, and elsewhere around Bahrain, sell batteries and memory
cards for cameras. Many camera shops can burn photos onto a CD and print digital pic-
tures.
POST
Sending postcards to Europe/North America and Australasia costs 150/200 fils. Letters
cost 200/250 fils per 10g. Parcels cost a standard minimum of BD3 for the first 500g to all
Western countries, and BD1/1.500 for every extra 500g.
PRACTICALITIES
»
Magazines
The monthly
Bahrain This Month
and
TimeOut Bahrain
have comprehensive local listings.
»
Newspapers
The
Gulf Daily News
and the
Bahrain Tribune
are the main English-language dailies. Internation-
al newspapers are available in major hotels and bookshops the day after publication.
»
Radio
Radio Bahrain
broadcasts in English on 96.5FM and 101FM.
»
TV
Bahrain TV broadcasts Channel 55 in English (from late afternoon), and the BBC World Service is shown
in English on Channel 57. Most satellite programs, such as CNN and MTV, are available at many hotels.
»
Smoking
Widespread but top-end hotels reserve rooms for nonsmokers.
»
Weights & Measures
Bahrain uses the metric system.
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
In addition to the main Islamic holidays, Bahrain celebrates a number of public holidays.
New Year's Day
1 January
Ashura
Tenth day of Muharram (month in the Hejira calendar; date changeable) - Ashura
marks the death of Hussein, grandson of the Prophet. Processions led by men flagellating
themselves take place in many of the country's predominantly Shiite areas.
National Day
16 December
