Bahrain Travel Forum

Hi,

Following the desastrous comments about the taxi in BH, do you think it is worth renting a car for a few days and if yes do you have any reliable agency to recommend except the expensive ones like hertz, avis, ...

Tx for your feedback.

L

I do believe that if you have an accident in Bahrain, in a rented car,, as a tourist, you will automaticaly be blamed for it.

Just a thought!

Even if that were true (which may or may not be the case) - it's not really much of your concern, as you will (hopefully !) have spent the extra few dinars have fully comprehensive CDW insurance. I.e. : while driving in Bahrain may be a crazy affair and potentialy dangerous if you're only used to driving in Northern/Western Europe or North America, the fault in case of an accident will surely be your smallest worry.

I lived in Bahrain for a year and used both taxis and rental cars. Both are easy enough. If you are clearly a foreigner (i.e- clearly not Middle Eastern) then most assuredly the taxi drivers will try and get the most out of you, sometimes saying that a short taxi ride can cost upwards of 20 BD, or like 55 USD. This is outrageous because anywhere in the greater Manama area I have never paid more than 4-5 BD. Just dont give in and act like you live there or know how much a trip should cost and if you seem as though you will give your business to someone else, you can surely bargain on the price.

To rent a car is quite easy too. I had a Bahraini Registration card and was asked for it when I rented, but I am sure you can rent with other documents as a non-registered citizen. There are numerous little companies to rent from, especially in Jufair near the US Navy base. You can rent a very basic car the day of for as little as 11 BD (about 29 USD), and it gets cheaper if you make agreements for longer.

Speaking from personal experience, having an accident sucks. I rented a car and then crashed it, and it was my fault. Because the police report noted it as my fault, I was charged 250 BD at the rental agency, which wasnt too bad since I was completely at fault. Its easy to not get into an accident, so worry about it as much in Bahrain as you would when renting a car in the US.

Good Luck, Jenn