Chipsnsalsa

Hello my dear old things! (Ashes reference for those with a vee pee enn)

I'm currently residing in the Magic Kingdom, where my employer has been kind enough to furnish me with a motorcar for my personal and professional needs. However, I have just discovered that, while I am thankfully permitted to make periodic departures from the land of the two holy places, my automobile is not!

Try as I might to persuade my masters of the essential gayness (as the kids would put it) of their policy, they have proved as inflexible as a mutawa with a church building application. As such, I have the following question, to which one, or indeed more than one of you denizens of the Bahrain bridge might be good enough to respond:

Is it possible to drive to the checkpoints in the middle island of the causeway, park one's car on the Saudi side, proceed through the Saudi and Bahraini immigration on foot, and get a lift with someone on the Bahraini side who does not have permission to enter Saudi?

That is to say, is parking available (and preferably non-extortionate for a few days stay) on either side of the customs and immigration? Is it a short walk between the two? And can someone in Bahrain drive right up to said checkpoint to meet me when I come through?

Forgive my ignorance, having never used the causeway before. Many thanks to any and all respondents (well, those who reply with useful information anyway! )

scot47

Get the bus.

Chipsnsalsa

I live in Riyadh. Anyone who isn't a sarcastic arse care to reply?

scot47

How was it sarcastic ? Use the bus. It will make your life easier. Park your car in downtown Khobar and get the service bus which runs on a regular timetable from Khobar (an Dammam) to Manama. Parking in Dammam might be easier.

Next time someone offers help, do not insult him.

Dubaiexile

Catch a flight....sarcastic arse in Dubai

weasel decentral

Exactly, the drive from Riyadh to Bahrain is not easy especially at the weekends when all the nutters take to the road

Beakersful

From what I've heard, you have several options. Park in Khobar/Dammam and get the bus or a taxi. Getting the bus means a longer wait on the causeway where you all get off and check in, the sniffer dogs come out, etc. The taxi is approx 240sar each way?

The third is the train to Dammam (a friend did that recently, I wouldn't advise it) then a bus/taxi.

The fourth is obviously to weigh up about travel time/energy expenditure, costs, etc and fly.

The lunacy with getting a car over the border and the paperwork/stamps involved is a real turn off when thinking of driving over there or Dubai

scot47

Riyadh-Dammam train is actually pretty good. More like Finnish Railways than Indian Railways. It does take time though. The route is through Hofuf rather than direct. Saudi railways have a website -in English and Arabic.

Beakersful

There are unrealistic expectations that your connecting buses will arrive or depart on time. A workmate wen the train/bus route recently and he said never again.

scot47

Taxi is probably best. Dammam to Bahrain 300. Khobar to Bahrain 250.

Negotiable around those figures. For 4 of you that is cheaper than the bus !

Bog Man

I seem to remember that you could park on the central island - even have a burger and go up the tower to admire the view! Many TCNs seemed to consider this a treat on their day off! I suppose you could therefore meet someone from BH to take you the rest of the way?

scot47

There is a tower there on the central island with a revolving restaurant at the top. I never knew anyone who went up there. Maybe TCN territory ?

Chipsnsalsa

Scot47, I apologise if you were being serious: knowing the state of public transport here in KSA I assumed you were taking the piss. As Beakersful says, I wouldn't want to rely on it out here.

I know I can fly, but as it'll probably be a one-off I thought it'd be interesting to take a road trip eastwards. What I was hoping for was what Bog Man (a new Marvel character?) suggested, ie parking on the central island, and being picked up by my friend on the Bahrain side of immigration, thus saving time and 500 SR in taxi fees.

Does anyone who crosses the cauiseway regularly know if this is possible: to leave your car (which is not allowed to leave KSA) on the Saudi side of the central island; walk through immigration; and be picked up and driven off by a Bahrain resident (without a KSA visa) on the Bahraini side of the central island?

The Dean

The latter - yes. Perfectly possible, and many do it.