By air
Brunei International (BWN), ~10 km from the centre
Southeast Asia · Brunei
Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
Golden mosques and a city on stilts
Getting there
Best time to visit
February to April — the driest months; it is hot and humid all year
Don't miss
Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque
Kampong Ayer
Jame' Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque
Royal Regalia Museum
Istana Nurul Iman
Gadong Night Market
Tasek Lama
Things to do
A water taxi through Kampong Ayer
Visiting the two great mosques
The Royal Regalia Museum
A river trip for proboscis monkeys
The night market at Gadong
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: bvi4092 · CC BY 2.0
What to pack
Modest clothing for the mosques, an umbrella, light fabrics, cash for water taxis
A quieter corner
A boat into the mangroves at dusk to see proboscis monkeys settle in the trees along the river
Questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Bandar Seri Begawan?
February to April — the driest months; it is hot and humid all year. What to pack: Modest clothing for the mosques, an umbrella, light fabrics, cash for water taxis.
How do I get to Bandar Seri Begawan?
Fly into Brunei International (BWN), ~10 km from the centre.
What is there to do in Bandar Seri Begawan?
A water taxi through Kampong Ayer, visiting the two great mosques, the Royal Regalia Museum, a river trip for proboscis monkeys, the night market at Gadong. A quieter find: A boat into the mangroves at dusk to see proboscis monkeys settle in the trees along the river.
What should I eat in Bandar Seri Begawan?
Ambuyat with cacah sauce, nasi katok, satay at the night market, kuih sweets, teh tarik.
About Bandar Seri Begawan
- Riverside
- Coastal
Where it is
Bandar Seri Begawan is the capital of Brunei, on the Brunei River near its mouth on Brunei Bay, on the northern coast of the island of Borneo.
History
The water village on the river has been the heart of the Bruneian sultanate for many centuries, visited by Magellan's crew in the sixteenth century when Brunei ruled much of Borneo. Oil wealth in the twentieth century built the modern city on the banks, with its golden-domed mosques and the world's largest residential palace.
People
A quiet, orderly Malay Muslim city with Chinese and indigenous communities, where evenings are spent at the night market and the water village families still commute by boat.
Known for
- Kampong Ayer, the water village
- The Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque
- The Royal Regalia Museum
- Proboscis monkeys on the river
Did you know?
Kampong Ayer has been called the Venice of the East and houses several thousand people on stilts over the river.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.