Bandar Seri Begawan, also known as BSB or just Bandar, is the capital of Brunei.
Bandar Seri Begawan is a modern city with wide streets and palace buildings. For its history, it was once a Malay fishing village and has been on the Brunei River in which people lived in riverside dwellings and was subject to attacks by pirates, the Portuguese and the Spaniard.
See Brunei#Get in for Brunei's entry requirements.
Brunei International Airport 📍 (IATA: BWN) is the main airport in Brunei. See Brunei#By plane for airline details.
A taxi from the airport to the city centre takes 20 minutes and costs around $25. Some hotels may provide transport between airport and hotel for free or for a cheaper price. A covered walk down to the end of the car park away from the Terminal (turn left when exiting from Arrivals) leads to a bus stop for Purple buses to the city centre during the day ($2).
All main roads in Brunei (save for those in isolated Temburong Districts) lead to Bandar Seri Begawan. The main road into/out of Bandar Seri Begawan connects to the coastal road to/from the Sarawak border via Tutong, Seria and Kuala Belait. Other main roads lead to Muara and Kuala Lurah where there is a border crossing into the Limbang division of Sarawak. Take this road if you are driving to Temburong but you will have to go through two sets of immigration checkpoints - at Kuala Lurah (Tedungan on the Sarawak side) and Puni (Pandaruan on the Sarawak side) - before you reach the district administrative center, Bangar.
The main bus terminal 📍 where most local and long-distance buses leave from and arrive is at Jalan Cator in the city centre. It occupies the ground level of a multistory carpark. Map of Brunei public bus routes.
The main ferry terminal in Brunei is the Serasa Ferry Terminal 📍 at Muara. The ferry terminal has currency exchange, a small souvenir shop, and a cafe.
There are about five daily ferries to Labuan (the first one departs at 08:30, while the last at 16:30), journey lasts from 45 minutes to two hours depending on the boat. It's best to arrive an hour early to buy tickets; boarding starts half an hour before departure. The ferry costs $15 + terminal tax $2 (2019). With a change of boats in Labuan you can even make it to Kota Kinabalu (Sabah) in a day (see Kota Kinabalu to Brunei by land). The same applies to Lawas and Sundar (both in Sarawak) accessing which requires changing boats in Labuan. Serasa terminal is 25 km from Bandar Seri Begawan and also in quite a distance from Muara town.
Getting there: The ferry terminal is quite a distance from Muara town where the container port is. The terminal is about 25 km from Bandar Seri Begawan. Buses to Muara depart from the Bandar Seri Begawan bus terminal in Jalan Cator, first bus departs at 06:30. There are two possible options: the first is to catch a shuttle express bus that goes directly to the ferry terminal and costs $2, departs roughly every 2 hours. The second option is a regular bus #37, #38, or #39 to Pekan Muara (the end of the line), where you can transfer to #33 that will go to Serasa Ferry Terminal, price is $1 including transfer. Altogether, it can take as much as two hours to get from the bus terminal to the ferry terminal. Or you can just take a tour van or taxi.
From Bangar. Speedboats leave for Bangar in Temburong District from the jetty near the foodstalls at Jalan Residency just over the bridge across Sungai Kianggeh to the east of the city centre. Regular boats run between Bandar and Bangar throughout the day.
Try to pick up the official map of Brunei Darussalam, as it is easy to read and the public bus lines are easy to follow. The people of Brunei are very helpful to visitors, so don't be surprised after a few minutes of conversation they offer a ride to one of the attractions, as they know how much easier it is to drive there than get there any other way.
Downtown is quite small and can be easily navigated on foot. At several intersections there are walking maps of the Heritage Trail which includes the Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, Tamu Kianggeh (Kianggeh Market), and the Royal Regalia Museum.
Public minibuses are the cheapest way to travel in the city. They start service at 06:00 but end quite early (at about 18:00). They run roughly every 20–40 minutes from 06:00 to 18:00, but there's no strict schedule. Most of the bus routes begin and end service at the bus terminal on Jalan Cator downtown. Routes are numbered and the buses are different colors depending on the route. They cost $1 regardless of distance ($0.50 for children); the fare is normally collected by a conductor but may also be collected by the driver. They have designated stops but also stop anywhere along the route to drop or pick up passengers (so if you want to stop, just indicate it to the conductor on the bus, and the same thing if you want to get on). The buses are actually more like large vans which can seat about 20 people at the most, and are generally clean and comfortable to ride. Main bus routes include bus service 01 (Circle Line) and 20 (Business Centres Line). The detailed routes of the bus services are written on a board placed on the front window of the buses and are also drawn on the information board at the Jalan Cator terminal.
Try asking the counter tickets for a tour van to drive you around Brunei and bring you to the places. Discuss the price first before you agree to board the van.
It's almost impossible to hail a taxi outside of airport, so it's better to arrange a one via hotel or call a taxi service. Taxi services: +673 2222214, +673 2226853 . Airport Taxi Service: +673 2343671 .
The main ride-hailing app in Brunei is Dart.
You can hail a few water taxis at almost any dock but the most popular place to find one is on the waterfront downtown. They are great fun to ride in, and they're also a useful way to get to the Water Village and to some of the city's outlying neighbourhoods. Drivers also give tours to see proboscis monkeys and the Water Village; see below for details.
Downtown BSB is small and easy to get around on foot. There are more sidewalks than in cities in neighboring Sarawak. Be careful of the pedestrian traffic lights – most of them stay red and don't change even if you press the button, so instead time your crossing by paying attention to the traffic lights for cars.
Drivers in Bandar are fairly polite to pedestrians – they usually wait when they see pedestrians in the crosswalk, especially downtown.
Don't expect to find much tasteful and stunning architecture like you would normally find in Southeast Asia. Here, most of the buildings are just plain and box-shaped. However, an interesting twist to the billboards around here, is that the "Jawi" (Arabicized Malay writing) are prevalent among them. Sometimes, foreign names are translated literally, e.g. "Pizza Hut" to "Pondok Pizza".
But to really experience the water village, you've got to walk around and explore it. You can take a water taxi across for $1 per person (a 2-minute ride). Ask the driver to take you to the gallery (Kampong Ayer Cultural & Tourism Gallery 📍), which has a detailed exhibition of the history of Kampong Ayer and some lovely artistic souvenirs for sale. The gallery is open 09:00-17:00, but closes Friday 11:00–14:30 for Friday prayers. The observation tower next to the gallery has views of the water village and the city centre. Then don't just stay at the edge of the village near the gallery – go into the village and walk around. Not many tourists seem to go in, so you may get curious hellos from residents, especially children. You'll see people going about their ordinary routines, which feels almost surreal since it's all suspended a few metres above the river. If you look around you might spot a mosque, schools, whimsically colourful buildings, and even chickens. The boardwalks might make you nervous, but there's no reason to worry – just watch your step. They're more stable than they look, and even if you did somehow lose your balance and fall in, it's just a short swim to the nearest ladder – in a way it's safer than walking next to a busy street. Don't wear high heels though.
If you don't want to shell out for the ride, you can also walk into the village – start from behind the Sultan's Mosque or from the other bank in Batu Satu. Free entry 2019-02-12
Royal Regalia Museum (Bangunan Alat Kebesaran Diraja), Jalan Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien (entrance on Jalan Sultan, next to the Brunei History Centre, between Jalan Stoney and Jalan James Pearce.), 4.892881°, 114.941562°, +673 224 4545. Open daily 09:00–16:30 (but closed Friday 11:30–14:30 for Friday prayers). It displays the royal accessories utilised during the coronation, and some reproductions, as well as gifts received by the Sultan from dignitaries and civilians all around the world. Definitely worth checking out. If you don't have time to visit both, and need to choose between this museum or "Brunei Museum" at Kota Batu, choose this one. Photography isn't allowed; you have to leave bags, phones, and cameras in a locker when you come in. You have to take off shoes and the floors are marble, so wear socks. Has a gift shop with souvenirs. Free entrance 2019-02-13
Istana Nurul Iman, 4.871151°, 114.919796°. The residential palace of the Sultan. It is usually not possible to enter, yet the huge size of the palace attracts tourists to snap picture in front of the gate. The palace is however, hidden behind the landscapes, so a better picture can be seen in flyers or souvenirs that feature it. The palace opens to the public once a year on Hari Raya Aidilfitri (Eid al-Fitr), when male members of the public can line up to exchange greetings with the Sultan, and female members of the public can exchange greetings with the Sultan's wife, and lunch cooked by the palace kitchen is served to the public for free.
Brunei Museum, 4.885383°, 114.968662°. 09:00-17:00. Has just closed for a undetermined period of time, maybe until 2016. Though had an excellent display in the Islamic Art Gallery. It is highly recommended.
After visiting the Brunei Museum, walk along the road toward BSB to visit two tombs: the first is the Tomb of Sharif Ali, the third sultan of Brunei. The green sign by the road is written entirely in Arabic lettering. Further down the road is the Tomb of Sultan Bolkiah, the fifth sultan of Brunei. Both tombs are in easy walking distance from the Museum.
Malay Technology Museum (Muzium Teknologi Melayu), 4.883352°, 114.969810°. This place has many exhibits featuring the different style of houses and lifestyle of those who live on the water village. Free
Tasek Lama Recreational Park, Jln Tasek Lama, 4.902043°, 114.944391°. 06:00-18:00. Huge park close to the city with lots of walking trails and a waterfall. Free entrance 2016-09-21
Kianggeh Canal. A small canal near the Kianggeh Market, there are sometimes monitor lizards inside the canal and monkeys nearby. 2018-06-03
Proboscis monkeys. Take a boat along the rivers that snake through the swampy jungle near the capital, and scan the trees to try to spot the monkeys (your driver will look too). Keen eyes help, and bring binoculars if you have them. Also keep your eyes out for beautiful white birds and monitor lizards. Leave at around 17:00 for the best chance of seeing proboscis monkeys—head to one of the waterfront jetties (near the tourist information centre) and ask one of the boats to take you to see the monkeys. The trip lasts about 30 minutes to an hour. Roughly $15-30 or $10 per person; you might have to haggle a bit 2019-02-13
Teng Yun Temple (騰雲殿), Jalan Sungai Kianggeh and Jalan Elizabeth Dua, 4.890058°, 114.943757°. A smallish Chinese temple. 2019-02-13
Small market town with population of 21,000, 24 km west of Bandar Seri Begawan.
Small town on the north-eastern tip of Brunei where the country's only deep-water port is located.
Another small town with population around 10,000 people close to Muara.
Every year, for three days at the end of Ramadan, the sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, opens his palace (Istana Nurul Iman) to the public. This event is primarily intended for the citizens of Brunei to meet their sultan, but foreigners are welcome too. Prepare to queue up for hours; even the queue for security alone takes over an hour. In the palace, free meals are distributed amongst all visitors; there is a wide choice. You can then queue up again in order to meet the sultan himself. You won't have the opportunity to exchange more than a handshake and a few words with him, but it's still a unique opportunity to meet a head of state.
Unfortunately, the sultan only meets men. Fortunately though, women can meet his wife, Queen Saleha, in similar arrangements on the same three days.
Several currency exchange places can be found downtown.
There are plenty of small local Kedai Kopi (coffee shops) in town that sell simple, cheap and tasty food and are frequented by locals.
Most hotels in Bandar Seri Begawan are in the middle to higher price range.
Crime is very uncommon in this tightly controlled small country.
Primary administrative division