Bandar Seri Begawan: mosques, Kampong Ayer and a rainforest day

Two nights, one city day, and where to sleep

Two nights give you one full city day; a third adds Ulu Temburong National Park, which takes a whole day from BSB. Plan the city day for any day except Friday. Shops and restaurants close from midday to 2 pm on Fridays for prayers, and on Fridays Jame' 'Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque is closed to visitors and the Royal Regalia and Malay Technology museums are closed all day. The Malay Technology Museum opens Sunday to Thursday, and the Kampong Ayer gallery closes at noon on Thursdays, so Sunday to Wednesday suits the city day best.

Start at Jame' 'Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque in Kampong Kiarong when it opens to visitors at 08:00; from Jalan Tutong it is a short ride by Dart car or taxi, and visitors may stay until 11:30. At about 09:30 ride on to the Malay Technology Museum at Kota Batu, near Kampong Ayer (from 09:00, or 08:30 on Sundays), and at about 11:00 to Soto Pabo in Kg Pintu Malim, a riverside restaurant facing Kampong Ayer, for an early lunch of ambuyat. A last short ride at about 12:30 drops you in the centre, which is small enough to walk: a snack at Tamu Kianggeh market beside the Kianggeh River, the Royal Regalia Museum on Jalan Sultan Omar 'Ali Saifuddien, then Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque and its lagoon on Jalan McArthur.

At about 15:00, cross the river by wooden water taxi from the Yayasan waterfront taxi stand and walk the Kampong Ayer boardwalks to the Cultural and Tourism Gallery, open until 16:30. Gadong night market opens at 16:00 and is too far to walk, so take a taxi there at about 16:30 for dinner and ride back to the hotel after dark. That makes five taxi rides by day and one in the evening.

Where you sleep is a choice between the airport run and the walk. Badi'ah Hotel (Badi'ah Complex, Mile 1 1/4, Jalan Tutong) is a 55-room hotel on the road towards Tutong, with a free airport shuttle on request and its prices on its own site: on 29 October 2026 its Standard Room (queen or twin, 25 m², two adults) was listed from BND 98 nett a night and its Superior Room (30 m²) from BND 115 nett. The totals below use it; the price of the address is a taxi to every sight.

In the centre, The Brunei Hotel (95 Jalan Pemancha) is a 46-room boutique hotel in the business district, within walking distance of the main sights, banks and restaurants, with Premier Twin, Double and Executive rooms; it asks guests to contact the hotel for rates. From there the waterfront, Tamu Kianggeh, the Royal Regalia Museum and Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque are on foot, and only Jame' 'Asr, Kota Batu and Gadong need a taxi.

For a night on the water, Teratak Setiawan is a small lodge in Kampong Bolkiah A, Kampong Ayer, decorated in traditional Malay style, with shared bathrooms and a homemade traditional breakfast. It publishes no room rates online, so ask the lodge for a price if you would rather wake up above the river than near a main road.

The two golden mosques

Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, completed in 1958 and named after the 28th Sultan, is the symbol of the capital: a golden dome, Italian marble columns and stained glass, set beside a lagoon with a replica of a 16th-century royal barge and surrounded by gardens. It stands on Jalan McArthur in the heart of the city. Plan to see it from the lagoon and the gardens, and treat a look inside as a bonus.

Jame' 'Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque, in Kampong Kiarong, is Brunei's largest mosque, built in 1994 for the Silver Jubilee of Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah's reign. Its 29 golden domes stand for the 29th ruler; colourful mosaic tiles, marble and geometric patterns cover the building, chandeliers and stained glass light the interior, and gardens with fountains surround it. Visitors may see the exterior and parts of the interior outside prayer times, from 08:00 to 11:30 and from 14:00 to 15:00, Saturday to Thursday. It is in the suburbs, so take a Dart car or a taxi.

In any mosque, women cover their head, shoulders and knees; some mosques lend simple robes and shawls. Shoes come off at the door, and visitors keep quiet inside. Outside the mosques, dress conservatively, covering shoulders, knees and cleavage; men should skip shorts.

Kampong Ayer by water taxi

Kampong Ayer, the water village on the Brunei River, is one of the largest water settlements in Southeast Asia: a spread of houses on stilts joined by wooden walkways and bridges, home to a community that has flourished for over a thousand years. The best way in is the way residents travel, by wooden water taxi, then on foot along the walkways.

Wooden water taxis leave from the Yayasan waterfront taxi stand on the city waterfront. Rides usually cost BND 2-5 and the fare can be negotiated; agree the price, whether it is per person or per boat, and the return before you set off. The UK advises checking that there are enough life jackets for every passenger and keeping your hands inside the boat, as saltwater crocodiles live in the rivers around BSB.

Start at the Kampong Ayer Cultural and Tourism Gallery, opened in 2009, which tells the history of the village with artefacts, photographs and displays. It opens from 09:00 to 16:30 on Saturday to Wednesday and from 09:00 to 12:00 on Thursday. Look out too for Jabal Rahmah, the Colourful House in Kampong Bakut Berumput, painted in rainbow colours and full of a family's antiques; the owners sometimes let visitors look inside.

The village is also the place to try ambuyat, Brunei's national dish. Teratak Setiawan offers a private ambuyat meal with its host, booked through Brunei travel agents such as Freme Travel Service, Darussalam Travel & Tours or Sunshine Borneo Tours.

The arrival afternoon: mangroves or Tasek Lama

Arrive by early afternoon and the rest of the day can go on the river. The Brunei River does not end at the water village: upstream, past the back of Istana Nurul Iman, the royal palace, the banks turn to mangrove forest, home to proboscis monkeys, the Borneo primates with orange-brown coats, long white tails and, in adult males, a long drooping nose. Monitor lizards, mangrove cat snakes and crocodiles live there too.

BorneoGuide's Proboscis Monkey River Safari (BG113) costs from BND 95 per person, with a minimum of two, and takes about 2 hours, with pickup and drop-off at hotels in BSB and its suburbs. An English-speaking guide takes you by water taxi past Kampong Ayer and the palace and into the mangroves, sometimes right into the bushes, in an open wooden boat, so bring a hat and a rain jacket. It is not in the totals below; add BND 190 for two if you book it.

For a lighter afternoon, take a taxi to Tasek Lama Park, a few minutes from the centre, for its forest trails, waterfall and macaques; the observation tower looks out over Kampong Ayer. On the departure day, lunch at Sumbangsih Mulia Complex before the shuttle to the airport.

Royal Regalia and Malay Technology museums

The Royal Regalia Museum, on Jalan Sultan Omar 'Ali Saifuddien in the centre, holds the Sultan's full royal regalia and exhibits from the Silver and Golden Jubilee celebrations of his reign. You enter past the golden chariot that carried him through the city for the Silver Jubilee in 1992; further in are old ceremonial weapons and shields and ornate mementos of Brunei's past. Non-resident adults pay BND 5 and residents enter free. It opens 09:00–17:00 from Monday to Thursday and on Saturday, and 08:30–16:30 on Sunday.

The Malay Technology Museum at Kota Batu, near Kampong Ayer, shows how Brunei's peoples, among them the Murut, Dusun, Kedayan and Penan, built, fished, hunted and crafted, with life-size houses and reconstructions of Kampong Ayer stilt houses. Non-resident adults pay BND 3 and children from 7 to 11 BND 1. Go between Monday and Thursday (09:00–17:00) or on Sunday (08:30–16:30).

If you would rather not arrange the day yourself, BorneoGuide's Brunei Essentials day (BG103, from BND 145 per person, minimum two, about 7 hours) collects you from hotels in BSB and its suburbs and covers the morning market, Jame' 'Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque, a photo stop at the palace, both museums, lunch, a boat ride round Kampong Ayer with tea in a water-village home, and Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque. Add BND 8 per person for the two museum tickets.

Gadong night market and Tamu Kianggeh

Gadong night market (Simpang 37, Jalan Pasar Gadong) is Brunei's busiest evening stop, a market of food stalls on the edge of Gadong. It opens from 16:00 to 23:00, Monday to Sunday. The stalls sell grilled meat on skewers, rice topped with chicken and sambal in the style of nasi katok, and a long run of Bruneian snacks, with some dishes from BND 1. Some stalls take cards or cashless payment, others only cash, so carry small notes.

For breakfast or a quick lunch, go to Tamu Kianggeh on Jalan Sungai Kianggeh, the market beside the Kianggeh River, where Bruneians shop for fresh produce and homemade food. It opens from 08:00 to 17:30, with a Friday break from noon to 14:00, and takes cash only.

For the cheapest local lunch, Sumbangsih Mulia Complex on Jalan Perusahaan Beribi, near Gadong, is a large food court of local stalls selling penyaram and celurut, nasi katok and soto. It opens from 06:00 to 16:00, with a Friday break from noon to 14:00, and takes cash only.

Alcohol is not sold in Brunei. Our first-trip guide explains the rules for visitors: what a non-Muslim may bring in, how to declare it and where it may be drunk.

A day in Ulu Temburong National Park

Temburong, the eastern district, is cut off from the rest of Brunei by Malaysian territory, and most of it is rainforest. Ulu Temburong National Park covers 46,210 ha of lowland and mountain forest. A day there means a longboat up the river, a trek through the forest to the canopy walk, where you stand about 50 metres above the ground and look out over the treetops to the mountains of the neighbouring countries, and a stop at a waterfall with a natural fish spa on the way back. Gibbons, hornbills and hundreds of butterfly species live in the park.

The easiest booking is BorneoGuide's Ulu Temburong National Park canopy walk day trip (SEV02), run from Sumbiling Eco Village, an eco lodge of the Iban community on the Temburong River. It costs from BND 150 per person, with a minimum of two, and lasts about five hours from the 09:00 meeting at the lodge. The price includes the park guide and entrance fee, the longboat (temuai) ride in the itinerary, light refreshments and lunch; the waterfall stop depends on the river and the weather.

Freme Travel Service runs a second option, Explore Temburong + Canopy Tower Visit (FRL16-1), from its own Freme Rainforest Lodge: BND 155 per adult, minimum two, about 7 hours with hotel pickup at 07:30 and the drive back at 15:00. It includes a licensed English- or Malay-speaking guide, all entrance tickets and transport, a buoyancy vest and bottled water, and the day climbs more than 1,000 steps to the canopy tower before lunch at the lodge. For two it costs BND 310, about BND 90 less than BorneoGuide's day with its car; the city-on-your-own totals below use Freme's, the guided ones BorneoGuide's.

There is no public transport from BSB to Temburong. The lodge's return car from BSB costs BND 100 per vehicle for up to three people. The road crosses the Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien (SOAS) Bridge from Brunei-Muara to Temburong and takes about 1.5 hours, the last 30 minutes of it inside Temburong, so you leave BSB by about 07:30 and are back in the afternoon. Rain, heat, high or low water and the group's fitness can change the order and the times of the day.

French travel advice recommends an official guide in the forest; UK advice says not to hike alone and to use recognised, well-known guides. Visits run through licensed operators, whose day includes the park fee. Tamu Bangar, Temburong's main market, sells wajid, salted duck eggs and other local food, if your driver stops there on the way.

Arriving and getting around BSB

Fill in the E-Arrival card at imm.gov.bn before you arrive; it may be asked for at check-in. Brunei International Airport (BWN), the gateway, is about 15 minutes' drive from the city; Royal Brunei Airlines flies there from London Heathrow, among other routes. Taxis at the airport rank charge fixed fares from the tourism board's list: BND 20 per taxi to most hotels in and around Bandar Seri Begawan, Badi'ah among them, from 06:00 to 18:00, and BND 25 from 18:00 to midnight, and BND 25 and 30 to the downtown hotels such as The Brunei Hotel and Radisson. Dart, Brunei's ride-hailing app, picks up arrivals at the P2 car park and adds a fixed BND 3 airport surcharge to the fare shown in the app; Badi'ah Hotel also offers a free airport shuttle on request.

In town, Dart and metered taxis are the easiest way to reach the mosques in the suburbs and the night market. The taxi meter runs at BND 3.50 for the first kilometre or minute and BND 0.20 for each further 250 metres or 15 seconds, plus BND 8 between districts and 50% more between 6 pm and 6 am. Public buses cost about BND 1 a ride and run from 06:00 to 20:00; the Moovit app shows the routes.

Buy a tourist SIM at the airport: DST's Easi Tourist costs BND 15 for 3 GB of data and BND 3 of local calls, valid for 7 days, and is sold only to international visitors.

BSB is a common stop between Sabah and Sarawak. Our guide to Brunei from Sabah and Sarawak covers the road to Miri over the Sungai Tujuh border, the Labuan ferry and the flights, and our Kota Kinabalu guide picks up the trip in Sabah.

Ramadan, conduct and the law

Brunei applies the Syariah Penal Code alongside common law, and several of its offences also apply to non-Muslims. Same-sex sexual activity is criminalised, and drug offences can carry the death penalty, although executions are under an indefinite moratorium. Adultery and closeness in private between an unmarried man and woman are illegal if one of them is Muslim, and public criticism of the Sultan and royal family may lead to legal action. The UK and German travel advice set out these points. During Ramadan, eating, drinking and smoking in public in daytime is forbidden, also for non-Muslims, and restaurants serve takeaway only during fasting hours. Do not make loud noise during the call to prayer, and do not offer to shake hands with someone of the opposite sex unless they offer first.

Visiting in the first three days of Hari Raya Aidilfitri, at the end of Ramadan, is different: most shops and restaurants close, but Istana Nurul Iman, the Sultan's palace, opens to the public, and after a long queue men meet the Sultan and male members of the royal family and women the Queen and female members. Wear smart, modest clothes that cover your arms, closed shoes and, for women, a headscarf. Ramadan and Hari Raya move with the Islamic calendar; Brunei Tourism's Visit Brunei Year 2027 programme, whose periods are indicative, places both in its January-to-March season of Islamic events.

Everyday crime is low, and France keeps the whole country at its normal level of vigilance. Check your own government's travel advice too.

What two or three nights cost

About BND 210 per person for two nights seeing the city on your own, and BND 450 for three nights with Ulu Temburong, for two adults sharing a Standard Room at Badi'ah Hotel, arriving before lunch and leaving after lunch, on weekdays outside Ramadan, with prices checked on 29 October 2026. Each total includes the room, every meal, bottled water, the hotel's free airport shuttle and town taxis, the water taxi to Kampong Ayer and back, museum tickets, two tourist SIMs and a 10% buffer; the three-night total adds Freme's Temburong day with its hotel pick-up. With a Superior Room, the guided city day, BorneoGuide's Temburong day and airport taxis instead, the totals are about BND 400 and BND 690 per person. Our Brunei trip cost guide builds the same model line by line, with a comfort level.

Two nights on your own, for two: room BND 196 (2 x BND 98 nett); food and drinking water BND 76; taxis and water taxis BND 67; museums BND 16; two DST tourist SIMs BND 30; buffer BND 38. Three nights with Temburong, for two: room BND 294; food and drinking water BND 94; taxis and water taxis BND 67; Ulu Temburong and museums BND 326 (2 x BND 155 for Freme's day and BND 16 of tickets); SIMs BND 30; buffer BND 81. Each total is the exact sum, rounded once.

Food follows MasterChef's menu in Gadong: roti and tea for BND 2.40 in the morning, chicken biryani with iced tea for BND 6.20 at lunch and mee goreng with iced tea for BND 5.70 at dinner, and Gadong night market, with some dishes from BND 1, can replace a dinner. Bottled water is counted at about BND 1 a person a day, the price of the cheapest drink on that menu. On the Temburong day lunch is included. Badi'ah's free airport shuttle, on request, covers the airport runs; taxis are four daytime rides of about 5 km on the meter at about BND 6.70 and two evening rides at about BND 10; the water taxi is counted at BND 5 a person each way, the top of the usual BND 2-5 a ride.

Royal Brunei Airlines flies from London Heathrow; on 1 November 2026 its fare page listed economy returns from GBP 746, subject to availability. Allow about GBP 750-900 per person, which is BND 1,280-1,540 at the European Central Bank's rates (GBP 1 is about BND 1.71); the table shows the totals with that flight.