Places to Visit in Bandar Seri Begavan, Capital of Brunei, the Land of Peace

When we planned a trip to North Borneo, we wanted to see Brunei, one of the richest countries in the world and the Land of Peace, which does not require visas from Turkish citizens. Since we have two weeks to see the beauties of Borneo Island, we planned a trip to visit Bandar Seri Begavan, the capital of Brunei only. In this text Brief information about Brunei and places to visit in Bandar Seri Begavan You will find the places in the list, have fun reading!

About Brunei, the Land of Peace

Brunei is one of the 3 countries located on the Island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. The official name of the country is Brunei Darussalam, that is, Brunei, the Land of Peace, and it is known as the Brunei Sultanate in Turkey because it is governed by a sultanate. The main income sources of the country, which has made a name for itself as one of the richest countries in the world, are gas and oil. Brunei is ruled by an Islamic monarchy, they have no language of their own, their official language is Malay. The country's only border neighbor is Malaysia.

This rich country has no language, but has its own currency; Brunei Dollar (BND). The country's economy is said to be in the hands of the sultan and Shell. The British had a great influence on their declaration of independence. Although the country is shown among the richest countries in the world, the wealth seems to have been limited to the sultan and his entourage, because while I was traveling, I did not come across any indication that the welfare level of the people was high.

The capital of the country is Bandar Seri Begavan, which we will talk about in this article. The country consists of four regions: Brunei & Muara, where the capital is located, Tutong, Belait, which is suitable for those who want to take a sea vacation, and Temburong, which is known for rainforest tourism.

Brunei Visa

Brunei does not require a visa for Turkish Citizens for up to 30 days, you can just take your passport and go.

Where is Bandar Seri Begavan and How to Go?

Bandar Seri Begavan is located on the virgin island of Borneo in Southeast Asia, within Brunei & Muara, one of the four regions of Brunei Country.

There are no direct flights from Turkey to Bandar Seri Begavan. You can fly to Malaysia or Singapore from Turkey with Singapore Airlines, Turkish Airlines or Air Asia and reach Bandar Seri Begavan, the capital of Brunei. Brunei also has its own airline called “Royal Brunei”, it mainly has flights to Malaysia.

There is a bus service from Bandar Seri Begavan airport to the city center between 06:00 and 20:00. However, since many hotels have free airport shuttle services, foreigners generally prefer shuttles.

Where to Stay in Bandar Seri Begavan

There are many accommodation options in the city center, from chain hotels to home accommodation. We are within walking distance of the sights in the city center. The Capital Residence Suite We chose the hotel. Rooms were clean and comfortable, breakfast was included. But don't think like ours when it comes to breakfast, Asian dishes such as rice and noddle are usually served. Omelette and watermelon was enough for me though.

The best part of the hotel for us was that it had free shuttles from the airport to the hotel and from the hotel to places to visit. When choosing a hotel in Bandar Seri Begavan, I recommend you to check if they have these extras because most of the hotels provide this service.

Places to Visit in Bandar Seri Begavan

The list of places to visit in Bandar Seri Begavan, which you will see below, mainly consists of places in the city center that you can easily visit in a day or two. Since the country does not have a very ancient history, you will see more new mosques and palaces and museums on the list. You can also find all the places mentioned in this article on the map of places to visit in Bandar Seri Begavan below.

Sultan Omar Ali Seyfeddin Mosque

The mosque is located right in the city center, in the beautifully landscaped Taman Mahkota Jubli Emas park by the sea. It's a fairly new mosque. The escalator to the upper floor that caught my attention the most in the mosque was the escalator, I had never seen an escalator in the mosque before.

At the entrance of the mosque, both men and women are required to cover their legs and arms, and women are required to wear a headscarf. They did not take my wife in shorts and gave her a skirt. They don't allow foreigners to the mosque during prayer hours, but when they said we came from Turkey, we were Muslims, they let them in.

Taman Mahkota Jubli Emas

The park in front of the mosque, Taman Mahkota Jubli Emas, used to be a place where there were floating houses. It has been rehabilitated and turned into a park. It is a must-see place with a beautiful landscaping and a viewing point overlooking the mosque.

Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mall

If you want to go towards the riverbank from Sultan Ömer Ali Seyfeddin Mosque, you will pass through Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Shopping Center. This is a place you can visit for dining and shopping, with both indoor and outdoor areas. We chose one of the restaurants inside for local food, it was quite delicious.

Bandar Seri Begavan Waterfront

The Brunei River runs right next to the city, giving it a seaside feel. It is a nice place for a walk, with a large landscaped area on the river bank. In addition, you need to get on the boats departing from Kampong Ayer to get to the floating village.

Kampong Ayer – Floating Village

If you have a few hours in Bandar Seri Begavan and have only one activity to do, my advice is to see Kampong Ayer, also known as the Venice of the east, and take a river cruise. With a population of up to 30.000 people, the largest floating village settlement in Southeast Asia is located here. You can reach the Kampong Ayer area by taking the boats that run like buses from the riverside (we couldn't find the location, but these boats were mentioned in foreign blogs) or by taking the boats waiting to hunt tourists on the riverbank. We paid 1,5 BND for two people for 30 hour Kampong Ayer and river tour.

In the settlement, which does not lack anything from a school, mosque, fire department and a village, many places are interconnected, so you can wander between the houses. Unfortunately, we did not walk in the village because we came across heavy rain, we only saw it from the water.

To go to Kampong Ayer; I suggest you negotiate the place and time you will go with the boats on the riverbank. While it's cheaper just to go to Kampong Ayer and back, the price goes up a bit if you take another half-hour tour in the Brunei river. I think you should definitely add the river tour to your program.

Brunei River Cruise

If you are not going to visit any national park in Brunei, I definitely recommend you to do the river tour. On the tour, you can see both the river life and the long-nosed monkeys (Proboscis), which you can only see on Borneo Island, very closely.

During the river tour, a route is drawn out of the Kampong Ayer region and continues on the river towards the rainforest. Crocodiles, various bird species and monkeys accompany us on the journey.

Istana Nurul Iman (the sultan's palace), which is forbidden to be photographed closely, can be seen quite beautifully on the river.

Jame' Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque

Brunei's largest mosque. It is also said to be beautiful with night lighting, we didn't go because we didn't have time.

Royal Regalia Museum – Royal Museum

You have to leave your bags in the safety lockers at the entrance of the museum, you can only take your mobile phone with you. Shooting with a cell phone is allowed in many areas, but prohibited in a few venues. Also, you have to take off your shoes when entering the museum, I've never been to a museum without shoes, and that's what happened.

The entrance to the museum was free before, but when we went in June 2023, it was 5 BND. There is almost everything about the royal in the museum, including the childhood photos of the king. Many things such as ceremonial chariots, gifts sent to the king from other countries are exhibited in the museum.

To be honest, I did not love the museum, but if you have time and you are looking for a cool place instead of walking around the city in the heat of the day, you can include the museum in your schedule.

Teng Yun Chinese Temple

Although the majority of the population in Brunei is Muslim, there are also Buddhists and Hindus due to immigrants. The only Chinese Temple in Brunei is located right in the city centre, nestled among tall buildings, close to the riverbank. As with many of the Chinese temples, it is mind-blowing with its wonderful decorations.

Nurul Iman Palace

Istana Nurul Iman, the sultanate palace, which is among the largest and most luxurious palaces in the world, is located 5 km from the city center. We didn't want to spend time in the building where it is forbidden to enter and take photos, it was enough for us to take the photo above from afar during the river tour.

Markets

When it comes to Southeast Asia, there is no doubt that night and day markets are indispensable. Day and night markets are set up in many places in Bandar Seri Begavan. Kianggeh Market While it is a fruit/vegetable market in the early morning hours Yenyen Night Market ve Gadong Night Market Markets that are established after 17:00 in the evening and continue their activity until 22:00 in the evening.

Although Gadong Night Market is about 5 km outside the city center, it was very good that we had the opportunity to go free of charge from the hotel where we stayed. Almost all of the stalls in the market are food and beverage stalls. It is possible to find almost all kinds of Asian dishes here at very affordable prices, and the market stalls and dining areas are sparkling. The food and desserts we ate in the market ranged from 1/3 BND.

If you want to spend a few more days in Brunei; Ulu Temburong National Park It will be a good alternative to explore in the rainforest. Since we made our rainforest trip on the Kinabatangan River in Sabah, which is one of Borneo's richest eco tourism routes, we only allocated 1,5 days to Brunei and it was enough, frankly.

Malaysia travel articles I definitely recommend you to take a look.