Away With The Steiners

8 Things To Do In Brunei To Make It More Than A Stopover. 

Sarah Steiner

In case you are wondering why choose a stopover in Brunei? It is often an option for a connecting flight within Southeast Asia. Though there are plenty of things to do in Brunei that make it well worth a few days to explore – and certainly worth opting as a stopover.

Plus, have you heard of Proboscis monkeys?!  After we saw a picture of that nose and the potential opportunity to see one in the Borneo jungle – the challenge was on!  

We booked flights between the Philippines and Vietnam to include a stopover in Brunei.  Which I am happy to report back that we found with two days, you can be sure to see the best of Bandar Seri Begawan and lots of the key things to do in Brunei.

Here are the highlights of our stopover in Brunei plus some tips for getting around, where to eat and stay, one challenge, and a few things to know before you go.

About Brunei

Brunei is a small and quiet country that boasts the largest oilfields in Southeast Asia. 

There aren’t a whole lot of official touristic things to do in Brunei.  However, the people are welcoming, and it is an interesting destination to include in Southeast Asia travel. 

The country is a tiny but independent Islamic sultanate on the northern coast of Borneo.  It is ruled by an absolute monarchy where the Sultan is both the head of state and head of government.

Did you know that Brunei is a part of a naval empire that once controlled all of Borneo and part of the present-day Philippines?  We didn’t either.  But we learnt a lot during our visit! 

The real drawing card of this destination lies in the natural environment and the incredible stilt village of Kampong Ayer. 

Visiting Brunei with kids things to do in Bandar Seri Begawan.
The huge pathways along the river bank heading in to town.

Choosing Brunei as a destination for more than a stopover

A huge drawcard of Brunei for us was confidence in the lack of tourists we would find there. Which certainly proved true!

Brunei doesn’t have the allure of other South East Asian travel destinations. But as an upside to that it has a refreshing lack of tourists.

We found people of Brunei to be welcoming (aside from being chased out of the mosque for Friday prayer time) and very friendly.

The attractions aren’t crowded in Brunei. So there isn’t the stress of negotiating transport and fares with locals who are used to unsuspecting tourists.

We had three nights in Bandar Seri Begawan and found two days of exploring a great amount of time to make the most of our stopover in Brunei.

Things to do in Brunei

Here are the best things to do in Brunei with a stopover of 2 – 3 days.

1. Kampong Ayer – Things to do in Brunei

The incredible stilt village of Kampong Ayer was one of the few sites we had on our initial list of things to do in Brunei.

The ‘village’ is actually a historical settlement of 42 contiguous stilt villages built along the banks of the Sungai Brunei. Altogether Kampong Ayer is home to over 30,000 people.

The houses are all built on stilts, extending out over the water, with each village cluster including schools, fire and police stations.

View of Kampong Ayer from the museum tower.
Beautiful colours of Kampong Ayer

2. Bandar Seri Begawan Waterfront

The waterfront of Brunei’s capital city is a bustling and busy place to observe. There are water taxis and water school buses travelling to and from Kampong Ayer and upriver to nearby villages.

It is easy to find a water taxi long boat on the riverside to explore Kampong Ayer or go on a river trip for the day.

Boat drivers hang about near the small jetties and will approach you as soon as you head anywhere near the river banks.

We ended up finding a driver who took us out two days in a row. The first day he took us to Kampong Ayer, and he met us again on the second day for a two hour outing to the jungle to find a Proboscis Monkey.

One of the typical jetties lining the riverfront in Bandar Seri Begawan.

3. Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque

The Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque is often considered one of the most beautiful mosques in South East Asia. It is famously renowned for its glittering gold domes and iconic modern Islamic architecture style.

The gold minaret tower is the tallest structure in all of Bandar Seri Begawan meaning it can be seen from almost anywhere in the city.

However, do note that everything closes in Brunei on Friday between 12:00pm-2:00pm for religious time and prayer.  

We made this mistake on our first day setting out to explore the things to do in Brunei. It was a Friday and already late morning after we enjoyed a delicious breakfast by our hotel.

BUT, before it closed, and after much sign language and ushering, the boys had a chance to join and copy the other men washing at the ablution block as part of the ritual before entering the mosque for prayer.

They definitely appreciated the secondary chance to cool down while doing so!

A bit too late to go inside on a Friday morning.

4. Jame’ Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque

This is another of the famous and beautiful mosques in Brunei.   It is named after Hassanal Bolkiah, the 29th Sultan of Brunei.

It is the largest mosque in the Kingdom of Brunei, completed in 1994 after eight years of construction.  So, it is commonly known as the New Mosque.  

Albeit the Jame’ Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque is further out from the city centre than the Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque.  But it is well worth the effort to see! 

5. Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha Bridge

This is huge cable stayed bridge that dominates the skyline from Bandar Seri Begawan.  

The bridge connects the city centre and Sungai Kebun on the other side of the river. 

It is named after Queen Saleha, who was the queen consort of the currant Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.  So, it is a relatively recent addition in Brunei and was inaugurated in 2017. 

It became the country’s first cable-stayed bridge, and its tower has since been the tallest structure in the city. 

6. Proboscis Monkeys

We asked Oscar if he was pleased we found some of the monkeys we had built up as such a planned highlight for our stopover in Brunei.

His response?

“It’s the best day of my life!”

We weren’t actually sure if we would see the monkeys on our trip as we knew they are not a guarantee. Plus we heard from our hotel on arriving that there haven’t been so many sightings lately.

But we saw two!

I haven’t got any photo evidence, as truthfully they were quite far away and we were enjoying the moment (as you do, monkey-spotting in Brunei).

But they are cool looking things!

Proboscis Monkeys are renowned for their huge noses. We saw two, hiding right up in the treetops. Which I think made the day for all of us!

Heading upriver to the jungle.

7. Tamu Kianggeh Market – Things to do in Brunei

Kianggeh is an open-air wet market in Bandar Seri Begawan where traditional handicraft, ornaments, herbs and spices, dried food as well as fresh vegetables, fish and fruits are sold.

It is a fascinating place for a wander through.  We also found it marginally cooler than being outside in the sunshine as it is largely undercover.  

Plus I can highly recommend the drinking coconuts and can confirm those hit the spot after a hot morning of exploring! 

8. Gadong Night Market – Things to do in Brunei

The Gadong Night Market is a bustling market in the city centre of Bandar Seri Begawan.  

It is officially called Pasar Pelbagai Barangan Gadong.  But if you ask any locals where the night market is they will point you in the right direction. 

There are lots of food stalls and street food for great prices.  We enjoyed the choices of drinks including mango juice and (more) coconuts along with some delicious BBQ skewers. 

Other things to do in Brunei 

If you have more time – or a keener energy for your stopover in Brunei – there are more things to do in Brunei that are worth checking out. 

Much of the best of Brunei revolves around life on the river!

Getting there

For travellers, Brunei has a fantastic location for accessibility in South East Asia.

As soon as we searched flight routes we saw layovers between the Philippines and Vietnam, stopping in Bandar Seri Begawan. It didn’t alter the cost of our flights to extend that to a stopover in Brunei (as opposed to a layover).

Which in my opinion that makes it a great reason to add Brunei to the travel list!

Getting around in Bandar Seri Begawan and Brunei

It’s easy to arrange an airport pickup with your hotel in Bandar Seri Begawan. 

Getting around the city of Bandar Seri Begawan in the day time is easy as well. We walked into town each time. 

Brunei has an Uber/Grab-like system called ‘Dart’ which looks easy to use. However, due to the small size of Brunei there aren’t a huge number of taxis or Dart cabs and they therefore require booking with a more notice than usual.  

For the most part we found it easiest to walk.  And obviously for Kampong Ayer, you need a water taxi!

Having a turn with our friendly water taxi driver.

What is it like to visit Brunei as a traveller?

The vibe of Brunei is peaceful and safe.

We felt comfortable walking around Brunei with the kids and were impressed by the cleanliness of Bandar Seri Begawan.

The beautifully clean centre of town surrounding the Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque.

One challenge in Brunei?

Everything closes in Brunei on Friday from 12:00-2:00pm, with a lot of shops shut for the rest of the afternoon.

Well, we forgot! We hadn’t made the connection that being a Friday in an Islamic country that schedules and operating hours for many things change on a Friday.

Picture us at 11:50am on Friday; swelteringly hot, having just walked the 40 minutes into the centre of town to see the Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque. We hadn’t realised it was just about to close.

We had run out of drinking water and were suddenly alerted to the fact that in 10 minutes time, every single shop would be shut for the next two hours. And no taxi’s would be running…

I ran! As fast as I could in the 35°C sun.

The kids were both bright red and looked near collapsing due to overheating after our walk into town. I knew we needed to find something to drink, but for the life of me I couldn’t recognise any convenience stores…

The only shop I could recognise within a 200m radius was KFC!

I don’t think I have ever been so grateful to see KFC in my life.

We spend our travels refusing plastic straws and trying not to buy unnecessary bottled water. But in the hour following that dramatic learning curve, drinking cold water and KFC orange juice on the steps outside tasted like the best thing out.

Restaurants, cafes and where to eat in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei

Brunei cuisine is heavily influenced by East Asian and Malay traditions. It includes many rice and noodle dishes. Though I might add there seemed to be a lot of bakeries and sweet treats too!

Where to stay in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei

There aren’t too many accommodation options in Brunei.  It just isn’t as big a city as its neighbouring Southeast Asia destinations. But there are definitely enough choices to suit your budget, whatever that may be. 

We enjoyed our stay at Le Gallery Suites Hotel and can recommend that to any travellers.

The distance from town was a decent walk but it made up for that with the delicious next-door restaurant My Town Eating House. 

Three nights’ accommodation in a family room at Le Gallery Suites Hotel cost us $196 USD for our family of four. 

Things to know before your stopover in Brunei

Brunei is small nation and we often don’t hear a lot about it as a country; good or bad.

However, if you are visiting Brunei it is important to know before you go that as an Islamic sultanate, Brunei is governed under strict Sharia law.

Essentially, this means that it has strict rules in line with its deeply-held reverence for religion.

There are laws and restrictions regarding homosexuality, unmarried couples sharing a hotel room, defamation of the Sultan, and/or overstaying your visa. Plus the sale of alcohol is also banned within the country.

Travellers to Brunei are expected to follow the rules as well, with few exceptions.

Brunei is a fascinating country, rich in culture and natural beauty. And unsurprisingly, size-wise the highlights of Brunei can be visited in two days.

So what do you think? Would you make a stopover in Brunei?

The stunning Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque.

More about travel planning for Brunei and beyond

These are the companies we use and can recommend for planning and booking travel. 

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