Things to do in Brunei Darussalam
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Malay Technology Museum
Descend the stairs from the car park behind the Brunei Museum, then turn right to reach the Malay Technology Museum. A pair of rooms here have interesting life-sized recreations of stilt houses with accompanying information on traditional cultures. Gallery 1 features water villages and includes reconstructions of how kampung (village) architecture has evolved over the last 150 years. Gallery 2 has exhibits of handicrafts and fishing techniques practised by the people of the water villages. Gallery 3 shows the tools and techniques used by the indigenous tribes of the interior for food gathering, agriculture and hunting.
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Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque
Named after the 28th sultan of Brunei (the late father of the current sultan), the Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque was built in 1958 at a cost of about US$5 million, and stands next to Sungai Kedayan in its own artificial lagoon. The 44m minaret makes it the tallest building in central BSB, and woe betide anyone who tries to outdo it – apparently the Islamic Bank of Brunei building nearby originally exceeded this height, and consequently had to have its top storey removed by order of the sultan. Listen for the call to prayer that echoes throughout the city centre, starting before dawn or at dusk.
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Jame’Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque
The largest mosque in the country, Jame’Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque, was built in 1992 to celebrate the 25th year of the current sultan’s reign. While some prefer the facade of the Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, the interior here is best described as jaw-dropping. The sheer volume is in itself amazing, not to mention the myriad woven rugs scattered across the men’s prayer hall. At the grand opening, the sultan gave every attendee a gold-embroidered prayer rug.
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Pasar Gadong
Brunei’s most famous night market, Pasar Gadong is a bustling marquee of munch parked near the big shopping centres in Gadong. Vendors offer every cooked comestible imaginable, from satay and barbecued fish to chicken wings and kueh melayu (sweet pancakes filled with peanuts, raisins and sugar), though quality varies widely. Annoyingly there’s nowhere to sit, so you will either have to eat on your feet or take your grub elsewhere.
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Brunei Museum
Sitting on a bluff overlooking Sungai Brunei, the Brunei Museum is 4.5km east of central BSB. The main building contains the excellent Islamic Art Gallery, which has some wonderful illuminated (decorated) copies of the Quran, as well as an incredible model of the Dome of the Rock, executed in mother of pearl and abalone shell.
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Ayamku Restaurant
Brunei’s answer to KFC, this is one of the cheapest places in town to get a meal. You can get a big piece of fried chicken, some rice and a drink for about B$3. And the chicken is surprisingly good. One note: this may be purely coincidental, but many of the diners here seemed remarkably plump for Southeast Asians.
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Hau Hua
This surprisingly good Chinese restaurant does all the standard Chinese dishes and a few lesser-known ones, like broccoli with crab meat. There is an excellent drink menu that includes daily changing specials and good fresh juices.
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Oil and Gas Gallery
In the Brunei Museum, the Oil and Gas Gallery is surprisingly interesting. It answers all your questions about how they get the stuff from under the ground to your nearest gas pump.
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Freme Travel Services
Offers a variety of tours, including the city and Kampong Ayer, and trips to Ulu Temburong and Pulau Selirong.
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Arts & Handicrafts Centre
Built to help develop local craftwork, the Arts & Handicrafts Centre sits on the waterfront towards the Brunei Museum like an aged Floridian timeshare. It’s visible from town and within easy walking distance. While the concept of such a centre is a marvellous idea, it’s a little disappointing if you’re interested in traditional crafts; only new silverwork and weaving produced by the students are available, and some items are very expensive. If you’re really serious about investing some cash, you can pick up the Directory of Handicraft Entrepreneurs here.
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Taman Peranginan Tasek
Further out on the north side of town, Taman Peranginan Tasek is a more extensive green zone with picnic areas, and peaceful walks to a small waterfall and reservoir. If you're lucky, you may get a glimpse of proboscis monkeys in the early morning or late afternoon. The waterfalls are nicest in the wet season, when the water is deeper. You can swim here but women should remember that the usual rules of modesty apply; T-shirts and shorts are OK.
Another road by the gate leads to a 15-minute uphill walk to a view over the reservoir.
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Hajah Halima Restaurant
This popular and friendly Indian Muslim place has just about everything the traveller could ask for: good coffee, tea, fresh juice and rotis in the morning; and great nasi biryani (spiced rice) and set meals for lunch and dinner, not to mention great mee goreng and murtabaks (roti stuffed with meat or vegetables). It's the best of the three similar joints on this part of Jalan Sultan.
There is no sign - look for the blue paint around the entrance. It's almost directly opposite the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.
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Boat Hire
You can hire a boat by the market for the 45-minutes up the river to Kuala Balai, a small river village that was once the largest settlement in the district. It's now almost deserted because the residents have left to find work in the oil industry on the coast. The owner of Hotel Sentosa can help arrange transport (about RM100 per boat roundtrip), but the trip is not much more than a simple cruise through the nipah and there isn't much to see (you're basically just paying for the river trip).
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Frattini's Restaurant
Frattini's is one of the few restaurants in BSB to take advantage of the fine riverfront view. It is, without a doubt, the only Italian/Thai restaurant that we've ever come across (yes, we are suspicious of that combination, too). Despite the strange pedigree, it's a good place for a romantic dinner or when you just can't stand another plate of chicken rice or mee goreng. Stick with Italian standards like pasta and salad and you won't go too far wrong.
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Twelve Roofs House
The gabled Twelve Roofs House was once the residence of the British High Commissioners. Today the complex displays photos illustrating British involvement in Brunei and the ‘special relationship’ between the two countries. After centuries as a local hegemony, Brunei gradually lost its grip and was taken over by the British. The sultanate gained complete autonomy in 1984, but keeps close ties with Queen Elizabeth II.
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Ulu Temburong National Park
Brunei's main national park is worth seeing, but sluggish permit procedures mean it's easier to go on an organised tour than independently. Go to Bangar's tourist office and try to haggle for a spare seat when tour groups come through. The park has steps through the jungle and a canopy walkway provides a high-level perspective on the rainforest.
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Royal Regalia Museum
A celebration of the sultan and all the trappings of Bruneian royalty, the Royal Regalia Museum belongs at the top of any Brunei itinerary. The 1st floor is dominated by a recreation of the sultan’s coronation day parade, including a huge gilded royal cart, on which the newly crowned sultan was pulled through the streets of BSB.
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Tasek Merimbun
Tasek Merimbun, also known as Merimbun Heritage Park, is 27km (17mi) inland from Tutong, and contains Brunei's largest lake. It's a pretty, tranquil spot surrounded by forest, with a couple of walking trails and two islands which can be visited using the services of local boatmen. The blackwater lake is the only one of its kind in Borneo.
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R.R. Max Cafe
The first restaurant in the row of shops on your right as you walk from the boat jetty to the information centre, this simple kedai kopi (coffee shop) serves a surprisingly good plate of fried noodles (ask for mee goreng basah - fried noodles in sauce - with prawns) and good hot or iced tea to wash it down with.
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Hing Nam Foong
A good little Chinese kopi tiam (coffee shop) with an English menu (remember that 'mee' means noodles and it will all make sense). We really liked the char shui po (steamed buns with pork) here - they're stuffed with more char sui than usual and they go very well with a steaming cup of tea.
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Restoran Hijrah
Escape the balmy air at Restoran Hijrah, a kedai kopi (coffee shop) up the road from the boat wharf. The menu offers a good mix of Chinese and Malay flavours, including the region’s famous udang gallah (river prawns) and steamboat meals (B$12 to B$16, minimum two people).
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Riverfront Satay Stalls
This collection of satay and drink vendors right on the riverfront offer one of life's great combinations: satay and fresh coconut juice. This is a great place to watch the sunset - when the colours really start working, why not jump into a waiting water taxi and enjoy the view from sea level?
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Port View Café
Not the most original name, but sure enough, the split-level Port View does indeed gaze out over the water towards Kampong Ayer. The downstairs cafe menu includes simple Western, Chinese and Malay dishes, while upstairs is a little more expensive and features Thai, Chinese and Japanese food.
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Brunei Traditional Culture Gallery
Don't miss the Brunei Traditional Culture Gallery, in the main building of the Brunei Museum. It's got good exhibits on all aspects of Bruneian culture, including a picture of two young fellows enjoying a spot of grass sledding - a sport we didn't know existed until we visited this museum.
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Taman Selera
It’s not much to look at, but this night-time food spot, across from the Terrace Hotel, offers everything from burgers and noodles to seafood and traditional Muslim dishes (halal, curries etc). The ‘smooters’ (B$2) at stall four are a damn good approximation of a real ice-cream milkshake.
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