Interior of ther Royal Regalia Museum with sultan's gilded coronation cart and shields.

Getty Images/Lonely Planet Images

Royal Regalia Museum

Top choice in Bandar Seri Begawan


When called upon to present a gift to the sultan of Brunei, you must inevitably confront the question: what do you give a man who has everything? At this entertaining, dome-capped museum you'll see how heads of state have solved this conundrum. Offerings range from portraits of the sultan executed in semiprecious stones, to gold models of oil wells and a solid silver model of Angkor Wat.

Family photos offer a good overview of the life of the sultan, who is himself depicted in myriad forms (including a hologram) from childhood through military service at Sandhurst to his lavish wedding and sporty adult life. Recent portraits show the sultan looking stern and authoritative but he's much more relaxed in person.

Also on display is the chariot used during the sultan's 1992 silver-jubilee procession, along with the regalia and weapons carried by the royal entourage, and a second chariot used for the 1968 coronation.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Bandar Seri Begawan attractions

1. Teng Yun Chinese Temple

0.25 MILES

Colourful Teng Yun, built in the 1960s, is the oldest Chinese temple in BSB, and its interior is filled with gilded statues, joss smoke and hand-painted…

2. Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque

0.28 MILES

Named after the 28th Sultan of Brunei (the late father of the current sultan), Masjid Omar Ali Saifuddien is surrounded by an artificial lagoon that…

3. Tamu Kianggeh

0.33 MILES

The covered market set amid canals to the east of the waterfront is a lively place in the mornings, when locals gather to buy ingredients – strange and…

4. Galeri Seni

0.41 MILES

This waterfront building, constructed in the 1950s, houses the tourist office, plus a gallery space that opens periodically for temporary art exhibitions.

5. Taman Mahkota Jubli Emas Park

0.43 MILES

On dry evenings, locals head to this pretty park on reclaimed land at the back of the Omar Ali Saifuddien mosque to walk, jog, fly kites and amble around…

6. Kampong Ayer

0.63 MILES

Home to around 30,000 people, Kampong Ayer consists of 42 contiguous stilt villages built along both banks of the Sungai Brunei (Brunei River). A century…

7. Kampong Ayer Cultural & Tourism Gallery

0.63 MILES

A good place to start a visit to Kampong Ayer – and get acquainted with Brunei's pre-oil boom culture – is this interesting museum and cultural centre,…

8. Taman Peranginan Tasek

0.77 MILES

If you need a reminder that just beyond BSB's air-conditioned malls lies the Bornean jungle, this city park, with its background chorus of buzzing,…