Bandar Seri Begawan

Cities built on oil money tend to be flashy, ostentatious places, but with the exception of a palace you can't enter most of the time, a couple of enormous mosques and one wedding cake of a hotel, Bandar (as the capital is known, or just BSB) is very understated. Urban life pretty much revolves around two pastimes: shopping and eating – there is virtually no nightlife (though an enduring love of karaoke). BSB does have a few good museums and the biggest water village in the world, providing a little slice of vintage Malay life.