Bandar Seri Begawan
The small capital of Brunei on the Brunei River, where a golden-domed mosque of 1958 stands in its lagoon above a village built on stilts over the water, fifteen minutes from the airport.
- Arrival
- Brunei International · BWN
- To the city
- About 15 minutes by taxi
- Private jets
- Private flights use BWN
- Best time
- February to April
The city
A capital on the river.
Bandar Seri Begawan is a small capital on the Brunei River, near the northern coast of Borneo. The Omar ’Ali Saifuddien Mosque, opened in 1958, rises over a man-made lagoon, its dome laid with more than three million pieces of Venetian glass; it was placed by the river so the people of Kampong Ayer, the water village opposite, could reach it easily.
The Sultan’s regalia, golden chariots among them, fill a museum on Jalan Sultan Omar ’Ali Saifuddien, and west along the coast at Jerudong a resort built for the APEC meeting of 2000 has a beach and a Jack Nicklaus course. It is hot and humid all year; February to April are the driest months, and October to January the wettest.
- Omar ’Ali Saifuddien Mosque A golden dome over Italian marble, set in a lagoon beside a concrete re-creation of a sixteenth-century royal barge.
- Kampong Ayer One of the largest water settlements in Southeast Asia, its houses joined by wooden walkways above the Brunei River.
- Royal Regalia Museum The Sultan’s regalia and the golden chariot of the 1992 Silver Jubilee procession; closed on Fridays.
Arriving
Eight kilometres to the river.
Brunei International lies about eight kilometres from the centre, some fifteen minutes by taxi. Foreign visitors complete the online E-Arrival Card before they arrive.
- Manila 2 h 00
- Kuala Lumpur 2 h 15
- Shanghai 4 h 15
- Beijing 5 h 25
- Cape Town 14 h 20 long-range jet
When to go
February to April.
Equatorial: highs of 30 to 32 °C in every month, and heavy rain in all of them. Brunei Tourism names October to January and May to July as the wettest spells; February to April are the driest months in the averages, though still far from dry.
- 30° J 319
- 31° F 168
- 32° M 164
- 32° A 206
- 32° M 278
- 32° J 244
- 32° J 249
- 32° A 243
- 32° S 307
- 32° O 331
- 31° N 370
- 31° D 352
Where to stay
In Gadong, or on the coast at Jerudong.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
Elsewhere in Brunei
One more reason to come.
Flying to Bandar Seri Begawan?
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A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.