What to do in Brunei

August 19, 2011 1:07 AM

What should I do with myself during a ten hour stopover in Brunei?
posted by Cobbler to Travel & Transportation around Brunei Darussalam (8 answers total)

There's not gonna be much to do at the airport, that's for sure. Presumably you're flying into Bandar Seri Begawan?

It's a TINY country. I would hire a car at the airport and just drive all the way round the country, and I mean that literally. It's a beautiful country and well worth seeing. The roads are great too. Pretty much everyone speaks English and they're friendly to foreigners.

If you want a beer, you'll have to drive into Malaysia though. Which is totally do-able but then there would be that whole drink driving thing, which is pretty much frowned upon.

I was lucky enough to have worked there a couple of years ago, and I loved it. I managed to glimpse the entrance to the Sultan's palace while driving past on the highway, but I don't think he welcomes visitors without an appointment. ;-)
posted by alan2001 at 3:02 AM on August 19, 2011

Listen for the honks of the proboscis monkey.
posted by Trivia Newton John at 4:30 AM on August 19, 2011

There's a whole neighbourhood of homes built on stilts over the water. If you walk to the city center and hire a boat taxi you can get a good little tour of them. It's quite fascinating. Also ask to be driven by the Sultan's palace, which is right on the water.
posted by fso at 6:29 AM on August 19, 2011

Response by poster: Yes, I'm flying into Bandar Seri Begawan, but I don't drive, so I'm limited to public transport.

Thanks for the suggestions so far.
posted by Cobbler at 7:42 AM on August 19, 2011

The first thing you want to do is figure out the bus schedules to/from the airport then, and/or price out taxis to ensure you can get back to the airport to make your next flight. When I was there for a day a few years ago, I remember the buses as rather infrequent. If you can get to the downtown area (eerily quiet at any time of day), you can walk between the mosque, the museums (the Royal one with all the gifts from other countries is vaguely interesting) and the water village on stilts (Kampung Ayer). You can tour the inside of mosque (if it's open) even if you're not Muslim-- they have head covers/robes they'll lend if you need them. I also recommend hiring a boat to take you on a tour of the water village and the palace (which gets lit up like a spaceship at night)-- the mosque is pretty to photograph from the water as well. There's a large Chinese community so there are also some Chinese temples and restaurants.
posted by neko75 at 8:33 AM on August 19, 2011

My wife and I spent a few days in Brunei (I know, weird!). It's not a place teeming with activities, but we did enjoy a boat tour of the Kampong Ayer (though you should manage your expectations--it's more interesting than it is beautiful or fun). The mosques are a bit tricky as they are indeed often closed, but if you can get a peak at one of the big ones, they are impressive.
posted by pantagrool at 12:55 AM on August 20, 2011

Royal Brunei organises city tours for people in your situation. My parents did one and said it was quite interesting.
posted by kjs4 at 9:15 PM on August 21, 2011 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks kjs4. That sounds like a suitably straightforward/inexpensive option.
posted by Cobbler at 4:32 AM on August 23, 2011