The Hotspots Map

 

 

Where to Stay in Brunei?

Most of the Iconic Touristic Hotspots of Brunei are concentrated in the Capital City (and only city) of Bandar Seri Begawan. The Urban sprawl is not too huge (it’s home to only 100k people) and surely is not prohibitive if you’d like to cover it by walk. In general, you’ll never be too far away from anything.

Said this, consider location a somehow secondary parameter of choice: as long as it’s in Bandar Seri Begawan, you’ll easily reach all the places you’re interested in without too much hassle.

In the recent 2-3 years, an increasing acceptance and governmental promotion of tourism started a scene of budget accommodation, in addition to the -already existing- more expensive hotels.

 

Cheap Hostels

I personally stayed in a place called Co.Living Hostel for something like 11Euros a night, small but tidy; one of the pioneer hostels of the country. Many more are popping out these days, making accommodation social and in general more than affordable.

 

Large AirBnB

Another cheap option is Airbnb, where locals started offering their second houses. Here prices start from around 60Euro/night but for quiet large apartments. If you plan to travel in a group, Airbnb might be the best option for you!

 

More Expensive Hotels

Last but not least, there are hotels; starting from 40Euro/night for a double room on the cheap side and upwards. May be more convenient if you’re travelling in a couple or simply looking for major comfort.

 

How To Move Around Brunei?

 

 Simply Walk

Being the Capital quite small, walking is a viable (and enjoyable) option to discover the city and the country’s main attractions.

When I visited Brunei, I walked for about 10-12km for two days, and that allowed me to see truly EVERYTHING there was to see in Bandar Seri Begawan. On the last day, I also walked from my hostel back to the airport (it took me about 1 hour from the city center).

Streets present low traffic (except for the small highway), are safe, and getting lost is unlikely. The atmosphere of the city, in general, is quiet and relaxed, most of the time you’ll feel like the only tourist around.

The only precautions you should take if you plan to walk your way through Brunei is to cover your head (as sun heat is scorching during the day), don’t forget the suncream, bring your sunglasses along, and at least a large bottle of water. Be sure to stay hydrated all the time!

 

Public Buses

If all-day walking is not your thing, you might want to consider public buses for a ride.

The positive side of buses is that they’re shamingly cheap, with a ticket costing only 1B$ (0,70 Euro).

The negative is that they are complicated to understand and it’s easy to get lost on the Route 😉

Buses run across 6 color lines, all starting and ending at the BSB Bus Station. Every color line is then subdivided into up-to-7 different smaller routes (signaled by different bus numbers) going in similar directions but stopping in different spots.

So for example, you’ll have 7 different bus numbers running on the blue line alone: first, be sure to check the color of the line, and then the large bus number on the bus door (take the image above as an example: blue/36).

The Bus Routes’ Map is one of the least user-friendly and chaotic I have ever seen and takes some time to understand (just google “Bandar Seri Begawan Bus Map ;). Try to interiorize your starting and ending point before jumping on the bus!

On the bus, you can do the ticket directly with the driver (be sure to have small cash at hand). Most drivers don’t understand English, so it may get quite hard to ask them to tell you where to stop.

Your best bet is to be a bit loud while asking and somebody on the bus will hear you and help you out (people are very helpful IF they can understand you!).

 

 Taxi

Taxis are the most expensive alternative to move around in Brunei (although not exaggerated).

The fare price is 3,50B$ (2.20 Euro) and you need to add 0,80B$ x kilometer (or every 15 seconds).

Many different surcharges may apply (if you cross districts, if you start from the airport, in night hours, etc.). All taxis today are metered.

 

Dart Brunei App

This is a local transportation app and it does exactly what Uber and Grab do elsewhere (both are unavailable in the country).

Prices are the same as taxis, but here you have the convenience of calling a ride directly from your phone and knowing in advance the total fare price.

Water Taxi

Water taxis are small speedboat you can use to navigate the Brunei River and move between attractions (and the Village on Stilts of Kampong Ayer).

The cost for a ride is between 2-5B$ (2-3Euros) and can be negotiated.

 

Guided Tours

If you plan to visit Ulu Temburong or leave the capital for any other sightseeing, your best option (and often only option) is joining an organized tour that will take care of all the transportation details (I am not a fun guided tours myself but I have to admit that both price and organisation-wise they make sense in Brunei it makes sense).