In the equatorial region of Asia, there is a place where Malaysia and Indonesia occupy the same island. That place, the magical land of Borneo, is also the largest island in Asia.
Brunei, often called Brunei Darussalam which comes from the Malay name of the country, Negara Brunei Darussalam, is a nation on Borneo and a Borneo Sultinate. It is surrounded on all sides by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, except for its coast on the South China Sea.
If you want to know what to see in Brunei Darussalam when you only have 2 days in Brunei, then you’ve come to the right place. We’ll cover things to see in Kuala Belait Brunei as well as the capital, Bandar Seri Begawan Brunei points of interest.
Riches And Limited Alcohol – 2 Days in Brunei: What to See in Brunei Darussalam
Brunei is a one man show, run by the Sultan of Brunei. Formerly the richest man in the world. It is an Islamic state governed on some Sharia Law principals. Being an Islamic state, it is one of only five countries in the world where the sale of alcohol is completely prohibited.
That doesn’t mean that you can’t take alcohol in to Brunei.
Foreigners, or non-Muslim Bruneians are allowed to bring in a bottle of alcohol or a carton of beer each time they cross the border into Brunei. My Bruneian friend SY, whom I had met in Kuala Lumpur, is a non-Muslim.
Change of Plans – A Night Away from the Most Boring Country in Asia
SY was excited to come and pick me up in Miri in Malaysian Borneo, just across the border from Kuala Belait in Brunei, so he could grab a bottle to take home.
When he came to get me, I had originally thought we would head straight back to his home in Kuala Belait. Instead, he insisted that we stay in Miri for one night, so he could go out drinking before taking his bottle of alcohol back to Brunei with him.
Plus he advised me that he wasn’t ready to go back to what he proclaimed to be the ‘most boring country in Asia’ just yet.
Miri Brunei Border Crossing Before 2 Days in Brunei: What to See in Brunei Darussalam
The next afternoon, we headed to the Miri Brunei border. We hit some traffic about a kilometre from the Sungai Tujuh Immigration point.
Luckily it wasn’t border traffic. It was just intersection traffic.
We actually didn’t spend too long at the border at all.
Because SY had declared his bottle of alcohol, they wanted to check that we weren’t trying to sneak any more in.
After they were satisfied, we were waved through.
Entry Requirements For Brunei Darussalam
Brunei’s entry requirements are different depending on which passport you hold.
Many passports can get a free visa on a arrival in Brunei and some pay for a visa on arrival, while others have to apply for the visa before travelling.
The Brunei Government has a handy Visa information page where you can see which category your passport puts you in.
Luckily my passport qualified me for a visa on arrival. I think those who have to pay a fee and those who get the VOA for free, still get the same stamp in their passport.
The fee was 20 Bruneian Dollars (BND), but it’s apparently BN$30 for some nationalities.
Kuala Belait (Malay: Pekun Kuala Belait) – 2 Days in Brunei: What to See in Brunei Darussalum
When you cross the Miri Brunei border, Kuala Belait will almost certainly be your first port of call.
It has beaches. It has monuments. It has monuments on beaches.
Brunei is an oil rich country.
If you don’t notice anything else about the country, you will notice straight away how big and expensive most of it looks.
The roads look shiny and new. The monuments look shiny and new.
Billionth Barrel Monument in Seria – What to See in Brunei Darussalam: 2 Days in Brunei
Of course, any self-respecting oil-wealthy country would spend a crazy amount of money on a Billionth Barrel Monument for their town near were they set up their first oil fields last century.
And of course that monument would have a real gold feature on top.
As you could guess, it was erected to commemorate the extraction of the billionth barrel of oil from the nearby Seria field. Seria is just a 10 minute drive from Kuala Belait.
It was installed in the 90s, so I’d imagine they’re well on their way to their two billionth barrel.
I was a lot more interested in the sunset though.
2 Days in Brunei: What to See in Brunei Darussalam – Views and Games in Kuala Belait
Kuala Belait is a small town on the Belait River which is part of the Belait District.
The Belait District is in the westernmost part of Brunei, so there are some great coastal and river views.
My friend SY and I played some games once we got to his place. He was kind enough to let me kick his butt at Tekken.
Bandar Seri Begawan Brunei Points of Interest – Things to See in Brunei Darussalam: 2 Days in Brunei
The capital, Bandar Seri Begawan has the most attractions of all the places in the Brunei sultanate on the Borneo coast. It is about a one and a half hour drive from Kuala Belait.
Bandar Seri Begawan Brunei points of interest include two national mosques, The Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque and the Jame’ Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque, also known as the Mosque of Gold.
Perhaps the most interesting thing to see in Bandar Seri Begawan is the world’s biggest and oldest floating village, Kampong Ayer.
2 Days in Brunei: Things to See in Brunei Darussalam – Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque in Bandar Seri Begawan
The Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque is a Masjid Negara, or National Mosque, named after the 28th Sultan of Brunei. He is the late father of the current sultan.
It took five years and a bucketload of money to build. It has it’s own man-made moat.
The mosque is made of marble and gold and able to host up to 3000 worshipers at prayer time.
You could say it’s grand. Or you could say it’s overkill.
Jame’ Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque (Mosque of Gold) – Things to See in Brunei Darussalam: 2 Days in Brunei
The other Masjid Nagara in Bandar Seri Begawan is the Jame’ Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque, named after the current and 29th Sultan of Brunei.
It is colloquially referred to as the Mosque of Gold because as you’ve probably already guessed, they used real gold for the domes.
All 29 domes, to represent and celebrate the 29th ruler, are made of 24 carat gold.
Again, you could say it’s grand, or you could say it’s overkill.
2 Days in Brunei: Things to See in Brunei Darussalam – Kampong Ayer, the Floating Village
Now onto possibly the most endearing and quaint of all the Bandar Seri Begawan Brunei points of interest; Kampong Ayer.
As you’ve seen so far, Brunei doesn’t really do quaint, which is what makes Kampong Ayer all the more unique and interesting.
This floating village on the Brunei River has a long history. Depending on the source, 600 to 1000 years.
It is a functioning and thriving community on stilts that houses a large percentage of the capital’s population.
It has schools, emergency services and a tourist centre. There’s even broadband internet!
How to Get to Kampong Ayer – Things to See in Brunei Darussalam: 2 Days in Brunei
To get to Kampong Ayer, you need to get a water taxi. They can be flagged down from certain areas along the river bank and within the village.
It’s best to agree on the price before you start moving.
It’s also helpful to have a Malay speaker with you to negotiate the price!
Getting to Brunei
Flights to Brunei are fairly expensive. It is much more cost effective to fly to Miri in Malaysian Borneo. From there you can hire a car or take a bus to Brunei.
There is a direct bus from Miri to Bandar Seri Begawan twice daily for 50 Malaysian Ringgit (MYR).
If you hire a car, you have to make sure that you have Brunei Vehicle Entry System Pass (VES) which can be obtained online.
Miri to Brunei Day Trip – Where to Go if You Just Have 1 Day in Brunei
If you only have 1 day in Brunei or want to do a Miri to Brunei day trip, your best bet would be to head to Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital.
There you can get a feel for the riches of the country, including it’s gold-encrusted mosques, as well as spend some time in the quaint and quiet village of Kampong Ayer. The floating village is definitely one of the more interesting, unique and fun attractions in Brunei.
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So there you have it, how to spend 2 days in Brunei. If you’ve found this list of what to see in Brunei Darussalam useful, let us know in the comments!
Also feel free to share this article. Thank you! :o)
16 Replies to “2 Days in Brunei: What to See in Brunei Darussalam”
Oooh this is really interesting. We did visit Borneo, but didn’t take the extra time to drive over to Brunei, so it is really interesting to see what it was like. The floating village looks incredible – but it doesn’t look like they receive much of a share of that oil wealth eh!?
It’s funny, the Sultan of Brunei paid for a massive section of my university back in the UK, so it is kind of cool to see where that money came from.
The floating village was amazing and my photos don’t even really cover the whole scope of it. It’s look is a bit deceiving. As I was walking along the boardwalks through the village, I was trying to peek into some of the houses and some of them are surprisingly decked out and modern looking inside. What’s interesting is that the government has tried to entice people out of the village by offering them housing on land, but most of the villagers would rather stay in their floating homes. I can see the appeal too.
The Brunei connection to your uni is so cool. I didn’t realise the Sultan funded projects outside of Brunei. But he’s definitely got the money to do it!
Wow I didn’t know much about Brunei before reading this post. It’s clear that it is a unique destination. Thank you for giving such helpful information on visa entry and things to see! Seems like a fun place to see.
Yes, it’s definitely a unique place.
What an interesting, and ostentatious, place to visit! I’m so intrigued by the floating village, much more so than the monuments and gold-covered mosque. That village is the real heart of Brunei, I bet!
The floating village was definitely more interesting than the monuments with the unnecessary shows of wealth.
I lived this post! I have never been to Brunei, but I will definitely put it in my bucket list for future travels! It looks amazing 👏
Yes, you should absolutely visit :o)
This is such an interesting article. I would love to see this fascinating place one day. Thanks for sharing this unique destination.
It’s definitely worth a visit!
I knew Brunei existed, but had no idea it was so unique. It sounds like a really interesting place to visit!
Yes. I love that it’s has some of the most ridiculous shows of riches whilst also having the most simple ways of living in the capital.
Wow, Brunei sounds like such a unique location. One we’ll be adding to our list, thanks!
It’s worth a visit for sure!
The floating village sounds really interesting. Amazing to learn that it’s been around so long and is so well established, with schools and internet! Not what I would expect of a place on stilts. Truly unique.
That’s what was so cool about the village. Despite not looking modern at all, it had all the amenities of modern cities.