Brunei travel guide with our best tips
When we travel, we fantasize about visiting other places in the world, and the Sultanate of Brunei was one of them.
Once our dreams about traveling to Borneo came true, we could not miss the opportunity to visit the Sultanate, and we created this Brunei travel guide for the following reasons:
- The first reason was that we were unable to find a lot of updated information about this country online, which made it quite mysterious and interesting for us.
- The second reason was that we wanted to see one of the richest countries in the world.
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Overall, our experience in the Sultanate of Brunei was short but full of emotions.
Undoubtedly, it is the calmest country we have visited so far “Yes, guys, more than Laos”. This might be because Bruneian people are very nice, and they always welcome you with a friendly smile on their face.
Our trip to Brunei was short, and because the prices were a little higher than the other surrounding countries, we decided to visit only the capital city.
However, when we were exploring Bandar Seri Begawan, we had an excellent experience, so we made a promise to ourselves that one day we would come back and explore this outstanding place much more.
Below you will find our best tips and tricks for your travel itinerary to Brunei.
Our tip: When we travel we always make sure to have travel insurance. Our personal recommendation is Truetraveller as they have great support and health coverage around the world. And don’t worry if you forget about it, you can purchase the insurance during your trip!
1. Security – Brunei travel guide
Is it safe to travel to Brunei Darussalam in 2023?
We want to meet the person who dares to write that Brunei is not a safe country; he or she must be crazy or have never been to this country. We found it amazing how polite and friendly people are here, sometimes maybe too much in the eyes of a “stressed” foreigner.
Brunei is the first, and may be the only, country in Southeast Asia where you don’t have to worry when crossing the road. In fact, all drivers stop even before you want to cross the road and at a huge distance.
We felt incredibly safe during our visit to Brunei, as the country exudes a strong sense of security.
Our Brunei travel guide provides essential tips and insights for a worry-free journey. However, it’s crucial to exercise common sense and take necessary safety precautions when traveling anywhere. Remember, stepping out of your comfort zone means being mindful of your surroundings and taking measures to ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience.
Also, keep in mind that although the Sultanate of Brunei is a safe country, you should always respect local rules and laws.
If you are interested in reading more about travel security, have a look at our post with safety tips that have helped us minimize problems and unpleasant surprises when we travel.
Grab our Travel Checklist and Let the adventure begin!
2. Visa – brunei travel guide
Most people don’t need to apply for a tourist visa to Brunei, however, it’s always better to check the regulations before you plan your Brunei itinerary. One of the requirements, as it is almost everywhere, is to have a passport with a minimum period of validity of 6 months.
Since you most likely don’t need a visa, you get a stamp on arrival with a maximum stay of 90 days for free. And sometimes you will need a ticket to leave the country.
Lastly, we would like to recommend visiting the official Brunei immigration page for two reasons, either to see if there are any last-minute changes to the country’s situation or to find out if you need a visa (link here).
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3. Vaccines – Brunei travel guide
What vaccines are required for Brunei?
Currently, no vaccine is required to enter or travel to Brunei, not even the COVID-19 vaccine that was required until recently.
Overall, if nothing changes, you are not required to do any tests when entering the country; however, it is better that you confirm this on the official Brunei website before you plan your Brunei itinerary (click here).
Although there is no mandatory vaccination to travel to Brunei, the health authorities recommend several vaccinations, especially if you want to visit rural and wild areas of the country.
Recommended vaccinations: typhus, rabies, diphtheria, tetanus, hepatitis A and B, typhoid fever, and Japanese encephalitis.
The yellow fever vaccine is mandatory only for people who live in or have been in a high-risk country in the previous 12 months.
Do I need malaria tablets for Brunei?
There is a very low risk of malaria in Brunei. Anyway, in this Brunei travel guide, we suggest that you bring malaria pills with you when you go there, especially if you want to go to rural areas or the jungle. We definitely recommend a good mosquito repellent, which is very helpful and a must-have on your trip.
4. Coins and Exchange – Malay – Brunei travel guide
The official currency in Brunei is the Brunei dollar; its acronym is (BND), and its value when we write this post is equal to 1 euro = 1.48 BND or 1 dollar = 1.33 BND.
To know the updated exchange rate during your visit to this beautiful country, we advise you to use this platform, Xe.com.
Being a fairly modern country, especially in the city, paying or withdrawing local currency is easy.
Here we list several methods to obtain Brunei dollars:
What payment methods does Brunei use?
Get Brunei dollars by exchanging it with another valuta:
It’s easy to get local money by exchanging it with another valuta, since you can find exchange shops at the airport and city. Remember one important thing, shops close quite early in Brunei (max 8-9 pm), including exchange places, so keep that in mind when arriving in this country.
Here we leave you a couple of tips if you decide to change money from your currency to Brunei dollar:
- Do not change all your money in the exchange shops at the airport, simply because the commissions are usually much higher.
- If you need money to be able to move from the airport to the center, change only a small part at the airport, the rest is better to change in the city where you find favorable commissions.
- It is not advisable to exchange money in your country of origin, the commissions could be very high.
- If you come from Singapore and you have dollars from there, you don’t need to exchange it, since they are accepted by most shops in Brunei (the value of the currency is identical).
- Keep one thing in mind, the Brunei Dollar is not accepted in Singapore (we don’t know why).
Withdraw money from an ATM:
If you don’t have cash or only have a small amount, don’t worry. In our Brunei travel guide, we recommend that you withdraw money upon arrival in Brunei. It’s convenient and efficient, especially for longer trips.
The advantage of withdrawing cash from ATMs directly in Brunei is significant. Just like in Malaysia, bank branches in Brunei do not charge commissions for withdrawals, which is a valuable benefit for you and your wallet.
Some useful tips if you decide to withdraw money in Brunei:
- Before using your card on your trip to Brunei, remember to notify your bank that you will be visiting one or more foreign countries. This will prevent you from having your card blocked, leaving you with one less option to get money.
- Yes, it is true that banks do not charge fees (until now) for withdrawing money in Brunei; however, you should keep in mind that your bank could charge you, so we recommend checking with your bank before leaving your country.
- Your bank might charge you extra commissions to withdraw money during the weekends (ours does), so it is better to check before you hit the road.
- It is advisable to withdraw money directly from ATMs present in banks when they are open so that you can solve problems without having to call the bank’s customer service.
- To minimize bank commissions on your trips, we recommend getting some new-generation virtual banking cards.
On our trips, we use Wise online banking, and we are happy with this company. It turns out to be virtual banking with an incredibly good exchange rate and low fees, perfect for all the countries we’ve had the pleasure of visiting so far, including Brunei.
Pay directly with credit / debit card:
We can say that you can safely use your card in most shops and restaurants in Brunei. We only visited the capital, Bandar Seri Begawan, and we had no issues.
However, if you are planning a trip outside the main city, make sure to bring some cash in case you need it on the way. Anyway, we always recommend carrying a little cash to be able to pay easily if they do not accept the card or you decide to buy or eat in a local market.
IMPORTANT: remember to always pay in the local currency to avoid extra commissions from your bank.
5. Internet and Sim Card – Brunei travel guide
During our stay in Brunei, we didn’t have to buy a new SIM card because we were able to take advantage of the roaming service on our card purchased in Malaysia from the Hotlink company.
If you previously visited an ASEAN country (officially the Association of Southeast Asian Nations), check if you have a similar offer, since this option is cheaper than buying a new SIM card in Brunei.
How accessible is the internet in Brunei?
If you need to buy a new SIM card in Brunei, it’s easy; just find the nearest store, most likely in a shopping mall. In March 2023, the price was around $8–10, and keep in mind that they want to see your ID or a copy of your passport.
Wi-Fi:
Does Brunei have free Wi-Fi?
You can find reliable free Wi-Fi in all shopping malls, cafés, and probably in your accommodation, so if you don’t want to be connected 24/7, you don’t need to buy a SIM card.
During our trip to Southeast Asia, we discovered that there are e-sims available. Practically, with the use of an app, you can get a number, data, and calls without having a physical SIM card in your phone. At the moment, they are only compatible with some of the latest generation smartphones (iPhone, Samsung, and little else). In this list of smartphones, our expensive Chinese mobiles do not enter (and they are expensive only because we love them), and for now, they are incompatible, although we hope only for now ;-). That is why we have not had the opportunity to test e-sim in person. However, it seems to us to be a great invention, and it will be a total revolution when it comes to traveling from one country to another.
6. Transportation – Brunei travel guide
Surely, if you have come to this Brunei travel guide, you must be wondering, How do I get around on my next trip to the Sultanate?
Here is our personal experience with all the means of transport we know.
CAB / TAXI
Although there is a normal taxi service, on your trip to Brunei, you can use an app to book your transportation. The app is called DART, and although it is not as developed as Uber or Grab (it is a bit slow), it is still a suitable option to move around the country.
PLANE
We think that the plane is the most common way to arrive or leave the country, unless you are already in Borneo (Malaysia) and you go via land or boat.
The national company Royal Brunei Airlines often has a good deal; however, you can find other cheap flights using Airasia.com as well.
We recommend searching online with Skyscanner or Google flight to get the best deals.
BUS
It is an option that you have to take into consideration for two reasons: if you arrive by land (Malaysia), or even if you want to move around without spending a fortune. From our experience, the bus ticket from Kota Kinabalu cost the same as taking a plane from the same city, so we opted for the plane option. You can use this app to check schedules and prices (link here).
Bus (city, local routes)
There is a company with several routes that moves throughout the city and its surroundings, extending the service to the airport.
The local bus ticket in Brunei is quite cheap, and it goes almost anywhere in the city.
The negative part is that there is no precise schedule, and the bus service finishes early in the evening. Even the local people don’t know the bus schedule; imagine the tourists. It actually happened to us when we were waiting at the bus stop for almost an hour, and nobody knew when this bus was going to come.
That is why we recommend one thing: if you decide to use bus service, arm yourself with patience.
BOAT
As far as we know, you can also go to Brunei by ferry, but only via Labuan (an island in Malaysian Borneo). Many blogs explain that there is also a ferry service that begins its journey in Kota Kinabalu; however, due to low demand (COVID-19 and little tourism), this service is currently suppressed.
If you visit the capital of Brunei, we totally recommend renting a local boat to visit the old floating village, which is the largest in the world. For us, it was a fascinating experience because it gave us the chance to see another side of this place.
RENT A CAR
We think that renting a car is the best way to visit Brunei, as long as you are eager to discover more than just the city. It turns out to be quite cheap, including gasoline. In fact, on our next visit to Brunei, we will surely rent a car since we would like to discover more places in this country. If you decide to rent a car in Borneo, you can also visit Brunei, or vice versa. Remember that you will need an official registration card to be able to enter Brunei, and most of the rental companies in Malaysia are not willing to provide it. It is best to ask in advance if the rental company offers this service before renting a car, just to make sure you can get into Brunei.
7. Accommodation – Brunei travel guide
The capital city, Bandar Seri Begawan, like the rest of the country, offers many options for tourists who want to visit this place. However, we have to mention that these options turn out to be quite limited for backpackers on a tight budget.
If you are like us and traveling on a budget, keep in mind that it might be more difficult to find accommodation for less than 30 euros per night. When we searched for budget accommodations in the capital city of Brunei, we found only four that were around $30 per night.
On average, a budget double room with air conditioning costs between 28 and 40 euros per night, and a bed in a hostel in a shared room costs between 14 and 20 euros per dollar. It’s easy to book accommodation in Brunei since you’ll find all the typical online companies to book your room. We generally use Booking.com, for convenience and also because we have discounts. We also sporadically use Agoda, Airbnb and Hostel World, which allow us to evaluate different options when booking accommodation and give us a wider range.
8. Food – Brunei travel guide
If you have previously visited Malaysia (including Malaysian Borneo), the food in Brunei will not surprise you at all since it is quite similar (we can say almost the same).
The only difference that we have found in Brunei is that you won’t find pork or products with pork since the predominant religion is Muslim.
People in Brunei don’t usually have the same routine of eating three times a day as in most countries. In general, they tend to eat, or rather, have a snack, anytime during the day and as long as they feel like it.
What food is Brunei famous for?
The local preparation that stands out the most and sets it apart from other countries is the Ambuyat. It turns out to be a gelatinous mass made with water and starch from the palm tree, which is typically accompanied by other ingredients such as sauce, meat, or fish.
Other dishes consumed daily in Brunei by the locals are the Nasi Tarot, very similar to the Malaysian Nasi Lemak (with fried chicken), and the buttermilk chicken that you can find everywhere.
If you want to have a snack but don’t want to spend a lot of money, there are various options, such as shrimp chips or other delicacies made with a rice base.
Is Brunei a cheap country?
As for food prices, there is no doubt that they tend to be more expensive than in Malaysia; even so, eating in Brunei is still cheaper than in Western countries. This also depends on where you want to eat; restaurants are obviously more expensive than a street market. Street markets are the best places to try local food for an affordable price; usually, we spent around $3–5 for lunch or dinner. A peculiarity of this country is that very few foreign companies have franchises here. In fact, you might find it hard to eat something different from the local food. We avoid fast food chains, but you can find McDonald’s, KFC, and the Asian version, Jolly Bee (remember that in this country they love fried chicken).
In the capital city, you will also find restaurants from other Asian countries such as Japan, Korea, Thailand, and, naturally, India and China.
9. Insurance – Brunei travel guide
10. Cultures and Habits – Brunei travel guide
The predominant religion practiced by the majority of the citizens of Brunei is Muslim. Everything works based on the rules of the Koran, and you have to keep in mind that when you visit this country, you have to respect them too.
The use of the veil is not compulsory for foreign women who are visiting Brunei. However, it is advisable to cover your shoulders and knees. Men should also cover their legs with long or knee-length pants.
Although the population is mostly Muslim, other religions are also accepted in the country. In fact, we have seen some Buddhist churches and temples.
The locals are very friendly, always with a smile on their faces, and they are curious to know where you come from.
The Sultan is the richest man in the country and one of the richest men in the world. He has maximum legislative and religious power in Brunei, and he also owns the largest royal palace in the world (accessible to tourists only for three days once a year). The Sultan gets so many gifts that he even decided to open a museum to exhibit all these presents (we definitely recommend visiting this museum).
Although it is one of the countries with the most wealth per person, visiting the country might also show you that there are humble and poor people with almost no resources (like anywhere in the world). On the other hand, the Sultan offers all Brunei citizens various benefits, such as free healthcare and education (even abroad), no taxes deducted from payroll, and very cheap prices for electricity, water, and gas.
11. Other tips and curiosities – Brunei travel guide
- If you like parties and are looking for some nightlife, it is probably not the best country for you.
- It is forbidden to sell alcohol in Brunei. However, you can import 2 liters per person (remember that you must declare it at customs).
- Remember that it is not well seen, and it is most likely illegal to drink on the street.
- Brunei is the only country in Southeast Asia where cars stop even before you want to cross the road.
- Together with Laos, these countries are the calmest we have visited so far.
- People in Brunei are very friendly and polite.
- Education is mostly free, so in general, many people have a good level of English.
- The climate can be divided into two seasons: the dry season and the wet season.
- In the wet season, it can rain every day, making your visit quite difficult.
- Although you can visit the country throughout the year, since the majority of the people are Muslims, sightseeing is more difficult during the Ramadan season.
- On the other hand, the best period to visit this country is the last three days of Ramadan, since the Sultan opens the doors to the royal palace to the public.
- In addition, you will be able to not only see his palace and greet the sultan in person, but you can also participate in the buffet lunch that he organizes for his guests.
11. General prices – Brunei travel guide
The prices are based on our travel experience in the Sultanate of Brunei Darussalam. When we wrote this post, the change was: $1 = 1.33 BND or €1 = 1.48 BND.
Please note that due to various factors, prices could change (up or down) and that these types of prices are for information only, since they are based on an approximate average.
Street food: 1–7 BN or 0.70 – 5 $
Local Restaurant: 7–20 BND or 5 – 14 $
Roti Canai: 3 BND or 2 $
International restaurants (pizza, ramen, etc.): >15 BND or >10 $
Water 0.5 lt: +- 1 BND or 0.70 $
Water 1.5 lt: +- 1.5 BND or +- 1 $
Espresso coffee: 4 BND or 3 $
Local coffee (kopi o): 2 BND or 1.30 $
Teh tarik: 2 BND or 1.30 $
Intercity buses (250 km to Kota kinabalu): 40 BND or 30 $
Gasoline x lt: 0.74 BND or 0.5 $ per lt
Accommodation 2 pax/day with a/c and private bathroom: 40 – 60 BND or 28-40 $
Bunk bed in shared room: 20 – 30 BND or 14-20 $
SIM card: 10 BND or 7 $ card + buy giga
Laundry (automatic washing): we have not used this service 🙂
Conclusions – Brunei travel guide
Many people who visited Brunei before us told us that the country was tedious and that there were not many things to do or see. We decided to travel to Brunei anyway, and against all odds, it was a unique and interesting experience.
In fact, we have promised ourselves that we will come back to visit this country with more time since we liked it a lot. We really like the local people and the relaxed atmosphere that Brunei offers. We are sure that this small country has much more to offer, and we would like to explore it even more.
Our trips taught us that sometimes we just give it a go, despite what other travelers are saying. We usually don’t pay much attention to online reviews and blog information; of course, we read it to get an idea, but our experience is what counts the most for us. This is because each traveler is different and sees things in their own way. This is also why we decided to visit Brunei, even if you might have heard or read information that there is not much to do in this amazing country.
We hope our tips will be useful on your next trip to the Sultanate of Brunei. If you need any additional information, let us know in the comments or email us.
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A hug for you, friends, travelers and foodies of Fun Food Travelling.
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