Built on the banks of the Brunei River, the Arts and Handicraft Centre was established and opened in 1980 as a haven for the learning and preservation of traditional Bruneian knowledge and skills learnt in an era when trade was the mainstay of the economy. In those days, cottage industries were started in the making of silver, brass and other artefacts but with the onslaught of time, these skills have all but been forgotten, save for the efforts that are now being made to preserve them. The Arts and Handicrafts Centre is where the traditional arts and crafts of Brunei have been revived.

On display at the centre are intricately designed brocades called kain tenunan, woven using gold or silver threads. Lengths of kain tenunan are highly valued as heirlooms and as collectors' pieces, and have been woven and worn to mark ceremonial occasions for centuries. Hand-tooled silver jewellery and artefacts, including ornamental cannons and replicas of the ancient snakelike Malay dagger known as the Keris can also be admired and purchased from the centre's handicraft shop. Other traditional crafts displayed include handmade boats, baskets, mats and other woven crafts.

Brunei museum is the largest museum in Brunei, located some four kilometres outside Bandar Seri Begawan on a hill at Kota Batu, which itself is an archaeological site of great importance. Lying in 48 hectares of parkland, the museum is a fine example of Islamic architecture with many of the engravings and designs taken from typical Brunei Malay patterns, some of which appear on Sultan Bolkiah's tomb. Its collection includes Borneo Ethnography and Natural History displays as well as Islamic art documenting the origins of much of, Brunei's culture. From their softly lit niches, illuminated intricate renderings of the Holy Quran and centuries-old glassware, ceramics, jewellery, tapestries and military artefacts bear silent witness to the artisans' skill and devotion.

The galleries inside the museum comprise an imaginative natural history section and a glittering collection of Islamic art, which includes many rare manuscripts, works of art and artefacts from the Islamic world dating back to the 9th and 10th centuries.

A sixth gallery is reserved for temporary exhibitions and the lower ground floor houses the administrative and technical section of the museum which is not normally open to the public. Some of the larger exhibits are in covered shelters in park land at the back of the museum.

Istana Nurul Iman is a pride of the Sultanate of Brunei which is famous for its rich oil reserves. As a symbol of richness, the palace is displayed almost politely and unassuming but not ostentatious like in Dubai. Named as “Palace of the Faith Light”, the palace was designed by the National Artist of the Philippines for Architecture and built in 1984 at a cost of around US$1.4 billion.

Istana Nurul Iman is the official residence of the Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, and the seat of the Brunei government. The palace is located on a leafy, riverside sprawl of hills on the banks of the Brunei River, a few miles south of Bandar Seri Begawan.

The Istana Nurul Iman is the largest residential palace in the world and the largest single family residence ever built. The golden domes and sweeping rooflines of the palace can be seen from the long road of Jalan Tutong. 

The palace is only open to the public during Hari Raya, when locals and tourists alike have the opportunity to greet His Majesty and members of the royal family.

Located in the heart of Bandar Seri Begawan, the Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque is one of the most spectacular mosques in the Asia Pacific and a major landmark and tourist attraction of Brunei.

Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque is one of the most magnificent mosques in Southeast Asia. Built in 1958 as a symbol of the Sultanate's faith, the mosque which bears the name of the Sultan who built it, features resplendent marble and granite floors, stained glass and chandeliers from all over the world. The mosque's most recognizable feature, the main dome, is covered in pure gold.

The mosque is built in an artificial lagoon on the banks of the Brunei River at Kampong Ayer and surrounded by a large number of trees and floral gardens which in Islam symbolize heaven. A bridge reaches across the lagoon to Kampong Ayer in the middle of the river. Another marble bridge leads to a structure in the lagoon meant as a replica of a 16th Century Sultan Bolkiah mahligai barge.

The Mosque is open for visits in the day but visitors are asked to dress conservatively when entering the building.

Known as the Kiarong mosque among the locals, Jame'asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque is the largest and is one of the most magnificent looking mosques in Brunei. It was built to commemorate the 25th anniversary His majesty the Sultan reign.

Jame’asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque is located in Kampong Kiarong which lies close to the capital city. The mosque is a place of worship as well as an architectural masterpiece, and the shining gold domes of the mosque overlook a landscape of attractive gardens and fountains. Along with them are the ornamented towers that can be seen from the main road. The interiors of the mosque combine the profoundness of art and the religious significance of Islam.

The mosque cannot be visited by non-Muslims on Thursdays. Strict rules have to be followed in order to enter the mosque and while inside the mosque.

Kampong Ayer Stretching for several miles along the banks of the Brunei River, Kampong Ayer, Brunei's famed water village, is a fascinating glimpse into Brunei's past. Built entirely of stilt houses and wooden walkways, this cluster of 42 villages housing more than 30,000 inhabitants is the world's largest water village. Some people refer to it as the 'Venice of the East'.

Kampong Ayer retains much of the historical features of the 16th century when Ferdinand Magellan's chronicler first discovered it. The traditional lifestyle of its inhabitants-fishermen, river traders and artisans making and selling traditional handicrafts (silverware, brassware, woodcarving and cloth weaving) - has remained unchanged since then. Today Kampong Ayer is an almost self-sufficient community being equipped with modern facilities such as schools, shops, markets, mosques, clinics, police stations and fire brigades. All are connected by a maze of stilted platforms and walkways.

Kampong Ayer is a national heritage and efforts are being made to preserve this lifestyle so that the legacy of the 'water' people of Brunei will be retained, not only as a tourist attraction, but also for the future generation of Brunei. Visitors can have a personal experience of this heritage by taking one of the many water taxis that ply daily between the water taxi jetty in front of the Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah in the centre of town and the water village itself.

Located at Jalan Sultan, this museum is devoted to His Majesty the Sultan, Hassanal Bolkiah. It was officially opened on 30 September 1992. The building integrates various characteristics of the philosophy of Malay Islamic Monarchy and has become another outstanding landmark of Bandar Seri Begawan.

The main gallery in the museum displays the coronation and Silver Jubilee Chariots, gold and silver ceremonial armoury and traditional jewellery encrusted coronation crowns. A collection of documents that chronicles His Majesty's life up to the coronation together with the constitutional history gallery is also housed in the same building.

An amalgamation of traditional and modern architectural styles, the Yayasan Complex, as it is locally known, is one of the capital's most pupular shopping venues. Paved with cooling, polished granite around the central fountain, the Yayasan Complex's colonnaded walkway offers picturesque views of the Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque to the west and Kampung Ayer to the east.