How to Get the Best Exchange Rate for Brunei Dollars When Traveling in Brunei (Brunei Line 7)

A trendy cafe in Brunei

ATMs in Brunei, you can get Brunei dollars here with your bank card

Experience the nightlife of this small country in Brunei's second most vibrant area – it's not quite what you imagine (Brunei Line 7) Photo: Liu Guoxiong

I stayed in a 3-star hotel in Bandar Seri Begawan's second most vibrant area, and it was actually quite lively nearby, with many restaurants, bars, clothing stores, and a large mall and hotel.

I came out to wander around at 9 pm, and along the well-lit streets, the buildings weren't very tall, just a few stories high, a bit like those private residential complexes we see in China. However, there weren't many people on the street, but many restaurants, bars, and cafes were open, and people were eating inside, though not many.

Only a few stores in the large mall were open, so there wasn't much to see. There was a large supermarket that closed at 10 pm, so you couldn't go in to have a look.

There's also an ATM where you can use your bank card to get Brunei dollars. I initially saw that both UnionPay and Visa cards could be exchanged for Brunei dollars, but I tried many times, changed machines, and Visa cards couldn't get the money out. Seeing many people queuing, I went to browse around first, and when I returned, I suddenly thought it might be a card issue, so I switched to using UnionPay, which worked. However, the fees were quite high, about 15 yuan per transaction. But if you exchange a lot, it's worthwhile because compared to exchanging with a guide or the hotel front desk, which is 600 yuan for 100 Brunei dollars (1:6), the exchange rate is about 1:5, so 515 yuan can get you 100 Brunei dollars.

The mall in the second most vibrant area is quite large.

There's a Western restaurant at the mall entrance.

Restaurants are set up in the mall's atrium

The atrium is not very big

There are only a few shops open in the mall.

This is the supermarket floor

This Hua and Baixi Department Store is about to close, go in to take a look

The cashier counter

This is the largest hotel in the area

It's a bit dark here

There are many shops set up in this row

A place children like

A cafe with a lovely atmosphere

ATM, very convenient for exchanging money

There are two Chinese restaurants here, Mama Restaurant

The other one is For Food Heaven, noodles start at 3 or 4 yuan a bowl

Large advertising boards

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