Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, or Bandar as it’s known locally, is the capital of Brunei and the sultanate’s only settlement of any real size. Straddling the northern bank of a twist in the Sungei Brunei, the city is characterized by its unlikely juxtaposition of striking modern buildings (the latest and most impressive being the twin malls of the Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah shopping complex) and traditional stilt houses. These stilt houses make up the water village, or Kampung Ayer, Brunei’s original seat of power and still home to half the city’s population.

Macau is small. That is an inescapable fact. Made up of a peninsula and two islands, the area covered by the territory is a mere 23.5 square kilometres. So do not blink or you might miss something!

Macau Peninsula

Historically, culturally and economically, the peninsula is where it is happening. Its central focus is the busy Largo do Senado. This very Mediterranean town square is surrounded by some of Macau’s most famous buildings, including the Leal Senado and the church of Sao Domingos.

Shopping is a key element of central city life