Dhaka Travel Guide: Places to Visit, Food, Where to Stay and Getting Around

Dhaka is where most journeys in Bangladesh begin and end, but the capital deserves a few days of its own. This Dhaka travel guide covers the places to visit, from the Mughal monuments of Old Dhaka to the modern Parliament House, along with what to eat, which area to stay in and how to get around a famously busy city. For more on the district, see our Dhaka guide.

Best time to visit Dhaka

October to March is the most comfortable time: dry, mild days and cool evenings, ideal for walking Old Dhaka. April to June is hot and humid, and the monsoon brings heavy downpours and waterlogged streets.

If you can, time a visit for one of the city's big days:

• Shakrain, the kite festival over Old Dhaka's rooftops in mid-January
• 21 February, International Mother Language Day, at the Central Shaheed Minar
• Pohela Boishakh (14 April), the Bengali New Year, with songs under the banyan at Ramna and the Mangal Shobhajatra procession
• Ramadan, when Chawkbazar's iftar market fills the lanes

How to get to Dhaka

Dhaka is the hub of the country's intercity buses. Coaches arrive from every division at terminals and counters across the city, including Gabtoli, Sayedabad and Mohakhali. Check your ticket for the exact drop-off point and, where you can, choose the one closest to where you are staying. Approximate times by bus:

• From Chattogram: about 5–7 hours
• From Sylhet: about 5–7 hours
• From Rajshahi: about 5–6 hours
• From Cox's Bazar: about 8–10 hours, mostly overnight

Traffic entering the city can add a lot to these times, so leave a margin. You can search buses to and from Dhaka on every major route. Trains arrive at Kamalapur and Airport stations, and Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport has domestic flights from the main cities.

Places to visit in Dhaka

Old Dhaka

Old Dhaka is the city's historic core and the part most visitors remember. Start early, before the lanes fill up.

• Lalbagh Fort: begun in 1678 by Prince Muhammad Azam, a son of the emperor Aurangzeb, and never finished. The gardens, the mosque and the tomb of Pari Bibi make it the best-known Mughal monument in the city.
• Ahsan Manzil: the pink palace of the Nawabs of Dhaka on the bank of the Buriganga, completed in 1872 and now a museum.
• Sadarghat: the city's main river port, where multi-deck launches leave for Barishal and the south. A short boat ride on the Buriganga shows the city from the water.
• Star Mosque: in Armanitola, covered in a mosaic of broken china (chini tikri) in the early 20th century.
• Armenian Church: built in 1781 by the merchant community that gave Armanitola its name, a few minutes' walk from the Star Mosque.
• Dhakeshwari Temple: the National Temple, the "goddess of Dhaka", from which many believe the city took its name.

Central and new Dhaka

• Curzon Hall: the red-brick landmark of the University of Dhaka, whose foundation stone was laid in 1904, mixing European and Mughal styles.
• National Parliament House: Louis I. Kahn's building at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, one of the most celebrated buildings of the 20th century. The lawns and water around it are a favourite evening spot.
• Hatirjheel: a long, winding lake between Gulshan, Tejgaon and Rampura, with lakeside paths and small water buses. It is at its best after dark, when the bridges are lit.

Day trips from Dhaka

• Panam City in Sonargaon: a single street of 19th-century merchant houses about 25 km south-east of the city, close to the Sonargaon Folk Art and Crafts Museum. Allow 1.5–2 hours each way with traffic.
• Bhawal National Park in Gazipur: sal forest and a quiet walk north of the city.

What to eat in Dhaka

Dhaka eats well, and Old Dhaka eats best.

• Kacchi biryani: mutton and rice layered raw and slow-cooked together in a sealed pot, served with borhani. Nazira Bazar and Bangshal are its heart, with long-running biryani houses such as Haji Biryani.
• Bakarkhani: a crisp, layered flatbread from Old Dhaka's clay ovens, eaten with tea.
• Morog polao: fragrant rice cooked with chicken, a wedding and festival favourite.
• Fuchka and chotpoti: the city's favourite street snacks, best at the evening stalls around TSC and Dhanmondi Lake.
• Borhani and lassi: spiced yoghurt drink with biryani, and sweet lassi from Old Dhaka's sweet shops.

For a sit-down meal of almost any cuisine, Dhanmondi and Gulshan have the widest choice.

Where to stay in Dhaka

Choose your area by what you plan to do, because crossing the city can take a long time.

• Gulshan and Banani: upscale and international hotels, embassies and restaurants; the closest of the central areas to the airport.
• Dhanmondi and Panthapath: mid-range hotels in the middle of the city, handy for both Old Dhaka and Gulshan.
• Motijheel and Paltan: budget hotels near Kamalapur station and many bus counters, good before an early departure.
• Uttara: minutes from the airport and on the metro line.

Getting around Dhaka

• Metro rail (MRT Line 6) runs from Uttara to Motijheel through Mirpur, Agargaon, Farmgate, Karwan Bazar, Shahbag and Dhaka University. It is the fastest way north to south; Bijoy Sarani and Agargaon stations are nearest the Parliament House, and Dhaka University station is by Curzon Hall.
• Ride-hailing apps offer cars and motorbikes across the city.
• CNG auto-rickshaws are everywhere; agree the fare before you get in.
• Rickshaws are the way into Old Dhaka's narrow lanes.

Traffic is heavy at rush hour. Travel early in the day where you can; Fridays are usually calmer.

Tips for visiting Dhaka

• Do Old Dhaka by rickshaw in one morning: Lalbagh Fort, the Armanitola sights and Sadarghat are close together.
• Dress modestly at mosques, temples and shrines, and ask before photographing people.
• Check opening days and hours locally before you go; museums and monuments may close on some days.
• Carry small notes for rickshaws and keep your phone and wallet secure in crowds.
• Leave plenty of time to reach your bus counter: evening traffic can make a cross-city trip much longer than you expect.

When you are ready to move on, search buses from Dhaka to anywhere in the country, and see the full Dhaka district guide for more places to visit.