Dhaka

Bangladesh's capital, where Old Dhaka's rickshaws and river port never stop bustling, and Lalbagh Fort, the Pink Palace and Louis Kahn's Parliament House each have their own character.

Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, lies in the middle of the Ganges Delta on the north bank of the Buriganga River. With a metropolitan population of over 20 million, it is one of the most densely populated cities in the world. The city falls roughly into two parts. In the south, Old Dhaka preserves its Mughal and British-era heritage, with Lalbagh Fort, Ahsan Manzil (the Pink Palace), the Star Mosque, the Armenian Church, Shankhari Bazar and Sadarghat all clustered together in narrow lanes best explored by rickshaw or on foot. In the north, the newer city is home to Louis Kahn's National Parliament House, the Bangladesh National Museum, the Liberation War Museum, Curzon Hall at the University of Dhaka and the Central Shaheed Minar. Classic day trips include Sonargaon, about 27 km southeast (the old Panam City and the Folk Art Museum), and the National Martyrs' Memorial at Savar, about 35 km northwest. The best season is Nov–Feb, when it is cool and dry; Mar–May is hot, and the Jun–Sep monsoon often brings flooded streets. Traffic congestion is extreme and even short trips can take an hour or two, so group sights by area and get around by ride-hailing app, CNG auto-rickshaw or cycle rickshaw. International flights arrive at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, and Metro Rail Line 6 links the north with the city center. The population is predominantly Muslim, so dress conservatively and remove your shoes at religious sites; many attractions close or open late on Friday mornings. Plan on 2–3 days.

Top sights

• Lalbagh Fort – An unfinished 17th-century fortress begun by Mughal prince Azam Shah, with the Bibi Pari Tomb and mosque, it is one of Dhaka's most represe…
• Ahsan Manzil – The pink-hued palace of the Nawab of Dhaka on the banks of the Buriganga River, now a branch of the National Museum, displays the life and…
• National Parliament House – Designed by Louis Kahn, the parliament building's geometric openings in massive concrete volumes are reflected in an artificial lake, makin…
• Sadarghat – The river port of Dhaka on the Buriganga River, where tens of thousands of people travel by ferry and wooden boat every day, it is the most…
• Star Mosque – An 18th-century mosque whose exterior walls and dome are covered with blue-and-white star-patterned tiles, the most ornate mosaic building…
• Armenian Church of the Holy Resurrection – An Armenian church completed in 1781 that marks Dhaka's former Armenian merchant community, with ancient gravestones in its courtyard.
• Dhakeshwari Temple – Bangladesh's national Hindu temple, said to have given Dhaka its name, with crowds surging during the Durga Puja festival.
• Bangladesh National Museum – The country's largest museum, with four floors of galleries covering Buddhist and Hindu sculpture, Mughal artifacts, folk culture and the L…
• Liberation War Museum – A museum that uses photographs, relics and remains to tell the story of the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War and its massacres. The content i…
• Curzon Hall – A red-brick Indo-Saracenic building erected in 1904 under British rule, now home to the Faculty of Science at the University of Dhaka and a…
• Central Shaheed Minar – A national monument honoring the students killed during the 1952 Language Movement; the date it commemorates, 21 February, is now UN Intern…
• National Martyrs' Memorial – Savar's seven-part triangular concrete monument, symbolizing the seven stages of Bangladesh's independence struggle, surrounded by lakes an…
• Baitul Mukarram National Mosque – A national mosque with a cube-shaped design inspired by the Kaaba in Mecca, able to hold about 30,000 worshippers, and one of the larger mo…
• Hussaini Dalan – A 17th-century Mughal-era Shia imambara with a white-and-blue façade reflected in a pool, and the starting point of the Ashura processions.
• Shankhari Bazar – A Hindu conch-artisans' street in Old Dhaka, where tall, narrow old buildings produce conch bangles and deity figures, and the street fills…
• Bara Katra – Ruins of a merchants' inn built by Mughal prince Shah Shuja in the 1640s, its tall gateway still facing the Buriganga River.
• Khan Mohammad Mridha Mosque – A 1704 three-domed Mughal mosque raised on a platform, quiet and largely intact, and one of the few complete Mughal buildings left in Old D…
• Rose Garden Palace – An Italianate palace built by a landowner in the 1930s, with a white Corinthian colonnade and fountain gardens, once used as a filming loca…
• Bangladesh Military Museum – A modern new building opened in 2022 on Bijoy Sarani, showing equipment from all three armed services and the history of the War of Indepen…
• Hatirjheel – A long urban lake running through the city center, with lit bridges and walkways around the water at night, and water-bus rides available.
• Suhrawardy Udyan – A large park converted from the former Ramna Racecourse, where Sheikh Mujib's 1971 independence speech and the Pakistani army's surrender b…
• New Market – A long-established triangular market built in 1954, where saris, fabrics, books and everyday goods are abundant and haggling is the norm.
• Bangladesh National Zoo – A large zoo in Mirpur housing over a hundred species, including Bengal tigers, next to the National Botanical Garden.
• Panam Nagar – A 19th-century Hindu merchants' street in Sonargaon, where two rows of colonial-style old houses stretch along a canal, desolate and cinema…
• Sonargaon Folk Art Museum – A folk museum housed in a 19th-century 'Great Chieftain's House' showcasing Bengali handicrafts, with a lake and artisans' village on the g…

Where to eat

• Haji Biryani – A famous old Dhaka biryani house founded in 1939, serving only mutton biryani, with a queue often forming before openin…
• Nirob Hotel – One of the oldest Bengali home-style restaurants in old Dhaka, famous for dozens of bhortas (mashes) and spicy stir-fri…
• Beauty Lacchi & Faluda – A century-old lassi shop founded in 1922. Hand-churned sweet lassi, lemonade and faluda are must-tries in old Dhaka.
• Star Kabab (Elephant Road branch) – A homegrown Dhaka kebab chain founded in 1965. Lamb leg kebab, kacchi biryani and faluda are the most popular.
• Beauty Boarding – A literary gathering spot in old Dhaka since 1949, serving traditional river-fish home meals on steel plates, with must…

Itineraries

• Bangladesh Three World Heritage Sites & Tea Country In-Depth – Travel from Dhaka north to ancient temple ruins, south for a mangrove boat cruise, and northeast to tea country, coveri…
• Bagerhat & Sundarbans Mangrove Cruise – Head south from Dhaka to see the historic mosque city, then spend 3 days and 2 nights living on a boat deep in the mang…
• Srimangal & Sylhet Tea Country – Travel by train to and from the northeastern tea country, exploring tea gardens, rainforests, shrines, and clear rivers…