A living guide for diaspora, foreign guests, and slow travelers in town for a few months. Bookmark it. Come back when guests fly in, when you need a quiet cafe, when something is happening at Shilpakala.
The setup stuff — visa, vaccines, packing, etiquette — lives at the bottom in the First-Timer Kit. Everything else, the part you'll come back to, is up here.
Time your trip — or your guest's — to a festival, and Dhaka shows you something it doesn't show on a Tuesday.
The festival of sacrifice. Cattle markets across the city in the days before, then a city that empties as people travel home. The food the day-of is unmatched. Book restaurants ahead. Roads quiet from late afternoon.
Multi-day folk music spanning baul, fakiri, bhatiali traditions. Schedules announced closer to the date — watch bengalfoundation.org.
Historically one of the largest classical concerts in the world. The smaller annual Sunad festival now runs at Bengal Shilpalay.
The end of the 1971 Liberation War. Parade at the National Martyrs' Memorial in Savar, illuminated buildings citywide. Often paired with cool, beautiful December weather.
Pre-dawn barefoot procession to the Shahid Minar to lay flowers in honor of the students killed in 1952 for the Bangla language movement. UNESCO-recognized as International Mother Language Day. Wear black and white. Be quiet.
The Dhaka Book Fair. Hundreds of publishers, a thousand stalls, across Bangla Academy and Suhrawardy Udyan. Translations, art books, and a feel for what Bangladesh is reading.
Samdani Art Foundation's flagship — South Asia's largest contemporary art gathering, at Shilpakala Academy. Free.
Yellow saris, marigold crowns, music at TSC and Charukala. A quieter cousin of Boishakh, often celebrated alongside Valentine's Day.
Wreaths at the National Martyrs' Memorial in Savar. Parades, illuminated public buildings, programming at every cultural institution.
Chhayanaut's choral programme at Ramna Batamul starts ~6:15 AM. The Mangal Shobhajatra procession steps off from the Faculty of Fine Arts at ~9 AM through Shahbagh, TSC, Three Leaders' Mausoleum, Doel Chattar. UNESCO intangible heritage. Wear red and white.
The largest celebration is at Dhakeshwari National Temple. Shankhari Bazar pandals are atmospheric. Five days of dhak drumming, food, color.
National hub for theatre, music, dance, exhibitions. Segunbagicha. Calendar at shilpakalaacademy.org.
Concerts and exhibitions at Bengal Shilpalay, Dhanmondi. The DAS, Folk Fest, Classical, and Sunad calendars all live at bengalfoundation.org.
The three foreign cultural centers run a constant rotation of films, talks, exhibitions and workshops. Free or nominal entry. Find them in Dhanmondi.
The shortlist for when a guest asks "where should we go for dinner?" and you don't want to think about it.
Nazira Bazar. Mutton kacchi cooked in mustard oil — the signature that separates it from every other contender. Cash only, no menu, sit on a bench.
Lalbagh Chowrasta. Succulent mutton, fragrant basmati, caramelized onions. The original Nanna — there are imitators everywhere; this is the one.
Shatmosjid Road. Full bhorta lineup, Shahi Kacchi. The pick when introducing a foreign friend to Bangladeshi cuisine without overwhelming them.
Affordable kababs, mutton paya, shik kababs, naan straight from the tandoor. Eleven Dhaka branches. Reliable, never disappointing.
Popularized basmati kacchi at scale. Their mutton kacchi, borhani and chicken roast set the standard for polished-casual.
Bangla Bazar. Where Shamsur Rahman and Al Mahmud held adda. Simple Bengali food, important history. Go for the room as much as the meal.
Bonsai courtyard, rock garden, waterfall. Properly executed sushi, sashimi, tempura. House 24, Road 113.
Long-running tandoor specialist. Rogan Josh, Dumpukht. Signature by Khazana is the newer gourmet sibling.
Modern Italian inside the Westin. The Gulshan date-night address.
Inside Le Méridien near the airport. Among the most consistently top-reviewed food in the country.
Lahem meshwi, lamb kababs, mezze. The pick when you need a break from Bengali food.
Yum Cha for dim sum. Hongbao for elegant, precise Cantonese. Both take bookings.
Two long-standing Thai rooms. Consistently among the best Thai outside the hotels.
Upscale food hall with Sri Lankan, Thai, Japanese and Italian counters. Good for groups who can't agree.
One of the best meals in the city. Rooftop. Beautiful at sunset.
A laptop, an outlet, decent espresso, a stable connection — here's where to find them.
Bangladesh-born specialty roaster. Comfortable seating, natural light, fast Wi-Fi. Dhanmondi is the long-session favorite.
Vintage-modern feel, dependable Wi-Fi, good desserts. Tends to be quieter than chain cafes during work hours.
Australian chain with the dependable comfort of a known quantity. Plenty of outlets, long-session tolerant.
Spacious interior, comfortable seating, signature mango smoothie. Less of a "scene" — good for low-distraction work.
Quieter, smaller, the kind of place where you can hear yourself think.
Artistic, low-key, free Wi-Fi. Photographs well. Good in the afternoon when other places fill up.
Newer, modern, professional staff. Solid Wi-Fi. Standing-desk-friendly counter seating.
Local specialty roaster cited often by working coffee drinkers. Branches move — confirm on arrival.
Both come up reliably on local lists. Worth a try when you want to break the chain habit.
For when guests fly in and you need a day-by-day. Fifteen things we'd actually drag a friend to.
Sadarghat boat hop → Ahsan Manzil → Star Mosque → Shankhari Bazar lanes → kacchi at Hajir or Nanna → Beauty Lassi to finish. Eight-hour guided tours ~$50–90 per person.
Day trip with Nijhoom Tours to the weavers' village in Rupganj. Closed Fridays (weavers' day off). ~$55.
Purpose-built premises, 21,000+ artifacts from 1971. Heavy. Necessary. Allow two hours.
Bangladesh's only underground museum, beneath Suhrawardy Udyan at the site of Sheikh Mujib's 7 March speech. 300+ photos in 144 glass panels.
Unfinished 17th-century Mughal citadel. Mosque, Tomb of Bibi Pari, Diwan-i-Aam. Two hours. Tk 20 locals / Tk 200 foreigners.
1872 Nawab residence on the Buriganga. Durbar Hall, billiard room, portraits — the visual symbol of late-Mughal Dhaka.
Early 18th-century mosque with mosaic star domes. Quiet, photogenic, pair with the Armenian Church a few blocks away.
Built 1781. A hush amid the Old Dhaka chaos. A reminder of the city's Armenian merchant past.
Walk, water-taxi, illuminated bridges at night, musical fountain after dark. The easiest way to do Dhaka outdoors without traffic.
Ruined merchant-town facades, the Folk Arts & Crafts Museum, optional Meghna boat ride. 7–9 hour day trip.
2N/3D from ~Tk 20,000. Royal Bengal tigers, spotted deer, mangrove canals, 260+ bird species. Depart Khulna/Mongla.
140+ flights/week. Marine Drive south to Teknaf, ferry to Saint Martin's. Best Nov–March.
Half-day or full-day rural-Bengal river runs. Sunrise or sunset is best. Reputable scheduled operators only.
12th-century foundation. Bangladesh's state-owned "National Temple." Hosts the largest Durga Puja in the city.
Largest cultural collection in the country. Ethnography, natural history, contemporary art. Pair with a Suhrawardy Udyan walk.
Pedal boats, evening promenade, food trucks. Stroller-tolerant on paved paths.
Shahbagh. Bangladesh's first children's amusement park. Entry ~Tk 15.
Kuril. Indoor rides, AC the whole time — matters in May.
Savar, ~30 km. Water park, wave pool, 5D cinema, cable car.
Panthapath. 200+ VR games, simulators, laser tag.
Mirpur. ~40 hectares, shade, birdlife. Best Nov–Feb.
68.5 acres of "lungs of the city." Shaded paths, benches everywhere. Free. 06:00–19:00.
74.4 acres next to DU. Historic site of the 1971 surrender. Pair with the underground Museum of Independence.
Water-taxi between landings. Minimum walking. Maximum scenery. Golden hour.
Bijoy Sarani. Free, AC, modern. Easy walking through clean galleries.
Short, low-walking heritage stops in Old Dhaka. Drive between — don't make them walk the lanes.
Air-conditioned, contemplative, often free. Pair with North End coffee around the corner.
Twelve Dhaka neighborhoods, our honest read — vibe, who they're for, a comfort score for first-timers. Useful when a guest asks where to stay, or when you're scoping a long-stay.
Comfort: 1 = stay alert · 5 = walk around with a laptop
Embassies, glass-walled cafes, imported groceries at Unimart, the Gulshan Lake park. Densest pocket of foreigner-friendly amenities in the country. Gulshan 1 is commercial, Gulshan 2 diplomatic and residential. Where most first-timers should sleep.
Rooftops, lounges, late-opening cafes, brand boutiques. Road 11 is a full strip of food. Bangladesh is officially dry — alcohol is licensed-hotel-bars only. But the energy is here.
The Diplomatic Zone (DZ) and DOHS — gated, well-policed, wide streets. Home to AISD and several international schools. If you're moving here for a year with kids, this is the play.
Centered on the long, walkable Dhanmondi Lake. Bookstores, theatres, the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum, the new Aarong flagship — the largest craft store in the world. Live here if you want a real neighborhood, not an expat bubble.
Narrow lanes, rickshaw jams, the Buriganga port, biryani spots running since the 1930s, the conch-shell craftsmen of Shankhari Bazar. Best with a guide your first time. Leave valuables at the hotel.
Bangladesh Bank, the commercial bank HQs, Bangabhaban presidential palace. Southern terminus of the metro. Busy 9–6, quiet and dim at night — fine for daytime errands, not a leisure pick.
Bangladesh's planned satellite city in the north — wider streets, lower density. The metro made it dramatically more useful. Worth considering for a long-stay if you want space.
A gated mega-development. Home to NSU, IUB, AIUB, and Jamuna Future Park — one of South Asia's largest malls. The well-known Bashundhara City mall is actually in Panthapath; don't confuse them.
Vast, dense, working- and middle-class. Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium is here. Mirpur DOHS, the military enclave on the eastern edge, is much calmer. National Botanical Garden and Dhaka Zoo are adjacent.
Genuinely local — minimal foreigner infrastructure, but the food scene is exceptional. The Bihari-Bangladeshi cooking around Geneva Camp is legendary. Mughal-era Sat Gombuj Masjid is here.
Dhaka University's leafy campus, Curzon Hall, the National Museum, and 1,700 second-hand book stalls between DU and New Market. Shahbagh is a frequent protest square — check news. Don't photograph protests.
Opened 2013, weaving Tejgaon, Rampura and the Gulshan edge with curving illuminated bridges, walking paths, and water-taxis. Musical dancing fountain after dark. Easy, low-stress — even with grandparents.
Hotels for when guests come. Hospitals for emergencies. Metro fares when planning. Drivers when needed. Tucked away so they don't fill the page on a normal visit.
Police, fire, ambulance. 24/7. Toll-free. Save it in your phone now.
Formerly Apollo. 425 beds, multi-specialty tertiary, strong cardiac and oncology. The default expat referral for serious cases.
Plot 15, Road 71. Cardiology, ortho, ER, maternity. Closest first-class hospital to the diplomatic enclave.
Oncology, transplant, multi-specialty. Trusted by long-term expats.
Cardiac surgery and cancer center. Strong reputation across Dhanmondi.
The diaspora-friendly clinic. English-speaking, molecular diagnostics, primary care, telehealth.
122 Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue. National diabetes center under the Diabetic Association of Bangladesh.
House 68, Road 15/A. General medicine, endocrinology, ICU and NICU.
Big diagnostic chain. Labs, imaging, specialist consultations.
Kalabagan branch is 24/7. 65+ branches across the city.
High fever, severe headache, joint pain, rash. Get to Square / Evercare / United fast. It's manageable when caught early.
Uttara North → Motijheel, 16 stations, end-to-end 35 minutes.
Both run cars and bikes. Uber quotes a fixed price; Pathao sometimes lets you counter-offer. Bikes cut through gridlock dramatically.
Meters rarely used. Agree the fare before climbing in. Bargain 20–40% off the first quote. ~Tk 150 for short hops.
Iconic. Perfect for 1–3 km hops inside a neighborhood. Agree first — Tk 30–80. Tip if they earned it.
Tested operators with English-speaking guides. Most also coordinate Sundarbans, Cox's Bazar, Sylhet tea-country, and Paharpur trips.
Self-drive isn't realistic. Rentals come with drivers; pay the driver's meal on multi-day trips.
Drop-in voluntourism rarely helps and can do harm. Better: financial donation, skilled long-term placements (3+ months), or corporate partnerships.
Founded 1972. The world's largest NGO by reach (~135M people across 16 countries). Education, health, microfinance.
13 free schools, 1,800+ children. Runs the 50,000+ youth Volunteer for Bangladesh (VBD) network — better entry for short-term involvement.
Founded 1999. Medical, legal, psychosocial support and survivor reintegration.
Volunteer-driven. Food, education, orphan care across Bangladesh. More accessible for short-term in-kind support.
Operates hospital ships on the Jamuna and a land hospital in Shyamnagar. Serves char (river island) communities.
117+ partner agencies coordinate the response. On-site volunteering is restricted; donation or remote/skilled programs are the practical contribution.
Duolingo still doesn't offer Bangla. The serious app is Ling; Mondly and Mango are reasonable alternatives.
Locals say Bangla; "Bengali" is the older English name. Pronunciation below is Bangladeshi Bangla.
| English | Roman Bangla | বাংলা |
|---|---|---|
| Peace be upon you (Muslim) | Assalamu alaikum | আসসালামু আলাইকুম |
| Hello (non-religious / Hindu) | Nomoshkar | নমস্কার |
| How are you? | Bhalo achhen? | ভালো আছেন? |
| I'm good | Ami bhalo achhi | আমি ভালো আছি |
| Thank you | Dhonnobad | ধন্যবাদ |
| Yes / No | Hyaa / Na (Ji = polite yes) | হ্যাঁ / না |
| Please | Doya kore | দয়া করে |
| Sorry / Excuse me | Dukkhito / Maf korben | দুঃখিত |
| How much? | Koto? / Koto taka? | কত? |
| Too expensive | Onek beshi | অনেক বেশি |
| A little less? | Aktu kom? | একটু কম? |
| Where is...? | ... kothai? | ... কোথায়? |
| Where is the toilet? | Toilet kothai? | টয়লেট কোথায়? |
| I don't speak Bangla | Ami Bangla bolte pari na | আমি বাংলা বলতে পারি না |
| Help! | Sahajjo! | সাহায্য! |
| English | Roman Bangla | বাংলা |
|---|---|---|
| Water | Pani (BD) / Jol (WB) | পানি / জল |
| Food | Khabar | খাবার |
| Delicious | Moja / Shubadu | মজা |
| Good / Bad | Bhalo / Kharap | ভালো / খারাপ |
| Very good | Khub bhalo | খুব ভালো |
| Stop / Go | Thamun / Jaan | থামুন / যান |
| Slowly | Aaste | আস্তে |
| Straight / Left / Right | Shoja / Bame / Dane | সোজা / বামে / ডানে |
| OK | Thik achhe | ঠিক আছে |
| Brother / Sister (peer) | Bhai / Apa | ভাই / আপা |
| Uncle (paternal / maternal) | Chacha / Mama | চাচা / মামা |
| Auntie | Chachi / Khala | চাচী / খালা |
| Numbers 1–10 | ek, dui, tin, char, paanch, chhoy, shaat, aat, noy, dosh | ১,২,৩,৪,৫,৬,৭,৮,৯,১০ |
| I'm a foreigner | Ami bideshi | আমি বিদেশি |
Visa rules, vaccines, what to pack, how to read the room. The stuff you handle before your first trip and don't think about again. If you've been here, skip to the calendar.
Everything you handle in the 8 weeks before flying, and in your first 90 minutes on the ground.
30-day single-entry VoA is generally available for US, UK, EU, Canada, Australia, Japan and many Gulf passports — USD 51 cash, exact change, at HSIA. Bring proof of onward ticket, hotel, funds, and 6+ months passport validity with a blank page. Election windows occasionally pause VoA — the safer move is to apply at visa.gov.bd 4–8 weeks ahead.
Through 2026, expect to arrive at Terminal 1 or 2 — Terminal 3 is still ramping. Multiple 24/7 ATMs and licensed exchange booths in arrivals. Walk past the taxi touts to the marked Uber / Pathao pickup zone, or use the prepaid taxi counter. Hotel transfer ~$25–45.
USD gets the best rate at licensed money changers in Gulshan, Banani and Baridhara. Visa/Mastercard work at hotels, malls, supermarkets and chain restaurants. Outside the capital, cash is king. ATMs cap at ~Tk 20,000 single withdrawal. Always choose BDT at the prompt, never your home currency. Skip street changers — counterfeit risk is real.
Grameenphone has a counter in arrivals. Two weeks of Robi or GP runs ~Tk 300–800 with generous data. You'll be biometrically registered against your passport — bring the physical book and your visa stamp. eSIMs exist locally but require an in-person store visit; travel eSIMs (Airalo, Holafly) are easiest plug-and-play.
Uber, Pathao, Foodpanda, WhatsApp, Google Maps (download offline Dhaka), Maps.me as backup. bKash only if you can register with a local NID.
Bangladesh moved through a major political transition in mid-2024. Before booking, check the latest UK FCDO, US State Department, and Australian Smartraveller pages. Around elections and tense news cycles, avoid Shahbagh, Paltan, and Press Club rallies — they can turn fast.
Talk to a travel-medicine clinic 4–8 weeks before you fly. Then buy mosquito repellent.
Confirm everything below with a travel-medicine professional against your existing immunization record.
Refs: CDC Bangladesh Traveler View · TripPrep Bangladesh
Dengue is the main mosquito-borne risk in Dhaka. Bangladesh logged 575 dengue deaths in 2024 and 413 in 2025 — the bulk in Dhaka. Peak is June–October.
What to actually put in the suitcase.
How to read the room without reading wrong.
The short, honest version.
When to come, when to brace, when to stay away.
Best months to visit: December and January — sunny, comfortable, low rain. The festival calendar (Bijoy Dibos 16 Dec, Boi Mela through Feb) is dense.
Bookmark this. Check the calendar when guests fly in. Open the reference desk when somebody needs a hospital. Otherwise — go eat the kacchi, take the metro at least once, and when somebody offers you cha, say yes.