Bangladesh one of the culturally rich countries reside in southern Asia, converging with the southeast part of Asia. Often considered to be a sleepy cousin of India, Bangladesh is slowly emerging as one of the sought after tourist destinations in recent times. With beautiful rolling hills, serene lakes and gushing rivers, Bangladesh is the greenest jewel waiting to be explored by the travel junkies.

With beautiful rivers and rare ecosystems, it is surprising that Bangladesh is still unknown for backpack destination. Densely populated with people and rich culture attached to each place, there is something unique to this country that will surprise you in each turn. Let us look at some of the top places to explore in Bangladesh.

Top places to see in Bangladesh

Dhaka

Dhaka the capital city, is the largest and most populated city of Bangladesh. Bursting with energy, Dhaka is known for being a cultural and commercial hub, while also being the longest-serving capital of Bengal from Mughals period. With rich history attached to it, Dhaka hosts some significant architectural heritage from Mughals to British colonial buildings. Dhaka lies on the banks of River Buriganga, it home to some historic mosques representing Indo-Islamic architecture to ancient Hindu temples. Bursting with cultural heritage, some of the popular tourist attractions are Baitul Mukarram Mosque, Ahsan Manzil and Dhakeshwari Temple. Dhaka being a capital city is a vibrant city giving an opportunity to explore rich culture and history.

Nearest airport: Dhaka international airport.

Sundarbans Mangrove Forest

This largest mangrove forest is known for co-existence and a unique ecosystem. It was one of the reasons why Sundarbans Mangrove forest had been recognised as a UNESCO world heritage site in 1987. Located between two neighbouring countries – India and Bangladesh, while a majority of the part is situated in Bangladesh; Sundarbans is the largest mangrove forest in the world that is home to the last remaining species of Bengal tigers. These tigers have interestingly adapted to living in the mangroves and swimming and hunting fish. Visiting Sundarbans is simply an enthralling experience.

Nearest airport: Jessore domestic airport.

Chittagong Hill Tract

Located on the southeast of Bangladesh, Chittagong hill tract is a bordering place of India, Myanmar and Bangladesh. Home to about 11 tribes, Chittagong hill tract is an abode to Buddhists in Bangladesh, while the rest of the country is Islamic. Thus you will see a vast difference in language, culture and dress when compared to the rest of the country. Surrounded by rolling hills, lakes and waterfalls, the Chittagong hill tract is a wonderful place to spends a beautiful holiday. To visit this part of the region one, must acquire a permit that is provided at a state office in the city of Chittagong. This permit is valid to visit three districts such as Khagrachari, Rangamati and Bandarban. This beautiful destination is a great place for adventure lovers as one can indulge in trekking the thick green hills.

Nearest airport: Chittagong international Airport

Sreemangal

Dotted with rolling hills decorated with tea plantations, Srimangal or Sreemangal is a tea capital of Bangladesh. Located on the north-east of Bangladesh, Sylhet is the closest division to Srimangal. Covered in lush green tea plantations, Srimangal is one of the few places in Bangladesh where you will encounter with much lesser crowd. Cycling through the plantations is one of the best things to do in Srimangal. The dense forest, tribal village and pleasant weather is what makes Srimangal a beautiful place to visit in Bangladesh. Apart from this, one can visit Lawachhara national park or trek Hamham waterfalls.

Nearest airport: Chittagong international airport

Rangamati

With a scenic location of Kaptai lake, Rangamati is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Chittagong division. One of the prime reasons to visit this splendorous place is the artificial or the man-made lake Kaptai. This stunning lake surrounded by lush green hills of Chittagong is home to over one lakh Adivasis or the tribal communities. Indulging in boating on this particular lake is simply the most scenic experience. Handicrafts in Rangamati is worth a visit, it is an ideal place for shopping, there are some beautiful handmade fabrics one can get it from Rangamati. Apart from that, one can also visit Rajban Bihara, a popular Buddhist monastery.

Nearest airport: Chittagong international Airport

Paharpur

Located on the north-western part of Bangladesh, Paharpur is a quaint little destination i.e is one of the two UNESCO world heritage sites of Bangladesh. This stunning destination is known for an impressive archaeological site known as Somapuri Mahabhihara, a Buddhist monastery belonging to the 8th century B.C. It is believed to be the second-largest Buddhist monastery in the south of Himalayas during the time of its establishment. It is said to be one of the prime centres of learning for the Buddhist monks who come from across the world for higher education. Having been one of the best Buddhist monasteries, Somapuri Mahabhihara is definitely a must-visit site in Bangladesh. 

Nearest airport: Dhaka International Airport

St. Martin’s Island

Along the coast of Cox bazar, this beautiful island is waiting to be explored by tourists. With untouched beaches and nature around, St. Martin’s Island is the only coral island of Bangladesh. This tiny island is about 8 km in length and just 1 km wide, thus making very accessible by foot. The slow-paced life on the island makes you want to shift your base permanently; as it is rejuvenating to stay by the beach and experience the most beautiful sunrise and sunset. Scuba diving is absolutely beautiful here as you will come across beautiful coral life. St. Martin’s island is a must-visit in Chittagong division of Bangladesh.

Nearest airport: Chittagong international airport

Barisal

Located on the south of Bangladesh, Barisal is a big city and also a divisional town. Having being one of the ancient cities and also a busy commercial place, Barisal is a fast-growing cities in Bangladesh. Situated on the banks of river Kirtankhola river, Barisal is known as Venice of Bengal. Although there is nothing much to explore, Barisal is definitely the place for capturing street photography.

Nearest airport: Barisal domestic airport

Mosque city Bagerhat

Mosque city Bagerhat is one of the popular tourist spots, a UNESCO world heritage site in Bagerhat district of Bangladesh. Built-in 15th century during Bengal sultanates, Mosque city Bagerhat contains several mosques and about 50 structures that represent Indo-Islamic architecture. This wonderfully planned city was built during the governorship of Ulugh Khan Jahan, a governor appointed by Mahmud Shah Sultan of Bengal in the 15th century. Of all the stunning structures in the site, Sixty Dome Mosque is the most popular one. This beautiful mosque actually has 60 pillars that feature terracotta artwork. This UNESCO heritage site is a must-visit destination in Bangladesh.

Nearest airport: Dhaka International Airport

Cox Bazar

This popular beach destination is what we all want on a relaxing holiday. As the pristine waters of Bay of Bengal wash the shores of this beach, the local tourists and foreign tourists come here to enjoy the golden sand beach. The beach happens to be the world’s longest sea beach vastly spread up to 120 km unbroken. This stunning beach receives a lot of crowd especially during the weekends, thus it always crowded. One can indulge in surfing on this beach.

Nearest airport: Chittagong international Airport

Sonargaon

This historic city located in central Bangladesh had been one of the old capital cities of Bangladesh. Sonargaon played a significant role in the medieval history of Bangladesh when it served as a glorious capital; the capital, later on, was dished to Jahangirnagar which is now called as Dhaka. With rich historical and cultural significance Sonargaon is now a quaint little city with not much traces of being a glorious capital. However, the city has a lot of tourist attractions that allure them to come down to this historical city. Most popular tourist attractions are the Folk Art and Crafts Museum that was established in 1975 in an ancient house built in 1901 A.D. This stunning place is a must-visit place in Sonargaon, Panam Nagar – an abandoned city, Goaldi Mosque. All the sightseeing attractions have an entry fee of a maximum of 100 tk for the foreigners.

Nearest airport: Dhaka International Airport

Suggested itinerary

Day 1: Dhaka Arrival

Day 2: Dhaka sightseeing

Day 3: Dhaka to Sylhet

Day 4: Sylhet sightseeing

Day 5: Sylhet to Sreemangal

Day 6: Sreemangal sightseeing

Day 7: Sreemangal to Chittagong

Day 8: Cox’s Bazaar

Day 9: Chittagong departure.

Best time to visit

The best time to visit this wonderful country is in the months between October to March. During these months, the weather is pleasant for tourist activity, as it is neither hot nor is it raining. July to September is the time for tourists who enjoy rains when the hot weather subsides after monsoon rains hit the land. It is during this time, the whole region turns green and it is when the rivers are full. Summers are the worst time to visit Bangladesh. Months between April to June is extremely hot and sultry throughout the country. It can be inconvenient for tourists to explore destinations during summer in Bangladesh.

What to eat?

Much like its neighbouring countries, Bangladeshi cuisine is based out of rice, flatbread and curries. With rice being a produced majorly in the country, it is but natural for rice being stapled diet along with fish and lentils. Bangladeshi cuisine is considered to be one of the best cuisines in Asia, for its variety of spices and flavours used in bringing out a mouth-watering dish.

Some of the popular dishes in Bangladesh one must try are:

Kachchi Biryani – Kachchi Biryani or Bangladeshi Biryani is arguably the tastiest Biryani in the world. No, we are not kidding. Kachchi basically means ‘raw’, it refers to the ingredients in the Biryani combined raw in layers, instead of cooking meat and rice separately. The layered Biryani is then sealed in the cooking pot and slow-cooked. This aromatic Biryani is a must-try dish in Bangladesh.

Hilsa curry – This is the most popular dish you will find in Bangladesh. Hilsa curry is a fish curry that is considered to be a national dish of Bangladesh. Hilsa is a variety of fish that is marinated in spices and slow-cooked. This tasty dish is served with rice.

Dhokor Dalna – This tasty dish is beyond our imagination. Dhokor Dalna is a stunning Bangladeshi dish that is made up of Dal fried cakes, which is then cooked in tomato-based gravy and seasoned with coriander.  It is then served with steamed rice or chapati.

Bhuna Khichuri – Bhuna Khichuri is one of the traditional dishes you will come across in Bangladesh. Bhuna Khichuri is a slow-cooked version of a plain old Khichdi in India. In this dish, the spices are deep-fried with rice and lentils. In Bangladesh, Bhuna Khichuri is cooked with various meat including beef, mutton, chicken, fish or prawns too.

What to shop?

Shopping in Bangladesh can be fun especially for people who are looking to buy books or clothes. Bangladesh is one of the few countries that have cheap clothes and books one can stock up from.

Where to stay?

Dhaka – Being a Capital city of Bangladesh, Dhaka often attracts tourists, visitors for business and other activities. Thus you will come across splendid stay options in Dhaka. While a capital city definitely has a 5-star property, which makes the city safe for solo travellers is the cheap stay in a decent property.

 White House hotel - 155 Shanti Nagar Rd, Dhaka 1217, Bangladesh

Cost: INR 3000/- per night

Hotel 71 - 176 Shaheed Syed Nazrul Islam Sarani, Dhaka City 1000 Bangladesh

Cost: INR 3000/- per night

Sylhet – Sylhet is one of the big cities of Bangladesh that receives tourists and visitors for Business purposes often throughout the year. Thus it has some of the best hotels with good service. Some of the options are: These options are not below 3-star properties.

Rose view Hotel - House-21, Road-22, Block-D Shahjalal Upashahar Main Rd, Sylhet 3100, Bangladesh

Cost: INR 9000/- per night

Nirvana inn - Mirzajangal, Ramer Digher Par, Sylhet City 3100 Bangladesh

Cost: INR 5000/- per night

Chittagong – There are a good number of hotels in Chittagong. From 5 star hotels to budget hotels, there are varieties of hotels one can check out for stay options. However, the quality of rooms and the service is better from 3 to 5-star hotels. Let us look at some of the options in Chittagong.

Radisson Blu - SS Khaled Road Lalkhan Bazar, Chittagong City 4000 Bangladesh

Cost: INR 13,000/- per night

The Peninsula Chittagong - 486/B O.R. Nizam Road, CDA Avenue CDA Avenue, Chittagong City 4000 Bangladesh

Cost: INR 6000/- per night

How to reach?

There are about three international airports in the country of Bangladesh. These important airports are in Dhaka, Sylhet and Chittagong which also happens to be major divisions in the country. Fastest mode of transportation to Bangladesh is by Air and travelling from India to Bangladesh is very easy. There are a number of flights from Delhi and Kolkata to all the three major international airports of Bangladesh.

The cheapest mode of transportation, however, depends on how much time you are willing to spare because it is time taking. Travelling by train is possibly the cheapest way to reach Bangladesh from India. There are weekly trains from Kolkata to Dhaka and Kolkata to Khulna.

There are buses that ply from Kolkata to Dhaka and Agartala to Dhaka that is also an option for people who want to travel by road.