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Voykit pocket guide · Bangladesh

Dhaka

ঢাকা

Dhaka is a one-cluster-per-outing city: pick the morning, do Old Dhaka or Lalbagh before the traffic builds, go back to the hotel at midday, and leave for the airport with a very wide margin.

Dhaka is one of the densest cities on earth. Its sights are a few kilometres apart, but a short ride can take an hour or more, pavements are missing or blocked, and the air is poor in winter. The trips that go wrong stack three clusters into a day, drag suitcases through Old Dhaka, or leave for the airport with less than a half-day margin. Four clusters cover a first visit, and Friday mornings, when roads are quietest, suit Old Dhaka and the forts best.

Old DhakaLalbagh FortShahbag and RamnaGulshan and BananiDhanmondiGulshan2.5 kmpins: sleep areas · dots: places
Sketch, not to navigate by: shapes follow this guide’s areas and places, not official boundaries. North is up.
Country
Bangladesh
Local name
ঢাকা
Best months
Jan · Feb · Nov · Dec
Time zone
Asia/Dhaka
Stay
2 days: Old Dhaka morning + Lalbagh, Gulshan evening

Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.

Essentials

Currency
BDT
Money
Keep BDT 3,000 in small notes; use ATMs inside banks, hotels or malls in daylight.
Daily spend
Budget BDT 2,500–5,000 excl. bed · Mid BDT 5,000–12,000 excl. bed · High BDT 12,000+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
SIM and data
Grameenphone, Robi and Banglalink sell SIMs at Dhaka airport with passport and biometric fingerprint registration.
Emergency
Police, fire, ambulance 999 · Tourist Police Check locally (Dhaka, Cox's Bazar)
Plugs
Types C, D, G · 220 V · 50 Hz · Mixed sockets; universal adapter recommended.
Tipping
Restaurant: 5–10% if no service charge.; Guide / driver: ৳500–1,000 a day.; Rickshaw: Round up.; Hotel porter: ৳50–100.
Water
Not drinkable from the tap; buy sealed bottles or use hotel filtered water.
Toilets
Western toilets in hotels and malls; squat toilets with a hose or jug elsewhere. Carry tissue.

Get in

By air

Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (DAC)
DAC to Gulshan: one pre-booked hotel car or a ride-hail from the pickup zone, 30–75 minutes for about 8 km; the risk is the visa and biometric queue and traffic that does not follow the clock.

Get around

Walk inside a cluster; ride-hailing car or CNG auto-rickshaw between clusters (agree the fare or use the app price); rickshaw for the last kilometre.

Passes
No pass. Short rides are cheap; agree the fare before you ride or use a ride-hailing app.
Late at night
The metro line in the north does not reach the old city; ride-hailing runs late but is thin in heavy rain and during protests.

See and do

  1. 01Ahsan Manzilআহসান মঞ্জিল

    Go at opening; 60 minutes in the pink palace museum on the river bank; the roads to it are the slowest in the city.

  2. 02Lalbagh Fortলালবাগ কেল্লা

    Go at opening on a weekday; 75 minutes among the mosque, the tomb and the lawns; Fridays and Saturdays bring family crowds.

Hours and prices are desk estimates (checked 2026-09); anything marked (check) is not confirmed. Coordinates open in any map app.

Eat

Haji Biryani
Walk-in mutton biryani in Nazira Bazar, Old Dhaka; go at lunchtime with a local, and expect a short menu and a queue.

Sleep

Dhanmondi
Cheaper guesthouses and serviced apartments near the lake, closer to the old city; night staffing varies, so confirm before you fly.
Gulshan
First-timers: hotels have 24h desks and a door the car can reach; the cafés and restaurants are near, but every sight is a long ride away.

Language

Bangla is spoken by almost everyone; English works in hotels, upscale restaurants and business, much less on the street. Bangladeshis are curious and hospitable: expect questions and invitations.

  • 'Assalamu alaikum' (Muslims) and 'nomoskar' (Hindus) are greetings; 'dhonnobad' means thank you.
  • WhatsApp and IMO are widely used.

Etiquette, safety and scams

Etiquette

  • Greeting: 'Assalamu alaikum' with a nod; handshake between men; avoid: Offering a hand to a woman first
  • Invitations: Accept tea; bring sweets when visiting a home; avoid: Refusing all food
  • Hands: Right hand for eating and giving; avoid: Left hand for food
  • Curiosity: Expect crowds and questions; smile and answer briefly; avoid: Taking offence at stares
  • Mosques: Shoes off, head covered, visit outside prayer times; avoid: Walking in front of people praying

Red lines

  • Mosques and shrines: cover shoulders and knees, remove shoes, and women cover their hair where signs require it.
  • Do not photograph women, police, government buildings or demonstrations without asking.
  • Buriganga river: go with a local guide; boats are crowded and the water is polluted.

Scams (Bangladesh page)

  • Fake visa-on-arrival 'agents': Pay only at the official desk; get a receipt.
  • CNG and rickshaw overcharging: Agree the fare before you ride or use Uber/Pathao.
  • Currency exchange short-changing: Use bank ATMs or licensed changers; count notes on the spot.
  • Unlicensed Sundarbans tours: Book operators registered with the Forest Department; check the boat and armed guard provision.
  • Pickpockets and bag snatching: Keep phones away from open windows; bags on your lap.

One and two days

1 day

The first day of the timed plan.

Day 1 — Lalbagh Fort, a 13:00 lunch table in Gulshan

  1. 08:00Lalbagh Fort
  2. pari bibi tomb (optional)
  3. 13:00Lunch table 13:00 (Gulshan)
  4. Hotel or AC café 14:00–17:00; Gulshan cafés in the evening.

2 days

The first two days of the timed plan.

Day 1 — Lalbagh Fort, a 13:00 lunch table in Gulshan

  1. 08:00Lalbagh Fort
  2. pari bibi tomb (optional)
  3. 13:00Lunch table 13:00 (Gulshan)
  4. Hotel or AC café 14:00–17:00; Gulshan cafés in the evening.

Day 2 — Old Dhaka: Ahsan Manzil, then biryani

  1. 07:30Ahsan Manzil
  2. sadarghat riverfront (optional)
  3. Haji Biryani
  4. Afternoon: back to the hotel; Gulshan for the evening.

Sources

Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.

Pocket card

Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.

Dhakaঢাকা

My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)

Take me to

  • আহসান মঞ্জিলAhsan Manzil
  • লালবাগ কেল্লাLalbagh Fort

Voykit · checked 2026-09

Printed from Voykit (/dhaka). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.