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Bangladesh
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Must-include attractions sorted by popularity
Most popular attractions in Bangladesh
1. Cox's Bazar Beach
Cox's Bazar
Quick facts: Stretching roughly 120 kilometers along the shore, the beach ranks among the longest natural sandy coastlines on the planet. Walkers often hear a rhythmic soundtrack of rolling surf, fishermen mending nets, and bright kites bobbing above open-air tea stalls.
Highlights: Golden sunsets flood the horizon, painting wide bands of orange, magenta and violet that linger for about five minutes as the low tide leaves a mirror-smooth sheen on the sand. Dozens of lantern-lit boats bob near the surf after sunset while vendors grill tiny prawns, the smoky-sweet aroma mixing with salt and warm sand beneath your feet.
2. Saint Martin's Island
Cox's Bazar
Quick facts: Sea-salined breezes carry the smell of frying prawns to the sun-baked stalls, while waves lap over sand that glitters like crushed seashells. Shallow waters brim with tiny coral fragments and darting schools of neon-striped gobies, so snorkeling feels like peering into a living mosaic.
Highlights: Glass-clear shallows peel back to reveal long white sandbars that invite barefoot walks, and during low tide you can scoop up tidepools glittering with tiny blue crabs and translucent anemones. Dozens of fishermen set kerosene lamps along the horizon after dark, turning the sea into a glittering necklace while the air tastes of smoke, salt and fresh grilled fish.
3. Lalbagh Fort
Dhaka
Quick facts: Sunlight slips through ornate latticework to paint moving patterns on red brick and faded tile, making every visit feel quietly theatrical. A compact mosque and a small mausoleum sit inside an unfinished courtyard, the complex feeling like a frozen scene where history and city life collide.
Highlights: Peek into the small marble tomb of Pari Bibi, carved screens casting lace-like shadows across the floor as afternoon light tilts through the archways. Photographers and local brides often arrive between 4 and 6 pm to catch the honeyed glow that turns unfinished ramparts into golden backdrops, a modern ritual that keeps the place alive.
4. Ahsan Manzil
Dhaka
Quick facts: A pink, crescent-roofed palace by the river used to be the social heart for elite families, where glittering chandeliers and silk curtains set a theatrical mood. More than 20 rooms display colonial-era furniture, ornate plasterwork, and a grand spiral staircase that photographers love for its dramatic curves.
Highlights: An attic chest holds over 300 original photographic negatives and handwritten letters, offering an unexpectedly intimate window into family life and lavish riverfront celebrations. On evening tours a guide will light 12 brass lamps on the balcony, the warm metal scent mixing with jasmine while stories of Nawab-era soirées and gatherings for 200 guests are whispered under flickering lamplight.
5. Sixty Dome Mosque
Bagerhat
Quick facts: Sixty Dome Mosque presents a forest of 60 stout brick pillars that support a roof studded with 77 domes, creating a maze of shadow and light across the prayer hall. Khan Jahan Ali commissioned the complex, and his Sufi-era influence shows in the ornate terracotta patterns that glow honey-gold in afternoon sun.
Highlights: Slip under the central dome and a single clap turns into a warm, rolling echo that bounces across seven rows of eleven smaller domes, a playful acoustic trick many visitors test. Local caretakers still perform a small bell ritual at the west gateway during festivals, a practice linked to Khan Jahan Ali that sends a bright metallic ring threading the colonnades.
6. Jatiyo Sangsad Bhaban
Dhaka
Quick facts: A broad reflecting moat and towering white geometric volumes create a dramatic stage, with sunlight carving crisp patterns across smooth concrete surfaces. The main legislative chamber accommodates 350 members, 300 elected seats plus 50 reserved for women, giving the interior a civic scale that feels both monumental and surprisingly human.
Highlights: Louis Kahn's play with geometry leaves circular and triangular openings that pour in shafts of light, sometimes forming round pools the size of a café table that slowly drift across the floor. Walk into the chamber and you immediately notice the hush, cool concrete underfoot and shimmering water reflections outside, while the room’s arrangement for 350 members explains its intimate, rhythmic proportions.
7. National Martyrs' Memorial
Savar
Quick facts: A 150-foot-tall monument rises in stacked, tapering triangles, the seven vertical spires symbolizing distinct phases of the independence struggle. You can wander across 9 acres of lawns and reflecting pools, where on national remembrance days crowds fall into hushed processions and leave wreaths at the base.
Highlights: Architect Syed Mainul Hossain arranged seven soaring triangles so walking the central path feels like moving through a funnel of stone and sky, every angle framing a different slice of light. Every December 16 the head of state lays a wreath before tens of thousands of people, the air heavy with incense and drumbeats as voices chant names, a ritual that turns the place into a living memory.
8. Sajek Valley
Rangamati
Quick facts: Morning fog pours down the hills like a slow white tide, swallowing ridges and turning the valley floor into a soft cloudwalk that many people photograph at sunrise. Perched around 1,500–1,700 feet above sea level, trails thread between pine-clad ridges and bamboo thickets where weather can flip from sun to mist in under twenty minutes.
Highlights: A short 10–15 minute wooden boat ride through a narrow bamboo-clad stream leads into a shadowy gorge, the boatman guiding with a single pole as water mirrors leaf patterns with uncanny clarity. At dusk local families light clay lamps and string bright woven shawls across ridge-lines, a moment when three distinct hill languages mingle with the smell of smoky rice from open hearths.
Things to Do in Bangladesh
Popular activities and local experiences recommended by travelers
Traditional Sweet Dishes
Rasgulla
Soft, spongy balls of chhena cooked in light sugar syrup, rasgulla is a classic Bengali sweet that soaks up flavor and features at celebrations across Bangladesh.
Mishti Doi
Mishti doi is sweetened, fermented yogurt traditionally set in clay pots for a thick, caramelized flavor, and it is a beloved dessert at festivals and family meals.
Sandesh
Made from fresh chhena and sugar, sandesh comes in countless regional varieties and is prized for its delicate textures and artistic shapes.
Traditional Savory Dishes
Shorshe Ilish (Hilsa with mustard)
Shorshe Ilish pairs the prized, oily Hilsa fish with a sharp mustard sauce, and Hilsa is so central to Bangladeshi cuisine that it is often the centerpiece of celebratory meals.
Kacchi Biryani
Kacchi Biryani layers marinated meat and fragrant rice and is slow-cooked to lock in aromas, making it a signature festive dish at weddings and Eid feasts.
Bhorta
Bhorta are mashed vegetables or fish mixed with mustard oil, chilies and onions, offering simple, bold flavors that reflect rural Bangladeshi home cooking.
Traditional Beverages
Borhani
Borhani is a savory, spiced yogurt drink traditionally served at weddings and after heavy meals to aid digestion and refresh the palate.
Cha (Bangladeshi milk tea)
Strong milk tea is a daily ritual and social glue in Bangladesh, served everywhere from roadside stalls to family gatherings, often with biscuits or snacks.
Rooh Afza sharbat
Rooh Afza mixed with chilled water or milk is a rose-flavored cooling drink popular in summer and during Ramadan for breaking the fast.
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Day trips
Gazipur (Bhawal National Park)
Forests, picnic spots, wildlife and peaceful scenery.
Google MapsComments (7)
Beautiful Sundarbans boat trip, but the mosquito army was real. Bring spray and don't expect luxury on budget tours.
Crowds and traffic in Dhaka drained me, felt chaotic and noisy. Not for a relaxed holiday, but locals were friendly and helpful.
Best time is winter, humidity in summer is brutal. Two weeks lets you do Dhaka, a riverine town and some beaches without rushing.
Loved Dhaka's chaotic energy, street food is phenomenal but expect heat and crowds, 5-7 days felt right to soak it all in.
Skip restaurants by the main square, walk a couple blocks for family-run places with cheaper, tastier biryani and proper portions.
Getting there
Airports
Train stations
Dhaka-Chittagong, Dhaka-Rajshahi, Dhaka-Sylhet
Chittagong-Dhaka, Chittagong-Rajshahi
Use ride-hailing apps or prebook taxis, allow extra time for heavy traffic.
Click to get eSim for Bangladesh
The easiest and most affordable way to get mobile internet wherever you travel.
Visa & entry
Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan
Most other countries, including many Western countries, China, Russia
Apply for e-visa online in advance, carry passport copy and onward ticket.