Dhaka ঢাকা
Mughal forts, river ghats and the lanes of Old Dhaka
Bangladesh's capital is loud, crowded and endlessly absorbing. Behind the traffic lies a 400-year-old Mughal and colonial city, with riverside palaces, mosaic mosques and the best street food in the country.
- Old Dhaka heritage
- Sadarghat river port
- Biryani and bakarkhani
- Shakrain kite festival
Places
Place Lalbagh Fort
লালবাগ কেল্লাAn unfinished 17th-century Mughal fort with lawns, a tomb and a mosque, a calm green pocket in Old Dhaka.
Place Ahsan Manzil
আহসান মঞ্জিলThe pink riverside palace of the Dhaka Nawabs, now a museum facing the busy Buriganga.
Place Star Mosque (Tara Masjid)
তারা মসজিদA small mosque in Armanitola covered in star-patterned mosaic made from broken china.
Place Sadarghat and the Buriganga
সদরঘাট ও বুড়িগঙ্গাDhaka's chaotic river port, where multi-deck launches leave for the south and wooden boats ferry people across.
Representative photo Place Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban (National Parliament House)
জাতীয় সংসদ ভবনLouis Kahn's monumental parliament building, a mass of concrete geometry rising out of an artificial lake.
Place Dhakeshwari National Temple
ঢাকেশ্বরী জাতীয় মন্দিরBangladesh's national Hindu temple, said to give Dhaka its name, busiest during Durga Puja.
Place Bangladesh National Museum
বাংলাদেশ জাতীয় জাদুঘরThe country's main museum at Shahbag, with galleries on history, art, natural history and the Liberation War.
Place National Martyrs' Memorial, Savar
জাতীয় স্মৃতিসৌধ, সাভারSeven concrete triangles rising to a point, the national monument to those who died in 1971.
Representative photo Place Liberation War Museum
মুক্তিযুদ্ধ জাদুঘরA citizen-built museum at Agargaon that tells the story of 1971 through objects, photographs and personal testimony.
Representative photo Place Hussaini Dalan
হোসেনি দালানDhaka's main Shia imambara from the Mughal era, white-walled beside a large tank, the heart of the city's Muharram.
Foods
Food Old Dhaka Biryani
পুরান ঢাকার বিরিয়ানিRich, aromatic biryani from shops that have cooked the same recipe in Old Dhaka for generations.
Food Bakarkhani
বাকরখানিFlaky, crisp layered bread baked in clay ovens, Old Dhaka's breakfast with tea.
Food Chawkbazar Iftar Market
চকবাজারের ইফতারOld Dhaka's oldest Ramadan food market, famous for boro baper polay khay and shahi jilapi.
Food Beauty Lassi and Falooda
বিউটির লাচ্ছি-ফালুদাA family shop on Johnson Road that has served lassi and lemon sherbet since 1922.
Food Geneva Camp Kebab and Chaap
জেনেভা ক্যাম্পের কাবাব-চাপEvening grills of beef chaap, gurda and khiri kebab outside the Bihari camp in Mohammadpur.
Food Fuchka and Chotpoti
ফুচকা-চটপটিDhaka's favourite street snack: crisp shells filled with spiced peas and tamarind water.
Traditions
Tradition Shakrain Kite Festival
সাকরাইন উৎসবEach January, Old Dhaka's rooftops fill with kites, music and fire-breathers to mark the end of Poush.
Tradition Pohela Boishakh Procession
পহেলা বৈশাখের শোভাযাত্রাOn Bangla New Year the Charukola art students lead a colourful parade of giant masks and figures.
Where to stay
Hotel prices in every district →- Budget hotel
- ৳1,500–5,000
- Good hotel
- ৳5,000–12,000
- Upscale / resort
- ৳12,000–20,000
Named hotels (2)
- Railway residential hotel, Kamalapur Station Third floor, Kamalapur Railway Station non-AC two-bed 1,000; AC single 1,500; AC two-bed 2,000
Where these prices come from
From Prothom Alo's May 2026 survey of Dhaka hotels (budget 1,500–5,000; mid-range 5,000–12,000; five-star basic rooms 7,000–20,000), checked against Parjatan's Hotel Abakash and the Kamalapur railway hotel.
Prices come from newspapers, the Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation website and the hotels' own listings. Call the hotel to check the rate before you book.
Where to eat, and what it costs
Room and food together here come to roughly ৳1,200–7,000 per person a day
From a budget hotel and local eateries up to a good hotel and good restaurants. We assume two people share a room, so each pays half the room rate. Travel, tickets and upscale places are extra.
Restaurants and dish prices (13)
- Jagannath Bhojanalay 110 Tatibazar (second floor), Old Dhaka
- Plate of rice · ৳15/plate
- Vegetable, dal or fish dishes (each) · ৳40/plate
Local eateries 2026 prices · Source - Bangaliana Bhoj Panthapath (also Mirpur, Bashundhara, Mohammadpur)
- Bhorta buffet: 11 bhortas with rice and dal · ৳169/plate
Local eateries 2026 prices · Source - Rupsa Food National Stadium Market, Gulistan
- Egg khichuri · ৳60/plate
- Chicken khichuri · ৳100/plate
- Chicken kacchi · ৳100/plate
Local eateries 2025 prices · Source - Hirajheel Hotel Near Shapla Chattar, Motijheel
- Beef or mutton bhuna khichuri · ৳240/plate
- Chicken bhuna khichuri · ৳230/plate
- Plain khichuri · ৳90/plate
Local eateries 2024 prices · Source - Lalbag Biriyani House Outside Keari Plaza, Dhanmondi
- Beef bhuna khichuri · ৳100/half
- Beef bhuna khichuri · ৳200/full
Local eateries 2024 prices · Source - Bismillah Hotel Muslim Bazar, Mirpur 12 (several branches in Dhaka)
- Vegetable khichuri · ৳40/plate
- Egg khichuri · ৳60/plate
- Beef khichuri · ৳120/plate
Local eateries 2024 prices · Source - Haji Biryani 70 Kazi Alauddin Road, Nazira Bazar, Old Dhaka
- Mutton biryani · ৳200/plate
Good restaurants 2022 prices · Source - Star Hotel & Kabab Old Dhaka
- Grilled chicken or chicken tikka kebab · ৳260/half
- Chicken spicy fry · ৳240/plate
- Beef seekh kebab · ৳140/piece
- Doi bora · ৳70/bowl
Good restaurants 2026 prices · Source - Babumoshai Heritage Second floor, near Kalabagan bus stand
- Bengali platter (smaller) · ৳330/plate
- Bengali platter (larger) · ৳430/plate
Good restaurants 2026 prices · Source - Kacchi Bhai (Gulshan, Banani and Dhanmondi branches) Gulshan, Banani, Dhanmondi and other Dhaka branches
- Basmati kacchi biryani · ৳330/plate
- Kacchi with borhani and firni · ৳460/plate
- Special mutton tehari · ৳270/plate
- Borhani · ৳80/glass
Good restaurants 2026 prices · Source - Paanipuri Gulshan
- Fuchka (14 pieces with tamarind water) · ৳130/plate
Good restaurants 2022 prices · Source - Tehari Ghar Sobhanbagh, Dhanmondi
- Beef tehari · ৳250/half
- Beef tehari · ৳500/full
Good restaurants 2026 prices · Source - The Forest Lounge Dhanmondi
- Buffet lunch · ৳1,150/plate
- Buffet dinner · ৳1,350/plate
Upscale 2024 prices · Source
Taste these
- Old Dhaka Biryani Nazira Bazar, Bangshal and Chankharpul in Old Dhaka 200–450 BDT per plate
- Bakarkhani Bakeries around Lalbagh, Chawkbazar and Nazira Bazar Cheap, sold by the piece or by the kg
- Chawkbazar Iftar Market Stalls around Chawkbazar Shahi Mosque in Old Dhaka, during Ramadan only
- Beauty Lassi and Falooda Beauty Lacchi and Faluda, 30/1 Johnson Road, Old Dhaka (a branch also runs at Nazira Bazar)
- Geneva Camp Kebab and Chaap Kebab shops around Geneva Camp, near Mohammadpur Government High School, Mohammadpur
- Fuchka and Chotpoti Street carts on Bailey Road, around TSC at Dhaka University, Dhanmondi Lake and Shantinagar Roughly 20–60 BDT a plate at street carts
Where these prices come from
Budget tier from Old Dhaka rice hotels (rice 15 Tk a plate, dishes 10-40 Tk in 2026) and khichuri carts (40-120 Tk in 2024); mid from biryani, kacchi and Bengali platter places (200-430 Tk); upscale from a 2025 Gulshan hotel set menu at 1,500 Tk plus tax. Breakfast and snack figures are estimates in line with these. Restaurants raised prices again after the August 2026 fuel price rise.
Prices come from newspapers and the restaurants' own listings, and they change over time.
Crafts and food from this district are in our shop.
