Things to Do in Dhaka

About Dhaka

Dhaka hits you first with rickshaw bells clanging like loose scaffolding and the diesel-green breath of the Buriganga at sunrise. By 8 AM the pavement outside New Market already sags under its own heat, while up in Gulshan, air-conditioned SUVs idle beside espresso bars demanding 400 taka ($3.60) for single-origin brews. Old Dhaka, Shankhari Bazaar and the Armenian Church lane, still ticks to hand-looms and the muezzin from 17th-century Lalbagh Fort. Yet step onto the metro from Uttara to Motijheel and you'll ride South Asia's only underground line that keeps Indian Ocean time. A plate of kacchi biriyani at Haji Biriyani in Old Dhaka costs 180 taka ($1.60), lands in a cardamom cloud, and spoils every other biriyani for a year. The catch is air you can chew, Dhaka's air quality index often triples WHO limits. But that is why the sweetest scenes develop at river level: on a 20 taka (18¢) launch from Sadarghat to Keraniganj the city flips into reverse, concrete towers shrinking astern while jackfruit-laden wooden boats glide past like drifting villages. It's chaos, sometimes rage, and impossible to forget, the sort of city that makes Bangkok feel half-asleep.

Travel Tips

Transportation: Pathao is the only ride-sharing that works, download it before you land. Motorbike rides start at 25 taka (22¢) while CNG auto-rickshaws quote 150 taka ($1.30) tourist prices. The metro runs Uttara to Motijheel every 10 minutes for 20-60 taka (18-54¢) depending on distance. Skip it during rush hour, 8-10 AM, 5-7 PM, when you'll be packed tighter than Mumbai trains. During monsoon season (June-August), Uber often increase-prices to 3x normal rates while Pathao stays steady.

Money: Foreign cards and Dhaka ATMs have a rocky marriage, BRAC Bank and Dutch-Bangla Bank won't let you down, but they'll charge 200 taka ($1.80) each time and cap you at 20,000 taka ($180) daily. Gulshan/Banani mid-range restaurants and every hotel take plastic, Old Dhaka doesn't. Cash rules there. Keep 500 taka ($4.50) in small bills. Rickshaw drivers and street vendors swear they can't break 1000 taka notes (lie, they just want a fatter tip). Airport money changers give worse rates than the booths circling Gulshan-2. Still, land with $50 cash. Saturday-Sunday, banks shut.

Cultural Respect: Friday prayers shut Old Dhaka down from 12-2 PM, shops slam shut, traffic vanishes, and the city stops breathing. Dress counts more than you think: cover shoulders in mosques, and those Sadarghat slums? Skip the shorts. Eat with your hands, you should, the biriyani changes flavor. But only your right hand. Here's the real move: learn 'kemon achen' in Bengali, not that tourist 'namaste'. Shopkeepers' faces transform when you greet them right. No discounts follow. Stories do.

Food Safety: Crowd of locals? You're in safe hands. Fuchka stalls near Dhaka University sling 20 taka (18¢) plates from 4 PM sharp, the tamarind water turns over every hour when it's busy, but steer clear of anything stewing in sun-warmed jars. Peel bananas yourself. Skip pre-cut fruit. For water, grab the blue 500ml bottles from PRAN or Mum, factory-sealed, 15 taka (13¢). Here's the trick: tail office workers at lunch. They'll march you to canteens like Star Kabab in Dhanmondi where 120 taka ($1.10) lands mutton bhuna cooked fresh every 30 minutes. Nobody's gotten sick since 1985.

When to Visit

October through March is Dhaka's sweet spot. Temperatures drop to 25-28°C (77-82°F) instead of the 35°C (95°F) swamp of summer. The monsoon floods have receded enough that the Buriganga stops smelling like a wet sock. Hotel prices in Gulshan reflect this: expect 40-50% higher rates from October 15 through March 15. The Dhaka Regency jumps from 8,000 taka ($72) to 12,000 taka ($108) per night. November brings the Dhaka International Trade Fair at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar. Half the city shows up for discounted saris and electronics. The fairgrounds become a human tide. December's Victory Day (Dec 16) sees Old Dhaka light up with LED decorations that would make Vegas blush. Biriyani specials appear at every restaurant. January is the best month, 22°C (72°F) days, clear skies, and hotel prices spot't hit February peak yet. February brings the Dhaka Literary Festival (dates vary). Gulshan coffee shops overflow with authors and publishers. The Hindu festival of Dol Purnima turns University campus into a color-throwing war zone. March gets sticky, 30°C (86°F) with 70% humidity, but hotel rates start dropping. April-May is brutal: 38°C (100°F) with air quality that'll make your eyes burn. Domestic tourists disappear and hotel prices bottom out at 30% below peak. June-August monsoon brings ankle-deep water in Old Dhaka and launch cancellations on the river. The 29°C (84°F) temperatures and empty museums make it oddly peaceful if you don't mind getting soaked. September is transitional, still wet but cooling, with hotel rates climbing back up as the city prepares for winter's return.