Old Dhaka

Old Dhaka is located on the banks of Buriganga River.

Get in

Old Dhaka has little of public transport infrastructure so cycle rickshaw is your best option. Buses are used by locals but signage is rare and utterly confusing for a tourist. The Sadarghat river terminal, on Buri Ganga River, in the southern-western part of the district a major harbour for river transport and can be a useful way of reaching Dhaka from other cities.

Get around

Rickshaws and taxis are the main mode for getting around the rather chaotic streets of Old Dhaka. Distances are fairly short but the striking heat can make walking quite a challenge.

See

Religious sites

Buriganga River, Old Dhaka

Armenian Church, Dhaka

Shiva temples inside Dhakeshwari Temple

Front View of Ahsan Manzil

Lal Bagh Fort

• 1 Armenian Church of the Holy Resurrection, Armanitola Rd, ☏ +880 2 731 6953. A small, cosy church built in 1781 by Armenian missionaries. Mass is conducted only a few times throughout the year, usually during Christmas and Good Friday. Tours are informal, and could be organised by the caretaker, Mr Martin. Free, but tipping the caretaker is a friendly gesture. (updated Nov 2018)
• 2 St Thomas Church. Anglican church built in 1821. (updated Mar 2021)
• 3 Chawk Mosque, Chowk Bazaar. A mosque in Old Dhaka that dates from the 17th century, most likely built by the Mughals. (updated Nov 2018)
• 4 Sitara Mosque (Star Mosque), Armanitola Rd. Built in the early 18th century, it has since been redecorated with hundreds of tiles with star patterns. Tourists are welcome to visit outside of prayer times. (updated Nov 2018)
• 5 Dhakeshwari Temple (Dhakeshwari Jatiya Mandir), Dhakeswari Rd. National Temple of Bangladesh, built in the 12th century, dedicated to the Goddess Durga and God Shiva. It is the seat of Bangladesh's Hindu priesthood. (updated Nov 2018)
• 6 Hussaini Dalan Mosque. Built during the 17th century by the Mughals as a house for the imam, a religious leader. Its architecture possesses a mix of Mughal and British influences. (updated Nov 2018)
• 7 Saat Masjid (Seven-domed Mosque) (Dhanmondi). A mosque built during the 15th century; it is characterised by its seven white domes that peek upwards from the structure.  
• 8 Dhanmondi Eidgah. Built in 1640 the Dhanmondi Eidgah, is the oldest surviving Mughal monument in Dhaka. It was used for Eid prayers for both Eid ul Fitr and Eid ul Zoha. The Eidgah consists of an open courtyard measuring 45 m by 40 m, and is surrounded by a 5-m-high wall. Entrance is through a arched gateway in the East. The Western wall contains an arched semi octagonal Miharba.  
• 9 Khan Mohammad Mridha Mosque. A well-preserved historic mosque on Lalbagh Road. It lies on a raised platform with a stairway on the east, an arched gateway and a central doorway. Persian inscriptions on its arch and Mihrab speak of its construction in 1705.  
• 10 Star Mosque. An ornate early 19th-century mosque in the Armenian quarter decorated with blue star-motifs.  
• 11 Binat Bibi Mosque. It is the oldest surviving mosque in Dhaka, dating back to the Sultanate of Bengal. It was built in 1454 by Bakht Binat in the reign of Sultan Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah. It is beside the Hayat Bepari Bridge in the Narinda area.  
• 12 Kartalab Khan Mosque (The Begum Bazar area of Old Dhaka). It was built by Murshid Quli Khan, the last Mughal governor and first Nawab of Bengal.  

Buildings

• 13 Ahsan Manzil (Pink Palace), Ahsanullah Rd (on the banks of the Buriganga River), ☏ +880 2 7391122, dgmuseum@yahoo.com. Apr-Sep: Sa-W 10:30-17:30, F 14:30-19:30; Oct-Mar: Sa-W 09:30-16:30, F 14:30-19:30; Ramadan: Sa-W 09:30-15:30. A British Raj-era building that served as a residence for the Nawab of Dhaka. It lies on the banks of the Buriganga River, and is famous for its pink stonework. There are 31 rooms within, and the huge dome on top can be seen from miles around. It has been renovated into a museum with displays concerning its history, with a beautiful garden accompanying the building. Foreigners: Tk 75, under-12s: Tk 2, locals and SAARC citizens: Tk 5, disabled persons: free.  
• 14 Lalbagh Fort (Bengali: Lalbagh Kella), Lalbagh (best method is to ask a rickshaw driver for 'Lalbagh Kella'; the streets surrounding it are a maze). Su-F 10:00-17:00. Built in 1678 AD by Prince Mohammad Azam, son of Mughal emperor Aurangazeb. The fort was the scene of many bloody battles, including those during the Mughal era, a revolt against the British during the time of the Raj and protection for the revolutionary forces during the Bangladesh Liberation War. Monuments of the Lalbagh site include the Tomb of Pari Bibi, Lalbagh Mosque, the Audience Hall and the Hammam of Nawab Shaista Khan, which now houses a museum. There are separate fees for locals and tourists; both are fairly cheap.  
• 15 Bangabandhu Memorial Museum, Road #32, Dhanmondi, bangabandhumuseum@gmail.com. Th-Tu 10:00-18:00. Former residence of the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. It has been transformed into a museum and contains a rare collection of personal effects and photographs of his life and times. He was assassinated in 1975 along with most of his family members.  
• 16 Bara and Choto Katras. The Katras were the caravansaries of the city under Mughal rule. The most prominent were the palatial Bara Katra (Great Caravansary) and the smaller Choto Katra (Young Caravansary). Built in 1643 and 1663 respectively, they hosted merchants and travellers for centuries. Today, only a small portion of the original structures remain standing and are large dilapidated. 

Parks

• 17 Baldha Garden, Wari. A unique creation of the late Narendra Narayan Roy, the landlord of Baldha. Established in 1904, the garden with its rich collection of indigenous and exotic plants is one of the most exciting attractions for botanists, naturalists and tourists.  
• 18 Bahadur Shah Park (formerly Victoria Park), Sadarghat (In Bahadur Shah Park). In the late nineteenth century Bahadur Shah Park was the centre of Dhaka with European style architecture with several civic and religious buildings and educational institutions around it. It was here that the revolting sepoys and their civil compatriots of the first Liberation War (1857-1859) were publicly hanged. A large park surrounds the memorial, with various other monuments. It has a memorial dedicated to the soldiers killed by the British in the aftermath of the Indian Mutiny of 1857. It was built in 1858 at the initiative of Nawab Khwaja Abdul Ghani. In 1947 the name of the park was changed from Victoria Park to Bahadur Shah Park.  

Do

• 1 Sadarghat River Front. A huge river port on the banks of the Buriganga River. Catch a ride on a boat here and cruise along the river, soaking in the surrounding chaos and sites. 

Buy

• 1 New Market, Mirpur Road, Dhanmondi (just west of Dhaka University). W-M 10:00-21:00, closed Tu. This is the largest market in the city and it has more class, more room, and more choice. Prices may be a little higher because the stall rents are more expensive than elsewhere in the city, but it is very affordable compared to Western prices. In addition to clothing, there is leather, linen, jewellery, household goods, CDs, DVDs, and food. (updated Nov 2019)

Eat

Restaurants are crammed throughout the narrow alleys and along the main streets - duck into one of them and you'll likely not be too disappointed. A full meal will usually cost around Tk 70, although fish costs more.

• 1 Bismillah Kabab, 104 Kazi Alauddin Rd (next to Nazira Bazaar). 
• 2 Hajjee Beryani, 70 Kazi Alauddin Road (in Nazira Bazar, close to Bango Bazar). Old Dhaka was famed for its lines of biryani restaurants. Some of the more famous outfits are still going and Hajjee Beryani is one of them. It revels in its eccentric reputation for opening only at certain times and only cooking a certain amount (well-below demand). 
• 3 Hotel Al-Razzaque, 29/1 North South Road (Nazira Bazaar), ☏ +880 2 956 1990. On the ground floor of the hotel is a large and popular restaurant, busy anytime of the day with Bangladeshi families and businessmen. Food is pretty darn good, if unpredictable in its timing. Sometimes you'll have a choice of chicken and mutton curries, fish and vegetables, other times it's chicken biryani or the highway. Fish will double the price of a meal, at least. It is located between a clean and well-stocked fruit juice bar and a clean and well-stocked sweet shop. Each plate cost Tk 80. Tk 50-150. 
• 4 Hotel Star, Taher Bagh Lane (Thatari Bazaar). Does fantastic biryani and goat leg roast. 
• 5 Beauty laccha faluda, 30, 1 Kazi Alauddin Road (near Shakhari Bazar), ☏ +880 1823181180. (updated Mar 2015)
• 6 Xindian Restaurant, Road No 16 (old 27), ☏ +880 2-8123830, xindian@x-grouprestaurant.com. High-end Chinese restaurant (updated Aug 2015)
• 7 BBQ Tonight, Road No 16 (old 27). Kebab and Mughlai food. Mouth-watering and unbelievably tasty. (updated Aug 2015)
• 8 Star Hotel and Restaurant, Dhanmondi Road 2 (near the corner of Road 3). Very inexpensive local food, famous for Kacchi Biryani and kebabs. A meal for one can run you Tk 50-300. Tk. 50-300. (updated Nov 2019)
• 9 Star Kabab, Shat Maszid Road (opposite of Abahani Club playground and on Shat Maszid Road). Famous for its beef and mutton kebab. Different from the other Star Hotel listed here also. (updated Nov 2019)

Dhakaiya Biryani

Biriyani

Traditional Dhakaiya spicy dish available in every corner of old Dhaka. Some famous biryani restaurants in old Dhaka are:

• 10 Haji Biryani, ☏ +880 1884887208.  
• 11 Nanna Biryani. 

Drink

Nope. Not in Dhaka.

Sleep

This guide uses the following price ranges for a standard double room:
Budget	Under 1,000 taka
Mid-range	1,000 taka to 2,500 taka
Splurge	Over 2,500 taka

Old Dhaka lacks high-end hotels, those can be found in Central and North Dhaka.

Budget

• 1 Hotel Al-Razzaque, 29/1 North South Rd (Nazira Bazaar), ☏ +880 2 956 1990. A moderately priced hotel popular with Bangladeshi men, it's got decent clean rooms with attached bathrooms with squat toilets and a popular restaurant. From Tk 160. 
• 2 Hotel Grameen, 22 Nawabpur Rd, ☏ +880 2 956 2422. A big hotel on busy Nawabpur Rd, just south of Bangsal Rd. Tk 60-150. 
• 3 Hotel Sugandha, 24 Nawabpur Rd, ☏ +880 2 955 6720. It's cheap and it's what to be expected of a cheap hotel, not very exciting or hygienic. Tk 100-350. 

Mid-range

• 4 Ambrosia Guest House, ☏ +880 2 966850, +880 2 9665760. In Dhanmondi Residential Area. Tk 2,876 per night, with breakfast and free broadband Internet connection from the rooms. 

Splurge

• 5 Renaissance Dhaka Gulshan Hotel, 78 Gulshan Ave, ☏ +880 9638-200100. Check-in: 24 hr, check-out: 24 hr. (updated Jun 2024)
• 6 Radisson Blu Dhaka Water Garden, Airport Rd, ☏ +880 29834555, sales.dhaka@radisson.com. Check-in: 24 hr, check-out: 24 hr. (updated Mar 2020)