Visiting Dhaka, Bangladesh can be an overwhelming experience and one that’s difficult to plan out. There isn’t a lot of information about the places to visit in the city, let alone just a short drive away. (And I say short drive but make no mistake, the traffic will slow you down quite a bit if your timing isn’t just right.) Still, as a traveler there are some interesting spots to visit within a day that make it worth a bit of car time.
You can watch the video above and then read on to plan a day trip around Dhaka.
Start Early
Dhaka’s seasons go from wet to dry but are generally hot and humid throughout the entire year. To avoid the worst of the heat and traffic, it’s best to get started around 7:30am. You could do earlier but anything before 7 in the morning and you’ll be waiting for sites to open at your destination.
It’s best to hire a driver locally. You can do this either through a tour company or trusted contact (tour companies can charge up to $100 a day to a driver and guide) but ride share apps are a less expensive alternative. Using Uber, you can hire a driver for a day and add stops along your route as you go or enter them all in at once. The total cost from Dhaka to these major sites around trip will be $20-40.
Head To Sonargaon
Pronounced “sho-nar-gone” it was once the capital of ancient Bengal. Today it is a smaller city with large open air parks and historical sites like the Folk Museum. Inside you can see ancient arts and crafts from the times from the various Bengal Sultanates that existed in this region. The Folk Museum has a nominal entry charge and you can spend an hour or two strolling through the museum buildings and enjoying the large areas of green nature.
A 10 minute drive away is Panam Nagar, or Panam City. Another ancient capital, this time from the 13th century it is one of the most impressive sites around Dhaka. It’s been destroyed a rebuilt by a number of colonial power before being completely abandoned in the 1960s. Today it remains as a sprawling ghost town with architecture being slowly eaten up by forest.
Unfortunately there are not videos permitted on the grounds (plenty of people were sneaking them with their phones but you didn’t hear that from me) but even so, it is a photographers dream. Bright colors, eerie buildings, selfie opportunities, it’s all there in Panam.
Explore The Towns
One of the interesting aspects of these parts around Dhaka is that they’re much less crowded. You can wander into the towns, meet people, see local markets, and stumbled upon historic relics like the Goaldi Mosque, built in 1519. These days it’s abandoned and remains as a historic site in a quiet neighborhood. From there you can branch out and see a slower side of Bangladesh before heading back to Dhaka to enjoy Bailey Road’s street food. Arrive at 19:00 and enjoy all the snacks. My recommendations on where to eat are in the video here.