Where to go

Destinations

19destinations that show the range of the country — the beaches of the south, the tea hills of the northeast, the world's largest mangrove forest, the ancient sites of the northwest, the Chittagong Hill Tracts, and the capital in between. Pick one to see how to get there, when to visit, and what not to miss.

Cox's Bazar

One of the longest unbroken sea beaches in the world, running roughly 120 km down Bangladesh's southeastern coast.

Saint Martin's Island

Bangladesh's only coral-bearing island, reached by boat from Teknaf and open only through the dry season.

Sundarbans

The largest mangrove forest on earth, spread across the delta where the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna meet the Bay of Bengal.

Sylhet

Bangladesh's tea country — rolling hillside estates, a freshwater swamp forest found nowhere else, and a border landscape of hills and rivers.

Bandarban

The Chittagong Hill Tracts — Bangladesh's only truly mountainous region, with cloud-level viewpoints and indigenous hill communities.

Dhaka

Bangladesh's capital and largest city, where most trips begin, and where Old Dhaka packs in centuries of Mughal and colonial history.

Sreemangal

Bangladesh's tea capital, ringed by terraced estates, the country's only tropical rainforest reserve, and Khasia and Manipuri villages.

Kuakata

The southernmost tip of Bangladesh's coast — one of the few beaches where both sunrise and sunset are visible over open water.

Rangamati

On the edge of Kaptai Lake, South Asia's largest artificial lake and the gateway to the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

Chattogram

Bangladesh's second-largest city and main port, and the natural gateway to the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

Bogura

Home to Mahasthangarh, the earliest urban archaeological site yet discovered in Bangladesh.

Naogaon

Home to Paharpur — the largest known Buddhist monastery south of the Himalayas, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Rajshahi

The Silk City on the northern bank of the Padma, ringed by the mango orchards it's equally famous for.

Mymensingh

A university town on the old Brahmaputra, with a cluster of early-20th-century zamindar architecture by the river.

Jashore

A western city, birthplace of poet Michael Madhusudan Dutt and gateway to the Benapole border with India.

Tangail

A handloom-weaving town, home of the Tangail saree — a UNESCO-recognized weaving tradition.

Kushtia

The spiritual home of Baul music and the poet Lalon Shah, where Rabindranath Tagore also once lived.

Sixty Dome Mosque

A 15th-century UNESCO World Heritage Site at Bagerhat, and one of the largest brick mosques in the historical Islamic world.

Sonargaon

Bengal's medieval capital, where the abandoned merchant street of Panam City sits within a half-day trip of Dhaka.