Dhaka airport arrivals: ignore unofficial helpers

Nilkhet, between Dhaka University and New Market, is the centre of Dhaka's second-hand book trade, with narrow lanes lined with shelves. Most stock is academic and exam guides, so for novels or poetry you have to dig through the pavement stalls and the bottom shelves, where English-language imports sometimes turn up…

Panam Nagar in Sonargaon is a single street of old merchant houses, two and three storeys high, with arched doorways, balconies and weathered lattice that make strong frames for photographs. It is a protected archaeological site and visitors need a ticket. Go on a weekday, since the street is crowded on Fridays, and…

Ramna Park is central Dhaka's green lung, and the best time to see it is early morning, when joggers, walking clubs and exercise groups fill the paths around the lake. A wooden deck and walkways now circle the water, and the old banyan tree called Batamul stands inside. Afternoons get busy, especially after Eid and on…

Watching a match at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur is a great evening, but tickets are not always sold at the stadium. For the 2024 BPL the board closed the booths next to the ground and sold tickets online and at a handful of bank branches, and many fans queued at the booths for nothing. Check…

The Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in Segunbagicha is a main venue for plays and concerts, and its National Theatre Hall reopened in October 2024 after a closure and stages shows again. Programmes are announced close to the date, so check the academy's notices or local news a few days ahead and ask a Local Friend to…

Each 16 December, Victory Day brings public music programmes to Suhrawardy Udyan in Shahbag, with Victory Day songs from the afternoon and, in 2025, a concert with bands on the day itself. The programme changes every year, so look for the Ministry of Cultural Affairs announcement a few days before. Go in the afternoon…

Every 21 February, Dhaka marks Language Movement Day at the Central Shaheed Minar by Dhaka University. Tributes begin one minute past midnight, and people walk barefoot in quiet lines carrying flowers, many dressed in black and white, along paths painted with alpana patterns. The Probhat Pheri procession resumes at…

Fuchka is Dhaka's favourite street snack: a crisp hollow shell filled with spiced potato and chickpeas and served with tamarind water. Ask for the tamarind water to be spooned in just before you bite so the shell stays crisp, and choose a busy stand where the filling is made fresh that day. Gulshan has plenty of carts…