--- title: "Top 10 Things To Do in Chittagong, Bangladesh | Wimup" description: "Chittagong, Bangladesh in one page: Bayazid Bostami's turtles, Foy's Lake, Patenga at sunset, Mughal mosques and mezbani beef, plus festivals and transport." url: https://wimup.com/city/chittagong type: City guide updated: 2026-10-23 publisher: Wimup (https://wimup.com) --- # Top 10 Things To Do in Chittagong Chittagong, Bangladesh · Asia · By Wimup Editorial, 14 min read Bangladesh's second city and main seaport sits where the Karnaphuli meets the Bay of Bengal, on low green hills the Mughals and the British both built on. It is a working town first, with Sufi shrines, mezbani beef and ships at anchor offshore, and the gateway to the Chittagong Hill Tracts. ## Quick answer Give the first day to the old city: the Andarkilla and Chandanpura mosques, Shah Amanat's dargah and the Ethnological Museum in Agrabad. Spend the second on the hills, from the turtles at Bayazid Bostami to Batali Hill and Foy's Lake, and end it at Patenga for sunset. Use a third for the Chandranath climb at Sitakunda or Kaptai Lake at Rangamati. ## Quick facts - **Best months:** Nov · Dec · Jan · Feb - **Ideal length:** 2 to 3 days - **Budget per day:** $30–70 - **Language:** Bengali, with Chittagonian spoken at home - **Getting around:** CNG three-wheelers, rickshaws, Uber and Pathao - **Tourism board:** [Official site](https://tourismboard.gov.bd/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ## The 10 best things to do in Chittagong ### 1. Shrine of Bayazid Bostami Sufi shrine · Bayazid Bostami Road, Nasirabad, Chittagong A hilltop shrine to the Persian mystic Bayazid Bostami, though no record shows he ever came here. The pond below holds black softshell turtles, a species the IUCN once listed as extinct in the wild. Come in the morning, when they surface to be fed. - **Time:** 45 min - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Morning - **Tip:** Shoes off on the steps to the tomb, and cover shoulders and legs ### 2. Foy's Lake Lake and park · Khulshi, Pahartali, Chittagong A lake the Assam-Bengal Railway made by damming streams in the Pahartali hills in 1924, named for its engineer, Mr Foy. Concord runs it as an amusement park with rides and boats. Take a boat to the far arms of the lake, away from the rides. - **Time:** Half day - **Cost:** Ticketed - **Best at:** Weekday afternoon - **Tip:** Fridays fill with families. Go midweek. ### 3. Patenga Sea Beach Beach · Patenga, about 14 km south of the centre The city's beach, a narrow strip on the Bay of Bengal by the mouth of the Karnaphuli, with ships waiting offshore for the port. It is for sunset and street food, not swimming. Walk north toward the tamarisks for the view up the estuary. - **Time:** 2 hr - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Sunset - **Tip:** The currents are strong. Wade at most. ### 4. Andarkilla Shahi Jame Mosque Mughal mosque · Andarkilla, Kotwali, Chittagong Built in 1667 on the hill of the old Arakanese fort, to mark the Mughal capture of Chittagong the year before. The British later used it as an arms store before it returned to worship. Visit between prayers and dress for a mosque. - **Time:** 30 min - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Between prayers - **Tip:** Women should carry a scarf. Ask at the gate before entering the hall. ### 5. Ethnological Museum Museum · Agrabad, Chittagong Galleries on the peoples of Bangladesh, with the Chakma, Marma, Tripura and other hill communities shown through dress, tools and dioramas. Set up in the 1960s, it opened to the public in 1974. See it before a trip into the hill tracts. - **Time:** 1 hr - **Cost:** Ask at the gate - **Best at:** Before a hill tracts trip - **Tip:** Phone ahead. Opening days are not published online. ### 6. Chittagong War Cemetery War cemetery · 19 Badshah Mia Chowdhury Road, Dampara, Chittagong The Commonwealth War Graves Commission's cemetery for the Burma campaign, with 715 identified casualties of the Second World War, many moved here from graves across the region. Lawned terraces on a quiet slope, open daily with a midday break. - **Time:** 45 min - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Morning - **Tip:** No road sign marks it. Ask for the war cemetery in Dampara. Links: [CWGC](https://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/2015700/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 7. Chandanpura Mosque Mosque · Chandanpura, Chittagong The city's most photographed mosque, a crown of coloured domes and minarets first built in 1870 and recast in concrete around 1950 to the same design. Its first name, Hamidia Taj Masjid, honours the builder, Abdul Hamid. Shoot it from the street in late light. - **Time:** 30 min - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Late afternoon - **Tip:** Gani Bakery, home of the bela biscuit, is a short walk away ### 8. Karnaphuli by sampan River crossing · Abhoy Mitra Ghat and Sadarghat, Karnaphuli riverfront Sampans, the high-prowed wooden boats of the Karnaphuli, still carry commuters across the river from the city ghats to Charpatharghata. The short crossing is the best view of the working river. Ghats close for dredging at times, so ask locally. - **Time:** 1 hr - **Cost:** Small fare - **Best at:** Late afternoon - **Tip:** Agree the fare before you step in ### 9. Batali Hill Viewpoint · Tiger Pass, Khulshi, Chittagong At about 280 feet, the highest hill in the city, a short climb from Tiger Pass to a summit terrace called Shatayu Angan. The view runs over the rooftops toward the port. Go late in the day, when the heat eases. - **Time:** 1 hr - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Late afternoon - **Tip:** Go in company, and come down before dark ### 10. Zia Memorial Museum Museum · Old Circuit House, Kotwali, Chittagong The 1913 Circuit House on its hill, where President Ziaur Rahman was assassinated on 30 May 1981, opened as a museum in 1993. The galleries trace his life and end with the night of his death. The building needs repair, so check it is open. - **Time:** 1 hr - **Cost:** Ask at the gate - **Best at:** Morning - **Tip:** Combine it with the Court Building on the next hill ## Best heritage & shrines in Chittagong Sufi tombs, Mughal and colonial monuments, and the graves of the Burma campaign. 1. **Shrine of Bayazid Bostami** (Turtle pond · Nasirabad): The hilltop shrine and its pond of rare black softshell turtles. 2. **Shah Amanat Dargah** (18th century · East of Laldighi): The tomb of the 18th-century saint who pulled a fan at the city court. 3. **Andarkilla Shahi Jame Mosque** (1667 · Andarkilla): The Mughal victory mosque of 1667, on the old fort hill. 4. **Chandanpura Mosque** (1870 · Chandanpura): Coloured domes and minarets, first built in 1870. 5. **Chittagong War Cemetery** (CWGC · Dampara): The CWGC cemetery for the Burma campaign, with 715 identified graves. 6. **Chittagong Court Building** (1898 · Kotwali): Red-brick colonial courts of 1892 to 1898 on Parir Pahar, the fairy hill. ## The best of the Chittagong waterfront The Karnaphuli, its crossings and the two beaches at its mouth. 1. **Patenga Sea Beach** (Sunset · Patenga): Sunset over the bay, with ships waiting for the port. 2. **Parki Beach** (About 28 km · Anwara): About 15 km of sand and tamarisk across the river mouth. 3. **Abhoy Mitra Ghat** (Sampans · Riverfront): Where the wooden sampans cross the Karnaphuli. 4. **Shah Amanat Bridge** (2010 · Kalurghat road): The 950 m extradosed bridge over the Karnaphuli, opened in 2010. ## Best hills & lakes in Chittagong The low hills inside the city, and the railway lake among them. 1. **Foy's Lake** (1924 · Khulshi): The 1924 railway lake, now a park with boats and rides. 2. **Batali Hill** (Viewpoint · Tiger Pass): The highest hill in the city, about 280 feet. 3. **DC Hill** (Since 1978 · Kotwali): The stage for the city's Pohela Boishakh dawn concert since 1978. 4. **CRB Shirishtala** (Railway quarter · Kotwali): The railway headquarters' shaded hill, the second Boishakh venue. ## Best museums in Chittagong Three small museums, each the best of its subject in the region. 1. **Ethnological Museum** (Opened 1974 · Agrabad): The hill tracts' peoples in dress, tools and dioramas. 2. **Zia Memorial Museum** (Opened 1993 · Kotwali): The 1913 Circuit House where President Zia was killed in 1981. 3. **Chittagong University Museum** (Since 1973 · Hathazari): About 2,000 antiquities, from medieval cannon to a Gupta-era Surya. ## Best restaurants in Chittagong Mezbani beef, biryani and khichuri, and a bakery older than the railway lake. 1. **Mezzan Haile Aaiun** (Mezbani · Shulokbahar, Muradpur): Mezbani beef and kala bhuna every day, feast food once kept for occasions. 2. **Hotel Zaman** (Biryani · GEC Circle): The local chain for biryani and khichuri with mezbani beef. 3. **Handi Restaurant** (Khichuri · GEC Circle): Khichuri platters and masala dishes at budget prices. 4. **Gani Bakery** (Bela biscuit · Chandanpura): The 19th-century bakery credited with the bela biscuit. ## Best markets in Chittagong The wholesale lanes that supply half the country, and the malls that followed. 1. **Reazuddin Bazar** (5,500 shops · Station Road): The oldest and biggest market in the city, about 5,500 shops. 2. **Khatunganj** (Wholesale · Old city): The country's great wholesale market for spices, pulses and staples. 3. **Terry Bazar** (Textiles · Kotwali): About 1,500 shops of fabric and readymade clothes. 4. **Biponi Bitan** (Since 1964 · Kotwali): New Market, opened in 1964, the busiest stop before Eid. ## Best day trips in Chittagong Temple hills and coast to the north, the lakes and hills of the Hill Tracts to the east. 1. **Chandranath Temple, Sitakunda** (Hill temple · Sitakunda): A hilltop Shiva temple about 310 m up, reached by a long stair. 2. **Guliakhali Beach** (Near Sitakunda · Sitakunda): Grass running down to the sea, with keora forest beside it. 3. **Mohamaya Lake** (About 90 min · Mirsharai): A hill-ringed reservoir of about 11 sq km, with kayaks for hire. 4. **Rangamati and Kaptai Lake** (About 77 km · Rangamati): Boats on the great lake from the hanging bridge, 77 km by road. 5. **Bandarban** (About 3 hr · Bandarban): Hill country and the golden Buddha Dhatu Jadi, about three hours away. ## Festivals & annual events in Chittagong (2026) - **Language Martyrs' Day** (21 February): Flowers at the Central Shaheed Minar from midnight, for the 1952 martyrs. - **Shiv Chaturdashi fair** (Feb or Mar): Pilgrims climb to the Chandranath temple at Sitakunda for the Falgun fair. - **Pohela Boishakh** (14 April): Bengali New Year opens with dawn music on DC Hill and at CRB Shirishtala. - **Jabbarer Boli Khela** (25 April): Wrestling at Laldighi since 1909, with a three-day fair around it. - **Buddha Purnima** (Apr or May): The city's Buddhist viharas mark the Buddha's birth with lamps and prayers. - **Ramadan iftar lane** (Varies): Chawkbazar's street of kebabs, parathas and lassi fills before each sunset. - **Durga Puja** (Sep or Oct): Pandals across the city, ending with immersions in the Karnaphuli. - **Victory Day** (16 December): Parades and flags for the end of the 1971 Liberation War. ## Must-try dishes in Chittagong, Bangladesh - **Mezbani gosht**: Chittagong's feast beef curry, cooked in huge pots over firewood. - **Kala bhuna**: Beef fried slowly with spices until it turns almost black. - **Chonar dal**: Spiced Bengal gram, the side that comes with mezbani beef. - **Nola kanji**: A bone marrow stew often served alongside the mezban. - **Durus kura**: A whole chicken in a rich spiced gravy, sometimes with eggs. - **Loitya shutki**: Dried Bombay duck cooked with onion, garlic and chilli. - **Shutki bhorta**: Dried fish mashed with chilli and onion, eaten with rice. - **Bela biscuit**: A dry, round biscuit from Gani Bakery, dunked in tea. ## Chittagong transport & airports - **Shah Amanat International Airport** (CGP): In Patenga by the Karnaphuli mouth, about 20 km from GEC Circle, with domestic flights from Dhaka and direct services to the Gulf. CNGs, Uber and Pathao serve the terminal. [Biman Bangladesh](https://www.biman-airlines.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - **Rail from Dhaka** (5 hr): The nonstop Sonar Bangla Express covers the 321 km in just under five hours, and other intercity trains, the Subarna Express among them, run daily. Book on Bangladesh Railway's e-ticket site. [Bangladesh Railway](https://eticket.railway.gov.bd/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - **Karnaphuli tunnel** (3.3 km): The road tunnel under the river, opened in October 2023, links Patenga with Anwara on the south bank. It is the quick way to Parki Beach by car. - **Around town** (CNG): Green CNG three-wheelers, rickshaws and the Uber and Pathao apps cover the city. For Sitakunda, Rangamati or Bandarban, hire a car with a driver for the day. ## Chittagong at a glance - **Country:** Bangladesh - **Region:** Chattogram District, Chattogram Division - **Population:** 3,230,507 in the city corporation (2022 census) - **Founded:** An old port; taken by the Mughals in 1666 - **Nickname:** The port city - **Language:** Bengali, with Chittagonian spoken at home - **Currency:** Bangladeshi taka (BDT) - **Time zone:** UTC+6, no daylight saving - **Calling code:** +880 - **Airports:** Shah Amanat International (CGP), in Patenga - **Power:** 220 V, 50 Hz, British-style three-pin sockets - **Emergency:** 999 for police, fire and ambulance ## Interesting facts - The government changed the official English spelling of the city to Chattogram in 2018. - The IUCN listed Bayazid Bostami's black softshell turtle as extinct in the wild in 2002. - Abdul Jabbar Saudagar began the Laldighi wrestling contest in 1909 to keep young men fit to resist the British. - In 1932 Pritilata Waddedar led an armed raid on the Pahartali European Club, which barred Indians. - Foy's Lake still supplies water to the railway colonies it was built for in 1924. ## Chittagong travel FAQ ### When is the best time to visit Chittagong? November to February. Days are dry and mild, and December and January see almost no rain. June to September brings the monsoon, with heavy rain and flooded lanes, though the hill lakes and waterfalls are at their fullest. ### How do you get to Chittagong from Dhaka? Fly to Shah Amanat International in under an hour, or take the train: the nonstop Sonar Bangla Express covers the 321 km in just under five hours. Book rail tickets on the Bangladesh Railway e-ticket site. ### Is it Chittagong or Chattogram? Both. The government adopted Chattogram as the official English spelling in 2018, and it appears on signs and tickets. Chittagong is still widely used, including for the hill tracts and the university. ### Can foreigners visit the Chittagong Hill Tracts? Yes, with paperwork. Foreigners register on entering Rangamati, and Bandarban trips need permission arranged in advance, which licensed tour operators handle. The rules change, so check before you set out. ### How many days do you need in Chittagong? Two for the city: one for the old town's mosques, shrines and museums, one for Bayazid Bostami, Foy's Lake and sunset at Patenga. Add a day each for Sitakunda and for Rangamati's Kaptai Lake. ## Nearby guides - [Cox's Bazar](https://wimup.com/city/coxs-bazar.md): Day trip · 10 picks - [Dhaka](https://wimup.com/city/dhaka.md): Bangladesh · 10 picks - [Sylhet](https://wimup.com/city/sylhet.md): Bangladesh · 10 picks - [All of Asia →](https://wimup.com/asia): 99 cities Part of the [Bangladesh guide](https://wimup.com/country/bangladesh.md) · [Asia](https://wimup.com/asia.md) ## Sources - [Chittagong tourism board](https://tourismboard.gov.bd/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Chittagong War Cemetery: CWGC](https://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/2015700/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Shah Amanat International Airport: Biman Bangladesh](https://www.biman-airlines.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Rail from Dhaka: Bangladesh Railway](https://eticket.railway.gov.bd/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - Rankings are Wimup editorial picks. Prices, durations and budgets are editorial estimates, not live quotes; check the official site before you go.