Dhaka

The capital of Bangladesh has only a handful of tourist sights, but it offers a fascinating window onto the life of the subcontinent. From the crowded docks at Sadarghat to the city's bustling mosques and markets, Dhaka is a city in constant motion, and the streets move with a continuous tide of humanity. Around 12 million people call this city home, and the population is growing at a faster rate than anywhere else on earth. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the experience of visiting Dhaka can be a little overwhelming — this is one of the only cities in the world to be brought to a regular standstill by rickshaw jams — but the energy and pace of the ...

The capital of Bangladesh has only a handful of tourist sights, but it offers a fascinating window onto the life of the subcontinent. From the crowded docks at Sadarghat to the city's bustling mosques and markets, Dhaka is a city in constant motion, and the streets move with a continuous tide of humanity. Around 12 million people call this city home, and the population is growing at a faster rate than anywhere else on earth. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the experience of visiting Dhaka can be a little overwhelming — this is one of the only cities in the world to be brought to a regular standstill by rickshaw jams — but the energy and pace of the city make this one of the most atmospheric places on the subcontinent. Most of the famous sights are in Old Dhaka, which sprawls north from the Buriganga River, but a calmer mood prevails in the modern city, centered on Motijheel. If you see only one of the sights, make it Sadarghat, where vessels of every conceivable size and shape jostle for space on a river that is more boat than water.

About the Expert

Joe Bindloss has written more than 30 guidebooks for Lonely Planet, Time Out and other publishers, with a focus on Southeast Asia, the Indian Subcontinent and island nations.