Day Trips from Dhaka: Sonargaon to Padma
Travel advisory, as of October 2026. The UK FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the Chittagong Hill Tracts (Rangamati, Khagrachari and Bandarban), and the US warns against travel there; none of the trips below go near it. The UK also says terrorist attacks are very likely and that hartals and demonstrations can turn violent quickly, so avoid them and stay put on strike days. Street crime has risen since 2024. Read the FCDO advice and travel.state.gov before booking.
Leaving Dhaka for the day
The best day trips go east, south and northwest, and all of them are slowed by Dhaka’s own traffic. Add time at both ends, set off early and agree the price and the return time with your driver before leaving. Fuel sales have been limited in 2026, so extra travel time is wise. Hiring a car with a driver for the day is the usual approach.
Panam Nagar and Sonargaon
About 30 km southeast, Sonargaon was a medieval capital of Bengal. Allow 1.5 to 3 hours each way depending on traffic.
Panam Nagar is a single street lined with ruined 19th-century merchant houses built by Hindu cloth traders. It is closed on Sunday. Foreigners pay a modest ticket at the gate, quoted at about 100 BDT, though one listing says more, so carry extra cash. The Sonargaon Folk Art and Craft Museum in the 1901 Boro Sardar Bari shows brassware, wood carving and terracotta, and it is closed on Thursday. The 1519 Goaldi Mosque, a small single-domed brick mosque, is free to look at.
Padma Bridge and Mawa
The Padma Bridge is 6.15 km long and opened on 25 June 2022. The Jatrabari to Mawa expressway runs about 35 km, and Dhaka to Mawa takes roughly one hour in normal traffic, though getting out of central Dhaka can double that. The waterside eateries at Mawa are known for fried ilish (hilsa). If you take a boat on the Padma, go in daylight and wear a life jacket.
Savar
The National Martyrs’ Memorial at Savar, about 35 km northwest, commemorates those killed in the 1971 Liberation War. Seven pairs of concrete prisms rise 45 metres over a landscaped park that includes mass graves. Entry is free. Treat it as a place of mourning, keep your voice down, and do not use it as a picnic stop.
Shalban Vihara and Mainamati, near Cumilla
About 100 km southeast, the Shalban Vihara is an 8th-century Buddhist monastery with 115 cells around a central shrine, plus a small site museum. Allow 2.5 to 3 hours each way by road, which makes it a very long day, and an overnight in Cumilla is kinder. Check opening days locally.
What not to treat as a day trip
The Sundarbans mangrove forest is a multi-day boat trip from Khulna or Mongla, not a day trip. Cox’s Bazar is about 8 hours by train and is a separate destination. The Chittagong Hill Tracts are covered by the advisory above and are not for visitors.
Booking help
For a driver and guide who handle the traffic, compare listings at Viator . Confirm what is included, such as ticket fees and lunch.
Read more: Dhaka sightseeing and Dhaka multi-day trips .