9 Places You Must Visit In Chittagong
This article was written by Tanjid Jisan, who lived a big part of his life in Chittagong, and knows what are the places you must visit in and around Chittagong. In Chittagong, you must visit:
- Chittagong Commonwealth War Cemetery
- Patenga Beach
- Chittagong Zoo
- Foy’s Lake
- Batighar
- Cox’s Bazar
- Rangamati
- Bandarban
- Khagrachari
Chittagong is the second-largest city in Bangladesh and one of the most diverse cities in South Asia. The city has been shaped by its diverse history that includes Portuguese, British, Hindu-Muslim, Buddhist, and trading influences. There are many things to do in Chittagong, in this article, I’ll mention some of our favorite excursions that you should not miss out on.
To help you out, I divided this article into two different segments:
- What to do in Chittagong City?
- What to do around Chittagong Division?
I hope that, by reading this article, you’ll get a complete guideline to explore the beauty of Chittagong.
What to Do in Chittagong City?
Chittagong City is a lively metropolitan city with plenty of things to do in the urban environment and around town. Here are some top attractions you should not miss:
Chittagong Commonwealth War Cemetery
The Chittagong War Cemetery is one of the few Commonwealth war cemeteries in South Asia. The cemetery was built to commemorate those who died during World War II. It has graves of those who died during World War II and some have been identified while others are unknown. There is also an exhibition that tells about how they came here, what their lives were like before the war, etc.
You can have all the information to visit the Chittagong Commonwealth war cemetery on the Commonwealth War Graves website.
Patenga Beach
Patenga is a popular tourist spot found near the Bangladesh Naval Academy and Shah Amanat International Airport. The beach provides access to breathtaking views of the Bay of Bengal, making it an excellent spot for sunbathing or swimming at any time during its long summer days.
It is not only popular for its sandy beaches, but also because of the fishing and boat rides available to visitors. So, probably, you shouldn’t miss this place when visiting Chittagong.
Chittagong Zoo
Chittagong Zoo is the oldest and one of the most popular zoos in Bangladesh. It was established in 1947 with a total area of about six hectares (15 acres). The zoo exhibits more than 300 animals, including white tigers, Asiatic lions, Bengal tigers, chital deer, and crocodiles, etc. In Chittagong Zoo, you can also see a variety of birds, such as flamingos and peacocks, etc.
All the information to visit Chittagong Zoo are available directly on the Chittagong Zoo website.
Foy’s Lake
Foy’s Lake is a large freshwater lake in Chittagong. It is situated at the foot of the hills near downtown and has an area of about six hectares (15 acres). Foy’s Lake was created artificially by damming up a seasonal stream that once flowed down from the hills into the Bay of Bengal. According to Banglapedia, there is another artificial lake in the area:
There is another artificial lake close to the south of the Pahartali Railway Station, which was excavated by the same railway authority in 1920. Both the lakes are tourist spots of Chittagong City and are regularly visited by local and foreign tourists.
Credits to Banglapedia for this quote
It’s located in the midpoint of Chittagong city and there are many interesting scenarios you can see when you are visiting Foy’s Lake. I hope you will enjoy it.
Batighar
Are you a book lover? Then probably it would be the best place to visit in Chittagong city. In Batighar, you will find varieties of local and international books which you can buy or read while having a coffee. Sounds good, right?
Whether you are fiction or non-fiction book lover, you will find everything according to your preference. Cheers!
What to Do Around Chittagong Division?
The Chittagong division has a lot of natural attractions, and some of the most popular destinations are:
Cox’s Bazar
Do you know about the longest sea beach in the world? Yes, it’s located in Cox’s Bazar. I can’t stop myself suggesting you visit Cox’s Bazar Sea beach and other historical places like Ramu Mondir, Himchari, etc.
It’s almost 150km far from Chittagong Metropolitan Area, so you can take a bus ride for reaching. If you aren’t comfortable with the bus, you can take an air flight too. Cox’s Bazar is a great travel attraction in Bangladesh. Every year, many local and foreign travelers are visiting here. It’s not so expensive too. The following video will show you exactly what the longest beach in the world looks like:
Rangamati
If one comes to a long tour in the Chittagong division and won’t visit at least one of the three hill tract districts, then I bet that he missed the magical and thrilling part of Chittagong. Rangamati is famous for forest hills, valleys, and lakes. The most-visited palaces around Rangamati are kaptai lake, shuvolong waterfall, Holy rajbana vihar, and rangamati cultural museum. Also, it’s a place for trekking or camping to various discovered and undiscovered waterfalls, peaks with thrilling nights with the sky full of stars.
That kind of landscape may remind you of the ones you can find in Vietnam, Cambodia, the Philippines, or even some places in Thailand, Malaysia, and Myanmar.
Kaptai lake is one of the attractive places for boating experiences. Through this waterway, you can enjoy the beauty of various spots such as rangamati city, hanging bridge, sheikh russell eco-park, karnafuli river, etc. From Dhaka, you can directly come to Rangamati city by bus. Or you can take a bus from Chittagong’s new market, and the journey will take 3 to 4 hours approximately.
Bandarban
Bandarban is a place of peace and amazement. If you want to feel the actual beauty of this place, you have to make a plan only for it. With large and small waterfalls, it’s the ideal place for trekking and camping at a lower price. The lure of the tallest peaks of Bangladesh treks through virgin forests and the chance to meet more than 15 tribes of the region up close is growing both among Bangladeshis and tourists from other countries. Since the insurgency ceased in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, it has become an increasingly popular tourist destination.
You can explore this area on foot or by jeep, with some treks lasting as long as 10 days. There are plenty of hotels to choose from that offer excellent service at affordable prices. If you’re not into trekking, there’s also plenty to see just driving, such as Nilgiri, Nilachal, Chimbuk hill, etc. This place will give you a taste of what life was like before modernization took over our world. From Dhaka, there are direct bus services to Barbarban by several reputed companies. From Chittagong city, take a ride from Bahaddarhat bus stand direct to Bandarban city.
Khagrachari
Khagrachari is well known for its numerous springs and wild hills. Along with various waterfalls, hanging bridges, lakes, valleys, Khagrachari contains famous caves, ponds, and places. Among them, Alutila cave, Debotar Pukur (Pond of God), Horticulture park, etc. So to get a gentle walk with your friends in the fresh air, you can go to visit Mayabini lake, Shantipur Aronno Kutir, Alutila tourist center, and New Zealand para.
New Zealand para is the name of a road between two areas that looks like New Zealand. Nature is more lively here with green paddy fields, dark green hills, sounds of the fountain, blue sky. If you visit Khagrachari, you must visit this famous place. If you are in Chittagong and planned to visit Khagrachari, you can go directly by bus from the new market. Otherwise, you can visit Bandarban first, and then to Khagrachari from there. There are direct bus up-downs to Dhaka regularly from Khagrachari city.
Going further – What else to visit in Chittagong
Here, I try to cover some of our amazing places you shouldn’t miss. Chittagong is a land of great attraction. There are many places like Mirsarai, Sitakunda, Bhatiary you can visit too. If this article helped you feel free to share it on your social media. Thanks for reading.
