Chattogram Division · Bangladesh
Where to stay in Chittagong
Chittagong is a city in Chattogram Division, Bangladesh, home to about 3,231,000 people.
- Best months
- December to February
- Nearest airport
- CGP10 km · Shah Amanat International Airport
- Currency
- BDTBangladeshi taka
- Time zone
- Asia/Dhaka
- Language
- Bangla
About
About Chittagong
Chittagong ( CHIT-ə-gong), officially Chattogram, is the capital and largest city of the Chittagong Division and Chittagong District. It is the second-largest city in Bangladesh after the capital, Dhaka, and the largest city in the Greater Chittagong region, with a land area of 157 square kilometers.
Chittagong (Chittagonian: চাটগাঁ Chāṭgān, pronounced SAHT-gahn, Bengali: চট্টগ্রাম Choṭṭogrām, pronounced CHAWT-toh-grahm) is one of the great port cities of Asia. It flourished on the Maritime Silk Road and was the eastern terminus of the Grand Trunk Road. It was visited by famous medieval explorers like the Venetians Niccolo de Conti and Caeser Frederick; the Arab traveller Ibn Battuta; and the Chinese admiral Zheng He. The Portuguese, Mughals and British controlled the port in successive periods until the 20th century.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Chittagong
See
- BNS Issa Khan
- Chittagong Buddhist Monastery
- Chittagong Zoo
- J M Sen Hall
- Anderkilla Shahi Jame Mosque
- Chandanpura Nachghar
- Cheragi Pahar
- Chittagong Court Building
- Chatteshwari Temple
- Central Railway Building
- Iskcon Prabartak Sri Krishna Temple
- Jamuna Bhaban
Do
- Batali Hill
- Agrabad Deba
- Foy's Lake Concord
- Karnaphuli Shishu Park
- Chittagong Shishu Park
- Bistaar: Chittagong Arts Complex
- Theatre Institute Chattagram
- Zilla Shilpakala Academy
- Star Cineplex
- Silver Screen
- Sugandha Cinema Hall
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Hotels in Chittagong
11 hotels within 25 km of the centre, as recorded in Wikidata. Each name links to its encyclopedia article where there is one.
| Hotel | Opened | From centre |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel Agrabad | 1969 | 3.0 km |
| Courtyard Marriott Hotel | 2.6 km | |
| Asian SR Hotel | 0.4 km | |
| Grand Park Hotel | 2.7 km | |
| Hotel Saintmartin Ltd. | 2.3 km | |
| Naba Inn | 3.0 km | |
| Orchid Business Hotel | 2.1 km | |
| Radisson Blu Chattogram Bay View | 1.6 km | |
| THE Avenue Hotel & Suites | 1.9 km | |
| The Peninsula Chittagong Limited | 2.8 km | |
| Well Park Residence Boutique Hotel & Suites | 2.9 km |
All 11 hotels in Chittagong, with their history and operators
When to go
The best time to visit Chittagong
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Chittagong are December to February. May is the warmest month, with average highs of 33 °C; July is the wettest, with about 766 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Chittagong: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Shah Amanat International Airport (CGP), about 9.7 km from the city centre in a straight line; Cox's Bazar Airport (CXB, 99 km) is also within reach.
Getting around
Getting around in Chittagong is always an adventure. Traffic is, by and large, horribly congested and many drivers will think nothing of quoting ten times the going price to a tourist. Agree on prices before setting off. Transport in Chittagong is similar to that of the country's capital Dhaka. There are various bus systems with different routes, taxis, and smaller 'CNG' taxis which are basically tricycle-structured motor vehicles. Also, traditional manual rickshaws are very common.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
CGP · Shah Amanat International Airport
CXB · Cox's Bazar Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Chittagong
Eat
The people of Chittagong love oily and spicy food. This can be a problem for foreigners and lead to upset stomachs. If you are a foreigner you should consider sticking with better restaurants and eating in large hotels. Never eat green salad which comes with your meal as you will not know if it has been washed in sanitized water. Just a handful of restaurants in town use sanitized water to wash salad and this is a recipe for explosive diarrhea. One oddity in Bangladesh is that restaurants advertise themselves as, for example, "Zaman Hotel and Restaurant" but do not operate a hotel. Where you eat at one of these establishments you can tease them by demanding a room.
Drink
The teahouses and coffee houses in Chittagong are mostly large, heavily standardized chains. Alcoholic beverages are available at five-star hotels in Chittagong as well as a number of private clubs. Four hotels in Chittagong have bar license; Radisson Blu Chittagong Bay View, Hotel Agrabad, Silmoon Hotel, Saint Martin Hotel Limited and The Peninsula Chittagong. While all the hotels are expensive for drinks. Like the Peninsula is expensive by far (more than Tk 550 for a large can of Heineken).
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Chittagong: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Chittagong?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Chittagong are December to February. May is the warmest month, with average highs of 33 °C; July is the wettest, with about 766 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Chittagong?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Shah Amanat International Airport (CGP), about 9.7 km from the city centre in a straight line; Cox's Bazar Airport (CXB, 99 km) is also within reach.
What currency is used in Chittagong?
Bangladeshi taka (BDT).
Nearby
Destinations near Chittagong
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.