🛫 Current Terminal Layout

T1: the older international terminal, used for Asian/Gulf carriers’ selected operations.

T2: the newer international terminal, the dominant international concourse.

Domestic Terminal: all Biman, US-Bangla, Air Astra, NovoAir domestic operations.

⭐ The T3 Status (May 2026)

T3 specs: 230,000 m² floor space, 115 check-in counters, 66 departure immigration desks, 59 arrival immigration desks, 3 VIP immigration. Designed to handle 12-16 million additional passengers annually plus ~900,000 tonnes of cargo.

Visa-on-Arrival — $50 + Tax

Available at DAC for many nationalities including US, UK, EU, Canada, Australia, NZ. $50 plus tax payable in foreign currency; bring crisp USD or convert at an authorised counter on arrival. Proof of return/onward ticket + proof of funds + accommodation evidence required.

Yellow Fever — Risk-Country Only

WHO yellow card required only for arrivals from a yellow-fever-risk country (mostly sub-Saharan Africa and parts of South America), and only for travellers over 1 year old. Get the vaccine at least 10 days before travel; the certificate is valid for life since the WHO change of 11 July 2016.

BDT — Cash Dominant

Currency is the Bangladeshi taka (BDT / ৳). $1 ≈ BDT 123 (May 2026). Cash dominates; Visa/Mastercard work at upmarket hotels and chain restaurants; bKash mobile money is the local rail but is restricted to Bangladesh-resident users. Declare foreign currency ≥$5,000 on arrival. ATMs at the airport accept foreign Visa/Mastercard with a transaction fee.

🚖 Airport Taxi

• Pickup at the rank outside arrivals.
• Fare to central Dhaka: BDT 1,500-2,500 (~$12-20) for the 17 km / 1-3 hour journey.
• Pre-paid taxi counter inside arrivals is the safer option for first-time visitors — fixed fares, receipt, driver number.
• Bengali is the primary language; English is common in business and tourism contexts.

📱 Uber + Pathao — Ride-Hail

• Uber operates at DAC; Pathao is the Bangladeshi local ride-hail equivalent (also offers motorbike taxis, useful in heavy traffic).
• Fare to central Dhaka: BDT 800-1,800 (~$6-15) — typically cheaper than the rank taxi.
• Surge pricing applies in peak hours; check both apps. Payment via app (international cards work in Uber; Pathao requires local bank linkage).
• Pathao bikes are faster than cars in worst traffic — for luggage-free travellers, the motorbike option can halve the journey time.

🚌 Airport Bus Service

• BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) route 3 connects the airport area to central Dhaka on the dedicated bus corridor; fare BDT 50-100 (~$0.50-0.85).
• Various other Dhaka City Corporation airport-route buses also operate.
• Cheapest option but with luggage and language barriers, not the most foreigner-friendly mode.
• Useful primarily for budget-conscious travellers without large luggage.

🏨 Hotel Transfer — The Sensible Default

• The major Dhaka hotels (Le Méridien Dhaka near the airport, InterContinental Dhaka, Westin Dhaka, Pan Pacific Sonargaon, Radisson Blu Dhaka Water Garden) offer paid airport transfers in the BDT 2,000-5,000 (~$16-40) range.
• Driver meets in arrivals; pre-arranged vehicle; useful first arrival particularly for non-Bengali speakers and given the unpredictability of Dhaka traffic.
• The recommended choice for business and diplomatic travellers.

🛋️ Skylounge — T1 Airside International

Location: 2nd floor, T1 airside International Departures.

Programmes: Priority Pass, DragonPass, LoungeKey.

EBL Skylounge walk-in (effective 1 Jan 2026): BDT 1,200 / USD 12 (VAT inclusive) for 3 hours.

🛋️ MTB Air + UCB Imperial Lounges

MTB Air Lounge — T1 and Domestic. Priority Pass listed.

UCB Imperial Lounge — T1 and Domestic. Priority Pass listed.

Ilish (hilsa, Tenualosa ilisha) is Bangladesh’s national fish — a silver-scaled clupeid that runs from the Bay of Bengal into the Padma, Meghna and Jamuna rivers during monsoon. Iconic preparations: shorshe ilish (in mustard sauce), ilish bhapa (steamed in banana leaf with mustard paste), ilish polao (with fragrant rice). The Padma-river ilish in monsoon (June-September) is the seasonal peak. ₹400-1,200 per portion at a Dhaka restaurant.

Kacchi biryani — the Old Dhaka biryani tradition — uses raw marinated mutton (not pre-cooked, unlike Hyderabadi dum biryani) sealed under fragrant rice and slow-cooked from raw together with potatoes, prunes and saffron. Haji Biryani (Nazira Bazaar) is the city’s defining address, operating since 1939 — small, hot, queue out the door, BDT 200-300 per portion. The kacchi tradition is distinctly Dhakaiya, separate from the Mughlai or Hyderabadi schools.

Beef bhuna — slow-cooked beef in a dark concentrated onion-and-spice gravy — is the country’s everyday meat dish, served with rice or paratha. Bhortha is the Bengali mashed-side-dish category: shutki (dried fish) bhortha, aloo (potato) bhortha, begun (eggplant) bhortha, dal bhortha — punchy and aromatic, eaten with rice. The bhortha selection at a serious Dhaka restaurant is the textbook check on the kitchen’s authenticity.

Mishti (Bengali sweets) is a deeply institutional tradition. Rasgulla, sandesh, roshmalai, chamcham at the famous sweet shops — Premium Sweets, Banoful, Muslim Sweets, Mithai — are the defining Dhaka indulgence. BDT 50-200 per piece. The rice-and-jaggery-based pithas (steamed cakes) are the winter-season Bangladeshi snack.

🧣 Jamdani Muslin Saris

Jamdani — the hand-woven cotton muslin from the Sonargaon region (UNESCO ICH since 2013) — is Bangladesh’s defining textile tradition, distinguished by intricate floral and geometric motifs. Saris and shawls from BDT 5,000-50,000+ depending on quality. The most distinctive Bangladesh souvenir.

🧵 Nakshi Kantha Embroidery

Nakshi kantha — embroidered quilts made from layered old saris — is the Bangladeshi traditional textile-art form, GI-tagged. Small wall hangings BDT 1,500-5,000; larger quilts BDT 5,000-30,000.

🍵 Bangladesh Tea

The Sylhet tea estates (Bangladesh’s tea-growing region) produce mostly black tea. The famous “seven-layer tea” (saat-rang) from Srimangal is the curiosity speciality. Packs from BDT 200-1,500 for premium blends.

🧶 Rickshaw Art Posters

The vibrant Dhaka rickshaw painting tradition — UNESCO ICH 2023 — produces hand-painted posters and panels in bright primary colours. The Aarong shops and Old Dhaka galleries stock them at BDT 500-3,000. Unique Bangladesh visual culture.

The Lalbagh Fort, in Old Dhaka, is a 17th-century unfinished Mughal complex begun in 1678 by Prince Muhammad Azam (later Emperor Aurangzeb’s son). Construction was halted after the death of Pari Bibi — the daughter of Subahdar (governor) Shaista Khan — and the complex was considered ill-omened and never completed. The surviving structures include the Tomb of Pari Bibi (with marble interior), a grand mosque (Quilla Mosque), the Hammam (bath complex), and the Diwan-i-Aam (governor’s hall). Red sandstone construction. Entry BDT 20 Bangladeshis / BDT 200 foreigners. The single best Mughal-era visit in Bangladesh.

The Ahsan Manzil, on the bank of the Buriganga River in Old Dhaka, was the official residence of the Nawabs of Dhaka — a 19th-century palace in Indo-Saracenic style, painted in its signature pink. The palace played a central role in the Pakistan-movement and Bengali-independence-movement history; it is now a museum holding the Nawab’s personal effects, period furniture, and a comprehensive collection on 19th-century Dhaka. Entry BDT 20 Bangladeshis / BDT 200 foreigners. Closed on Thursdays.

Dhaka has an estimated 500,000+ cycle rickshaws — among the world’s largest cycle-rickshaw populations — and the Old Dhaka rickshaw ride is genuinely the defining urban transport experience of the city. The artistic-painted rickshaws (“rickshaw art” — UNESCO ICH 2023), the narrow lanes of Old Dhaka, the Buriganga River views from Ahsan Manzil to Sadarghat. A guided rickshaw tour with local English-speaking driver runs BDT 800-1,500 for a 2-3 hour Old Dhaka loop. Sadarghat — the Buriganga River boat terminal — is the parallel must-see, with the ferry traffic to inland Bangladesh.

The Bangladesh National Museum (Shahbag) holds the country’s principal historical, archaeological, and natural-history collection — 90,000+ exhibits across Bengali culture, the 1971 Liberation War, ancient Bengal civilisations. The Liberation War Museum (separate institution) documents the Bangladesh war of independence from Pakistan in 1971 with photographs, weapons, and oral histories — among Asia’s most-respected modern war museums. Both BDT 20-100. Closed Sundays (National Museum) / verify schedules.

Near the airport: Le Méridien Dhaka (Banani — 10 min from airport), Radisson Blu Water Garden (Diabari) — BDT 12,000-25,000 (~$100-200) per night. Gulshan / Banani (diplomatic + business quarter): Westin Dhaka, InterContinental Dhaka, Pan Pacific Sonargaon — BDT 15,000-35,000. For business travellers, Gulshan is the standard area. For early flights, Le Méridien Dhaka is the practical choice given the airport’s proximity and Dhaka traffic unpredictability.

Grameenphone, Robi, Banglalink are the three Bangladeshi operators. SIMs at landside arrivals or in town for BDT 300-1,000 (~$2.50-8) with passport + visa registration; data bundles BDT 200-1,500. 4G is widespread in Dhaka and major towns; 5G has limited deployment. Most Western apps work normally in Bangladesh — Google, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp all function. bKash (Bangladesh’s leading mobile money) is universal domestically but restricted to Bangladesh-resident users.

The dominant constraint is Dhaka traffic.
4-hour layover: stay airside; round-trip transit alone is 2-4 hours.
6-8 hour layover: Uber/Pathao to Le Méridien Dhaka or Gulshan for a Bangladeshi-cuisine lunch + a short visit. Old Dhaka not feasible.
10-12+ hour layover: Uber to Old Dhaka for Lalbagh Fort + Ahsan Manzil + rickshaw ride + kacchi biryani at Haji Biryani. Round trip 5-7 hours with traffic. Allow 2 hour return-buffer for traffic + check-in + immigration. Daylight only.