Chandpur is a great place to spend a day. You can enjoy a beautiful trip in Chandpur in a short amount of time. Enjoy boating, the river, fresh air, a mini version of Cox’s Bazar, Chandpur’s hilsa fish, and famous ice cream and sweets. You can hang out on the banks of the Padma River and enjoy the estuaries of the Padma, Meghna, and Dakatia rivers. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can also take a dip in the river. Overall, it’s a great way to relax. The launch journey itself does not cause fatigue. So, you can choose Chandpur for a day tour.
Chandpur Day Tour Travel Guide
A day trip from Dhaka to Chandpur is quite popular for buying fresh hilsa at the market or enjoying its taste. The trip from Dhaka takes about four hours by launch. You can leave early in the morning, spend the day in Chandpur, and return to Dhaka at night. However, it is best to leave for Chandpur by launch at midnight, spend the day there, and return to Dhaka by launch at midnight. This way, you won’t need to spend the night in a hotel because you’ll be staying on the launch for two nights. If your trip is on a clear night, it’s an even better opportunity.
How to Get to Chandpur
You can travel from Dhaka to Chandpur by bus, train, or boat. However, if you are going on a trip, it is better to go by launch. Notable launches on the Dhaka-Chandpur route include MV Sonartari, MV Taqwa, MV Bogdadiya, MV Meghna Rani, MV Al Borak, MV Eagle, MV Rafraf, and MV Tutul. Launches leave Sadarghat at 6:00/6:30 a.m. and again after an hour and a half. Fares range from 100 to 200 taka, depending on the seat. If you take a cabin, the fare is 500 to 1,500 taka.
The trip from Sadarghat to Chandpur launch ghat takes three hours. You can find the return schedule at the launch ghat after disembarking in Chandpur.
From the big station, you can take a rickshaw or auto to the mouth of the three rivers. The rickshaw fare is 30-35 taka, and the auto fare is 10 taka per person. Go to the large station park. There is a Hilsa sculpture there. Take a picture standing in front of it, then walk to the end of the park. From there, you can see the confluence of the three rivers. As you approach the end, you will see a strangely shaped blood drop sculpture.
What you will see in Chandpur
A visit to Chandpur is incomplete without a trip to the mouth of the Molehead River, the city’s main station. You will definitely remember the time you spend at the confluence of the three rivers. While there, you can also see Mini Cox’s Bazar, the symbol of Chandpur district’s heritage; the Angikar sculpture; the Liberation War monument; the Rupsha Zamindar House; and more. The beauty of Chandpur is that the Hilsa market is near the main station, so you can spend the afternoon at the river’s mouth and visit the market in the evening. There are also good options here for buying the silver hilsa of your choice to take home.
If you want to eat hilsa, come to Rajrajeshwar Char by boat or trawler from Chandpur Bora Station. The trip takes 30 minutes. The confluence of the Padma, Meghna, and Dakatia rivers is visible from this char. At Manu Mia Hotel, located a short distance from the ghat of Rajrajeshwar Char, you can eat fried hilsa, hilsa fish eggs, or hilsa curry.
You can also purchase your favorite type of hilsa at the Hilsa Market located at Chandpur Bara Station. Barisal, Bhola, and sea hilsa are also available at Dapur Bara Station. If you want hilsa from Chandpur, choose based on its shiny, silver color. Sea hilsa has a reddish hue in addition to its silver color.
Mini Cox’s Bazar or Haimchar
If you have time, visit Haimchar, a small town in Chandpur known as the “mini Cox’s Bazar.” During the dry season, the water level recedes, exposing a large area of Haimchar. You can take a trawler from the main station to visit this char for 80-100 taka per person.
Rupsha Zamindar Bari
According to the time, you can visit the Rupsha Zamindar Bari in Faridganj Upazila, which is 21 kilometers away from Chandpur Sadar. Take a bus from the Chandpur bus stand to Faridganj Bazaar. From there, you can take a local CNG to Rupsha Bazaar. Alternatively, you can visit from Chandpur in a reserved CNG vehicle for 400–500 taka. On the way back, try the famous sweets from Awal Sweets in Faridganj Bazaar.
What to See in Chandpur
Each river has a unique appearance. The best way to understand this is to go to Chandpur. There is a small park on the riverbank. In the park, there is a charming sculpture called “Rakta Dhara.” It was built in honor of the martyrs of the great liberation war. In the winter, many chars appear in the middle of the Meghna River. You can rent a boat from the riverbank to visit those chars. It costs 500 taka to rent a boat for a half-hour trip there and back.
Read More: Sitakunda Day Tour Travel Guide
Ways to go to Chandpur
You can travel from Dhaka to Chandpur by bus, train, or boat. However, the launch is the best option. This will make traveling more enjoyable in one day. Notable launches on the Dhaka-Chandpur route include MV Sonartari, MV Taqwa, MV Bogdadiya, MV Meghna Rani, MV Al Borak, MV Eagle, MV Rafraf, and MV Tutul. Launches to Chandpur leave Sadarghat daily from 7:00 a.m. onwards. Fares are usually 100 taka for the deck, 150 taka for a chair, 500 taka for a non-AC single cabin, 800 taka for a non-AC double cabin, 1,000 taka for a single AC cabin, and 1,500–2,000 taka for an AC double cabin. The trip from Dhaka to Chandpur takes three to three and a half hours.
How to come back
After visiting Chandpur, take the same launch back as before. Launches are available from Chandpur to Dhaka from noon to midnight. You can return to Dhaka by launch at a time that is convenient for you.
Where to Eat?
Chandpur is known as the “City of Hilsa.” There are a few hotels with restaurants at the launch ghat. The prices are almost the same at all of them. Hilsa costs 120 taka per piece. You can also buy hilsa fish from the Hilsa Chattar and have it fried at any shop for 100 taka. For lunch, you can enjoy potato stew and dal.
Afterwards, you will go to Kalibari. You can take an autorickshaw from the ghat for 5 taka per person. After getting off at Kalibari, if you ask anyone, the locals will show you the “One Minute” sweet shop. The sweet shop has special ice cream. It costs 40 taka. You can sample One Minute’s sweets. They cost 10 taka each.
Where should you stay?
You can eat hilsa and visit Chandpur from Dhaka in one day, returning at night. This day-long tour is the most popular in Chandpur. However, for tourists who want to stay overnight, there are several residential hotels in addition to the Taj Mahal Hotel, the Shyamoli Hotel, and the Jonaki Hotel.
You can travel from Dhaka to Chandpur in one day to enjoy hilsa and return at night. While this day-long tour is the most popular way to travel to Chandpur, there are several hotels here for tourists who want to stay overnight, including Hotel Taj Mahal, Hotel Shyamoli, and Hotel Jonaki.
Famous Tourist Attractions
The district has 7 Upazilas. They are Kachua, Chandpur Sadar, Faridganj, Matlab Uttar, Matlab Dakshin, Shahrasti, Haimchar, and Hajiganj. It has famous archaeological heritage and relics. Here is the list of top tourist places of the districts according to Upazila.
Kachua
- Bakhtiar Khan Jami Mosque (Ujani, 1107 AH),
- Jami Mosque at village Palgiri
- Dighi and pata (stone slab) of Behula
- Sree Sree Jagannath Dev Temple at Sachar (1870)
- Dighi at Saharpar (Rahimanagar)
- Manasa Mura
- Math at Tulatali (sixteenth century)
Chandpur Sadar
- Angikar a liberation statue
- Begum Mosque (1812)
- Kalibari Mandir (1878)
- Math at Mathkhola
- Naorai ashram
- Naglingam plant in DC Bangalow
- Chandpur Steamer River Port
- River Research Institute
Faridganj
- Neelkuthi at Sahebganj
- Math Ashram at Lohagara
- Rupsa Zamindar Bari
- Rupsa Mosque
Matlab Uttar
- Ludhua Zamindar Bari
- Al-Wayesia Mosque at Farajikandi
- Kalakanda Mosque
- Mazar of Lengta Fakir at Badarpur
- Mandir and Rath at Naori
Matlab Dakshin
- Neel Kuthi at Munsifdi
- Baraduara at Kashimpur
Shahrasti
- Tomb and mosque of Shahrasti (R)
- Dinbandhu Asrama
- Sarbananda Thakur Asrama
- Kali Mandir
- Chowdhury Bari Fort at Nij Meher Sahapur
- Maths at Naora
- Paranpur and’ Barulia
Haimchar
- Three domed mosque at Bhingulia
Hajiganj
- Firozpur Mosque (1343 AD),
- One doomed mosque at Suhilpur,
- An old bridge on the Shailkhali Canal (sixteenth century),
- Five doomed mosque at Alipur (1692)
- Hajiganj Bara Mosque
- Math at Bakila
- homestead of Hari Shaha at Balakhali,
- altar engraved with Bishnu statue at Alipur,
- Akhra of Laxmi Narayan Jeu
- Dariya Hayat (pond)
- Dighi at Sreepur
- Mazar of Ali Ekabbar Shah (R)
- Alamgiri Mosque at Alipur
Travel tips and precautions
Since travel in Chandpur depends on launches, keep an eye on the launch timetable. Bring a life jacket for boat rides. Do not throw garbage in the river or anywhere else. Chandpur is known for its hilsa fish, so be sure to try it when you visit.