The national airline is Biman Bangladesh Airlines (BG).

BDT300.

Dhaka International (DAC) (Zia International). The airport is 20km (11 miles) north of the city (journey time – 45 minutes). To/from the airport: Biman Bangladesh coaches run regularly. To return, pick up the coach from the Tejgaon old airport building, the Golden Gate or Zakaria hotels. Parjatan Coaches are also available. Bus and taxi services are available to the city. It is usual to give a 5% tip to taxi drivers. It has been known for passengers to suffer harassment at International Airports, even by corrupt officials or unlicensed touts. It is best to arrange pick-up in advance, preferably with the hotel or friends. The airport has, however, improved immeasurably in the last couple of years and improvement looks set to continue. Hopefully, these issues will eventually be resolved. Facilities: Restaurants, post office, banks, duty-free shops and car hire.

Other international airports include Chittagong (CGP) (MA Hannan International Airport) and Syhlet (ZYL) (Osmani International Airport).

The main seaport is Chittagong. Ferries from Myanmar and India run to the southern coastal ports. For details, contact the Embassy or High Commission of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh (see Contact Addresses).

Rail connections (there are no through-trains) link Bangladesh with India (West Bengal and Assam). Cycle-rickshaw, bus or porter services provide the cross-border connections.

Overland crossings include the Benapol-Haridispur border (for Calcutta), the Chilihari-Haldibari border (for Darjeeling) and the Tamabil-Dawki border (for Shillong). The crossing at Benapol is the easiest and most used. It is advisable to check when the frontier posts will be open. Conditions are likely to be difficult during the monsoon season. All other frontier posts between the two countries are currently closed. Overland travel is not currently possible between Bangladesh and Myanmar.

Coach: A direct daily service has recently been introduced between Dhaka and Calcutta via Benapol. For further details, contact Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (tel: (2) 955 5553).

Internal services are operated by Aero Bengal Airlines, Air Parabat, Bengal Airlift LTD, Biman Bangladesh Airlines (BG) and GMG Airlines. Regular flights are run between Dhaka and several other main towns. These are cheap, and most routes are served at least two or three times a week. Airline buses connect with terminals.

Domestic airports include Barisal, Cox’s Bazar, Ishwdi, Jessore, Rajshahi and Saidpur.

Major river ports: Barisal, Chandpur, Dhaka, Khulna and Narayanganj. The country has about 8,433km (5,240 miles) of navigable waterways and water transport, if a little slow, is the least expensive method of getting around Bangladesh. Ferries operate between southern coastal ports and the Ganges River delta. Passages should be booked well in advance; for details, contact local port authorities. River services are operated by the Bangladesh Inland Waterway Transport Corporation (BIWTC), which runs ‘Rocket’ ferries and launches on a number of routes. A ferry operates from Dhaka to Khulna four times a week (journey time – 28 hours). Ferries can often be dangerously overcrowded.

A slow but efficient network, operated by Bangladesh Railway, is limited by the geography of the country, but river ferries (see Getting Around By Water above) provide through links. Services are being upgraded. However, trains still occasionally derail and passengers have been injured. The main line is Dhaka–Chittagong, with several daily trains, some of which have air-conditioned cars. An inter-city express service is available between main towns.

Traffic drives on the left. There are approximately 6,240km (3,877 miles) of roads, of which 3,840km (2,386 miles) are paved. Road safety is poor. Traffic is heavy and chaotic in urban areas. There are frequent and often lethal crashes caused by speeding, dangerous and aggressive overtaking, sudden manoeuvres, etc. Vehicles and roads are badly maintained and often unlit; drivers, if in lit vehicles, will often have the light full-beam. In addition to all this, banditry is a problem after dark. It is possible to reach virtually everywhere by road, but given the geography of the country, with frequent ferry crossings being a necessity, together with the poor quality of many of the roads, road travel can be very slow.

Bus: The Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) provides a countrywide network of bus services. All major towns are served; fares are generally low.

Taxi: Generally available at airports and major hotels. Fares should always be agreed upon before travelling. It is usual to give a 5% tip to taxi drivers.

Car hire: Cars may be hired at Dhaka airport, the Bangladesh Tourism Corporation Office or from the major hotels. However, in the major cities, it is relatively easy and inexpensive to hire chauffeur-driven cars.

Documentation: International Driving Permit required.

There are bus services, which are usually very crowded and unreliable, in Dhaka, provided by the Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation. The Central Bus Station is on Station Road (Fulbaria); there are also several other terminals, which are, in general, for long-distance services. Buses and bus stations do not generally have signs in English. There are also an estimated 10,000 independent ‘auto-rickshaw’ 3-wheeler taxis (avoid night-time use). Conventional taxis are also available.

The following chart gives approximate journey times (in hours and minutes) from Dhaka to other major cities/towns in Bangladesh.

	Air	Road	Rail
Chittagong	0.35	6.00	6.00
Sylhet	0.30	7.00	7.00
Rajshahi	0.45	12.00	13.00
Rangpur	-	11.30	11.30