Dhaka Museums by Opening Day and Fee

October 29, 2026

Travel advisory, October 2026. For the Chittagong Hill Tracts (Rangamati, Khagrachari, Bandarban) the UK FCDO advises against all but essential travel and the US warns against travel as well. Elsewhere in Bangladesh the UK says terrorism is very likely, and that hartals and demonstrations can turn violent quickly, so avoid any gathering. Bag snatching from motorbikes and CNG auto-rickshaws has become more common since 2024. Read FCDO guidance and travel.state.gov before booking.

Plan around the closing days

Dhaka’s main museums do not share a weekly day off, which is the first thing to sort out when you build a route. Foreign visitors pay a higher fee than Bangladeshis, and tickets bought on the official sites carry a 4% service charge. This table of closing days comes from the venues’ own ticket pages, so confirm it again shortly before you travel.

Attraction	Foreign fee	Closed
Liberation War Museum, Agargaon	500 BDT	Sunday
Ahsan Manzil, Kumartoli	500 BDT	Thursday
Bangladesh National Museum, Shahbagh	500 BDT	Thursday
Bangabandhu Military Museum, Bijoy Sarani	800 BDT	Wednesday
Lalbagh Fort	200 BDT	Sunday (Monday afternoon only)

A Saturday to Tuesday combination works for most of them. On a Thursday only the Liberation War Museum and the Military Museum are open, and on a Wednesday the Military Museum is shut.

National Museum and Ahsan Manzil

The National Museum in Shahbagh holds tens of thousands of objects across dozens of galleries, from Buddhist and Hindu stone sculpture of the Pala and Sena periods to embroidered nakshi kantha quilts and twentieth century paintings by Zainul Abedin and SM Sultan. It opens Saturday to Wednesday from 10:30 to 16:30 and on Friday from mid afternoon, so start early. Tickets are sold at nationalmuseumticket.gov.bd .

Ahsan Manzil, the pink riverside palace of the Nawabs of Dhaka, was built in 1872. Its galleries show period rooms, furniture and photographs. Sales stop at 16:00, half an hour before the doors close, and Friday hours run from 15:00. Book through ahsanmanzilticket.gov.bd .

Military Museum

The Bangabandhu Military Museum at Bijoy Sarani, reachable by Metro Line 6 from the station of the same name, has army, navy and air force galleries with vintage vehicles and aircraft. Hours are long, 10:30 to 19:00 on most days and from 15:00 on Friday, and details are at bangladeshmilitarymuseum.org .

Old Dhaka’s quieter stops

Two free sites sit well away from the tour groups. The Armenian Church of the Holy Resurrection in Armanitola dates from 1781 and has a shaded churchyard with more than 300 gravestones carrying Armenian and English inscriptions. Ring the bell at the gate and the caretaker will let you in. Khan Mohammad Mridha Mosque, from 1706, stands on a raised vaulted platform near Lalbagh Fort and is usually calm. Dress modestly at both.

Liberation War Museum

The Liberation War Museum documents the 1971 war and the mass killings that accompanied it, through film, photographs, documents and personal belongings, including human remains recovered from killing sites. It is a serious place and not a light stop between other plans. Allow at least two hours, expect some exhibits to be distressing, and note that photography is restricted in some galleries. It opens from 10:00 to 17:00, with shorter hours during Ramadan. Tickets are sold at liberationwarmuseumbd.org . Dhanmondi 32, the former home of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was demolished in February 2025 and no longer operates as a museum.

Getting between sites

Metro Line 6 is the quickest link: Agargaon for the Liberation War Museum, Shahbagh for the National Museum and Bijoy Sarani for the Military Museum, with fares from 20 BDT. Old Dhaka sites are better reached by a short rickshaw ride after you agree the price. For the crossings between neighbourhoods, a ride-hailing car with a driver you can identify is safer than a CNG at night.

If you prefer a driver and a guide for the Old Dhaka stops, you can compare options on Viator . Ask whether museum tickets are included and what the foreign rate adds.