Barishal বরিশাল
River city of launches, ilish and water lilies
Barishal is the capital of Bangladesh's river country, reached by overnight launches from Dhaka down the Meghna and Kirtankhola. Around the city are a grand modern mosque, an old royal tank and wetlands that turn red with water lilies, while the region's ilish and Gournadi doi are known nationwide.
- Overnight launch journeys
- Guthia Mosque
- Durgasagar
- Ilish
- Gournadi doi
Places
Place Guthia Mosque
গুঠিয়া মসজিদA large modern mosque complex with a reflecting pond, gardens and a tall minaret near Wazirpur.
Place Durgasagar Dighi
দুর্গাসাগর দিঘীA huge 18th-century tank with a wooded island, popular for winter birds and quiet walks.
Place Oxford Mission Church
অক্সফোর্ড মিশন চার্চA large red-brick Anglican church with a tall bell tower in a calm, leafy compound.
Place Bibir Pukur
বিবির পুকুরA historic pond at the heart of Barishal city, ringed by a walkway and evening food stalls.
Place Mahilara Sarkar Math (leaning temple)
মাহিলাড়া সরকার মঠAn 18th-century brick spire temple in Gournadi that leans noticeably to one side, often called Barishal's leaning tower.
Representative photo Place Sher-e-Bangla Memorial Museum, Chakhar
শেরে বাংলা স্মৃতি জাদুঘর, চাখারA small museum on A. K. Fazlul Huq's ancestral homestead at Chakhar, with his furniture, photographs and a few archaeological finds.
Place Qasba Mosque, Gournadi
কসবা মসজিদ, গৌরনদীA nine-domed Sultanate-era mosque beside the Dhaka–Barishal highway, modelled on Khan Jahan's Nine Dome Mosque in Bagerhat.
Representative photo Place Sugandha Shaktipeeth, Shikarpur
সুগন্ধা শক্তিপীঠ, শিকারপুরOne of the Shakta pithas, the goddess Sunanda's temple at Shikarpur village about 10 miles north of Barishal.
Foods
Food Barishal ilish
বরিশালের ইলিশSilvery hilsa from the southern rivers, rich and fragrant, best in mustard gravy or fried.
Food Gournadi doi
গৌরনদীর দইThick, sweet set yoghurt from Gournadi, sold in clay pots along the Dhaka–Barishal highway.
Representative photo Food Molida
মলিদাA thick, cooling iftar drink of ground rice, milk, coconut, ginger and cane jaggery, an old Barishal tradition.
Traditions
Where to stay
Hotel prices in every district →- Budget hotel
- ৳800–2,500
- Good hotel
- ৳2,500–6,000
- Upscale / resort
- ৳6,000–15,000
Where these prices come from
Daily Star (Nov 2024): Barishal city hotels such as Hotel Arena, Grand Park, Rodela, Athena International and Sedona range from 500 to 15,000 a night depending on AC and facilities; the split into levels is an estimate.
Prices come from newspapers, the Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation website and the hotels' own listings. Call the hotel to check the rate before you book.
Where to eat, and what it costs
This district's meal costs are estimated from nearby districts. Any restaurants listed below have their own sourced prices.
Room and food together here come to roughly ৳800–3,850 per person a day
From a budget hotel and local eateries up to a good hotel and good restaurants. We assume two people share a room, so each pays half the room rate. Travel, tickets and upscale places are extra.
Restaurants and dish prices (1)
- Dadhi Ghar Girja Mahalla, Barishal city
- Bowl of doi, chira, sweet muri, ghol or butter (50-100 Tk) · ৳50/bowl
Local eateries 2025 prices · Source
Taste these
- Barishal ilish Fish markets and riverside hotels in Barishal city Varies with size and season, approx. 900–2,000 BDT per kg
- Gournadi doi Sweet shops at Gournadi bus stand Approx. 200–350 BDT per pot
- Molida Homes in Barishal during Ramadan, and traditional food fairs in Barishal city; ask locals, as shops rarely sell it
Where these prices come from
Estimate only: no dated Barishal meal prices were found, so these follow nearby division towns such as Khulna, Madaripur and Patuakhali; a 2025 Daily Star travel piece only says food near the floating guava market is cheap.
Prices come from newspapers and the restaurants' own listings, and they change over time.
