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Architecture Tour of Bangladesh
$500 per person
Architecture Tour of Bangladesh is a unique interactive tour program for architects and people passionate about architecture, art, culture and nature. While visiting an architecture site, visitors often forget the life and culture around the site. This trip is the perfect blend of architecture, people and their fascinating culture. We named this trip “a journey through the living architecture of Bangladesh.”
We are the first and only operator to offer this trip once a year in October. This tour requires a lot of permission from the government, private organizations, and individuals for site visits and interactive sessions. Bangladesh has developed a highly prolific contemporary architecture scene in the course of a few decades, which is unknown to the world. This tour presents a variety of architectural senses of Bangladesh from different periods and orientations of local life, culture, nature, politics and history. Therefore, Architect participants would always be our first priority for this trip, and we want to keep the group size smaller.
A spectacular body of work has arisen, which can easily stand the comparison to the architectural creation in the West, both in terms of its quality, versatility and originality. The fact is, the world hardly knows any! Architectural establishments from Bangladesh rarely get published in Western architectural magazines, books, and even online.
A stunning building by a Western architect: Louis Kahn’s National Assembly Building in Dhaka, has brought an exception to this rule. This building is one of the great mythical masterpieces of 20th-century modernism, world-famous and yet visited by only a few. But maybe at least as interesting as the building itself is the cultural dialectics out of which it emerged and how it eventually empowered the unfolding of contemporary Bangladeshi architecture.
We are the pioneer in accomplishing some unique architecture tours in collaboration with the Swiss Architecture Museum under the leadership of Architect Niklaus Grabber (former professor of ETH, Zürich). We were lucky to be a part of various national and international architectural research and exhibition over the last few years. ‘Bengal Stream – the vibrant architectural sense of Bangladesh‘ is one of the remarkable exhibitions that took place in Switzerland (2017-18), French (2018-19) and Germany (2019) and Bangladesh (December 2022). Since then, we have invited many European architects and have traveled through the noble of architecture and fascinating culture of Bangladesh.
We could never achieve this alone without the encompass support of the local architectural community from every aspect. Their dedication and understanding of Bangladesh’s architectural tourism development have been the main energy behind the efforts of this trip. This tour requires a lot of special permits, attention and participation from renowned Bangladeshi architects and many notable characters of different levels. Therefore, we would like to dedicate this trip only to the worldwide architectural community.
As the world is changing every moment, the itinerary of this trip will not be the same every year. The published itinerary on our website is more of a rough travel plan to have an idea about the trip. And the per-person trip price will also vary from the total number of participants, type of hotels and all other subsequent services involved according to the latest trip itinerary of the applicable year.
The signup ceremony for this trip will end a minimum of three months before the trip departure dates. Participants must sign up by depositing $500 as soon as they have decided to join this trip, and our team will coordinate all other necessary information from time to time, along with the minimum and maximum trip costs range without the international flights.
This is not only a trip, but a very special ceremony for architects around the world to get together in Bangladesh for new learnings…
Day 1: Welcome to Bangladesh
Meet and greet your guide on arrival at the airport. Your guide will offer you a city orientation according to the available daylight. Night stay at a hotel in Dhaka.
Day 2: Surfing through the architectures of Muzharul Islam, Kashef Mahbub Chowdhury, Marina Tabassum, Konstantinos Doxiadis, Richard Edwin Vrooman, Ehsan Khan, Bob Buie, Daniel Dunham, and Bashirul Haq.
Day 3: Muzharul Islam—Pioneer of Bengali Modernism. The Capitol complex of Louis I. Kahn and the wonderful brick architecture of Nahas Ahmed Khalil and Raziul Ahsan.
Day 4: Paul Rudolph, Richard Neutra and Muzharul Islam’s Architecture in Mymensingh.
Day 5: Railway workshop, Anna Heringer’s rural development project in the northwestern region, most beautiful brick terracotta architecture on a Hindu temple. Night stay at an NGO place designed by Kashef Mahboob Chowdhury, influenced by an ancient Buddhist archaeological site.
Day 6: Country boat trip on Brahmaputra River, Chars (shifting river islands), people, agriculture, and Raised Settlement by Kashef Mahboob Chowdhury.
Day 7: Ancient and modern architecture of the Bogra region, a UNESCO World Heritage Site; the first city from the 3rd century B.C.; and a project of architect Saif Ul Haque and Tigerman.
Day 8: Puthia temple complex and traditional silk process of Rajshahi.
Day 9: Experience a train journey to Khulna through beautiful landscapes. Late in the afternoon, we embarked on an adventurous trip to Sundarbans Mangrove Forest.
Day 10: Sundarbans—Forest between Land and Sea
Day 11: Sundarbans—The Beautiful Forest
Day 12: Living with Tides and Tigers—People of the Sundarbans Forest. Disembark in Mongla and continue exploring Bagerhat’s UNESCO World Heritage Site and driving to Barisal.
Day 13: Backwater trip in Barishal and overnight ferry journey to Dhaka
Day 14: Mingling and bargaining; a fascinating shopping experience and a cultural evening.
Day 15: We will say goodbye to meet again.
This itinerary is just a starting point. You can tailor it to your specific interests and preferences. We can condense the architecture tour into a couple of days or extend it into a two-week excursion, blending architecture and culture—much like the rich aromas of Bangladeshi food, which come from a harmonious mix of spices.
We do not publish our full itinerary to protect this unique concept from overtourism and idea theft. This trip prioritizes education and research, born from years of study, participation in national and international events, and time spent building an unparalleled network of collaborators and experts in architecture and related fields.
The journey is inspired and pioneered by architect Niklaus Graber and Mostafizur Rahman Jewel. Both have traveled extensively across Bangladesh—from megacities to rural villages—submerged in its architecture, nature, culture, festivals, and people for over a decade. For the past seven years, Jewel and Niklaus have guided numerous architecture groups throughout the country. Jewel will personally lead your group from arrival to departure, and you’ll meet with many local experts for discussions at various locations.
The price of the trip varies depending on factors such as hotel selection, reserved vehicles, public transportation, and domestic flights, which are tailored to group size and expectations. We prefer to consult with each guest after the group is formed to understand service expectations and preferences before finalizing the travel plan. Once we’ve assessed your needs, we’ll propose a revised itinerary along with hotel recommendations, transportation options, and the final cost.
To secure your booking, we recommend a deposit of USD $500 per person, but only after you’ve reviewed and accepted the proposed itinerary. Following our email communication and mutual agreement, we’ll then arrange a suitable time for the second payment before the trip begins.
- Security deposit
- USD 500
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Destination
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Dress Code
Casual, comfortable athletic clothing, closed shoes, hat. Warm jacket during the winter (November to February). Raincoat/ umbrella during the rainy season (May to August). Full sleeves are always necessary while visiting any religious place, mosque, temple, church or a trip during Ramadan. -
Included
AC vehicle with experienced chauffeur for sightseeing and transfersAccommodation in twin sharing basis as per itineraryAll air, bus, train and launch tickets as per itineraryAll entrance fees and local permitsAll Museum TicketsAll rickshaw/ cycle / boat / local transportsBottled water, soft drinks and seasonal fruits during the sightseeingExpert English-Speaking GuideLocal guide/ escort/ experts/ academicsLunchTrip as per itineraryTypical Souvenir -
Not Included
Any activity not mentioned in the itinerary.DinnerGratuitiesPersonal expenses
From Our Gallery
Not a trip, truly a vibrant architectural scene of Bangladesh
Come for a cultural exchange
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You will be transferred to the airport according to your departure time to avail flight back to your home.
Tour Location
Dhaka, Mymensingh, Dinajpur, Rangpur, Gaibandha, Bogra, Paharpur, Jessore, Sundarbans, Bagerhat, Barisal, Sonargaon
Rolf Meier | Switzerland
Two weeks guided tour on modern architecture in Dhaka and Northern Bangladesh
May 2018 • Solo
Jewel was a fantastic guide who tried to fullfill all our wishes. From morning untill night he organised all he could to show us as much as possible of his country. He did everything trying to let us also enter private housing. The programm was very tight but he always stayed in a good mood, did everything he could. He was very helpful in any way. The hapiness of his klients is very important to him.
I can recommend him very strongly and actually hope to get back to Bangladesh one day. Surely I will then ask him to be my guide again.
Walter K | Basel, Switzerland
An unforgettable travel
Feb 2019 • Friends
Our trip to Bangladesh focussed on modern architecture such as the famous National Parliament by Louis I Kahn, the prominent buildings of Muzharul Islam, the «founding father» of modern architecture in the young country (founded in 1971) and other eminent buildings of widely acknowledged local architects such as Basharul Haq . Our trip was organised and guided by Jewel’s Royal Bengal Tours. Thanks to Jewel we got to visit all impressive architectural sights in Dhaka we had planned to see and several other places in the countryside such as the « friendship center » near Gaibanda, the Agricultural University in Mymensing and more. Jewel and his driver Mobarak guided us safely and patiently through the heavy and noisy traffic and the beautiful landscapes (ricefields) . We had a great time in Bangladesh and learned a lot about the country. Our last days we spent on a boat in the beautiful Sunderban region at the board of the Indian ocean with its rich vegetation and fauna. Jewel is not only a very skilled and experienced guide but also a wonderful and caring person and friend. Thanks to him our trip was a great success and an unforgettable experience. We highly recommend his services to everyone who is interested to get to know the many jewels of Bangladesh!
Our Group “Louis Kahn for ever” from Switzerland (5 persons)
Regine Aeppli
Thrilling Bangladesh
Feb 2019 • Friends
Our trip to Bangladesh focused on modern architecture such as the famous National Parliament by Louis I. Kahn, the prominent buildings of Muzharul Islam, the „founding father“ of modern architecture in Bangladesh, and other prominent contemporary architects like Basharul Haq whom we had the chance to meet. Our trip was organized and guided by Jewel‘s Royal Bengal Tours. There was nothing Jewel wouldn’t do for us as long as it fitted into our travelling plans. He guided us to the many places of of architectural interest not only in Dhaka but also in the countryside for instance to „the friendship center“ near Gaibanda, the Agricultural University in Mymensingh with its large buildings by Robert Neutra, Paul Rudolph and Muzharul Islam. Everything Jewel did was very well prepared and of great interest for us. He and his excellent young driver Mobarak showed us their country and guided us safely through heavy traffic and noisy places while we sat peacefully in the back of the car enjoying what there was to see – among others the beautiful green landscapes and rice fields. The last days of our visit we spent in the Sunderbans at the shore of the Indian Ocean where we were looking for Bengal Tigers. Yet they were not hungry for us, they only left their footprints in the sand. – It was a wonderful and extraordinary trip. Not only did we find great architecture in Bangladesh but also gained a good friend – Jewel! We are very greatful for this unique experience. And we can recommend him to everybody who is interested to learn about Bangladesh. Thanks a lot, dear Jewel and good luck with your upcoming tours and your business.