Three days is a good length for a first Cox's Bazar trip from Dhaka. It gives you a full beach day, a drive down Marine Drive to Himchari and Inani, and time for Ramu or the Burmese market before heading home. This plan uses an overnight bus or train in both directions, so you don't lose daylight hours to travel. Below it you'll find what each part of the trip costs and two sample budgets per person.
All prices are in Bangladeshi taka and were checked in early November 2026. Fares and room rates rise around weekends, Eid and other holidays, so treat them as a guide and check current prices before you book.
The plan at a glance
- Night 0: Overnight bus or train from Dhaka.
- Day 1: Arrive early morning, settle in, then the beach at Laboni, Sugandha and Kolatoli points until sunset.
- Day 2: Marine Drive by hired auto: Himchari in the morning, then Inani and Patuartek, back for sunset.
- Day 3: Ramu or Maheshkhali in the morning, the Burmese market in the afternoon, then the overnight bus or train home.
- Extra day (optional): a Saint Martin's Island trip in season.
Night 0: Leave Dhaka
Overnight coaches leave Dhaka every evening, with most departures between about 7 pm and 11 pm from the Sayedabad, Arambagh and Kalabagan areas. Scheduled journey times are 8 to 11 hours, so you arrive early the next morning. Book a few days ahead, especially for weekend and holiday travel.
The train is a comfortable alternative. Two direct intercity trains run between Dhaka and Cox's Bazar, the Cox's Bazar Express and the Parjatak Express, and the journey takes roughly 8 to 10 hours. The Cox's Bazar Express is the overnight option, leaving Dhaka at around 11 pm. Book on Bangladesh Railway's official e-ticketing site; seats sell out quickly for weekends and holidays.
If you prefer to fly, flights take about an hour, and you can leave on the morning of Day 1 instead.
Day 1: Settle in and hit the beach
Overnight buses usually arrive between about 3 am and 8 am, well before the standard hotel check-in time. Ask your hotel about early check-in when you book, or plan to leave your bags at reception and head for breakfast and the beach.
Spend the day on the main beach. Laboni, Sugandha and Kolatoli points are the social heart of town, with beach chairs, horse rides, beach bikes and snack stalls, and fresh coconuts to drink. Stay for sunset, then have dinner at one of the beachfront seafood restaurants, where you pick the fish and it's cooked to order.
Day 2: Marine Drive, Himchari and Inani
Hire an auto (CNG) for the day and head south along Marine Drive, the coastal road that runs for around 80 km beside the sea. Go in the morning, when the light is softer and traffic is lighter.
Stop first at Himchari for its small waterfall and the climb to its hilltop viewpoint. There is a small entry fee at the gate. Then continue to Inani, where the beach is rockier and the water is clearer at low tide. Nearby Patuartek has a similar rocky, coral-studded shore and is quieter. Check the tide times if you can, as both are at their best at low tide.
Head back in the late afternoon and watch the sunset from Marine Drive, where small cafés along the road serve tea and snacks. Agree the full round-trip price with your driver before you set off, including waiting time at each stop.
Day 3: Ramu or Maheshkhali, then home
Choose one morning trip:
- Ramu, roughly 15 to 20 km away, has old Buddhist monasteries and a large reclining Buddha statue. It's an easy half-day trip.
- Maheshkhali is an island about 15 to 20 minutes by speedboat from Jetty No. 6 (6 number ghat) in town, known for its hilltop Adinath temple, salt fields and mangroves. A cheaper, slower sea truck also runs from the same jetty a few times a day.
In the afternoon, browse the Burmese market near the town centre for Rakhine handicrafts, pickles, sandals and dried fish (shutki). Ask your hotel to hold your bags after check-out until your evening bus or train.
Extra day: Saint Martin's Island
With a fourth day, you can add a trip to Saint Martin's, Bangladesh's only coral island, south of Cox's Bazar. Access is tightly controlled to protect the island. For the 2026-27 season, it is open to visitors from 1 November 2026 to 15 March 2027, and ships leave only from the BIWTA ghat at Nuniachhara in Cox's Bazar. The crossing takes about five hours each way. You need a government travel pass, which is issued with an official ship ticket bought through the Bangladesh Tourism Board's portal.
The rules on overnight stays, daily visitor limits and fees can change from month to month, so check the latest official notice before you plan this day.
What it costs
Getting there from Dhaka
- Non-AC bus: about 1,200 BDT one way. Operators include Hanif, Soudia and Shyamoli.
- AC bus: about 1,500 to 2,000 BDT one way for a seat, and 2,000 to 2,250 BDT for a sleeper.
- Flight: about 6,000 to 8,000 BDT one way.
- Train: about 754 BDT one way in Shovon Chair, 1,443 BDT in Snigdha (AC chair), 1,728 BDT for an AC seat and 2,644 BDT for an AC berth. An online service charge is added when you pay, so check the final fare on Bangladesh Railway's e-ticketing site.
Hotels
A basic double room in a small guesthouse costs around 1,500 to 3,500 BDT a night outside peak times. Simple mid-range hotels with air conditioning and a lift are usually around 4,000 to 9,000 BDT. Rates rise in the winter peak from about November to February and around holidays. See our Cox's Bazar hotel list with prices and our guide to budget hotels in Cox's Bazar for specific places.
Food
A regular meal at a local restaurant costs about 200 to 300 BDT per person, so three meals come to about 600 to 900 BDT a day. Seafood dinners on the beach cost more: fish is sold by weight, so always confirm the price before it goes on the grill.
Getting around
Hiring an auto (CNG) for a full day, for example for Marine Drive, costs about 1,500 to 2,500 BDT per vehicle. The cost is shared if you travel as a group. Short hops around town by easy-bike or auto are cheap, but agree the fare before you set off, as meters aren't used.
The speedboat to Maheshkhali costs about 95 BDT per person each way, the fare the government set for the route in 2026. The sea truck is cheaper.
Sample budgets per person
Both budgets assume two people sharing a room and the Day 2 auto, with two nights in a hotel and three days of meals. Seafood dinners, the Maheshkhali boat, entry fees and shopping are extra.
Budget trip: about 5,500 to 10,000 BDT
- Shovon Chair train or non-AC bus both ways: 1,508 to 2,400 BDT
- Basic room, 2 nights, shared: 1,500 to 3,500 BDT
- Food, 3 days: 1,800 to 2,700 BDT
- Auto for Marine Drive, shared: 750 to 1,250 BDT
Comfort trip by AC bus: about 9,500 to 17,500 BDT
- AC bus both ways: 3,000 to 4,500 BDT
- Mid-range room, 2 nights, shared: 4,000 to 9,000 BDT
- Food, 3 days: 1,800 to 2,700 BDT
- Auto for Marine Drive, shared: 750 to 1,250 BDT
The Snigdha AC train (about 2,900 BDT return) costs about the same as the AC bus, while an AC berth on the overnight train (about 5,300 BDT return) adds about 800 to 2,300 BDT. Flying both ways instead of taking the AC bus adds about 9,000 to 11,500 BDT per person, bringing the comfort trip to roughly 18,500 to 29,000 BDT.
Tips to keep costs down
- Travel Sunday to Wednesday. Thursday and Friday nights are the busiest, and rooms cost more.
- Take the Shovon Chair train, the cheapest way from Dhaka, if you can get a ticket.
- Book bus tickets online, where some operators offer small discounts.
- Eat where locals eat. Small eateries in town serve affordable Bengali set meals.
- Share the Marine Drive auto with friends or other travellers to split the day rate.
- Carry some cash, as ATMs thin out along Marine Drive.
Frequently asked questions
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