Chittagong is Bangladesh's second-largest city and the country's largest port. It's a gritty, polluted and congested place, but as the gateway to the Chittagong Hill Tracts – one of the most beautiful and fascinating corners of the country – it's somewhere that many visitors pass through at some point. As well as a place to sort your travel permits for the Hill Tracts, it also makes sense to rest up here for at least one night if you're planning to hit the beaches of Cox's Bazar or St Martin's Island.

Chittagong is large port city on the southeastern coast of Bangladesh. The Ethnological Museum has exhibits about the many different ethnic tribes across the country. Zia Memorial Museum, inside the former Old Circuit House, displays items belonging to former president Ziaur Rahman, who was assassinated on the site in 1981. The landmark Chandanpura Mosque has many onion-shaped domes and brightly painted minarets.

Getting around in Chittagong is always an adventure. Traffic is, by and large, horribly congested and many drivers will think nothing of quoting ten times the going price to a tourist. Agree on prices before setting off. Transport in Chittagong is similar to that of the country's capital Dhaka. There are various bus systems with different routes, taxis, and smaller 'CNG' taxis which are basically tricycle-structured motor vehicles. Also, the traditional manual rickshaws are very common.