Best Time to Visit Chattogram

November to February: the best stretch

This is the season to come. Days are dry, sunny and comfortable, with highs from 24°C to 28°C. January is the coolest month, and nights dip to 14°C. You'll want a light jacket for evenings on the water, but that's about it.

It's the best time for Patenga Beach, the ship-breaking yards' coastline, and the boat ride on the Karnaphuli River. It also suits day trips into the Chittagong Hill Tracts, like Rangamati, where you can take boats across Kaptai Lake. Roads are dry, so the winding hill drives are easier. Cox's Bazar, the long beach about four hours south, is also at its best now.

This is high season. Expect more domestic travellers, especially around the Christmas and New Year break. Hotels near Patenga and the city centre fill up faster. If you hate crowds, aim for early November or late February.

March and April: hotter and stickier

March is still pleasant, though it's clearly warmer at 32°C. It's a good month if you missed the winter window. By April the heat builds, with lows of 25°C and rain on about ten days. Afternoons feel heavy.

April has one big event. Pohela Boishakh, the Bengali New Year, falls in mid-April. Expect parades, street fairs and plenty of panta bhat (fermented rice) with fried fish. Many people dress in red and white. Roads get busy and some shops close for the day, so it's a fun time for culture lovers, not for easy sightseeing.

May to October: the wet months

Be honest with yourself here. From June to September it rains on 27 to 29 days a month. July is the wettest, with 824 mm. The sun barely shows, and humidity sits close to 90%. Streets in low-lying parts of the city can flood, and hill roads may slip.

There are upsides. Hotels are quieter, the hills turn a deep green, and the rain can be dramatic over the Bay of Bengal. Still, ferry and boat trips can be cancelled when storms roll in. May and October are the edges of the monsoon, with cyclone risk in the Bay, so keep an eye on forecasts.

If you must visit now, stick to the city. Try the Chittagong Ethnological Museum, the Batali Hill viewpoint and the fish market at Fish Harbour, and keep plans loose.

Quick picks

For beaches and hills, go December to February. For festivals, go mid-April. For quiet and low prices, the rains work if you're flexible. November is a sweet spot, with sunshine and fewer visitors.