Savar travel guide
The National Martyrs' Memorial and winter ducks at Jahangirnagar
A factory city on Dhaka's north-western edge, visited mainly for the National Martyrs' Memorial and the winter birds on the Jahangirnagar University lakes. Go between November and February; half a day from Dhaka is enough. Bangladesh's entry rules depend on your passport, and some nationalities get a visa on arrival.
Savar lies on the Dhaka-Aricha highway just north-west of the capital. It is the nearest separate city to central Dhaka and the second largest in Dhaka District, and most of it is garment factories and workers' housing. The reason to come is the National Martyrs' Memorial (Jatiyo Smriti Soudho), the country's monument to those killed in the 1971 Liberation War.
The memorial is a set of seven concrete triangles rising to a peak about 45 metres high, laid out with lawns, a reflecting pool and mass graves in front. Mornings are calmest. Avoid Independence Day (26 March) and Victory Day (16 December). Official ceremonies and huge crowds take over the grounds on both.
Nearby, the lakes on the Jahangirnagar University campus draw migratory ducks every winter. Savar is also where the Rana Plaza factory building collapsed in 2013, killing more than 1,100 garment workers, and the site on the highway is still a place of remembrance.
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Top things to do in Savar
The National Martyrs' Memorial, the Jahangirnagar campus lakes and a family amusement park in Ashulia.
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Best time to visit Savar
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Clear mornings at the memorial and ducks settling on the Jahangirnagar lakes.
Downpours flood the low ground and slow the Dhaka-Aricha highway to a crawl.
The memorial is packed on Independence Day (26 March) and Victory Day (16 December); visit on another day for a quiet walk.
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Getting there
Out along the Dhaka-Aricha highway from Gabtoli
Savar is a road trip; no railway serves it. Buses leave constantly from Gabtoli, the big terminal on Dhaka's western edge, and run out along the Dhaka-Aricha highway through Hemayetpur to Savar bus stand and on to Nabinagar, where the National Martyrs' Memorial stands beside the road. Almost any bus bound for Manikganj, Aricha or the north-west passes the gate, so tell the conductor you want Smriti Soudho. A car or a ride-hailing booking from central Dhaka is easier for a group; the memorial is about 35 km from the city centre. Coming from the airport, you can skip the city altogether by going via Uttara and Ashulia, though that road has jams of its own.
- Bus
- From Gabtoli along the Dhaka-Aricha highway to Savar and Nabinagar
- Car or ride-hailing
- About 35 km from central Dhaka to the memorial
- Air
- Dhaka Hazrat Shahjalal (DAC), then road via Ashulia
- Return buses fill up in the late afternoon; leave the memorial by mid-afternoon to beat both the crowds and the jams.
Getting around
Rickshaws along the highway
Savar stretches for kilometres along the highway, so its sights are not within walking distance of each other. The memorial at Nabinagar and the Jahangirnagar University campus lie close together, a short rickshaw ride apart. Savar town, with the bus stand and the Rana Plaza site, is a few kilometres back towards Dhaka. CNG auto-rickshaws and battery rickshaws work this stretch, and local buses along the highway stop for anyone who waves. On the campus itself, walk: the lakes are scattered between the halls and the paths are shaded.
- Rickshaw
- Memorial to the university gate and around campus
- CNG auto-rickshaw
- Between Savar bus stand, the memorial and Ashulia
- Local bus
- Hop on and off along the Dhaka-Aricha highway
Know before you go
Savar is the National Martyrs' Memorial and a busy highway town.
Why travelers love it
- The National Martyrs' Memorial in the morning, before the crowds, with its seven-part spire reflected in the pool.
- Jahangirnagar University lakes in winter, when migratory ducks settle on the water.
- Fantasy Kingdom in nearby Ashulia, an amusement park popular with Dhaka families.
Good to know
- Leave Dhaka early; traffic on the Dhaka-Aricha highway builds quickly through the day.
- Dress and behave respectfully at the memorial, which is a national site of mourning.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Savar, month by month
Month-by-month climate figures for Savar are being researched.
Smriti Soudho at opening time, ducks by mid-morning
Savar is a half-day trip from Dhaka. Take an early bus from Gabtoli or drive before eight to the National Martyrs' Memorial at Nabinagar, walking the lawns past the mass graves to the seven-part spire. In winter, add an hour at the Jahangirnagar University lakes for migratory ducks, and pause at the Rana Plaza site on the way back.
Catch an early bus from Gabtoli, or set off by car before eight, and go straight to the National Martyrs' Memorial at Nabinagar. In the first hours of the morning the grounds are close to empty. Walk the full length of the lawns, past the reflecting pool and the mass graves, to the foot of the seven-part spire, and look back along the axis you have just walked; the design is meant to be read in that slow approach.
Between November and February, take a rickshaw to the Jahangirnagar University campus next door and spend an hour by the lakes, where migratory ducks gather in their thousands on a good winter morning. Tea stalls near the campus gate make a cheap stop. On the way back towards Dhaka, those who want to can pause at the Rana Plaza site near Savar bus stand, where the 2013 collapse is remembered. Families can trade the campus for Fantasy Kingdom in Ashulia. Aim to be heading home by early afternoon, before the highway jams.
The National Martyrs' Memorial and what it stands for
The Jatiyo Smriti Soudho at Savar, designed by Syed Mainul Hossain and finished in 1982, is Bangladesh's national memorial to the independence struggle. Its seven triangular planes rise to a peak about 45 metres high, one for each stage from the 1952 Language Movement to the 1971 war. Treat the grounds as a place of mourning.
Architect Syed Mainul Hossain designed the Jatiyo Smriti Soudho; the foundation stone was laid in 1972, but construction only started in 1978 and finished in 1982. Its seven triangular concrete planes rise in height towards a single peak about 45 metres high. Each plane stands for a stage in the struggle that led to independence, starting with the Language Movement of 1952 and ending with the war of 1971.
The monument is the place where visiting heads of state lay wreaths, and on 26 March and 16 December the country's leaders come at dawn, followed by vast crowds. On any other day it is a calm, open park. The mass graves in front hold remains of those killed in the war.
Treat the grounds as a place of mourning. Dress modestly, keep voices low near the graves, and skip the posed holiday photos on the steps. Savar adds a second, more recent memory: the Rana Plaza collapse of 2013, which killed more than 1,100 garment workers and changed how the world looks at the factories that line this highway.
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How we research our Savar travel guide
Access to the National Martyrs' Memorial changes on 26 March and 16 December, so we check it before those dates, along with bus routes from Gabtoli and highway conditions. Climate uses Bangladesh Meteorological Department normals.
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Checked against trusted sources:
UNESCO World Heritage CentreBangladesh Meteorological Department climate normals
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- UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Bangladesh
- Bangladesh Meteorological Department climate normals
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Memorial visits, buses from Gabtoli and opening on national days, answered.
General
In Savar, on the Dhaka-Aricha highway just north-west of Dhaka. It is the country's main monument to the 1971 Liberation War.
Yes. Allow an hour or so at the memorial and another by the campus lakes in winter, and you can be heading back before lunch.
The architect Syed Mainul Hossain. The foundation stone was laid in 1972, building started in 1978 and the monument was completed in 1982.
Each stands for a stage of the independence struggle, from the 1952 Language Movement to the 1971 war.
In April 2013 the Rana Plaza factory building near Savar bus stand collapsed, killing more than 1,100 garment workers. The site remains a place of remembrance.
On Independence Day (26 March) and Victory Day (16 December), when state ceremonies and huge crowds take over the grounds.
Savar stretches for kilometres along the highway, so its sights are not within walking distance of each other. The memorial at Nabinagar and the Jahangirnagar University campus lie close together, a short rickshaw ride apart. Savar town, with the bus stand and the Rana Plaza site, is a few kilometres back towards Dhaka.
Getting there
Most north-west services out of Gabtoli do, including those for Manikganj. Say Smriti Soudho or Nabinagar as you board, and travel early to stay ahead of the highway jams.
No. Savar is reached by road, most easily by bus from Gabtoli or by car along the Dhaka-Aricha highway.
A short drive east, so families can pair the amusement park with a morning at the memorial.
Savar is a road trip; no railway serves it. Buses leave constantly from Gabtoli, the big terminal on Dhaka's western edge, and run out along the Dhaka-Aricha highway through Hemayetpur to Savar bus stand and on to Nabinagar, where the National Martyrs' Memorial stands beside the road. Almost any bus bound for Manikganj, Aricha or the north-west passes the gate, so tell the conductor you want Smriti Soudho.
Timing & weather
In winter, roughly November to February, when they settle on the campus lakes next to the memorial. Early mornings bring the largest flocks and the fewest people.
The best time to visit Savar is Nov to Feb. Dry, mild weather and migratory ducks on the campus lakes.
- Best overall: November - February (Clear mornings at the memorial and ducks settling on the Jahangirnagar lakes)
- Monsoon: June - September (Downpours flood the low ground and slow the Dhaka-Aricha highway to a crawl)
Visa & documents
Arrange a visa before you travel unless your passport is exempt, and make sure the passport is valid for at least six months beyond arrival. Some nationalities can get a visa on arrival at Dhaka airport, but confirm with an embassy.
Health & safety
Violent crime against visitors is rare. Your main risks are pickpockets in crowds, chaotic traffic and occasional political strikes (hartals) that shut roads at short notice. Call 999 for police, fire or ambulance.
