How to get from Chittagong to Sylhet
Air
The distance from Chittagong to Sylhet by air is 285 kilometres, with a total journey time of 3.50 hours, which includes a 2 hour 15 minute stopover in Dhaka. There are no direct flights from Chittagong to Sylhet. The following airlines all offer regular flights: Biman Bangladesh Airlines, US-Bangla and NovoAir. The cost of an airfare varies considerably according to the class of ticket and duration of journey, with an average cost of around BDT9000 or USD106 for one-way travel. Be sure to check the stopover time in Dhaka before purchasing tickets as stopover times vary.
Tickets can be purchased online before arrival in Bangladesh or from airline offices and travel companies in country.
Train
The distance by rail is 381 kilometres, with a journey time of 9 hours. Two Intercity trains operate this route, one offering day travel whilst the other is overnight.
Departure Arrival Off Day
719 – Paharika Express 09:00 AM 06:00 PM Monday
724 – Udayan Express 09:45 PM 06:00 AM Saturday
One-way ticket prices vary from BDT500 or USD6 for a standard seat, to BDT1288 or USD15 for an AC berth.
How to buy tickets
Bangladeshi Railways have an online ticket service, see www.esheba.cnsbd.com, though it only works with Bangladeshi bank cards and tickets are only sent to Bangladesh mobile phones, so of little use to overseas visitors, unless one of the travellers is Bangladeshi. Train travel is very popular so make reservations at a station as soon as possible, or find a suitable local travel agency to arrange tickets for you.
Classes of seats/berths
There are a variety of classes on Bangladeshi trains.
- AC class berth. These are air-conditioned 2-berth sleeper compartments on the best overnight trains.
- AC class seat. The best accommodation on daytime trains. Air-conditioned, carpeted cars with reclining seats, all reserved.
- Snigdha. These are AC class air-conditioned reclining seats cars with a TV screen.
- 1st class berth. 1st class berths are arranged in 4-berth sleeper compartments on overnight trains.
- 1st class seat, all reserved.
- 2nd class shuvon chair. Shuvon means better looking, a second class chair car with reclining seats, all reserved.
- 2nd class shuvon. More basic seating than shuvon chair cars, all reserved.
- 2nd class Shulov. Shulov means easily available. These are second class cars with bench seats. Unreserved seating, often crowded.
Road
Bus
The distance by road from Chittagong to Sylhet via Dhaka is 383 kilometres, with a journey time of around 13 hours including a one hour stop in Dhaka. There are no direct bus services between these two cities. The travel time between Chittagong and Dhaka, and Dhaka and Sylhet is almost identical at just over 6 hours for each segment.
The cost of a one-way journey varies between companies and service levels: AC or non-AC bus. Expect to pay in the region of BDT600-700 (around USD8) for a non-AC bus and BDT1100-1200 (around USD14) for an AC bus.
The following companies offer non-AC bus services on this route:
Ena Transport, Soudia Coach Service, Romar Service, Mamun Enterprise.
The following companies offer AC bus services on this route:
Green Line Paribahan, London Express, Soudia Coach Service.
Private Transfer
There are plenty of rent a car service available in Chittagong. BeFresh is one of the reliable car rental services in the city. The cost of one way private transfer from Chittagong and Sylhet is between BDT. 6000.00-12000.00 depending on standard and size.
Self drive by car
The driving distance from Chittagong to Sylhet is 285 kilometres and takes approximately 5 hours and 15 minutes. Alternatively one can drive to Sylhet via Dhaka with a journey time of around 8 hours 40 minutes. Although it is possible to hire a car and drive from Chittagong to Sylhet, unless an experienced driver and familiar with road conditions, this mode of travel is not recommended.
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