Shopping at Bashundhara City

Shopaholics visiting Bangladesh won’t want to miss the opportunity to visit South Asia’s largest shopping mall: Bashundhara City. Situated at Panthapath, Dhaka, Bashundhara City stands out with its interesting rotunda architecture and at a height of 21 stories, eight of which are dedicated to the mall. With space for 2 500 retail stores as well as various other features, this mall will keep you busy all day.

Construction on Bashundhara City began in 1998. The appealing structure was designed by Mohammad Foyes Ullah and Mustapha Khalid Palash of Vistaara and cost over $100 million to build. So what will visitors find when exploring Bashundhara City? The vast selection of retail stores contain a variety of local and international brands of clothing, electronic gadgets, electrical goods, books, jewelry, cosmetics, perfumes, crockery, antiques, art, stationery, sporting gear, medicines and much more. The stores are generally grouped together by category, so comparison shopping is made much easier.

After or between shopping, visitors may want to grab a bite to eat at the large food court. There are about 100 food outlets here, where you can purchase fast food, such as French fries, burgers, fried chicken etc., as well as local cuisine in the form of Chatpati, Tehari and Phuchka. A number of stalls sell ice cream in a variety of delicious flavors. Bashundhara City’s food court is open between 10h30 and 22h30 each day except Wednesdays.

Another drawing card for the mall is Gold’s Gym. Fitness fanatics, body builders and those who are just looking to get into shape flock here to make use of the gym’s facilities, which include cardio-vascular training, weightlifting, aerobics, swimming pool, sauna, Jacuzzi, spinning, a nutrition centre and more. The women’s and men’s sections of the gym are completely separate.

Visitors to Bashundhara City can catch a movie at the Star Cineplex, a world-class multiplex cinema. The cinema features the latest international blockbusters as well as some local productions. Each of the three cinemas boasts Dolby Surround Sound and Automated Digital Cinema Screening Systems. The Star Cineplex also has a lobby with concession stands, video games and souvenir shops.

Level eight of Bashundhara City hosts a theme park called Toggi World. Inside patrons will find miniature replicas of the Taj Mahal, Eiffel Tower and Statue of Liberty. Families will find a vast array of rides to try out, including a mini rollercoaster, swing, bumper cars, merry-go-round, flying carpet, pink Cadillac, mini train and much more. There is even a party area that can be hired out. There is also a fantastic games zone with over 60 games on offer, including car racing, air gun, sports, shooting and more. Visitors may also want to check out the pool corner, where you can enjoy good music whilst playing pool or snooker. On the same level is the bowling alley, featuring background music and LCD scoring monitors. Also not to be missed is the artificial ice skating rink. Catch up on your email or surf the web at the cyber café.

Dhaka’s Bashundhara city has something for everyone and is a great place to spend a few hours, enjoying some shopping, entertainment and food.