The more up market option is to approach one of the big tour companies such as Bengal Tours (883 4716; www.bengaltours.com; Block A, Banani) or Guide Tours (988 6983; www.guidetours.com; 1st fl, Darpan Complex, DIT II Circle, Gulshan), who both charge around Tk 4500 (including fuel and driver’s expenses) depending on what you want to do.
Bus & tram
Bus
Cheaper than cheap, local buses have no English signs, and their numbering is in Bengali. They are always overcrowded, so boarding between major bus stops is virtually impossible. Fares vary, but around Dhaka you won’t pay much more than Tk 8. Foreigners almost never use the local buses.
Local transport
Rickshaw
You will find rickshaws (which in Bangladesh means cycle-rickshaws) everywhere, and when the streets are crowded (as they usually are) they’re not much slower than anything else that moves. Aim for a basic fare of about Tk 6 for the first kilometer and Tk 5 per kilometer after that, and make your own judgment with regard to baksheesh (tip). The fantastically decked-out cycle-rickshaws of Dhaka are a tourist attraction in their own right and you should go for a spin at least once.
Taxi
There are two types of taxis on the roads of Dhaka. The yellow taxis are more spacious, have air-con and are usually cleaner than their black counterparts, but you pay for the difference. Meters in yellow taxis clock more quickly and at a higher rate than the black taxis, but this is often irrelevant because, as with baby taxis, most drivers are reluctant to use the meters.
History
Dhaka’s history starts in the 1st millennium AD, but it did not rise to prominence until the 17th century, when it served as the Mughal capital of Bengal province from 1608 until 1639 and later again from 1660 until 1704. It was the centre of a flourishing sea trade, attracting English, French, and Dutch traders.
Historic buildings of the Muslim period include Lal Bagh fort (1678) and its tomb of Bibi Pari (1684), wife of a governor of Bengal; the Bara Katra (great caravansary; 1664); the Chhota Katra (small caravansary; 1663); and Husayni Dalan (a religious monument of the Shi’ite sect; 1642). Other 17th-century buildings include the Hindu Dhakeswari temple and Tejgaon church, built by the Portuguese. The more than 700 mosques, including Bayt ul-Mukarram, date back to the 15th century.
With the removal of the provincial capital in 1704 to Murshidabad and the decline of the muslin industry, Dhaka entered a period of decline. It passed under British control in 1765, was constituted a municipality in 1864, but continued to decay until it was designated capital of Eastern Bengal and Assam province (1905-1912). During the early 20th century Dhaka served as a commercial centre and seat of learning. In 1947 it became the capital of East Bengal province and in 1956 of East Pakistan. Dhaka suffered heavy damage during the war of independence in 1971 but emerged as the capital of Bangladesh. The population in 1991 was 3,397,190.
Source: http://www.asiatravelling.net/bangladesh/dhaka/dhaka.htm