Several significant destinations are within a day's reach of Dhaka, though traffic means what looks close on a map can take longer than expected.
Savar (30 km) — The National Martyrs' Memorial at Savar is the principal monument to those who died in the 1971 Liberation War: a striking angular structure set in a large park, more impressive in person than in photographs. The Jahangirnagar University campus nearby is pleasant for a walk.
Sonargaon (28 km east) — The former capital of Bengal, now an open-air folk art museum and the ruins of the Mughal city of Panam Nagar. The 19th-century merchant buildings of Panam Nagar — the longest surviving row of colonial-era townhouses in Bangladesh — are in decay but atmospherically so, and the site receives few international visitors.
Narayanganj (20 km southeast) — An industrial river town that can be reached by boat from Sadarghat in about 90 minutes, passing through the Buriganga and into the Dhaleswari river. The boat journey is more interesting than the town, though the 15th-century Muslin town of Sonargaon is nearby.
Rajshahi (250 km northwest) — Too far for a comfortable day trip but worth an overnight stay for the Varendra Research Museum (the oldest museum in Bangladesh) and the archaeological sites of Mahasthangarh and Paharpur.