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Major city · India

Cooch Beharকোচবিহার

Give Cooch Behar one full day for the palace and temples, or two if you add Madhupur Satra; base here for the October–March season, not the monsoon.

Weather
see forecast
Currency
INR
Best months
Oct–Mar
avoid Jun–Sep (heavy monsoon), May (humid heat)
Airports
COH · IXB · RUP
Nights
1–2
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Print / PDF guide
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
Google Maps Apple Maps Street View
Rules in force · 6
  • South Asia ↗Trekking regions, border districts and several Indian states need separate permits on top of the visa; check the permit before you book transport into them.
  • South Asia ↗Remove shoes (and in many Jain and Hindu temples, leather) before entering; cover shoulders and legs; ask before photographing people or rituals.
  • India ↗Apply for the e-visa only on the official government portal (indianvisaonline.gov.in); lookalike sites charge extra. Check the current rules, fees and how far ahead to apply.
  • India ↗Do not follow anyone who says your hotel is closed, the station ticket office is closed or a road is shut; use the prepaid taxi counter, the metro or an app car.
  • India ↗Carry Indian rupees in small notes (10, 20, 50, 100); change for 500 is often refused.
  • India ↗Parts of the Northeast, Sikkim, Ladakh, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and all border belts need a Protected or Restricted Area Permit or an Inner Line Permit for foreigners; check before you book the route.

Cooch Behar is a former princely capital in northern West Bengal, planned by the Koch dynasty and left with a palace, a pond-side centre and a handful of temples. It is a heritage town rather than a big sight list: most travellers see the palace, Sagardighi and the Rail Museum in a day, then use it as a stop between Siliguri and Assam. The monsoon is heavy and the town is quiet outside the festive season.

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about Cooch Behar, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Cost cheat-sheet

2026 desk estimate · check

Typical prices for the everyday things, as ranges. Your currency is shown next to the local price.

  • Street or quick mealTea (small glass at a stall)₹10–20 (≈ under US$1)
  • SIM or eSIM, a weekeSIM or data SIM, about a week₹500–1,000 (≈ US$6–12)
  • Budget bedHostel or guesthouse bed, a night, per person₹500 (≈ US$6)
  • Mid-range bedHotel double room, a night, per room₹2,800 (≈ US$35)
  • High-end bedHotel double room, a night, per room₹6,000 (≈ US$70)

A day, not counting the bed: Budget ₹1,500 (≈ US$18) · Mid ₹3,500 (≈ US$40) · High ₹7,000 (≈ US$80)

Local prices, with USD next to them (rates 2026-09 (approximate); change it in the header). Ranges are desk estimates: check locally. Every price and the budget calculator →

Decide

What it is known for, and when the weather works

At a glance

What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.

Cooch Behar Palace (Rajbari)Madan Mohan TempleSagardighi pondRail MuseumRas Mela and Durga Puja
Airports
COH Cooch Behar Airport (No scheduled flights; check before planning around it.) · IXB Bagdogra (Siliguri) (Nearest working airport; road or rail onward to Cooch Behar.) · RUP Rupsi (Dhubri, Assam) (Small regional airport across the state line; check current service.)

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

Cooch Behar: next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Air quality

Loading…

Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.

Jan

24°C

9°C

2 rd

Feb

26°C

12°C

3 rd

Mar

30°C

16°C

5 rd

Apr

31°C

20°C

10 rd

May

31°C

23°C

16 rd

Jun

32°C

25°C

20 rd

Jul

32°C

25°C

22 rd

Aug

33°C

25°C

20 rd

Sep

32°C

25°C

17 rd

Oct

31°C

21°C

8 rd

Nov

29°C

15°C

2 rd

Dec

26°C

11°C

1 rd

High / low °C · rd = rain days

Arrive & move

Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Getting around

Electric rickshaws (totos) are the standard short hop and cheap per person; agree the fare before you get in, since operators quote tourists higher. Buses are packed and slow. The centre is flat and walkable in daylight; cycling works if you are comfortable in traffic.

See & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time

Madhupur Satra

go

Door to door: About 45 min each way

Road from town, about 10 km

Satra founded in the Koch period; open daily, quiet in the morning.

Dinhata

caution

Door to door: About 1 h

Bus or car south of town

Market town; go only if you have a reason.

Mekhliganj

caution

Door to door: 1.5–2 h

Bus or car east towards the Bangladesh border

Border-area town; carry ID.

Baneswar

go

Door to door: About 40 min

Road south of town

Shiva temple stop, easy half-day.

Tufanganj

caution

Door to door: About 1.5 h

Bus or car east

River-side town; check road conditions in monsoon.

Haldibari

caution

Door to door: 1.5–2 h

Train or road north

Border rail link; check current service.

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.

Town centre around Sagardighi and MJN Road

Walkable to the palace, pond and food streets; best for a one-night stop.

New Cooch Behar (station side)

Near the main junction and the Rail Museum; practical for early trains, less to do on foot.

Biswa Singha Road / Bara Bazaar

Hotels, restaurants and the biggest street market; noisiest part of town.

Practical

What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Cost per day

2026 estimate, excluding the bed unless stated
Budget
₹1,200–2,500 (≈ US$14–30) excl. bed
Mid
₹2,500–5,000 (≈ US$30–60) excl. bed
High
₹5,000 (≈ US$60)+ excl. bed

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
Hotel double room1 × 1 night × ₹2,800₹2,800
Food, local transport, entries2 × 1 day × ₹3,500₹7,000
Toto rides around town, per day2 × ₹150 · check₹300
Palace entry2 × ₹30 · check₹50
eSIM, about a week of data2 × ₹700₹1,400
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurge₹1,160
Trip total≈ ₹6,360 per person per day, bed included₹12,710≈ US$150

2026 estimate in rupees; travel to Cooch Behar excluded. Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

Tea (small glass at a stall)₹10–20 (≈ under US$1)
Bengali thali or rice meal₹80–200 (≈ US$1–3)
Mughlai paratha or samosa₹20–60 (≈ under US$1)
Toto ride across townAgree the fare first.₹15–40 (≈ under US$1) per person
Cinema ticket₹50–260 (≈ US$1–3)
eSIM or data SIM, about a week₹500–1,000 (≈ US$6–12)

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

Generally safe for visitors in daylight; the real issues are monsoon flooding, thunderstorms in spring and toto drivers quoting inflated fares. Keep valuables out of sight in the bazaars and avoid unlit roads after dark.
  • Monsoon June–September brings very heavy rain and local flooding; plan indoor days.
  • March–April can bring violent thunderstorms with hail.
  • Toto drivers may ask several times the local fare from visitors: fix the price first.
  • Photography is not allowed inside the palace museum or the Rail Museum.
  • Single-use plastic bags are banned in town: bring your own.
  • The palace closes on Fridays and the Rail Museum on Tuesdays.

Emergency numbers

All services (police, fire, ambulance)
112
Police
100
Ambulance
108

Pocket card

One page · print or save as PDF

Fill in, then print or save as PDF

Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

Cooch Beharকোচবিহার

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

এই ঠিকানায় নিয়ে চলুনTo this address, please

Emergency

  • All services112
  • Police100
  • Ambulance108

Embassy

No embassies in Cooch Behar; most countries have embassies or consulates in Kolkata or New Delhi (check before you travel).

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • Toto, short hop in town: ₹15–20 (≈ under US$1) per person (check)
  • Palace entry: ₹20 (≈ under US$1) online, ₹25 (≈ under US$1) at the gate (check)
  • Rail Museum entry: ₹20 (≈ under US$1) (check)

Say or show

  • নমস্কার — Hello / Good day (nomoshkar)
  • ধন্যবাদ — Thank you (dhonnobad)
  • কত টাকা? — How much is it? (koto taka)
  • খুব বেশি — Too expensive (khub beshi)
  • টয়লেট কোথায়? — Where is the toilet? (toilet kothay)
  • এখানে নিয়ে চলুন — Please take me here (ekhane niye cholun)

Bengali and Rajbanshi are the everyday languages; English works in hotels and larger restaurants.

Deep dive

What this guide covers so far, and its sources

Not a trip line yet

This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Cooch Behar. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.

What we know, and what is coming

On this page

  1. Best months: Oct–Mar · avoid Jun–Sep (heavy monsoon), May (humid heat) · month by month →
  2. 3 airports and 3 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 6 day-trips, door to door
  6. 6 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. Airport-to-bed contract for IXB and COH: last road and rail options field-checked, taxi fallback, overnight rung.
  2. Four walking clusters with rescue anchors: palace and Sagardighi, Bara Bazaar, station and Rail Museum, Madhupur Satra.
  3. Place pages with verified cutoffs (palace, Rail Museum, Madan Mohan Temple, Sagardighi) and eat pages with last orders.
  4. Monsoon and festival fixtures so gates A–D can go green.

Meanwhile

Back to India

Sources