Cooch Behar is the district headquarters and the largest town of Cooch Behar District in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is situated in the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas and located at 26°22′N 89°29′E / 26.367°N 89.483°E / 26.367; 89.483. Cooch Behar is the only planned town in North Bengal region with remnants of royal heritage. One of the main tourist destinations in West Bengal, the town is well-known for the Cooch Behar Palace and Madan Mohan Bari and has been declared a heritage town. During the British Raj, the town of Cooch Behar was the seat of the princely state of Koch Bihar, ruled by the Koch dynasty. After 20 August 1949, Cooch Behar District was transformed from a princely state to its present status, with the town of Cooch Behar as its headquarters

Cooch Behar is well known for its palaces and royal buildings; prominent among them is the Royal Palace of the Koch Kings called Rajbari. Other royal buildings and palaces are used as Government offices, hospitals and defense quarters. There are numerous fact, myths and stories associated with each of these buildings and palaces that old people love to share with anyone who is interested in its history. Today, Cooch Behar is a well planned modern city minus the chaos, noise and pollution found in other cities of India. Cooch Behar has also gained importance from an archeological perspective since the excavation of remains at Gosanimari Rajpat where ancient stone sculptures, stone engravings and a water system were found recently. Place of Interest:

• Rajbari Palace
• Madan Mohan Temple
• Baneswar SivaTemple
• Madhupur Dham Temple
• Kamteswari Temple at Dinhata
• Madan Mohan Temple, Mathabhanga
• Rasik Bill
• Gosanimari Rajpat excavation site
• Ranir Bagan (Memorial of the Kings and Queen)
• Sagar Dighi (a lake where migratory birds come). .

Directions: The New Cooch Behar railway station is around five kilometres from town and is well connected to almost all major Indian cities. The rail route is one of the important connecting North-East India with remaining parts of the country.
Cooch Behar is headquarters of the North Bengal State Transport Corporation, which runs regular bus service to places in West Bengal, Assam and Bihar. Private buses are also available. Most buses depart from the Central Bus Terminus near Cooch Behar Rajbari. Hired vehicles are also available from the taxi stand near Transport Chowpathi.
Cooch Behar has an airport that, at present, is defunct, but plans are being considered to make it operational soon. At present, the nearest airport is in Bagdogra near Siliguri, about 160 kilometres from Cooch Behar..