Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River roughly 370 kilometers (230 mi) from both the Baltic Sea coast and the Carpathian Mountains. Its population as of 2007 was estimated at 1,706,624, with a metropolitan area of approximately 3,350,000. The city area is 516.9 square kilometers (199.6 sq mi), with an agglomeration of 6,100.43 square kilometers (2,355.4 sq mi) (Warsaw Metro Area). Warsaw is the 8th largest city in the European Union. Although today's Warsaw is a fairly young city, it has many tourist attractions. Apart from the Warsaw Old Town quarter, carefully reconstructed after World War II, each borough has something to offer. Among the most notable landmarks of the Old Town are the Royal Castle, King Sigismund's Column, Market Square, and the Barbican. Further south is the so-called Royal Route, with many classicist palaces, the Presidential Palace and the Warsaw University campus. Also the popular Nowy Swiat Street is worth mentioning. Warsaw's oldest public park, the Ogród Saski, is located within 10 minutes' walk from the old town. Warsaw's biggest public park and said to be the most beautiful is the Lazienki Park. It is also very old – established in the 17th century and given its current classical shape in late 18th century – is located further south, on the Royal Route, about 3 km from the Warsaw Old Town The Powazki Cemetery is one of the oldest cemeteries in Europe,[53] full of sculptures, some of them by the most renowned Polish artists of the 19th and 20th centuries. Since it serves the religious communities of Warsaw, be it Catholics, Jews, Muslims or Protestants, it is often called a necropolis. Nearby is the Okopowa Street Jewish Cemetery, one of the largest Jewish cemeteries in Europe. To the north of the city centre is the site of the former Warsaw Ghetto. The borough of Zoliborz is famous for its architecture from the 1920s and 1930s. Between Zoliborz and the Vistula River is the Warsaw Citadel, a monument of 19th century military architecture. Wilanów Palace, the former royal residence of King Jan III Sobieski, is notable for its baroque architecture and beautiful parks. Notable examples of contemporary architecture include the Palace of Culture and Science, a Soc-realist skyscraper located in the city centre, the Stadion Dziesieciolecia which used to be the biggest open-air market in Europe and the Plac Konstytucji with its monumental Social realism architecture. The central part of the right-bank (east) Praga borough it is a place where very run-down houses stand right next to modern apartment buildings and shopping malls. Probably the only street in the world named after Winnie-the-Pooh and located in the very centre of a metropolis. Modern architecture in Warsaw is represented by: Metropolitan Office Building at Plac Pilsudskiego (Pilsudski Square) by Sir Norman Foster; Warsaw University Library (BUW) by Marek Budzynski and Zbigniew Badowski, featuring a garden on its roof and view of the Vistula River; Rondo 1 office building by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill; Zlote Tarasy retail and business centre. Planned architecture includes: Museum of the History of Polish Jews; Museum of Modern Art; "Kopernik" Science Centre, named after Copernicus; Zlota 44, an apartment tower by Daniel Libeskind; Lilium Tower, an apartment tower by Zaha Hadid. Planned reconstructions: Saxon Palace Brühl Palace

Warsaw is home to over 30 major theatres spread throughout the city, including the National Theatre (founded in 1765) and the Grand Theatre in Warsaw (established 1778). Warsaw also attracts many young and off-stream directors and performers who add to the city's theatre culture. Their productions may be viewed mostly in smaller theatres and Houses of Culture (Domy Kultury), mostly outside Sródmiescie (downtown Warsaw). Warsaw hosts the International Theatrical Meetings. Thanks to numerous musical venues, including the Teatr Wielki, the Polish National Opera, the Chamber Opera, the National Philharmonic Hall and the National Theatre, as well as the Roma and Buffo music theatres and the Congress Hall in the Palace of Culture and Science, Warsaw hosts many events and festivals. Among the events worth particular attention are: the International Frederick Chopin Piano Competition, the International Contemporary Music Festival Warsaw Autumn, the Jazz Jamboree, Warsaw Summer Jazz Days, the International Stanislaw Moniuszko Vocal Competition, the Mozart Festival, and the Festival of Old Music. There are many museums and art galleries in Warsaw, the most notable are: National Museum, Zacheta Art Gallery, Centre for Contemporary Art, Museum of Modern Art,Museum of the Polish Army, Royal Castle,Warsaw Uprising Museum, Fryderyk Chopin Museum, Historical Museum of Warsaw,Polish History Museum, Museum of Independence,Museum of the History of Polish Jews,Museum of Sports and Tourism, Museum of Communism Museum of Communism in Poland. Warsaw is one of the most important education centres of Poland. It is home to four major universities and over 62 smaller schools of higher education. The most important are: University of Warsaw, Warsaw University of Technology, Warsaw School of Economics, Warsaw University of Life Science, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University, Medical University of Warsaw, Military University of Technology, Academy of National Defence, Józef Pilsudski University of Physical Education in Warsaw, Fryderyk Chopin Academy of Music, The Aleksander Zelwerowicz State Theatre Academy. The overall number of students of all grades of education in Warsaw is almost 500,000 (29% of the city population; 2002). The number of university students is over 255,000.