We have chosen some important things you might be interested to find out about Bucharest before you come here.

Geography:
Along a small tributary of Dambovita, named Colentina, several lakes stretch across the city, the most important being Lake Floreasca, Lake Tei and Lake Colentina. In addition, in the center of the capital there is a small artificial lake - Lake Cismigiu. Surrounded by gardens and parks, it has a rich history, as it was frequented by famous poets and writers.
The region where Bucharest is now located was once covered by the Vlasiei forest, which, after it was cleared, gave way to a fertile flatland.
As with many cities, Bucharest is traditionally considered to have seven hills, in the tradition of the seven hills of Rome. Bucharest's seven hills are: Mihai Voda, Patriarhiei, Radu Voda, Cotroceni, Spirei, Vacaresti and Sf. Gheorghe Nou.

The city has a total surface of 226 km2. The altitude varies between 55.8 meters at the Dambovita bridge in Catelu, south-eastern Bucharest and 91.5 m at the Militari church.Until recently, the regions surrounding Bucharest were largely rural, but after 1989, new suburbs started to be built around Bucharest, in Ilfov county.

Economy:
Although it accounts for around 9% of Romania's population, Bucharest produces around 21% of the country's GDP and about a quarter of the industrial production, being obviously the most developed area and industrialized area of Romania. Almost two-thirds of Romania's national taxes are paid by Bucharest citizens and companies.

The weak status of the Romanian leu in international exchange rates makes it difficult to compare economic product of Bucharest to that of the European Union countries. Based on local purchasing power, Bucharest has per capita GDP about about 50% that of the EU, nearly twice the Romanian average. Based on the fact that Bucharest produces around 21% of Romanian GDP for a population of around 2 milion, the GDP (PPP) per capita would be US$17,400.

Transport:
Bucharest boasts the largest transport network in Romania, and one of the largest in the Central and Eastern Europe region. Transport can be spanided into three major fields:
A metro (subway) system run by Metrorex - see Bucharest Metro
A surface transport system run by RATB that is made up of buses, trams, trolleybuses and high-speed trams (light-metro) - see Regia Autonoma de Transport Bucuresti
A private taxi system

Air
TAROM, the national air carrier, has flights from a large variety of world cities, including Paris, Madrid, Munich and Rome, to Henri Coanda Airport (formerly Otopeni), the main international airport. Also, other private Romanian airlines operate from Baneasa and Coanda Airports.
Train
Train services into and out of Romania are of very high quality, especially those trains that are operated by Romanian railways, Hungarian railways or Polish railways. There are EuroCity and EuroNight trains to Budapest via Arad, as well as to Belgrade via Timisoara. Intercity and Rapid trains service all major cities in Romania. Tickets are inexpensive by Western standards.
In contrast, the "Personal" trains are crowded and slow.

Sights & landmarks:
Palatul Parlamentului
The Palace of the Parliament was built by the communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu (then known as the Palace of the People) and it is the second biggest building in the world after the Pentagon. The huge building hosts the Museum of Contemporary Art, a very modern and interesting museum.

The Village Museum
Established in 1936, the Village Museum is an open air ethnographical museum, extended on 100,000 square metres, containing 272 authentic buildings and peasant farms from all over Romania. - website

Arcul de Triumf
The first, wooden, triumphal arch was built hurriedly, after Romania gained its independence (1878), so that the victorious troops could march under it. Another temporary arch was built on the same site, after World War I. The current arch was built in 1935.

Cismigiu Gardens
The Cismigiu Gardens were built as a public garden in the center of Bucharest in 1847 after the plans of the German architect Carl F.W. Meyer.

National Museum of Art
Located in the former royal palace, the museum features notable collections of medieval and modern Romanian art, as well as the international collection assembled by the Romanian royal family. The modern Romanian collection features sculptures by Constantin Brancusi and Dimitrie Paciurea.

Museum of the Romanian Peasant
A beautifully displayed collection of textiles (especially costumes), icons, ceramics, and other artifacts of Romanian peasant life. This institution received the "European Museum of the Year 1996" prize.
 
Other landmarks:

The Romanian Athenaeum (Ateneu Roman)
The Museum of Romanian Historylink website
The Museum of Art Collections
Herastrau Park, site of the Village Museum
Botanical Garden
The University
University Square
Lipscani in winter
Lipscani area, including Manuc's Inn (Hanul lui Manuc) and the Old Court (Curtea Veche)
Zambaccian Museum
Theodor Pallady Museum
The Cretzulescu Palace
Kretzulescu Palace
Cotroceni Palace
The Romanian Opera
The Romanian Operawebsite
Obor Market (Piata Obor)

Clubs:
Club A
Probably the most famous club in Bucharest, founded by architecture students in a basement near the university. Alternative/Rock/Pop. Club A

Laptaria Enache
The Laptaria Enache, at the back of the upper floor of the National Theater, is well-known as a live music venue; in the warm weather months, the entire operation moves to the theater's roof.

Others
Other famous clubs are Fire Club (Rock), Underworld (Punk/Heavy Metal), Baza Militara (Rock/dance/oldies/soft rock), Kristal Glam Club (Dance), Salsa 3.

Shopping centers:
The biggest modern shopping centers in Bucharest are Cora, Carrefour, Bucharest Mall, Plaza Romania and Unirea shopping center. However, there are also a large number of traditional markets; the one at Obor covers about a dozen city blocks, and numerous large stores that are not officially part of the market effectively add up to a market district almost twice that size.