Timișoara is a university city and commercial centre in western Romania, with a multicultural background due to its position in the Banat region and a tradition of ethnic, linguistic and cultural diversity.

Nicknamed the Little Vienna or the City of Flowers, Timișoara is considered the informal capital city of the historical Banat. The country's third most populous city is the commercial centre of the region, with 330,000 (2018) and over 50,000 students from over 50 countries.

Timișoara, like many other major cities in Romania, is a medical tourism service provider particularly for dental care. As a technology center, the city has one of the most important IT sectors in Romania. Along with Oradea, Timișoara is part of the Art Nouveau European Route.

In December 1989, a series of mass street protests in Timișoara began the Romanian Revolution that overthrew the dictatorship of Nicolae Ceaușescu.

The city will be the European Capital of Culture in 2021.