Nagpur gains its political importance from the fact that the entire political community of Maharashtra descends on the city for the two week duration of the Winter Session of the Maharashtra State Legislative Assembly during the month of December. Furthermore, Nagpur is known throughout India as the birthplace and headquarters of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a Hindu nationalist organization.

Nagpur is an important city for the scientific community as it is home to the headquarters of a number of national level scientific and governmental establishments like the National Environmental Engineering and Research Institute (NEERI), Central Institute of Cotton Research (CICR), National Research Centre for Citrus, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, the Jawaharlal Nehru National Aluminium Research and Development Centre, the Indian Bureau of Mines, India's Intellectual Property Training Institute, the National Academy of Direct Taxes, the Chief Controller of Explosives of the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation, and the South Central Zone Cultural Centre in addition to a regional office of the Indian Meteorological Department.

Nagpur is also an important city for the Indian armed forces as the headquarters of Maintenance Command of the Indian Air Force and an Ordinance factory and Staff College for the Indian Armed Forces are located in the city. A Nagpur suburb named Kamptee is home a neatly laid out cantonement of the Regimental Centre of Indian Army's Brigade that is made up of the National Cadet Corps' Officers' Training School, Institute of Military Law, and other establishments of Indian Army. Furthermore, Nagpur's National Civil Defence College provides civil defence and disaster management training to pupils from all over India and abroad.

Due to Nagpur's geographical position, all distances within India are measured from Zero Mile, which is located in the Civil Lines locality in the city. The battle was a turning point as it laid the foundations of the downfall of the Bhonsles and eventually the British acquisition of Nagpur city. In addition, Nagpur also contains prominent places of worship for other religions. With its scenic gardens and recreation facilities, the Ambazari Lake has historically been one of the most popular spots in Nagpur, a status that it retains to this day. Pench forest reserve, which is the setting for Rudyard Kipling's "The Jungle Book", is 45 miles to the north of Nagpur.

The Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground (VCA) in Nagpur is one of the nine test venues in the country.

Nagpur boasts many restaurants specializing in Indian as well as international cuisine.

For its size and population, Nagpur has only two five-star hotels Hotel Tuli International, and Hotel Pride.