The metropolitan area covers more than 500 square miles in a valley ringed by mountains—the Santa Catalinas to the north, the Santa Ritas to the south, the Rincons to the east, and the Tucson Mountains to the west. Saguaro National Park bookends Tucson, with one section on the far east side and the other out west near the Arizona–Sonora Desert Museum.

The central portion of the city has most of the shops, restaurants, and businesses, but not many tourist sites. It is roughly bounded by Craycroft Road to the east, Oracle Road to the west, River Road to the north, and 22nd Street to the south. The Downtown section, east of Interstate 10 off the Broadway-Congress exit, is smaller and easy to navigate on foot.

Up north in the Catalina Foothills are first-class resorts, restaurants, and hiking trails, most with spectacular views of the entire valley.

Downtown streets don't run on any sort of grid, however, and many are one way, so it's best to get a good, detailed map. The city's Westside area is the vast region west of interstates 10 and 19, which includes the western section of Saguaro National Park and the San Xavier Mission.