Patan is situated on the elevated tract of land in Kathmandu Valley on the south side of the Bagmati River, which separates it from the City of Kathmandu on the northern and western side. The Nakkhu Khola acts as the boundary on the southern side. It was developed on relatively thin layers of deposited clay and gravel in the central part of a dried ancient lake known as the Nagdaha.
It is among the largest cities in the country, along with Kathmandu, Pokhara, and Biratnagar.
The city has an area of 15.43 square kilometres and is divided into 22 Municipal wards. The city is bounded by:
East: Imadol VDC and Harisiddhi VDC
West: Kirtipur Municipality and Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC)
North: Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC)
South: Saibu VDC, Sunakothi VDC and Dhapakhel VDC