Situated on the Right Bank of the River Seine, it is crossed by two canals, the Canal Saint-Denis and the Canal de l’Ourcq, which meet near the Parc de la Villette.

The 19th arrondissement includes two public parks: the Parc des Buttes Chaumont, located on a hill, and the Parc de la Villette, which is home to both the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie, a museum and exhibition centre, and the Conservatoire de Paris, one of the most renowned music schools in Europe and part of the Cité de la Musique.