Quzhou is situated in the western part of Zhejiang Province and in the upper reaches of the Qiantang River. Located at the intersection point of Zhejiang Province, Anhui Province and Jiangxi Province, the city borders Nanping to the south, Shangrao (Jiangxi) and Jingdezhen (Jiangxi) to the west, Huangshan (Anhui) to the north, and Jinshan, Lishui and Hangzhou (all in Zhejiang Province) to the east. It is within 4 hours’ drive from Quzhou to the four capital cities of Zhejiang Province, Anhui Province, Jingxi Province and Fujian Province.

The city is easily accessible. Quzhou Airport offers flights to Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and several other major cities in China. The Hangzhou-Jinhua-Quzhou Highway, the Huangshan-Quzhou-Nanping Highway, the Hanghzou-Xin'anjiang-Jingdezhen Highway and the Longyou-Xin'anjiang Highway all run through the city. Shanghai Port and Ningbo-Zhoushan Port, the top two ports in China by container turnover in 2007, are 450 km and 366 km from Quzhou, respectively.

Quzhou has a subtropical monsoon climate, with an average temperature of 16.5 C. The two rainy seasons in the city usually fall in the period from March to June and in September.