Saintes is in the central part of the department. It is bordered to the north by the "arrondissement" of Saint-Jean-d'Angély, to the east by the "arrondissement" of Cognac (Charente department), to the south by the "arrondissement" of Jonzac, to the southwest by the Gironde department (through the Gironde estuary), to the west and northwest by the "arrondissement" of Rochefort.