Livingstone town itself is fairly compact and surrounded by several small township suburbs, sprawling out from its centre. It has an estimated population of 140,000. Much bigger than Victoria Falls, the town has two main business areas concentrated along its main street, the all-important Mosi-oa-Tunya Road. Sections of this are lined with classic colonial buildings with corrugated-iron roofs and wide wooden verandas, some beautifully restored and others in a state of disrepair. The larger and busier central business district begins atop a small hill just past the museum, while in the lower part of town is a smaller but growing retail area known as '217'. Navigation is easy, even without a map, though signposts are often missing or may point to establishments no longer in existence.

Drive north out of the city, and the main street leading to the capital becomes Lusaka Road. Head south for about 10km and you reach the Zambezi River and Victoria Falls themselves, and the border post to cross into Zimbabwe via Victoria Falls Bridge. Many visitors choose to stay here, most at one of Sun International's two hotels which are close to the Falls. Travel west from town on Nakatindi/Kazungula Road and you soon find yourself parallel to the Zambezi, following its north bank upstream towards Kazungula and the ferry to Botswana. Signposts to the left point to small, exclusive lodges, perched at picturesque spots on the river's bank.