Old Swan is within the inner-city area of Liverpool. It is located fairly centrally in the city, bordered by the districts of Knotty Ash, Stoneycroft, Broadgreen, Fairfield and Wavertree. The A57 road passes through Kensington and Fairfield before running through Old Swan and then through Knotty Ash, towards Prescot and on to St Helens. There are many bus routes serving the city centre and outlying areas.

The nearby Edge Lane retail park runs parallel to Old Swan with, in addition, a varied collection of clothes and food shops situated along Prescot Road serving local residents. Further shopping is provided by a large Tesco supermarket and an Aldi outlet facing it across St. Oswald Street. Further down Prescot Road, away from the city centre, is a Sainsbury’s supermarket. During 2011, Asda took over the Netto premises, and it is now an Asda supermarket.

Being centrally located, Old Swan residents can quickly reach a large variety of leisure and other amenities with, in particular, Newsham Park, Wavertree Park, Botanic Gardens & Sefton park being within easy reach.