Alservorstadt borders Thurygrund in the north, Roßau in the east, the Innere Stadt, Josefstadt and Breitenfeld in the south, as well as Währing and Michelbeuern in the west.
Initially, the area was sparsely populated, but after the second siege of Vienna (1683), it was more densely settled, primarily along Alser Straße.
The classicist building of the Josephinum by architect Isidore Carnevale was erected as an academy for military surgeons in the 18th century.
Alsergrund is well integrated into the Viennese public transit network, in particular with the U-Bahn stations Alser Straße in the west and Schottentor to the east.
Moreover, the borough comprises several important educational institutions, such as the campus of the University of Vienna, or the Lycée Français de Vienne.