[3] Altdorf is situated on the right (eastern) bank of the Reuss, about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) south of where the river discharges into the Urnersee, an arm of Lake Lucerne.

The town proper[note 1] sits at an altitude of 458 metres (1,503 ft) above sea level on a flat alluvial plain between the right bank of the river Reuss and the steep hillside of the Rossstock 2.4 km (1.5 mi) to the east.

Of Altdorf's total area, about 36% is used for agricultural purposes (predominately for orchards or vineyards), 37–39% is forested, 23% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder is rivers, glaciers, or mountains.

The earliest evidence of a settlement in Altdorf are several La Tène era bronze ax-heads and iron tools from the 3rd century BCE.

When the Reuss periodically flooded, the low lying settlements were destroyed and the inhabitants were driven back to the "old town", a possible source of the name Altdorf.

[4] source:[8] According to the legend, Altdorf's marketplace is the site where William Tell shot the apple from his son's head,[3] and in 1895 sculptor Richard Kissling unveiled a bronze statue commemorating the feat at the foot of an old tower.

There are several paintings here by the Swiss-born American artist Adolfo Müller-Ury (1862–1947) whose family came from Hospental, including portraits of Pope Pius X, Pope Pius XI, Cardinal Merry del Val, the artist's father Alois Muller, his uncle Domherr Josef Muller, and a large allegorical work Alpenrose und Edelweiss.

Recently the town has established the Haus für Kunst Uri at Herrengasse 2 in a partly converted historic house with a large contemporary extension creating an attractive exhibition space.

In 1899 a carriage-road was opened from Altdorf through the Schächental and over the Klausen Pass (1,948 metres (6,391 ft)) to the village of Linthal (46 kilometres (29 mi)) and so to Glarus.