It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of Vulkaneifel, Cochem-Zell, Rhein-Hunsrück, Birkenfeld, Trier-Saarburg and Bitburg-Prüm.
The district is situated on both banks of the Moselle, which crosses the territory from southwest to northeast.
A great number of tributaries rise in the Eifel and flow into the Moselle.
In the very south of the district is the Erbeskopf (818 m), the highest peak in the Hunsrück and Rhineland-Palatinate.
The coat of arms displays: At one time, the Borough of Milton Keynes was the twinned region of the district of Bernkastel-Wittlich[ 1 ].