It is located in the borough of Altona and is the westernmost quarter of Hamburg, bordering the German federal state of Schleswig-Holstein in the west, north, and northeast and the Elbe river to the south.

In 1789, the local government bought a section of Rissen called Klövensteen and let it become a large forest.

In the 19th century, the locally well-known shipowner Johan Cesar V. Godeffroy purchased a significant portion of the area and dedicated it to become his personal hunting grounds.

It shares borders with the Schleswig-Holstein towns of Wedel, Pinneberg, and Schenefeld in the west, north, and northeast, respectively, and with Hamburg's quarters Sülldorf and Blankenese in the east.

In the north of Rissen lies a large forested area, the so-called Klövensteen which is a popular place for recreational activities like walking, jogging, riding, etc.

[6] The Honorary Consulate of Haiti established in Hamburg 1951 is located at Tinsdaler Kirchenweg 275a.

[8] 23 physicians in private practice, 5 pharmacies and 8 day care centers for children were registered in 2006.

According to the Department of Motor Vehicles (Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt), in Rissen were 6,689 private cars registered (465 cars/1000 people).