It is the largest tributary of Lake Peipus and belongs to the drainage basin of the Narva.

The source of the Velikaya is located in the Bezhanitsy Hills in the northwest of Novosokolnichesky District.

In the city of Pskov the Velikaya accepts the Pskova from the right and turns northwest, forming a river delta as it enters Lake Peipus.

The drainage basin of the Velikaya comprises vast areas in the west and southwest of Pskov Oblast, as well as in the east of Latvia and in the north of the Vitebsk Region of Belarus.

Pskov was founded in 903, and the Velikaya provided it with access to the sea, via Lake Peipus and the Narva River.