Albany is located on the Eastern shore of San Francisco Bay, across from the Golden Gate Bridge.

The city lies in the northwestern corner of Alameda County, bordered by the cities of El Cerrito and Richmond on the north and the City of Berkeley on the east and south sides. The terrain is mostly flat, except for Albany Hill, which rises 338 feet above sea level.

The Oakland-San Francisco Bay Bridge is just a few miles south of Albany, off Interstate 80, which runs along the western edge of the city. AC Transit bus lines and a BART station in neighboring El Cerrito provide easily accessible transportation services to San Francisco, Richmond, Berkeley, Oakland, and beyond.