Bovec is located 136 kilometres (85 mi) from the capital Ljubljana, at an elevation of 434 m (1,424 ft). The settlement lies in the Bovec Basin of the upper Soca (Isonzo) River, below the eastern slopes of Mount Kanin in the Julian Alps, forming the border with Italy. The adjacent Trenta Valley in the northwest leads into Triglav National Park.

It has been traditionally part of the historic Gorizia region, but today locals prefer to identify with the wider region of the Slovenian Littoral.

The citizens of Bovec largely depend on tourism. In recent years, the area has become increasingly popular with advertisers and filmmakers; part of the Disney film The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, was shot here. The area received the European Destinations of Excellence award in 2008 with the Soca Stories project.

Area destinations include Boka Falls, Mount Triglav (2864 m), the Soca River, Lake Krn, the Kanin (Sella Nevea) ski resort, the Vršic Pass (1611 m), and the mountain road to the Mangart Saddle. Activities around Bovec include kayaking, rafting, hiking (the Peace Trail from Bovec to Kluže Fortress, the Soca Trail, and the Alpe-Adria Trail), performances by Društvo 1313, cheese tasting on the Mangart Plain, the Kanin circular cableway, Prestreljenik Window (Slovene: Prestreljeniško okno) and other karst features, a zip line, and fishing.