Phibsborough is located about 2 km north of the old city centre, in Dublin 7. It is bordered by Glasnevin to the north, Drumcondra to the east, Grangegorman and Cabra to the west and the King's Inns on Constitution Hill to the south. The busy commercial centre of Phibsborough is located around the crossroads of the Phibsborough and North Circular Road, commonly known as Doyle's Corner.

Phibsborough, Grangegorman and Broadstone both have stops on the Luas Green Line located along the former Midland & Great Western Railway line. The Phibsborough stop is located at the railway cutting between the North Circular Road and the Cabra Road. It has lateral platforms. Access to the platform level is from both the North Circular and Cabra Roads via stairs and lifts from the new deck levels abutting the existing road overbridges. The Broadstone stop is located at Prebend Street and the Western Way. The Phibsboro stop serves the residential communities and facilitates interchange with bus services on the North Circular and Cabra Roads. The Broadstone stop serves the Mountjoy area and the newly built Technological University Dublin campus located at Grangegorman.

The Luas Cross City project has joined the Luas Red and Green lines with a line from Broombridge in North Dublin (interchange with Irish Rail station) and St. Stephen's Green Green Line stop. Services began in December 2017.

The Royal Canal passes along the northern boundary, separating Phibsborough from Glasnevin. Below the fifth lock, east of Crossguns Bridge, the Broadstone Harbour city markets-bound main branch of the canal ran south, to the now paved over the harbour. The filled-in former mainline is now covered by a linear park and the adjacent road is called the Royal Canal Bank. It consists of a variety of homes from multiple periods, some dating from the 1750s. The canal's current mainline runs south-east to Spencer Dock at the North Wall. The “parkway” passes Mountjoy Gaol, under Blacqueire Bridge, along the high banked eastern side of the Phibsborough Road. Originally the Foster Aqueduct carried the mainline canal over the Phibsborough Road to the harbour terminus which sat directly opposite the Kings Inns at Constitution Hill.

Blessington Street Basin formerly used to supply water to the city, and to Jameson and Powers distilleries, is located adjacent to the Royal Canal Bank road, it was supplied with water piped along the canal and was within a public park since its opening; it remains a haven for wildlife.

Dalymount Park, home of League of Ireland team Bohemian F.C., was the pre-Aviva Stadium venue for international association football and the renowned 'Dalymount Roar' was created here. The National Botanic Gardens are situated in nearby Glasnevin.

Phibsboro Boxing Club runs a gym on Royal Canal Bank, also Phibsboro Chess Club[9] meet at Clareville Community Centre, Claremont Lawns, Glasnevin, Dublin,

A major teaching hospital, the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, is both a local and national care centre. Adjacent are the Mater Private Hospital, and Temple Street Children's Hospital.